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Israel

June 20, 2026

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Former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot gives a press conference in Tel Aviv, on December 4, 2018.

Can political novice Eisenkot defeat Netanyahu in upcoming elections?

The former military chief of staff is emerging as the prime minister's strongest rival in upcoming elections, overtaking former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in recent polls.

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

'Let Syria take care of Hezbollah': Trump criticizes Israel, leans on Sharaa to help in Lebanon

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, FRANCE - JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit, on June 16, 2026 in Evian-les-Bains, France. Leaders from the Group of 7 (G7) countries convened in Evian, France, near the Swiss border, for their annual summit to discuss challenges to peace and security for Ukraine and Europe, the situation in the Middle East, and other geopolitical issues. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Get

Explainer

Ben-Gvir's move to run separately in Israel elections revives debate over party alliances

Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day celebrations on May 14, 2026, in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Analysis

'He knew it was over': Inside Netanyahu’s response to Trump’s Iran deal as Israel recalibrates

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Rina Bassist

Associate Editor (Israel)

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

An Israeli soldier guards the West Bank Jewish settlement of Susia, south of Hebron May 19, 2014. Israeli lawmakers are pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lift what they call unjustified secrecy over opaque - and rising - funding for settlements on West Bank land Palestinians want for a state. Picture taken May 19, 2014. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS MILITARY) - RTR3VEDO

Israel should create 'Marshall Plan' for Gaza

Israel should seek a regional alliance — supported by the European Union, Russia, United Nations and United States — to enable the creation of a Palestinian state and peace between Israel and most neighboring countries, and form a strong axis to fight radical Islam.

A man holds up a placard during a peace rally in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square August 16, 2014. The protesters were demonstrating in favour of a peaceful political agreement, to end the month-long conflict in Gaza, between the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
REUTERS/Baz Ratner (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR42O65

Abbas destroyed hopes of Israel's peace camp

Accusing Israel of "genocide" would not prompt the UN to grant President Mahmoud Abbas a Palestinian state on a silver platter, but it did destroy whatever was still left of the bridge between the two people.

Israeli army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz gestures during a press conference at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv on July 28, 2014. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israelis must be ready for a long military campaign in Gaza, after mortar fire from the enclave killed four people in the Jewish state. AFP PHOTO/GIL COHEN-MAGEN (Photo credit should read GIL COHEN MAGEN/AFP/Getty Images)

IDF chief of staff speaks out on IS, Syria, Iran

Chief of Staff Benny Gantz does not exclude the possibility that in the future, Israel will have to deal with the Islamic State, saying, "If they would take us on, they would fail."

Israel braces for conflict as Yom Kippur, Eid al-Adha coincide

With this year's Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha falling on the same day, Jewish and Arab leaders are pleading with the two sides not to repeat past clashes and allow each other to observe the holy day peacefully.

Aryeh Deri (C), leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, attends an annual pilgrimage to the gravesite of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, a Moroccan-born sage and kabbalist also known as the Baba Sali, in the southern town of Netivot January 14, 2013. Powerful political players for years, Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties must now reckon with a new force ushered in by voters bent on stripping them of perks they have relied on for decades. Picture taken January 14, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS

Shas Party is losing its electoral base

The battle between current Shas leader Aryeh Deri and former Chairman Eli Yishai will surely affect voters, who might prefer other parties over Shas.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (front R) and Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani arrive at a meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee in Doha April 8, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYDPI

Netanyahu needs to do some soul-searching

In his UN speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic horizon consisted of Israel and the Arab world starting a normalization process before resolving the conflict with the Palestinians, a concept that no Arab leader would ever consider.

Thousands of Jews perform the Selichot prayer at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in the old city of Jerusalem late on September 23, 2014, in the lead up to Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Clashes broke out at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest shrine, as Palestinians protested against members of Jewish faith visiting the flashpoint holy site, which is also sacred to the Jews and known to them as Temple Mount, on the eve of Jewish New Year, police said. AFP PHOTO/ AHMAD GHARABLI

High Holidays attract secular Jews to Jerusalem

Israeli secular Jews take Selichot tours in Jerusalem to reconnect with their Jewish roots through the poems and prayers recited in the period leading up to the Hebrew New Year and Yom Kippur.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathers materials as he concludes his address to the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR487Y0

Iranian UN delegate slams Netanyahu speech

Iran's UN delegation took the floor to criticize the address by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the UN General Assembly.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen on a video display monitor inside an interpreters booth as he addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 29, 2014.
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4881P

Bibi's UN speech misses again

At the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accomplished what he is best at: delivering speeches and identifying threats, without identifying opportunities or making any historic decisions — again.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talks about a photograph as he addresses the 69th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York September 29, 2014. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR487W3

Netanyahu missteps on Hamas, Islamic State comparison

In his UN General Assembly speech, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared Hamas to the Islamic State, ignoring Israel's ongoing negotiations with Hamas in Cairo.

THIS PICTURE IS ONE OF 30 TO ACCOMPANY PICTURE PACKAGE: THE PROTESTERS OF TEL AVIV'S TENT CITY. SEARCH IN YOUR PICTURE SYSTEM FOR KEYWORD "PROTEST" TO SEE ALL IMAGES (PXP01 - 30)

The tent belonging to Eyal Hukayma, a 29-year-old handyman, is pictured at a tent camp on Rothschild Boulevard in south Tel Aviv, part of an ongoing protest against the high cost of living in Israel August 11, 2011. When interviewed by Reuters, Hukayma said, "I set up my tent in Rothschild Boulevard on the first day of the protest

Lapid's budget a betrayal of social justice

The 2015 Israeli budget achieves two of Finance Minister Yair Lapid's goals, but reflects the political interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than making a commitment to social justice.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is escorted to the podium for his address to the 69th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York, September 26, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Segar (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR47UJL

Abbas' speech warning siren for Israel

The UN General Assembly speech by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reflects first and foremost the Palestinians' despair of any hope for peace with the current Israeli leadership.