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Israel

June 22, 2026

Tel Aviv 3:09 pm

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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

Palestinians hold pictures of prisoners during a demonstration in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, in the West Bank city of Ramallah June 7, 2014. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced concerns on Friday about the worsening health of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli detention and demanded that they either be formally charged or released immediately. Some 120 Palestinians jailed without trial in Israel have been on an open-ended hunger strike, eating only salt and

Palestinian activists reject Israel force-feeding prisoners

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi condemns the Israeli bill allowing force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes, stressing that such strikes, as the one taking place now, are the prisoners' only option to protest illegal detention.

Reuven Rivlin (L), a former speaker of parliament and the newly elected Israeli president, hugs fellow presidential candidate, former Finance Minister Meir Sheetrit, at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem June 10, 2014. Rivlin, a right-wing legislator opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state, was elected Israel's president on Tuesday and will replace the dovish Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY PROFI

Livni-Herzog alliance a threat to Netanyahu

The presidential elections exposed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political vulnerabilities.

Israel's Financial Minister Yair Lapid adresses the conference of "Jewish life and anti-semitism in contemporary Europe" in the Upper House of the parliament building on October 1, 2013 in Budapest, Hungary. The two-day conference was organized by the Tom Lantos Institute (TLI) and supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and addresses relevant issues and concerns of European Jewish communities today. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK

Lapid's strategy of empty threats benefits Netanyahu

The declaration by Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid that annexation of any area of the West Bank would result in the dismantling of the government raises the bar in a way that actually ensures the survival of the Netanyahu coalition.

An Israeli police officer stands inside a burnt mosque in the Bedouin village of Tuba-Zangariya in northern Israel October 3, 2011, before the arrival of Israel's President Shimon Peres. They strike in the dead of night, setting fire to mosques and daubing their walls with "Price Tag" graffiti, the defiant slogan of Israeli settlers waging a vigilante campaign branded as "un-Jewish" by President Shimon Peres. The "price-taggers" have vowed to avenge any move by Israeli authorities to uproot settlement out

Why doesn't Netanyahu label price tag attacks as terrorism?

Participants of the 14th Herzliya Conference criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for persisting in refusing to define settlers who commit "price tag" attacks as members of a terror organization.

Why Rivlin's win is a defeat for Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister tried and failed to prevent his right-wing rival, Reuven Rivlin, from becoming president.

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Do Israeli women deserve their own awards?

An initiative to establish a special prize for Israeli women artists provokes a public debate on whether affirmative action helps in advancing women or damages the battle for gender equality.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) talks to Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid before their meeting in Jerusalem December 6, 2013. REUTERS/Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX1665G

Lapid slams Netanyahu for 'crisis' in US-Israel ties

In a landmark speech, Finance Minister Yair Lapid broke ties with right-wing coalition members and laid claim to Israel's center-left.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) stands with President Shimon Peres and Speaker of the parliament Reuven Rivlin (R) during a memorial ceremony on Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem marking the anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin October 20, 2010. Israel marks on Wednesday the 15th anniversary of Rabin's assassination by an ultra-nationalist Jew. REUTERS/Alex Kolomoisky/Pool (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY) - RTXTN9O

Israeli left's baffling support for Rivlin

If former Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin is elected president with support from the Meretz and Labor parties, it will reveal the bankruptcy of Israel's left.

Senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh prepares to deliver a farewell speech for his former position as a Hamas government Prime Minister, in Gaza City June 2, 2014. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a unity government on Monday after overcoming a last-minute dispute with the Hamas Islamist group. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3RTNG

Israel should put Fatah-Hamas government to the test

The establishment of a Palestinian government culminates a decade of changes the Hamas movement is undergoing, offering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an opportunity to force it into changing its fanatical charter.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) meets Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Rome, March 6, 2014.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (ITALY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3G4K4

Liberman: Arabs 'must come out of the closet'

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman outlines his vision for a regional arrangement with Arab Gulf states.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) listens to Foreign Affairs and Defence committee chair Zeev Elkin during a committee meeting at parliament in Jerusalem June 2, 2014. Netanyahu warned on Sunday against any international rush to recognise a Palestinian government due to be announced under a unity pact between the Fatah and Hamas Islamist groups.REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3RRU6

Sinking ties with US linked to Netanyahu's political fortunes

A drop in US-Israel ties has provoked a domestic political crisis for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces challenges from Avigdor Liberman and Naftali Bennett.

An Israeli soldier stands guard outside a navy base in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat March 10, 2014. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3GGYB

Will Sisi move beyond 'cold peace' with Israel?

The pending gas deal between Israel and Egypt might be an economic necessity for President-elect Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.