Israel - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Israel cover image

Israel

June 28, 2026

Tel Aviv 6:30 pm

28°C

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Analysts say the expected vote for recognition is not morally motivated, but intended to spite the Turkish leader.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, back) looks on as (L/R, front row) Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh sign a framework agreement at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2026. Lebanon, Israel and the United States on Friday signed a trilateral framework agreement aimed at paving the way for a peace deal between the two long-time Middle East adversaries. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP

US brokers deal for limited Israeli withdrawal in south Lebanon

The deal establishes a US-facilitated military coordination group to oversee the creation of two initial pilot zones in southern Lebanon.

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Iran’s military headquarters said it “considers responding to these dangerous actions as its right” after alleging that Israeli jets have been operating in the airspace of neighboring countries near Iran.

Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

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

Latest News

Israel, Turkey, Iran offer aid as Venezuela’s 2 quakes kill at least 188

Responders arrive to a demolished building at San Bernardino after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck Venezuela and other regions in the Caribbean on June 24, 2026 in Caracas, Venezuela.

Explainer

Pro-Palestine Democrats win in NYC elections: What it means

Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City.

Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026. Iran's foreign ministry on June 15 said the US must ensure that Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under a deal agreed upon with the US to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in early March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. (Pho

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

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

A Bedouin stands in front of a coffee shop overlooking Coloured Canyon in the Sinai Peninsula near the town of Nuweiba March 2, 2007. The 800 metre (0.5 miles) long rock formation consists of sandstone, limestone, granite and veins of basalt. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic (EGYPT) - RTR1N0X1

Why Did Israel Forget About a Prisoner in Egypt?

After 12 years in Egyptian prison, Israeli Ouda Tarabin embarks on a hunger strike as a last resort to awaken public opinion, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Children of migrant workers play on a beach in Tel Aviv, on Israel's Independence Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the creation of the state, April 16, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: SOCIETY IMMIGRATION ANNIVERSARY) - RTXYNUK

Israel Should Embrace Immigrants From Africa

Instead of rejecting African immigrants, Israel should integrate them, becoming a multicultural society such as in Europe, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Israeli-Turkish Reconciliation Not a Done Deal

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's aspirations to become leader of the Sunni Muslim world could hinder rebuilding strategic ties with Israel, argues Ben Caspit.

Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid (L) and Minister of Economics and Trade Naftali Bennett (2nd L) walk together during the swearing-in ceremony, at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, in Jerusalem March 18, 2013. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new governing coalition took office after a parliamentary vote on Monday with powerful roles reserved for supporters of settlers in occupied territory. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F5XP

Facebook Replaces Cafeteria As Hub for Israeli Politicians

The Knesset cafeteria, once the place to see and to be seen, is being replaced nowadays by Facebook, writes Mazal Mualem.

People light candles during a special prayer marking the anniversary of mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Empire in 1915, in the Armenian Church in Jerusalem's Old City April 24, 2012. Armenia, backed by many historians and parliaments, says about 1.5 million Christian Armenians were killed in what is now eastern Turkey during World War One in a deliberate policy of genocide ordered by the Ottoman government. Successive Turkish governments and the vast majority of Turks feel the charge of genocide is an

Israel: The Politics Behind The Armenian Genocide

On the eve of the 98th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, Israel continues denying the event in favor of having better political relations with Turkey, writes Akiva Eldar.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 22, 2013. REUTER/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYVXD

Netanyahu’s Challenges On Knesset's Opening Day

Mazal Mualem lists the five challenges which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must face with the opening of the 19th Knesset summer session.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (L) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Martin Dempsey (R) testify before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee in Washington April 16, 2013. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTXYNPQ

US Not Considering Arms To Syrian Rebels

The Obama administration resists congressional pressure for military aid to the Syrian rebels; Al-Monitor writers take on the case of Fazil Say and the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

Israeli police officers walk in front of the Dome of the Rock, on the compound known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City March 17, 2010. A surge in Palestinian-Israeli violence on the streets of Jerusalem and the West Bank is a sign of broader instability ahead unless the United States can quickly restore faith in the peace process. Clashes this month indicate the rising tension between Palestinians and a right-wing Israeli government which has incensed Pale

Playing with Fire On the Temple Mount

Provocative visits to the Temple Mount by Knesset members and ministers from the right could prove costly, writes Nadav Perry.

A Palestinian ninth grade student writes on the blackboard during a Hebrew class at a Gaza school in Gaza City January 28, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: EDUCATION) - RTR3D31S

Israeli Students Show Little Interest In Learning Arabic

In contrast to the revival of Hebrew studies in Gaza, Israeli students are reluctant to learn Arabic, writes Shlomi Eldar.

Dr Ezzeldeen Abu Al-Aish, a Palestinian fertility expert who has been working at Israel's Sheba Medical Center for the past few years, speaks to the media on January 17, 2009 in Tel Hashomer hospital in Tel Aviv. An Israeli strike hit his family house in the Gaza Strip yesterday killing three of his eight children. Two of his daughters are hospitalized in Israel in serious condition after the Israeli government evacuated his daughters from Gaza. AFP PHOTO / YEHUDA RAIZNER (Photo credit should read YEHUDA

The Gaza Doctor’s Story On Israeli Stage

The best-seller “I Shall Not Hate,” depicting the life of Ezzeldeen Abu al-Aish, "the doctor from Gaza" and bereaved Palestinian father, has been adapted for the stage at Habima national theater, Michal Aharoni reports.

Protesters light candles in front of a Palestinian flag during a rally to show solidarity with Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails, in Gaza City April 15, 2013. According to a Palestinian prisoners' association, at least 4900 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXYMTT

Do the US and Arab StatesSee Eye to Eye on Palestine?

The United States has failed to change its approach to the Middle East conflict, but Arab states are consolidating alliances with the divided Palestinian political establishment, writes Ahmad Azem.

Abdullah Yaseen, a freelance web programmer, works on his laptop at al-Najah University campus in the West Bank city of Nablus April 8, 2013. Fledgling Palestinian high-tech firms hope they can now help revitalise the economy, making the West Bank more resistant to Israeli controls on land and the movement of goods and people and less dependent on fickle foreign aid flows, which are blighting the public sector. Picture taken April 8, 2013. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-HITECH/ REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (

Economic Peace Before a Political Solution in Israel, Palestine

Following dismayed reactions to Secretary of State John Kerry’s Israel/West Bank visit, both sides debate prioritizing economic peace, writes Adnan Abu Amer.