Israeli politics

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) speaks with then-Cabinet Secretary Tzachi Braverman during the weekly government conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on June 17, 2018. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)

November 8, 2023, 11:11 pm

Netanyahu aide said to request classified minutes of past security cabinet meetings

Legal adviser to Prime Minister’s Office reportedly blocks transfer of documents as request appears to relate to questions of blame once war is over

By ToI Staff

Bill Clinton looks on as Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat shake hands during the signing of the Oslo Accords, September 13, 1993. On the far right, current Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. (GPO)

September 14, 2023, 3:48 am

Why the Oslo peace process failed – and what it means for future negotiators

30 years ago, the Israelis and Palestinians signed an agreement many thought was set in stone. Now, as it lies battered and seemingly done for, here are the lessons we can draw

By Aaron David Miller

Naftali Bennett, second from the left, meets with Jewish Democrats at the Capitol, April 19, 2023. (Twitter via JTA. )

April 20, 2023, 4:15 pm

Former PM Bennett gives off comeback vibes during visit to DC

On diplomacy blitz in US, ex-premier defends Israel’s stability amid judicial overhaul crisis, but also offers hints he wants a hand in the country’s future

By Ron Kampeas

A cleric walks past Zolfaghar, top, and Dezful missiles displayed by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, at Imam Khomeini grand mosque, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

March 5, 2023, 6:04 am

Is Iran really the existential threat Israel claims it is? This author thinks not

In his new book ‘Fear and Insecurity,’ Jonathan Leslie says Israeli politicians are blowing Iranian nuclear aspirations out of proportion – and they’re doing it for the votes

By JP O’ Malley

Illustration (Evgeny Gromov; iStock by Getty Images)

February 2, 2023, 10:45 pm

Scientists ‘can tell from a brain’s response’ whether owner is left- or right-wing

Israeli study says political differences don’t just emerge when it comes to how we interpret reality around us; our brains actually ‘see’ different things depending on our politics

By Nathan Jeffay

Israelis attend a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, on January 7, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

January 11, 2023, 11:03 am

Anti-government protesters claim discrimination at café, train station

One protester says she was refused service at a Tel Aviv eatery; another is told she can’t board train wearing shirt with phrase ‘Rise up’

By ToI Staff

File: President Isaac Herzog at the Federation of Local Authorities conference in Tel Aviv, December 6, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

January 11, 2023, 12:08 am

Herzog urges lawmakers to simmer down as rhetoric around judicial reforms boils over

President reportedly asks justice minister to ‘soften’ judicial overhaul plan, vows to protect values laid out in Declaration of Independence, which he says should guide nation

By ToI Staff

Former Mossad intelligence director Zohar Palti speaks with Times of Israel political correspondent Tal Schneider at an event in Ramat Hasharon, December 24, 2022. (Zman Israel)

December 25, 2022, 7:55 pm

Iran closer than ever to weapons-grade uranium, ex-top defense official says

Zohar Palti tells ToI Israel must make ‘serious decisions’ on whether it is willing to attack Iran’s nuclear plants without US backing, notes issue tangled up with other challenges

By Tal Schneider

Supporters of the liberal Labor party react as the results of the Israeli elections are announced, in Tel Aviv, November 1, 2022. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90/ via JTA)

November 5, 2022, 11:21 am

For some Americans living in Israel, this week’s elections conjure 2016 deja vu

Left-leaning immigrants who moved during Trump era are surprised to encounter the radical politics they thought they left behind, while other new arrivals are happy with outcome

By Deborah Danan and PHILISSA CRAMER

Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu delivers an election campaign speech from inside a modified delivery truck with a side wall replaced with bulletproof glass, in Beersheba, southern Israel, September 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

September 15, 2022, 12:29 pm

Wooing voters, Netanyahu campaigns aboard a bulletproof ‘Bibibus’

The former prime minister, famed for his flair for the dramatic, drums up support ahead of November elections with a new shtick

By Ilan Ben Zion and Sam McNeil

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (left) with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu at a Knesset session in memory of Israel's first prime minister David Ben-Gurion, on November 8, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

September 15, 2022, 12:16 pm

Political deadlock unchanged in new poll, with Netanyahu bloc at 59 seats

Far-right Religious Zionism seen as third-largest party, on 13 seats; Ayelet Shaked still failing to clear electoral threshold after partnering with Jewish Home, Channel 13 survey shows

By ToI Staff

Rocker Aviv Geffen is going public with his political about-face in August 2022, performing in settlements that he previously criticized (Courtesy YouTube screengrab)

August 30, 2022, 11:32 am

Rocker Aviv Geffen changes his tune with West Bank concerts for ‘brother’ settlers

Once known as a voice of the political left linked to Rabin’s legacy, singer reveals political shift with recent performances, for which he thanks right-wing minister Ayelet Shaked

By Jessica Steinberg

Opposition and Likud party leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote in Likud primaries, at a polling station in Tel Aviv on August 10, 2022,. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

August 29, 2022, 5:47 pm

Jewish Israeli voters have moved significantly rightward in recent years, data shows

Percentage of those who identify as right-wing has grown from 46% in 2019 to 62% now, with both center and left shrinking

By Carrie Keller-Lynn

Officials prepare a polling station for COVID-19 patents at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa for the March 2021 election (courtesy of Rambam Medical Center)

August 12, 2022, 3:21 pm

Poll: Chaos aside, majority of Israelis think political system handled pandemic well

Pew survey also shows many Israelis think COVID crisis left the country more divided — though results lower than in many other nations

By Nathan Jeffay

Zehava Galon speaks at a launch event of the 'Mehazkim' movement in Tel Aviv on August 24, 2018. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

July 16, 2022, 12:25 am

Former Meretz chief Zehava Galon to launch fresh bid to lead party — report

According to Kan, the ex-chairwoman has been convinced by officials that her return to leadership could be key to the party’s survival

By ToI Staff