Bezalel Smotrich

Israeli forces prevent Palestinians from reaching their land in the occupied West Bank village of Idhna, where Israeli settlers had burned their crops, May 5, 2026. (Mosab Shawer/Activestills)

‘There are no dreams here’: How Israel’s outgoing gov’t remade the West Bank

Expanded land seizures, military restrictions, mass displacement, and over 100 new Jewish settlements have transformed an already fragmented territory — and the very fabric of Palestinian life.

By Shatha Yaish, Oren Ziv and Basel Adra October 26, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the Hatikva Market in Tel Aviv as part of the Likud party’s election campaign, October 22, 2026. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer

While Netanyahu’s bloc adds more extremists to its ranks, his opponents are impeding their own path to power by refusing to work with Arab parties.

By Ben Reiff October 23, 2026

Finance Minister and Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich tours the Mahane Yehuda Market as part of the party’s election campaign, in Jerusalem, October 9, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Why Smotrich still defines the horizon of Israeli politics

In the nine years since the MK’s ‘Decisive Plan,’ Israeli liberals acceded to the religious right’s maximalism — while claiming to oppose ‘messianic’ violence.

By Avi-ram Tzoreff October 20, 2026

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Far-right lawmakers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir in the assembly hall of the Knesset, Jerusalem, December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Israel’s far right has unprecedented power. Why isn’t it satisfied?

Having realized many of its once-unthinkable ambitions, the right remains frustrated by what it still can’t achieve — and demands even more violence.

By Meron Rapoport October 12, 2026

An Israeli military vehicle at the re-established Ganim settlement near the West Bank city of Jenin, which was dismantled in 2005 as part of Israel's 'disengagement' from Gaza, August 13, 2026. (Oren Ziv)

‘A race against time’: Israel’s settlement drive is rapidly transforming Jenin

New outposts, roads, and military bases are carving up Palestinian communities in an area that saw little settlement activity for two decades.

By Shatha Yaish October 5, 2026

Jewish Israeli attends an event marking the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Ramat Arbel settlement in the Lower Galilee, northern Israel, July 26, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

The Israeli right is rekindling a Zionist classic: Judaizing the Galilee

Ministers, NGOs, and news sites are joining forces to portray Palestinian urban growth in northern Israel as an ‘invasion’ and advance Jewish settlement.

By Baker Zoubi September 7, 2026

Israeli soldiers patrolling through the Old City of Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, 4 July 2026. (Mosab Shawer/Activestills)

‘Like walking into a cage’: Israel tightens its grip on Hebron

By taking over planning jurisdiction, unilaterally modifying religious sites, and erecting new checkpoints, Israel is accelerating its annexation of the Old City.

By Basel Adra July 14, 2026

Israeli military vehicles and tanks are seen along the Israeli border with Lebanon amid the ongoing war with Iran and Hezbollah, March 8, 2026. (David Cohen/Flash90)

Israel’s renewed war on Lebanon is about more than just Hezbollah

After violating the ‘ceasefire’ 10,000 times, Israel is once again pounding Lebanon as its enduring thirst for war drives ever expanding ambitions.

By Elia Ayoub March 11, 2026

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference with Israeli settler leaders, at the Finiance Ministry, in Jerusalem, September 3, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Has Israel crossed the annexation threshold in the West Bank?

Six ‘game-changing’ recent cabinet decisions may push the occupation past a tipping point toward permanent Israeli rule, says Yesh Din director Ziv Stahl.

By Dikla Taylor-Sheinman February 18, 2026

Palestinians walking near an aid distribution point in the Netzarim Corridor, in the central Gaza Strip, June 9, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

The planned expulsion of Gaza’s population is already underway

Israel is conditioning aid delivery to force Gazans south into 'concentration zones.' This plan has begun to stall, but that only portends greater brutality.

By Gadi Algazi June 13, 2025

Daniella Weiss at the Nachala Hanukkah celebration, calling to resettle Gaza, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, Dec. 26, 2024. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

Inside the Israeli movement to recolonize Gaza

Capitalizing on the Gaza war, Nachala has pushed to rectify what it sees as the 'historical injustice' of Israel's 2005 disengagement. If the ceasefire falters, the group is ready to pounce — with little standing in its way.

By Joshua Leifer February 11, 2025

Israeli youth attack journalists at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, during Jerusalem Day celebrations, June 5, 2024 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Chanting ‘burn Shu’afat’ and ‘flatten Gaza,’ masses attend Jerusalem Flag March

Israeli ministers joined the annual celebration of East Jerusalem’s conquest, where racist slogans and attacks on journalists have become mainstream.

By Oren Ziv June 6, 2024

Israeli soldiers from the 8717 Battalion of the Givati Brigade operating in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, during a military operation, December 28, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The ‘second Nakba’ government seizes its moment

Israeli leaders are explicit about reusing the methods of 1948 in Gaza today. But what didn’t quell the Palestinians then will not do so now.

By Meron Rapoport January 2, 2024