menu_open Columnists

The Times of Israel
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Vetting panel okays candidacy of PM’s pick for Shin Bet chief, paving way for his appointment

IDF chief congratulates David Zini, who he dismissed from army for discussing spy master role with Netanyahu behind his back * Coalition MKs urge...

latest 20

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

National Library asks public for Oct.7-related memorial stickers, documents

Bearing Witness is institution’s ongoing project documenting October 7 and its aftermath

latest 20

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

‘It’s not going to happen’: Trump says he won’t allow Israel to annex West Bank

Bombshell declaration could well squelch dream of PM’s far-right allies, putting his coalition at risk; US president again says Gaza deal...

latest 20

The Times of Israel

Jacob Magid

14th-century ‘machzor’ book at Israel’s National Library reveals lost Yom Kippur prayers

Newly digitized prayer book from Crimea’s Kaffa rite preserves liturgical poems unknown elsewhere, giving a glimpse of traditions lost when prayers...

latest 20

The Times of Israel

Rossella Tercatin

Spain cancels third arms deal with Israeli defense company in weeks

Madrid maintains ‘total embargo’ on Israeli weapons as it nixes $207 million deal to buy targeting systems from Rafael

latest 20

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Ex-FBI chief Comey indicted as Trump ramps up retribution campaign

‘My heart is broken for the Justice Department,’ says former top law enforcement officer, adds that he’s innocent after being charged with...

latest 10

The Times of Israel

Kanishka Singh

US Jewish summer camps offer Israeli teens a break from war pressures at home

Campers2Gether, a Jewish Agency for Israel program, enables youngsters who experienced Oct. 7 horrors firsthand to clear their minds with a change...

latest 10

The Times of Israel

Madeleine Kashkooli

French ex-president Sarkozy sentenced to 5 years in prison for seeking funds from Gaddafi

France’s former head of state convicted of criminal conspiracy for attempting to raise campaign money from Libyan strongman, with sentence to take...

latest 10

The Times of Israel

Juliette Jabkhiro

Slapstick Israeli comedy flick offers respite in troubled times

‘Saving Shuli San,’ sequel to ‘Saving Shuli,’ starring comedy trio Ma Kashur, becomes 5th most-viewed Israeli film of all time

latest 5

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

UK government attempts to block Palestine Action from challenging terror proscription

Home Office asks appeals court to overturn decision allowing anti-Israel group’s co-founder to file legal challenge against ban under...

latest 4

The Times of Israel

Reuters

Housing snapshot: Home sales and rentals across Israel in September 2025

The Times of Israel’s regular feature on what is happening in the local property market right now

latest 5

The Times of Israel

Zev Stub

Israel’s home prices have finally started falling. It’s not only about the Gaza war

Experts say insane prices, high interest rates and a glut of new homes are causing prices to drop 15-20%. Diaspora Jews eager for a foothold in the...

latest 10

The Times of Israel

Zev Stub

Aron Bell, last of famed partisan Bielski brothers, dies at 98

Youngest sibling played a key role in his brothers’ forest settlement during the Holocaust, sneaking into nearby ghetto to convince Jews to escape

latest 3

The Times of Israel

Grace Gilson

Advisory committee approves candidacy of David Zini for next Shin Bet chief

Cabinet now expected to vote in favor of Netanyahu’s nominee to head security agency, after panel dismisses concerns that former IDF general is...

latest 3

The Times of Israel

Nava Freiberg

Friday Focus with Lazar Berman: Who’s afraid of a Palestinian state?

ToI’s diplomatic correspondent on the ripple effects of a slew of countries recognizing a State of Palestine during this week of the United Nations...

latest 2

The Times of Israel

Amanda Borschel-Dan

Iran likely carried out undeclared missile test last week, satellite photos indicate

Launch pad shows scorch marks characteristic of solid-fuel missile launch, after social media lit up with sightings of a projectile on Sept. 18;...

latest 2

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Hezbollah honors fallen leaders with light show despite Lebanese PM’s ban

Terrorist organization projects images of Nasrallah, Safieddine on iconic arched Raouche rock after obtaining permit for gathering but not aerial show

latest 2

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

IDF ordered to broadcast Netanyahu’s UN speech to residents of Gaza Strip

Senior officer tells Haaretz ‘it’s an insane idea’; PMO asserts that loudspeakers will only be along border; hostage families note captives may...

latest 2

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

After Trump rejects West Bank annexation, right-wing MKs urge PM to do it anyway

Far-right office-holders say US leader is a friend to Israel, but call on Netanyahu to defy him and ‘apply full sovereignty’ in response to nations...

latest 2

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Ukraine’s president says world is in ‘most destructive arms race in human history’

Ukraine’s president says world is in ‘most destructive arms race in human history’

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told global leaders Wednesday that the world is in “the most destructive arms race in...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Heading to UN, Netanyahu dismisses Palestinian recognition as ’shameful capitulation’

Heading to UN, Netanyahu dismisses Palestinian recognition as ’shameful capitulation’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Thursday to “denounce” the leaders of Western countries that have recognized an independent Palestinian...

yesterday 50

The Times of Israel

Lazar Berman

Countries recognizing Palestine elide issue of refugees, a core obstacle in conflict

Countries recognizing Palestine elide issue of refugees, a core obstacle in conflict

The countries recognizing a state of Palestine this week pitched the move as a step toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Luke Tress

Met season opens with new opera based on Michael Chabon’s ‘Kavalier & Clay’

Met season opens with new opera based on Michael Chabon’s ‘Kavalier & Clay’

Novel about two Jewish cousins in World War II-era Brooklyn is focus of new opera starring Miles Mykkanen and Andrzej Filończyk

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Mike Silverman

German pizza store bans all Israelis until they ‘open their eyes’ to Gaza

A pizza store in Fürth, Germany, has caused outrage by banning all Israeli customers in protest against the war in the Gaza Strip, local media...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Iran airs footage purporting to show details of alleged Israeli nuclear program

Iran airs footage purporting to show details of alleged Israeli nuclear program

Iranian state television broadcast images of documents and footage on Wednesday that it said relate to Israel’s alleged nuclear activities. The...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Major outlets demand free press access to Gaza: ‘History is told by those who report it’

Major outlets demand free press access to Gaza: ‘History is told by those who report it’

BBC, Reuters, AP, AFP release short film on sidelines of UN General Assembly, warn their Palestinian journalists are ‘facing the same dire...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Hate crime charges loom after pork tossed into US Jewish fraternity on Rosh Hashanah

Hate crime charges loom after pork tossed into US Jewish fraternity on Rosh Hashanah

Two students at Syracuse University arrested over incident; one allegedly entered Zeta Beta Tau site and tossed bag of pig meat at wall, second...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Emanuel Fabian

Departing for NYC, Netanyahu says he’ll use UN speech to denounce leaders who recognized Palestine

Departing for NYC, Netanyahu says he’ll use UN speech to denounce leaders who recognized Palestine

The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they happened. Without mentioning US President Donald Trump, a lawmaker from the far-right...

yesterday 50

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

US envoy Witkoff ‘confident’ of Gaza breakthrough in coming days as peace plan floated

US envoy Witkoff ‘confident’ of Gaza breakthrough in coming days as peace plan floated

US envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday he expected a breakthrough related to Gaza in the coming days, saying US President Donald Trump had presented...

yesterday 50

The Times of Israel

Agencies

Netanyahu’s flight to US takes extended detour, avoiding most European airspace

Netanyahu’s flight to US takes extended detour, avoiding most European airspace

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane took an extended detour on Thursday as he traveled to New York for the UN General Assembly in order to...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

Menachem Begin’s grandson pushes forward with art in solo show, during country’s painful ‘limbo’

Menachem Begin’s grandson pushes forward with art in solo show, during country’s painful ‘limbo’

Avinadav Begin, the grandson of late prime minister Menachem Begin and the son of former politician Benny Begin, is an artist who welds iron and...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

Record rainfall douses north, washing away 24-hour September record set in 1932

Record rainfall douses north, washing away 24-hour September record set in 1932

More than 130 millimeters (5.1 inches) of rain fell Wednesday night and Thursday morning in and around the northern Israeli city of Nahariya,...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Sue Surkes

Arab Israeli, 22, accused of plot to kidnap soldier as leverage to force end of Gaza war

Arab Israeli, 22, accused of plot to kidnap soldier as leverage to force end of Gaza war

Amin Hassan Abdelqader Azzam, from Taybeh, faces terror charges for practicing shooting with paintball gun, downloading Hamas handbook, seeking...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Charlie Summers

Naftali Bennett says first move as PM would be setting term limit for the post

Naftali Bennett says first move as PM would be setting term limit for the post

Support for legislation a prerequisite for joining the government, says Bennett; Gantz welcomes announcement but notes that the former PM himself...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Sam Sokol

‘Troubling and alarming’ report shows Jewish life declining in key areas

‘Troubling and alarming’ report shows Jewish life declining in key areas

The overall state of the Jewish people declined during the Jewish year that just ended, as the combined burden of Israel’s ongoing wars and global...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Zev Stub

Spain’s Jewish community condemns ‘murderers’ taunt against Israeli soccer star

Spain’s Jewish community condemns ‘murderers’ taunt against Israeli soccer star

The organization representing Spain’s Jewish community issued a sharply worded condemnation Thursday after fans hurled insults at Israeli soccer...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Zev Stub

Centuries of prayer to rebuild Jerusalem answered all at once as construction clogs city

Centuries of prayer to rebuild Jerusalem answered all at once as construction clogs city

With infrastructure projects on King George Street, Emek Refaim Street, and other major arteries, moving around in the capital has become...

yesterday 70

The Times of Israel

Zev Stub

Israel mulling annexing settlements, sanctioning PA chiefs after Palestine recognition

Israel mulling annexing settlements, sanctioning PA chiefs after Palestine recognition

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said on Thursday that Israel will not consider annexing areas of the West Bank currently under Palestinian Authority...

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Lazar Berman

Daily Briefing Sept. 25: Day 720 – Trump’s Gaza plan pins hopes on Arab states

Daily Briefing Sept. 25: Day 720 – Trump’s Gaza plan pins hopes on Arab states

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world....

yesterday 30

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

Three Jerusalem children die of measles this week as outbreak continues

Three Jerusalem children die of measles this week as outbreak continues

All five fatalities from disease in recent months are under 2.5 years old; they are the first measles deaths in Israel since 2018-2019 outbreak

yesterday 70

The Times of Israel

Diana Bletter

At UN, Sharaa blasts Israeli airstrikes but says Syria ‘committed to dialogue’

At UN, Sharaa blasts Israeli airstrikes but says Syria ‘committed to dialogue’

Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa condemned Israel’s ongoing strikes on...

yesterday 60

The Times of Israel

Lazar Berman

Israeli-American anti-Zionist suspected of spying for Iran on ex-IDF chief, Ben Gvir

Israeli-American anti-Zionist suspected of spying for Iran on ex-IDF chief, Ben Gvir

Yaakov Perel, who police say in the past unsuccessfully sought asylum in the Islamic Republic, accused of acting on ideological belief to harm Israel

yesterday 20

The Times of Israel

Charlie Summers

Netanyahu makes his debut in South Park’s Gaza war episode

Netanyahu makes his debut in South Park’s Gaza war episode

The American satirical cartoon “South Park” on Wednesday featured an angry American Jewish mother traveling to Israel to chew out Prime Minister...

yesterday 8

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

In largest strikes yet, IAF jets bomb Houthi military sites in Yemen after drone attack

In largest strikes yet, IAF jets bomb Houthi military sites in Yemen after drone attack

The Israeli Air Force carried out strikes on Thursday against Houthi military sites in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, in response to the Iran-backed...

yesterday 9

The Times of Israel

Emanuel Fabian

‘Blatant discrimination’: 1,200 Hollywood stars slam industry call to boycott Israel

‘Blatant discrimination’: 1,200 Hollywood stars slam industry call to boycott Israel

More than US 1,200 entertainment industry leaders signed an open letter  on Thursday supporting Israel and chastising fellow entertainers for their...

yesterday 10

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

Tel Aviv flight makes emergency stop in Riyadh after Israeli traveler suffers stroke

Tel Aviv flight makes emergency stop in Riyadh after Israeli traveler suffers stroke

A flight carrying Israeli passengers from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a passenger...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Toi Staff

IDF soldier killed in Hamas sniper attack on Gaza City guard post

IDF soldier killed in Hamas sniper attack on Gaza City guard post

An Israeli soldier was killed in a Hamas sniper attack in Gaza City on Wednesday, the military announced on Thursday morning. The slain troop was...

yesterday 50

The Times of Israel

Emanuel Fabian

Paramount+ to screen Keshet 12’s Oct. 7 series ‘Red Alert’ worldwide

Paramount+ to screen Keshet 12’s Oct. 7 series ‘Red Alert’ worldwide

Paramount has acquired and will air Keshet 12’s drama series “Red Alert,” about real acts of heroism that took place when Israel was invaded by...

yesterday 40

The Times of Israel

Jessica Steinberg

Fabulous 1,400-year-old trove of gold coins sheds light on Galilee Christian city’s demise

Fabulous 1,400-year-old trove of gold coins sheds light on Galilee Christian city’s demise

Nearly 100 pure gold coins and dozens of jewelry fragments have been unearthed in an excavation at the ancient city of Hippos, east of the Sea of...

yesterday 9

The Times of Israel

Rossella Tercatin

In UN speech, Abbas denounces Israeli ‘genocide,’ rejects ‘what Hamas did on Oct. 7’

In UN speech, Abbas denounces Israeli ‘genocide,’ rejects ‘what Hamas did on Oct. 7’

NEW YORK — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas denounced Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza as well as “what Hamas carried out on the seventh of...

yesterday 9

The Times of Israel

Jacob Magid