Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not allow the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in Gaza or the occupied West Bank for as long as he remains in office. He made the remarks in response to comments by Mansour Abbas, leader of Israel’s Arab Muslim United Arab List party, according to the report published on August 23, 2026.

Abbas told his party’s general conference in the Arab city of Tayibe on Saturday that his party was working to establish peace between Israel and Palestine. He said Palestine already exists as a state and is recognized by most countries, and urged the United States and Israel to recognize it as a state.

Netanyahu said no Palestinian state “under Iranian control” would be established while he is prime minister, neither in Gaza nor in what he called Judea and Samaria, a biblical term he used for the West Bank. His statement came ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27, as opinion polls showed his coalition trailing. Likud currently holds 32 seats, while a poll published Friday projected the party would win 20 seats.

Israel has established a purported think tank aimed at influencing how artificial intelligence chatbots respond to users’ questions, according to a Responsible Statecraft report cited by Amar Desh Online on August 21, 2026. The organisation, called the Hanover Institute for Public Policy, presents itself as a US-style research body focused on Israel and Palestine. It was created by Piro Inc on behalf of an Israeli government advertising agency.

Since August 6, the institute has published more than 100 reports addressing politically and socially significant questions, including the displacement of Palestinians in 1948 and the current situation in the Gaza Strip. The reports use footnotes, tables of contents, specific statistics and neutral language in an effort to make their content acceptable to AI chatbots and large language models.

Although the institute says its research is peer-reviewed and academic, the reports give greater prominence to government sources, including the Israeli military and foreign ministry. Israel’s government paid Piro Inc $900,000 for the work. The subcontract was managed through the French public relations firm Havas Media.

Operations at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport were shut down on Thursday at 2 p.m. local time amid a dispute with workers, Israeli media reported. All check-in counters were closed, severely disrupting airport operations and passenger services. Several flights bound for Tel Aviv were forced to turn back mid-journey and return to their countries because check-in operations had stopped.

Workers at four ground-service companies operating at the airport also stopped working. The disruption occurred during one of the airport’s busiest periods, when it handles about 100,000 passengers and 600 flights daily. Ynet reported that airport and air traffic authorities had notified airlines before the airport closure.

The Israel Airports Authority said the work stoppage followed instructions from the workers’ committee and urged employees to immediately withdraw it. It warned that it would seek a court resolution if the stoppage continued. Transport Ministry officials said airport workers could face dismissal if the action was proven to be an intentional slowdown, while Transport Minister Miri Regev instructed director general Moshe Ben Zaken to take immediate action.

Israeli Democrats Party leader Yair Golan has described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as an extremist and untrustworthy figure while criticizing Israel’s recent attacks in Syria. Golan made the remarks in a post on social media platform X, according to a report published on August 20, 2026.

Golan called the Israeli strikes in Syria a provocative and dangerous move. He said the attacks risked pushing Israel toward conflict with Turkey, and alleged that military force was being used for political considerations.

The opposition leader said Netanyahu’s actions were undermining confidence in Israel. He argued that the country needs leadership that uses power and military strength to ensure security, rather than starting another war to preserve political survival.

Emigration from Israel is rising rapidly ahead of the next election, with studies indicating that many of those leaving are young, highly educated and relatively high-income citizens. An Israeli tax authority study found departures increased in 2023 and 2024 compared with previous years. Tel Aviv University estimated that about 270,000 Israelis left over the past three years, including 86,500 in 2023 and about 91,500 in 2024, with a similar figure in 2025.

Analysts link the trend to uncertainty over the future among educated and liberal Israelis, citing the right-wing policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, efforts to reduce judicial independence, political polarization and prolonged war. Large protests were held in 2023 against the government’s judicial reform initiative. Demographer Sergio Della Pergola said concerns about long-term insecurity and the country’s political direction appear to be the main drivers.

Experts warn that the loss of young and skilled citizens could pose economic risks, particularly for technology, research and development. Researcher Lilakh Lev Ari said the situation is worrying but not yet cause for panic. Opposition politician Gilad Kariv called it a “tsunami,” while analyst Shir Hever said attention should also include nurses and other essential workers leaving the country.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee on Tuesday reaffirmed his description of extremist Jewish settlers in the West Bank as “terrorists,” according to an interview with Channel 12 News. His comments followed the blockade of several homes in the West Bank village of Qusra, where settlers have surrounded residences for more than a week in what Huckabee said was an apparent effort to force residents to leave. One resident is a US citizen.

Huckabee said terrorism includes acts intended to alter people’s behavior and make them fear living their lives, whether directed at a nation, an individual, or a family. He described those involved as a minority group and said many live outside the West Bank. Calling them “displacers” rather than settlers, he said they had come to create disorder and were harming Israel and Jewish people.

The ambassador said Israeli authorities were already taking action over the Qusra incident, regardless of US Embassy involvement. He added that US involvement becomes nearly automatic and significant when an American citizen is involved. Asked about pressure for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn the incidents, Huckabee said the United States wanted responsible action and severe consequences for all involved in terrorist activity.

US Democratic Senator Jackie Rosen has called for Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to resign after he allegedly encouraged the killing of 30 to 40 people each night during Israel’s military operation in Gaza. In a report published on August 17, 2026, Rosen described Ben-Gvir’s remarks as “horrific and completely unacceptable.”

In a Monday post on social media platform X, Rosen said people who advocate violence against innocent civilians should not hold public office. She said Ben-Gvir should therefore resign. The reported comments were made recently in a podcast, where Ben-Gvir allegedly urged the killing of 30 to 40 people nightly in Gaza.

Rosen also called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn Ben-Gvir’s comments. She said Netanyahu should make clear to the world that such statements do not represent the Israeli government’s position. The report said Ben-Gvir’s remarks have drawn widespread criticism and intensified calls for his resignation.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said 30 to 40 people in the Gaza Strip should be targeted for assassination every night, according to a report published on August 17, 2026. Speaking at an event for a former hostage released by Hamas, he said some people in Gaza did not deserve to live and should not be regarded as human.

Ben-Gvir said he was not referring only to people considered threats to Israel. He said there were people in Gaza who should not be allowed to live. The minister also said his differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on various issues were not secret.

The minister additionally advocated the large-scale displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and called for the entire Gaza Strip to be brought under Israeli control. He said he wanted to see all of Gaza as Israeli and that as many residents as possible should be moved and sent back to their own countries. Referring to those he described as terrorists, Ben-Gvir said they should not be allowed to go anywhere and should be killed one by one.

Former US diplomat Michael Ratney believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be prepared to oppose US President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan in order to protect his domestic political future. The assessment was reported by Al Jazeera in an article published on August 12, 2026.

Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia and former charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Israel, told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu could benefit from publicly rejecting the plan regardless of Trump’s response. He said Netanyahu’s electoral prospects over the coming months are now the most important consideration.

According to Ratney, the nature of Netanyahu’s actual communication with Trump and the extent to which he may ultimately agree with parts of the proposal are secondary matters. More important for Netanyahu’s political future is the position he presents to Israeli voters. Ratney said Netanyahu’s public stance on the Gaza plan may be shaped by voter sentiment, meaning he could reject it publicly despite the risk of possible repercussions for relations with the US president.

US President Donald Trump has not publicly responded after Israel rejected his proposed peace plan for Gaza, while the White House has also declined to comment. The report, published on August 12, 2026, says the silence has raised questions about Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and possible strain between the two leaders.

At a White House briefing the previous day, Trump was asked about Gaza and Netanyahu. He told reporters to look at his Truth Social post, but no post on the matter was found on his account. The episode prompted questions over whether there had been a communication problem and added to speculation that the relationship between Trump and Netanyahu has become more tense.

Netanyahu visited Washington two weeks earlier to attend the funeral of US Senator Lindsey Graham and met Trump at the White House during that trip. Media cameras were not allowed into the meeting, and no detailed account of their discussion was released. The report says there are rumors that Trump has grown irritated by some of Netanyahu’s actions and statements. Analysts cited in the report say the two may now be becoming electoral liabilities for each other.

Former Netanyahu aide Mitchell Barak said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a Gaza plan is primarily linked to the upcoming October election. Citing Al Jazeera, the report said Barak described the rejection as an election-focused political calculation rather than a final change in Netanyahu’s position. He said Netanyahu announced the rejection at a cabinet meeting while his far-right government did not have much time left in power.

Barak said the move was aimed at Netanyahu’s political base rather than Washington. He characterized the position as preliminary and argued that Netanyahu’s key bargaining tool before the election was his relationship with Trump, which Barak called the best relationship with any world leader. According to Barak, Netanyahu does not want to lose that relationship.

Barak said he still expects Israel to accept Trump’s plan sooner or later. He portrayed the rejection not as a permanent rupture with the United States, but as a matter of sequence and timing connected to the disarmament of Hamas. The report presents Barak’s assessment of Netanyahu’s motives and the possible future course of the plan.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a proposed agreement concerning a Gaza ceasefire, according to the report. It says the decision has effectively derailed US peace efforts. The White House had announced and promoted the agreement with considerable importance on July 31. The article was published and updated on August 9, 2026.

The report says relations between Trump and Netanyahu have been deteriorating. It also claims that a phone call between them earlier in the year involved extensive insults. Describing Trump as a president who does not like losing respect, particularly on the world stage, the report characterizes Netanyahu’s position as a very dangerous game for the Israeli prime minister.

The article also says candidates targeted for seeking withdrawal of aid to Israel won Democratic primaries despite spending by the pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC. It argues that Democrats are moving toward Palestinian interests. It further says the president has full control over the Republican Party and that many Republicans could agree if he raised ending relations with Israel as an issue.

Israel has rejected a proposed 15-point plan by US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” concerning the Gaza Strip, according to a report published on August 9, 2026. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces would not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas had been fully disarmed.

Netanyahu said Israel rejected the 15-point document and insisted that Hamas must be genuinely disarmed. He said Israel does not seek a nominal or “fake” neutralization of Hamas, but its actual dissolution. In his words, Israel’s objective is Hamas’s real dissolution rather than an imaginary one.

The Israeli prime minister said discussions with the United States are continuing. He stated that some American proposals are acceptable to Israel while others are not. His remarks further highlighted differences between Israel and the United States over an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’s disarmament. Israel views Hamas’s disarmament as one of the principal conditions for withdrawing its forces from Gaza.

A Tel Aviv University study cited by Yedioth Ahronoth says Israelis’ departures from the country have increased amid political instability, economic crisis and prolonged military conflict. Between 2023 and 2025, 268,509 Israeli citizens left Israel for at least three months, according to the report. The trend began in 2023 and reached its highest level in 2024.

The study counted 86,509 people leaving for at least three months in 2023, followed by 91,499 in 2024 and 90,922 in 2025. Researchers estimated that nearly 269,000 people left for extended periods over the three years, an average of about 90,000 annually. That compares with an annual average of about 60,000 departures between 2010 and 2019.

An earlier Yedioth Ahronoth report said departures among doctors, PhD holders, engineers, university teachers and high-income professionals had risen notably. The newspaper said Israel’s economy depends heavily on skilled workers, particularly in high-technology and knowledge-based industries, making the trend a potential long-term economic challenge. The study was released while war in Gaza, which began in October 2023, and Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran were continuing.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Settlement Minister Orit Strock have called for a new cabinet vote on a plan to deploy a multinational security force in Gaza. In a report published on August 4, 2026, the two right-wing ministers also urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to revoke the previous approval until another vote is held.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the ministers said the cabinet had been given incomplete and misleading information when it approved the Board of Peace plan. The approved proposal also includes establishing an experimental humanitarian zone for Palestinians in Gaza, the report said.

The Board of Peace, formed at the initiative of US President Donald Trump to stabilize Gaza, recently outlined the plan. Trump said it would involve Hamas disarming and Israeli troops withdrawing from Gaza. After objections emerged within Israel, however, the board said Hamas must be fully disarmed before Israeli forces leave. The report said differences between the Israeli government and the United States have become visible, particularly over Hamas’s disarmament and the timetable for an Israeli troop withdrawal.