Middle Israel

Middle Israel: Why Naftali Bennett should be Israel's next prime minister - opinion

Democratic election is about performance, but next Tuesday’s is about what happened once we faced war: how good, bad, or scandalous our leaders’ handling of the war’s home front challenges has been.

|ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Knesset candidate Naftali Bennett's urge to bridge between religious and secular Israelis, and the right-wing Bennett's resolve to prevent Jewish terrorists' tinkering with civil war, are among the reasons the writer thinks he appeals as a potential prime minister.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a meeting of Egypt's National Defence Council at the Ittihadiya Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, October 18, 2026

Hamas document reveals plan to exploit civilians as Netanyahu warns 'Israel is ready to strike'

Syria condemns IDF incursions into territory • At least 18 killed in Houthi attack on Yemeni government military camp • Egypt seeks approval to send military assistance to Saudis

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
An explosion takes place in an area controlled by Israel in southern Lebanon, as seen from the edge of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, Lebanon, July 23, 2026.

Araghchi says Netanyahu pushing US into war to avoid jail as UAE, Saudi meet amid Houthi strikes

Iran calls on US to accept proposal to reopen Hormuz • Lebanon pushes for halt to Israeli strikes • Russia's top diplomat to visit Iran Monday

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
LT.-GEN. (RET.) GADI EISENKOT lost a son and two nephews to Israel’s wars, making him a potent symbol of what the IDF-serving population has endured while ultra-Orthodox leaders attempt to ‘etch non-service in constitutional stone,’ the author contends.

Middle Israel: If Israel's opposition wants to govern, they should rally behind Eisenkot - opinion

With Eisenkot emerging as the opposition's strongest electoral asset, its rival leaders should stop competing for the top spot and instead present voters with a united shadow cabinet.

|ByAMOTZ ASA-EL

An ode to Amnon Rubenstein: The best politician Israel ever had

MIDDLE ISRAEL: Amnon Rubinstein passed away while Israel grapples with the worst crisis in its history; and craves a new political dawn that will replace a departing era’s surplus of divisive leaders

JANUARY 26, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
AMNON RUBINSTEIN (right) with then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and Shulamit Aloni, in 1994.

Israel must draw a red line in Gaza - opinion

Israel must avoid any empowerment of any of Hamas’s members, or the Jewish state will lose its sense of security, not to mention its merciless neighborhood’s respect. 

JANUARY 19, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
Israeli soldiers stand as they operate, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza, January 8, 2024.

South Africa goes to war against Israel at the ICJ - opinion

MIDDLE ISRAEL: South Africa, you are in no position to preach anything to anyone outside your land, least of all humanism, least of all to the Jews.

JANUARY 12, 2024ByAMOTZ ASA-EL
SOUTH AFRICA’S President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a statement at the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai, last month.