Israel in February 2026: the most important developments in politics
In February 2026, Israeli politics centered on foreign relations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel on 25 and 26 February, became the first Indian premier to address the Knesset, and signed more than a dozen agreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; both sides said they would push for a free trade agreement and closer defense cooperation. On Iran, Netanyahu met President Donald Trump in Washington on 11 February. They did not agree on a joint plan: Netanyahu wanted the talks to cover missiles and regional proxies, while Trump wanted negotiations to continue. On 28 February, after the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Netanyahu said there were increasing signs that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was dead and called the operation a joint effort to remove an existential threat. Trump echoed the claim, which was not independently verified. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting, and Russia and Iran called the strikes aggression.
The West Bank drew the widest international criticism. On 8 February the security cabinet approved measures expanding Israeli civil and land authority there, and around 15 February the government approved registering West Bank land as state property, the first reopening of the land registry for this purpose since 1967. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, the United Kingdom, the EU and others called the steps unlawful, and the United States and United Kingdom said they opposed them. More than 80 countries condemned them at the UN on 18 February.
On Gaza, Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing, and Israel's COGAT said over 65,000 aid trucks had entered since the October ceasefire. Netanyahu said Gaza would not be rebuilt before it was disarmed. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar attended the inaugural Board of Peace summit in Washington; Netanyahu did not.
At home, Trump criticized President Isaac Herzog for not pardoning Netanyahu, and Netanyahu's office denied pushing him to do so. Netanyahu appeared in court for the 79th time in his corruption trial.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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