Herb Keinon

Herb Keinon is a senior contributing editor and analyst, writing extensively on diplomacy, politics and Israeli society. He has been at the paper for 35 years, 20 of those as its diplomatic correspondent, and during this time has covered up close the major stories that have shaped the nation for more than three decades: from the first intifada to the withdrawal from Gaza; the massive immigration of Soviet Jews to the Rabin assassination; the Ariel Sharon premiership to that of Benjamin Netanyahu. Keinon also writes a popular monthly "light" column on daily life in Israel. A collection of these columns, French Fries in Pita, was published in 2014. Keinon lectures widely in Israel and around the world on political and diplomatic developments in the country. Originally from Denver, Keinon has a BA in political science from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MA in journalism from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

A Likud election campaign poster displayed on a pole in the southern Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, showing Prime Minister and Likud party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu alongside leaders of opposition parties, with the slogan “Right or Palestine,” ahead of Israel’s upcoming elections, Oct. 5, 2026.

October 7 will be present in the next Knesset, regardless of who comes out on top - analysis

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Yaniv Hayoun, a passenger on the FlyDubai flight bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, at the Ben Gurion Airport, Israel, October 1, 2026.

Flydubai attempted hijack security failure exposes Israel’s deep accountability crisis - analysis

Travelers board a FlyDubai aircraft at Ben Gurion International Airport after a separate FlyDubai flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026.

Flydubai saga captures Israel’s role in a new Middle East - and its old limits


Flydubai terror attempt brings to mind the hijackings of 1970s in Israeli consciousness - comment

Israel is a small country, and in moments like these it feels smaller still. People who have never met became “our passengers.” Their survival was a national relief.

IDF "Sayeret Matkal" soldiers rescuing hostages on a "Sabena" plane at the Lod Airport. above from R to L- Danny Yatom & Ehud Barak who participated in the rescue, May 9, 1972.

Has Netanyahu's postponement of a state commission of inquiry into October 7 backfired? - analysis

The difficulty with postponing an inquiry is that postponement does not end the questions. It leaves them hanging, waiting for someone else to answer them.

A view of homes destroyed and burned in the Hamas October 7, 2023 massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the Gaza border, August 5, 2026

Israel’s opposition agrees to stop fighting itself, but not how to replace Netanyahu - analysis

The four parties now have a way to campaign against Netanyahu. What they still lack is a convincing pathway to replace him.

Five 'change bloc' leaders meet in Yair Lapid's Tel Aviv home.

‘Did he ask anything about you?’ For families of reservists, one question can go far - opinion

The soldiers and reservists bear the greatest burden. But their parents, spouses, and children carry a heavy weight of their own.

Female reporter holding microphones and writing notes during press conference, media interview, or public relations event.

Netanyahu turned the UN into campaign theater – but will Israelis buy the show?

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The prime minister presents himself on the global stage as a leader uniquely equipped to defend Israel in a hostile world, seeking to bring that same message home to Israeli voters.

THIS TIME, Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations General Assembly address was meant to reflect an Israeli prime minister standing up to a hostile world. The question is whether this will reach the voters it was meant to impress, the writer wonders.

Trump’s trap: Solving Hormuz crisis saves Iranian regime, and threats don't work - analysis

Trump's credibility will come back by showing that the US will not exchange long-term strategic leverage for temporary calm and cheaper gasoline.

US President Donald Trump reacts as he addresses the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City, US, September 22, 2026.

Gaza’s back-to-school coverage misses the crucial test: What are children being taught? - analysis

For Gaza to have a different future - for the thousands of children returning to school for a better future than the one Hamas has condemned them to - it is not enough merely to reopen classrooms.

Palestinian children walk to school amid the rubble of destroyed buildings as the academic year begins in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on September 19, 2026.

Israel tore itself apart on Yom Kippur - then October 7 reminded us of our collective 'we'

On Yom Kippur of 2023, Jews were pitted against Jews across the country. Thirteen days later, October 7 would remind Israelis that beneath their deepest divisions, there was still a collective “we.”

The Orthodox Jewish group of Rosh Yehudi sets up a gender partition during a public prayer for Yom Kippur, on Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv, September 24, 2023

Middle East faces critical window for change as Trump’s time in office runs down

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: US and regional officials at MEAD argue Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon processes are flawed but preferable to alternatives and must be secured before Trump leaves office.

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Israel has a 28-month window before Trump leaves office to entrench the processes now underway in Iran, Gaza, and Lebanon, according to assessments heard at the MEAD conference in Washington.

Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could revive Israel-Saudi normalization efforts - analysis

Saudi Arabia has long demanded progress on Palestinian issues before normalization with Israel, but growing Houthi threats could accelerate quiet security cooperation between the two countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman