

Aluf Benn
Aluf Benn is the editor-in-chief of Haaretz Newspaper. He has followed the country's leadership, foreign policy, and national security, covering six prime ministers from Yitzhak Rabin through Benjamin Netanyahu's second term, and reporting on Israeli-Arab wars and peace efforts since the Oslo Accords in 1993.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and Newsweek, and he is a regular contributor to The Guardian.
Benn holds an MBA degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a degree from Tel Aviv University.


Analysis Israel's Political Musical Chairs Are Just Noise – Netanyahu Is the Only Player in the Game
Netanyahu will base his campaign on the 'injustice' inflicted on him, while boasting of his achievements; four peace agreements, four million vaccinations, and Jonathan Pollard

Analysis Gantz Betrayed the Israeli Public, and His Downfall Is Nothing Less Than He Deserves
Gantz knew what he was getting into, and with whom he was dealing with, yet he traded his mandate for honorary titles and empty perks


Analysis Rabin’s Legacy Lives on Through Netanyahu
The agreements Netanyahu has signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recall the Rabin legacy far more than Ariel Sharon’s unilateral pullout from Gaza

Analysis There's a War Outside, and Netanyahu Has Gone Missing
The once omnipresent prime minister has retreated to his Balfour bunker during the major COVID-19 crisis, leaving a leadership vacuum

A Subversive Hebrew Newspaper Published in Czarist Russia, and a Jewish Community That Ceased to Exist
Delving into the biography of a grandfather he never met, Haaretz's editor discovered a forgotten chapter of family history. The story of a world that is no more, but whose imprint is felt over a century later



Analysis Like His Predecessors, Netanyahu Opted for Realism Over Messianic Dreams
The joint interests of Israel, the U.S. and its Gulf allies proved stronger than the ideology of the Greater Land of Israel

Analysis Netanyahu at the White House: Big Triumph Abroad, Big Failures at Home
The prime minister's resounding failure in handling the coronavirus crisis, his corruption trial and constant incitement and lying shouldn't take away from the significance of Israel's agreements with the UAE and Bahrain

Iran Picks Veteran Arbitrator to Oversee Proceedings Against Israel
Arbitration proceedings over an Iranian stake in an oil partnership, which Israel refuses to comply with, have been for decades the only official channel of contact between the two Mideast rivals



Opinion The Biggest Anarchist on Balfour Street
Activists of all stripes can only be jealous of Netanyahu who has trampled the national flag even more than they have – and with greater success

'There's No Alternative to Netanyahu; Our Democracy Is Safe,' Says Israel's Top Public Policy Expert
No danger Israel will slide into fascism ■ Iran should have been attacked ■ Expelling the Arabs in 1948 was superb statesmanship ■ Trump's peace plan is the best deal Israelis and Palestinians will get ■ A world government of geniuses is needed ■ We need to get used to the idea of having sex with robots ■ At age 92, Prof. Yehezkel Dror publishes his ‘great valedictory work’


Analysis Bribery Suspect Netanyahu and Vote Thief Gantz Form an Alliance of Scoundrels
Gantz must think he made a great deal, but his voters never imagined that they would become the rescue squad for Netanyahu and the threat he poses to democracy

Analysis Gantz Ends Up as ‘Erdogan’s’ Deputy
Benny Gantz got a great deal: Steal a million votes from Netanyahu opponents, who saw him as an alternative, and end his career as second-in-command to the one he called a dictator

Analysis Under Coronavirus Emergency, Gantz Surrenders Unconditionally to Netanyahu’s Continued Rule
As Kahol Lavan leader fantasized about a rotation for PM that will never happen, Netanyahu plans to convince the attorney general that the coronavirus crisis requires canceling his corruption trial

Analysis Israel Election Results: The Triumph of Ideology Over Ambiguity
Netanyahu and the Joint List won voters by staying on message with clear positions in Israel's election. Gantz and Labor-Gesher-Meretz waffled and were bogged down by internal disputes

Analysis Israel Election: Netanyahu's Dream of 61 Seats Spells Certain Danger for Rule of Law
A victory for the right-wing bloc will permanently cripple the rule of law in Israel, under the guise of ‘judicial reform’ and ‘reining in the High Court of Justice’


Analysis The Day Netanyahu's Doctrine Was Presented as a U.S. Peace Plan
Trump is spoiling for a Palestinian surrender; the world is mum and Abbas is isolated; the scenario of a Democratic president; and how Bibi blazed in Washington. Four comments on the ‘deal of the century’

Analysis Trump Fulfills Netanyahu's Diplomatic Vision, but Is Unlikely to Save His Political Career
'Deal of the Century' paves the way for a unity government of Likud and Kahol Lavan, if the formula can be found to remove Netanyahu out of the way, or at least terminate his tenure while his trial is ongoing

Opinion Then, Israel's Attorney General Was Thrown in Jail
Former state prosecutor Shai Nitzan had read about Stalin’s purges, but couldn't believe his turn had come

Analysis Holocaust Forum and U.S. Election Give Israel the Perfect Stage to Push Jordan Valley Annexation
Current political situation provides a solid majority for annexing, and even if Netanyahu only initiates such a move, it will be his biggest achievement

Tell Me How Rich You Are, I’ll Tell You if You’ll Vote Netanyahu
An analysis of the last election results appears to show Israeli politics as a class struggle between warring tribes

Analysis Trump Exploited Soleimani's Mistake, and Netanyahu Gains the Most
Like his predecessors over the last half-century, from Nixon to Obama, Trump discovered that the Middle East imposes itself on American foreign policy even when it is no longer dependent on oil from the region

Opinion The Man Who Saved Netanyahu
At the moment of truth it emerged that Lieberman wasn’t strong enough to bring down Netanyahu; that in the duel between them, Bibi drew first blood and won