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.

Some Gazans reportedly are going days without food. Hamas could end their misery immediately by agreeing to a ceasefire deal that’s on the table, but has yet to. Here, people make their way along al-Rashid street in western Jabalya on Tuesday, toward trucks carrying humanitarian aid.

Hamas gambles with Gaza’s future, leaving Israel with the blame

 Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein leads a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem on February 12, 2023.

Why Likud booting Edelstein will come back to bite it? - analysis

Bedouin families ride on a vehicle as they leave the village of Al-Mazraa, as residents reported calm in Syria's Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city, Sweida, Syira, July 21, 2025.

Selective outrage: Why the world looks away from Syria’s atrocities but fixates on Gaza - analysis


Israel’s message in defending the Druze goes beyond borders, wanting to correct history - analysis

While strategic considerations were still in play, the heart of the decision lay in defending the extended family of Israel’s own Druze—a gesture shaped as much by kinship as by security.

 Bedouin fighters ride motocycles, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Sweida, Syria July 18, 2025.

Israel's post-holiday politics: Will Netanyahu take a political hit to keep coalition intact?

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: With Shas out of the government, Netanyahu faces a decision between taking a hit to maintain the coalition or preparing for the upcoming elections.

Even as Shas followed United Torah Judaism’s lead and declared on Wednesday it was leaving the government, it did so with a major caveat: ‘We are leaving the government, but we are not quitting the coalition.’ Here, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sits alongside Shas chairman Arye Deri in 2023.

Iran has become the paper tiger in the room: Even when cornered, it can still lash out - analysis

For over three decades, Iran has carefully cultivated the image of a fierce regional power with unstoppable momentum, but during the 12-Day War, its image took a major blow.

 Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran, March 8, 2025

The escalating political crisis between Baharav-Miara, Netanyahu - analysis

Baharav-Miara called the hearing for her dismissal a “sham” with a “predetermined outcome” and said her presence would only lend legitimacy to a process that violates decades of legal precedent.

Israeli attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara attends the funeral of former Judge Elisheva Barak-Ussoskin at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv, December 11, 2024.

Military action following lack of hostage deal: Netanyahu’s path forward in Gaza - analysis

Whether by design or necessity, the breakdown in diplomacy was quickly followed by a sharp escalation on the ground.

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a bilateral dinner held by U.S. President Donald Trump (not pictured), at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 7, 2025.

Strategy over spectacle: The message behind Netanyahu's low-key, high-stakes US visit

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Netanyahu's quiet trip to Washington proves that the two were meeting for impact, not optics.

Here, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accompanied by Trump, speaks during a dinner in the Blue Room of the White House on Monday in Washington.

From Tehran to terror tunnels: Netanyahu’s pivot back to Gaza - analysis

After the Iran success, Netanyahu's focus seems to be on finishing the war in Gaza with the help of Donald Trump. And their goal is clear.

 IDF soldiers work to seal a Hamas terror tunnel under Khan Yunis's European Hospital, June 2025.

When less is more: Why Netanyahu's meeting with Trump felt different - analysis

The limited press opportunity and overall lack of ceremony signaled that Netanyahu's meeting with Trump was not for show, but for business.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington DC, US, July 8, 2025

Gaza for Fordow: Did Netanyahu master the art of the strategic deal? - analysis

Like a masterful game of chess, Netanyahu sacrificed his "queen" of the complete dismantling of Hamas in order to achieve something greater: The destruction of Iran's nuclear sites.

 US President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, US, April 7, 2025.

Can Netanyahu and Trump redraw the map after strikes on Iran?

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Fresh off the Iran campaign, the two leaders aim to lock in gains with a Gaza deal, new regional alliances, and legacy-defining diplomacy.

 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen leaving the White House after their meeting in April.