Israel's newspapers and media in Hebrew, English and French

The Israeli press rests on Hebrew dailies such as Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel Hayom and Haaretz, English-language titles such as The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel, and media in Arabic and French, all available online and through apps.

From the Yishuv press to the major dailies

Haaretz, founded in 1918 under the British Mandate, is the oldest daily still in print. Yedioth Ahronoth first appeared in 1939, Maariv in 1948, the year the state was created, and The Palestine Post, the future Jerusalem Post, in 1932.

What editorial lines do the Hebrew dailies follow?

Haaretz takes a liberal line that is critical of the right. Yedioth Ahronoth, long the top seller, aims to be popular and centrist, while Israel Hayom, a free daily launched in 2007, has a conservative orientation. Maariv occupies an intermediate position.

Hebrew, Arabic, English, Russian and French

Hebrew dominates, but Arabic is spoken by about a fifth of the population, with titles such as Kul al-Arab in Nazareth. English and Russian serve immigrants, and French serves the many Israelis who came from France or North Africa.

Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv: local weeklies

The major groups publish free local weeklies for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Beersheba, often distributed on Fridays. They deal with urban planning, municipal affairs, schools and neighbourhood life, subjects that receive little attention from the national press.

Ynet, Walla and The Times of Israel online

Ynet, the Yedioth group's portal, is one of the most visited sites in the country. The Times of Israel, launched in Jerusalem in 2012, publishes in English, French and Arabic, with a live blog that is widely followed during security crises.

No dominant national news agency

Israel has no large state agency comparable to the European agencies. Newsrooms rely on their own reporters, on international agencies and on the Government Press Office, which issues press cards to foreign journalists working in the country.

Kan, Galei Tzahal and private channels

Kan, the public broadcaster created in 2017, replaced the former broadcasting authority and runs Kan 11 and Makan in Arabic. Army radio Galei Tzahal remains very popular, alongside private channels 12 and 13 and the i24NEWS network.

Reading the Jewish and French-language press outside Israel

The Jewish diaspora press, such as The Jewish Chronicle in London and the Forward in New York, follows Israeli politics closely. In France, i24NEWS in French and the French edition of The Times of Israel reach a wide audience.

Globes, Calcalist and the sports pages

Globes, founded in 1983, and Calcalist, launched in 2008 by the Yedioth group, cover the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, high tech and start-ups. TheMarker belongs to the Haaretz group. Football and basketball, with Maccabi Tel Aviv, dominate sports news.

Military censorship and media debates

Articles touching on security may be submitted to military censorship, a distinctly Israeli feature. A 2024 law made it possible to ban foreign channels deemed dangerous, such as Al Jazeera, prompting heated debate over press freedom in the country.

Paywalls, Shabbat and source checking

Haaretz, Globes and The Times of Israel offer subscriptions or support schemes. The news cycle slows during Shabbat, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and the weekend editions come out on Friday morning, often with longer features.

Comparing the region's narratives

On the conflict, reading the Palestinian press, the Lebanese press and the Jordanian press side by side makes it possible to compare narratives. Israeli sites in Arabic, such as Makan, offer another angle on the same events.

How to follow Israeli news from abroad

1. Read an English-language daily every day, The Times of Israel or The Jerusalem Post, for a full news summary.
2. Compare Haaretz and Israel Hayom on the same story to measure the gap between liberal and conservative lines.
3. Watch i24NEWS in French or read the French edition of The Times of Israel to follow debates in French.
4. Listen to Kan or Galei Tzahal by streaming for the hourly news flashes broadcast in Hebrew.
5. Turn on alerts from an Israeli app during crises, checking each item against several media outlets.
6. Check the date and local time, UTC+2 or UTC+3 in summer, before quoting a casualty toll or a statement.

Access and subscriptions for Israeli media

Practical pointers for the press in Israel

• Languages: Hebrew and Arabic; English, Russian and French in several outlets
• Public broadcasting: Kan (Kan 11, Makan in Arabic); army radio: Galei Tzahal
• Reference dailies: Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel Hayom, Haaretz
• Business: Globes and Calcalist; most visited site: Ynet
• Time zone: UTC+2, UTC+3 in summer time
• Currency for local subscriptions: Israeli new shekel (ILS)

Mistakes to avoid with Israeli news

• Taking a provisional toll broadcast live for a final figure, when early numbers are often corrected in the following hours.
• Confusing the English edition of Haaretz with the Hebrew version, some of whose articles and editorials are not translated.
• Sharing an old video, or one filmed in another country, presented as recent during a military escalation.
• Forgetting that some security information is published after clearance by the military censor and may therefore be incomplete.
• Trusting anonymous social media accounts that imitate the look of Ynet or Kan.

Questions about the press in Israel