The Jerusalem Post - Israel News

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

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.

JULY 16, 2025
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.

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.

JULY 14, 2025
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.

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.

JULY 13, 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.

JULY 11, 2025
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.

JULY 9, 2025
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.

JULY 8, 2025
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.

JULY 7, 2025
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.

JULY 4, 2025
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are seen leaving the White House after their meeting in April.

Eisenkot walks out, Gantz leans in - and bets on compromise - analysis

Gadi Eisenkot's dramatic exit forces Israeli politics to choose between confrontational alliances to defeat Netanyahu or Gantz's revolutionary pivot toward compromise.

JULY 2, 2025
National Unity MKs Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot speak in the Knesset, in Jerusalem, March 24, 2025

American meddling in Israel didn’t start with Trump - analysis

What made Trump’s actions audacious was not the interference itself but how he did it — openly, unapologetically, with a veiled threat that US military aid might be at stake.

JUNE 30, 2025
US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025.

Jewish violence in the West Bank is a moral and strategic liability for Israel - analysis

While the numbers can be debated – depending on who is doing the reporting and what is being reported – wider trends are harder to deny.

JUNE 29, 2025
Israeli security forces guard as Jews tour in the West Bank city of Hebron, June 28, 2025

When war breaks out, so do messages from friends of years past - comment

It's nice to know that someone out there is thinking about you and wishing you well.

JUNE 29, 2025
Illustrative.

History rhymes: Israel's strike on Iran and its echoes of the Six Day War

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: Israel’s June 2025 campaign wasn’t a repeat of 1967, but it carried the same spirit of preemption, speed, and strategic transformation.

JUNE 27, 2025
IR SUPERIORITY proved the decisive factor in both the Six Day War and Israel’s 12-day war against Iran. During Operation Rising Lion, dozens of IDF fighter jets conducted waves of strikes across Iran, decimating the country’s defense systems – more than 1,500 km. from Israeli territory.