Israel in March 2026: the most important developments in politics
Israeli politics in March 2026 were dominated by the war with Iran, which began on 1 March with US and Israeli strikes. Iran confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and on 8 March named his son Mojtaba Khamenei as successor. Israel killed the Iranian security chief Ali Larijani on 17 March. Marco Rubio said the US acted to pre-empt an Israeli strike, which President Donald Trump denied. Washington asked Israel to refrain from striking Iranian energy sites, and on 22 March Trump gave Iran 48 hours to open the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on 23 March that Trump saw a chance for a deal, Iran rejected a 15-point US plan on 25 March, and at month end Netanyahu said war aims were achieved 'beyond the halfway point'. On 12 March the Israeli military's chief lawyer also dropped all charges against soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee from Gaza in the Sde Teiman case, which drew wide criticism.
Governments abroad were divided. Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel on 11 March. Italy and Britain said they would not join offensive strikes, though Britain allowed US use of its bases. NATO allies declined a US request for help securing the Strait of Hormuz on 16 March. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany would have advised against the action. Iceland and the Netherlands joined the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice on 13 March.
On Lebanon, Israel threatened an offensive if Hezbollah was not disarmed, and President Emmanuel Macron and other Western leaders warned against a ground operation. Lebanon's president called for direct talks; reports on 14 March said they would begin within days, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denied them.
At home, the Knesset approved the 2026 budget, the largest in Israel's history. On 30 March it passed a law making the death penalty the default sentence for Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks, which the EU and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany, France and Italy called a 'grave step backward'.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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