SHIR PERETS

Shir Perets is a Breaking News Desk Manager at The Jerusalem Post. She grew up in central Israel and is a graduate of Bar-Ilan University, where she studied English literature and communications. When she isn’t writing, Shir can be found painting, building Legos, feeding stray cats, or singing along to Taylor Swift.

Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli president Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on September 22, 2019.

Israel Election 2026: What do Yousef Jabareen’s Joint Arab List and Mansour Abbas’ Ra’am stand for?

Children studying outdoors in Kfar Hasidim in August, 1925.

KKL-JNF unveils archival photos showcasing Israeli classrooms in honor of new school year

Results of a Maariv poll measuring how many seats each party would receive in the October 2026 Knesset elections, results shared on August 28, 2026.

Israel Election 2026: The parties, blocs and battles that will shape Israel's future - explainer


How a military record and personal grief made Netanyahu's biggest rival

Gadi Eisenkot’s military record, personal loss, and political rise have made him the strongest new challenger to Israel’s longest-serving prime minister

Gadi Eisenkot, head of Yashar, is the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming October election.
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Netanyahu's haredi bargain: A lifeline that became a liability - analysis

The haredi draft deal was meant to secure Netanyahu’s political future, but it may be what unravels his coalition’s electoral prospects

Haredi demonstration in front of the military recruitment office in Jerusalem, April 12, with a sign that reads: ‘We will die and not enlist.’
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Smotrich backs Givati soldiers jailed after refusing APC with female paramedic

“I support the Givati soldiers who insisted on their right and duty to serve in the IDF while preserving their values and faith and while adhering to the Joint Service Order,” Smotrich said.

Minister of Finance and Head of the Religious Zionist Party Bezalel Smotrich attends the Religious Zionism party primaries ahead of the upcoming Israeli general elections, in Jerusalem, July 26, 2026.

Jerusalem's L3 opens after years of delays, turning one light rail line into a network

Jerusalem's new L3 line connects Haturim with Malha, creating the city's first interconnected light rail network after years of construction, disruption and delays.

A light rail car stands at its stop. Jerusalem will open the R3 light rail line on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Bennett adds longtime adviser, IDF reservist Jeremy Saltan to B’Yachad Knesset slate

Saltan is also the third immigrant from the United States on the slate, alongside MK Michal Slawny Cababia and Mati Gill.

Jeremy Saltan (L) joind former prime minister Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party, August 27, 2026.

'We lost 10 seats': Netanyahu struggles to find campaign strategy as Likud slips in polls - report

The conversations held by the prime minister indicated that he is skeptical of polls that show favorable results for him and believes that the situation is worse than those surveys suggest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot at his party Likud's main polling station during primary elections ahead of Israel's general election in October in Jerusalem on August 17, 2026; illustrative

Service resumes at Jerusalem Navon train station resumes after suspected fire causes evacuation

Passengers were subsequently allowed to return to the station, and normal activity began resuming at the site.

 Passengers at Yitzhak Navon train station in Jerusalem on March 31, 2022

Israel extends foreign-passport entry to allow citizens to return home ahead of October elections

“We will ensure that every Israeli who chooses to come to Israel and vote will be able to exercise their democratic right,” The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv.

Voters casting ballots in Israel's 25th Knesset election

MK Cassif claims IDF soldier assaulted him while trying to block his entry to West Bank town Kusra

He shared footage showing him approaching the soldiers with his hands behind his back, in view of the camera, as he tried to walk past while the soldiers blocked him.

Hadash-Ta'al MK Ofer Cassif says the IDF attempted to delay him from entering Kusra by declaring it a 'closed military zone,' August 14, 2026.

'He's from Muslim Brotherhood': Otzma Yehudit calls to bar Ra'am MK Abbas from Knesset elections

The demand came following a post shared by Abbas, in which he claimed Arab parties were forced to accept Israel as a Jewish state to avoid being barred from elections, and it was not a choice.

Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas and MK Walid al-Huashla at faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 15, 2026.