| Type | Online newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Seth Klarman, David Horovitz |
| Founder(s) | David Horovitz, Seth Klarman |
| Editor | David Horovitz |
| Founded | February 2012 |
| Political alignment | Centre |
| Language | English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Persian |
| Headquarters | Jerusalem, Israel |
| ISSN | 0040-7909 |
| Website | www |
The Times of Israel (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper launched in February 2012.[1][2] It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who serves as the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.[1][3] Based in Jerusalem, the publication documents developments in Israel, the Middle East, and around the Jewish world.[1] It has become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size.[4]
Along with its original English site, The Times of Israel publishes in Hebrew (via its own edition, Zman Yisrael), Arabic, French, and Persian.[1][5] In addition to news reports and analysis, the website hosts a multi-author blog platform.[6]
History[edit | edit source]
The Times of Israel was launched in February 2012 by veteran UK-born, Israeli journalist David Horovitz and his US-based capital partner Seth Klarman.[1][2] Horovitz is the founding editor, responsible for the site's editorial content.[1] The publication was established to document developments in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world.[1]
In February 2014, two years after its launch, The Times of Israel claimed a readership of two million.[7] By 2017, readership had increased to 3.5 million.[8] In 2022, marking its tenth anniversary, the publication described itself as having become the leading English publisher on Israel and the Jewish world, with 40 million monthly page views.[4]
Editorial stance[edit | edit source]
The Times of Israel states that it has no partisan political affiliation and seeks to present news fair-mindedly, offering a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces.[1] The publication describes itself as a "Zionist journalistic enterprise," stating: "We believe in the State of Israel and we want it to thrive."[4] It aims to serve as a platform for constructive debate regarding the challenges facing Israel, the region, and the Jewish people.[1]
The publication's political alignment is generally described as centre.[9] A comparative content analysis of Israeli media outlets characterised The Times of Israel as "rightist" in contrast to the leftist Haaretz, though noting that it employs Palestinian justification frames extensively in its coverage.[9] The publication has been described by some critics as a "propaganda arm of the Zionist entity," a characterisation rejected by its contributors.[10]
The Times of Israel is registered corporately as 'Zmanei Yisrael' (זמני ישראל) in the State of Israel.[1]
Language editions[edit | edit source]
Arabic edition[edit | edit source]
The Times of Israel launched its Arabic edition on 4 February 2014, edited by Suha Halifa.[11] The Arabic site featured Arabic translations of English content, staffed in Israel by native Arabic-speaking editors.[12] In April 2026, The Times of Israel announced it was closing its Arabic and Persian sites, citing the ease of online translation and a decision to focus on original English content.[13]
French edition[edit | edit source]
The French edition was launched on 25 February 2014, edited by Stéphanie Bitan.[14] Like the Arabic edition, it combines translations of English content with original material and a Francophone blog platform.[14][15]
Chinese edition[edit | edit source]
The Chinese edition was launched on 28 May 2014, edited by Jingjing Li, a former editor and reporter for Beijing's China Economic Net.[16] The Chinese edition focuses on the evolving high-tech and innovation areas of the Israeli-Chinese relationship, covering all aspects of Israeli technology and innovation.[17]
Persian edition[edit | edit source]
The Persian edition was launched for Iranian readers, staffed in Israel by native Persian-speaking editors.[12] The Persian site, along with the Arabic edition, was closed in April 2026.[13]
Hebrew edition (Zman Yisrael)[edit | edit source]
The Times of Israel launched its Hebrew-language edition, Zman Yisrael, in May 2019.[5] The Hebrew site provides original Hebrew-language journalism, separate from translations of the English edition.[5]
Notable journalists[edit | edit source]
Notable journalists and editors associated with The Times of Israel include:
- David Horovitz (founding editor and editor-in-chief)[1]
- Amanda Borschel-Dan (deputy editor, host of The Daily Briefing and What Matters Now podcasts)[18]
- Lazar Berman (diplomatic and Christian affairs correspondent)[19]
- Sam Sokol (political correspondent, author of Putin's Hybrid War and the Jews)[20]
- Haviv Rettig Gur (senior political analyst)[21]
- Raphael Ahren (diplomatic correspondent)[22]
- Jacob Magid (US bureau chief)[22]
- Sarah Tuttle-Singer (new media editor)[23]
- Michael Bachner (breaking news editor)[1]
- Pnina Baumgarten (chief copy editor)[1]
- Miriam Herschlag (opinion editor)[1]
- Joshua Davidovich (deputy editor)[1]
- Elie Leshem (deputy editor)[1]
- Suha Halifa (Arabic editor)[11]
- Stephanie Bitan (French editor)[14]
- Avi Davidi (Persian editor)[12]
- Jingjing Li (Chinese editor)[16]
See also[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 "About The Times of Israel and its staff". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Times of Israel launches new news site". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 29 February 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Seth Klarman". Forbes. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Celebrating a milestone: Ten years for The Times of Israel - A letter from the Editor". The Times of Israel. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Clear-headed journalism, this time in Hebrew: Introducing Zman Yisrael". The Times of Israel. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Grunzweig in Haaretz". Haaretz. 16 February 2012.
- ↑ "Times of Israel hits 2 million readers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Times of Israel readership grows to 3.5 million". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Framing the 2021 War on Gaza in Israeli Media: A Comparative Content Analysis Between the Times of Israel and Haaretz". Qatar National Library. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "What blogging on The Times of Israel taught this Moroccan journalist". The Times of Israel. 22 February 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Translating Israel, from English to Arabic". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 4 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Why we publish The Times of Israel in Arabic and Persian". The Times of Israel. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Le Times of Israel ferme ses sites en arabe et en farsi". The Times of Israel (French). 9 April 2026. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Times of Israel adds French edition". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "A propos du Times of Israel". The Times of Israel (French). Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Times of Israel Chinese debuts". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Huanying and welcome to The Times of Israel Chinese". The Times of Israel. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Amanda Borschel-Dan". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Lazar Berman". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Sam Sokol". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Haviv Rettig Gur". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Times of Israel". C-SPAN. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
- ↑ "Sarah Tuttle-Singer". Jerusalem Culture. Retrieved 6 October 2026.