The Times of Israel: News from Israel & Jewish World

The following table summarizes the key attributes of The Times of Israel based on available data.

What is The Times of Israel?

The Times of Israel is a Jerusalem-based online newspaper that launched in February 2012 as an independent English-language news outlet covering Israeli affairs, Middle Eastern developments, and global Jewish communities (Times of Israel official statement). It has since expanded to publish in Arabic, French, Chinese, Persian, and Hebrew, making it one of the most multilingual Israeli news platforms.

Mission and focus areas

The outlet describes its mission as delivering “fast, fair and 100% independent journalism” to engage Jewish communities worldwide (Times of Israel mission statement). Its coverage spans Israeli politics, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, security issues, and Diaspora affairs. In addition to news reporting, the platform hosts a multi-author blog platform featuring opinion pieces and analysis from contributors across the political spectrum.

The Times of Israel has no partisan political affiliation and explicitly states it seeks to present news fair-mindedly while offering a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces (Times of Israel official statement). This positioning places it in a unique market: serving an international audience interested in Israeli and Jewish affairs without the domestic political constraints of outlets primarily focused on Israeli voters.

Launch details

The publication was founded by David Horovitz, a UK-born Israeli journalist who previously served as editor of The Jerusalem Post, alongside Seth Klarman, an American billionaire investor (Times of Israel official statement). Horovitz serves as founding editor, maintaining editorial control over content, while Klarman acts as chairman and capital partner. The outlet has no failed fact checks recorded to date, according to Media Bias Fact Check’s tracking (Media Bias Fact Check credibility report).

Who owns The Times of Israel?

The ownership structure of The Times of Israel centers on two individuals: David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Horovitz, a UK-born Israeli journalist, serves as co-founder and founding editor, directly controlling editorial decisions. Klarman, an American billionaire investor and founder of the Baupost Group, operates as co-founder, chairman, and primary financial backer (Media Bias Fact Check ownership notes).

Founders and funding

David Horovitz brought journalistic credentials and editorial experience to the venture, having served previously as editor of The Jerusalem Post. His role as founding editor means he bears direct responsibility for the publication’s editorial direction and content standards.

Seth Klarman is listed alongside Horovitz in bias assessments from AllSides as the publication’s owner, with his role described as capital partner from a US base (AllSides bias profile). Klarman is also chairman of The David Project, a nonprofit that works to strengthen Israel engagement among Jewish communities. The Baupost Group, which Klarman founded, is a Boston-based investment firm with a documented track record of value investing.

What remains unclear is the precise financial structure of The Times of Israel. No public disclosures detail funding levels, donor commitments, or the extent to which Klarman’s capital contributions represent ongoing operational support versus initial launch funding.

Independence claims

The Times of Israel officially states it has no partisan political affiliation and seeks to present news fair-mindedly (Times of Israel official statement). AllSides, which tracks media bias across multiple outlets, explicitly states that funding and ownership do not influence their bias ratings for The Times of Israel (AllSides bias profile).

However, independent bias raters note that Seth Klarman’s background—as founder of Baupost Group and chairman of The David Project—contributes to perceptions that the outlet leans pro-Israel, particularly on matters relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This perception exists regardless of whether financial relationships translate into editorial direction.

What is the bias of The Times of Israel?

Media bias assessments offer the most concrete data on The Times of Israel’s editorial leanings. Media Bias Fact Check rates the outlet as Left-Center biased with Mostly Factual reporting, a designation last updated on December 13, 2024 (Media Bias Fact Check rating).

Editorial stance

The Left-Center designation reflects editorial positions that slightly favor the left, though the outlet’s coverage of Israel-related matters presents a more specific picture. According to Media Bias Fact Check analyst D. Van Zandt: “Overall, we rate the Times of Israel as Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that slightly favor the left. We also rate them as Mostly Factual rather than High due to one-sided pro-Israel reporting regarding Palestine” (Media Bias Fact Check editorial analysis).

This nuance matters: the outlet receives credit for factual reporting but loses points on the “high factual” scale because of perceived bias on a specific topic—Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian territories. The rating reflects a pattern of covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with generally objective language while editorial positions lean pro-Israel.

Compared to Israeli media peers, The Times of Israel occupies a centrist-to-left-center position. Analysis from Dickinson College blogs notes it sits between right-leaning outlets like Israel Hayom—which has been described as pro-Netanyahu—and left-leaning publications like Haaretz, which maintains a firmly critical stance toward Israeli government policies (Dickinson College media analysis).

Criticisms

Bias assessments cite loaded language appearing in editorial positions, with particular attention to framing around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During the 2023–2024 conflict, Media Bias Fact Check noted that The Times of Israel was reportedly less objective, focusing more heavily on Israeli military objectives (Media Bias Fact Check coverage analysis).

Some critics argue that Seth Klarman’s involvement—and his prior leadership at The David Project—creates structural incentives for pro-Israel framing. However, AllSides maintains that funding and ownership structures do not alter their bias assessment, suggesting editorial independence in practice (AllSides editorial independence statement).

The Times of Israel Netanyahu coverage

The Times of Israel provides extensive coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including live updates on his corruption trials, coalition politics, and diplomatic engagements. The outlet’s coverage patterns reveal how it handles high-profile political figures in Israel’s government.

Key stories

Netanyahu-related coverage on The Times of Israel spans multiple angles: his corruption trials (Cases 1000, 2000, 4000), coalition government negotiations, foreign policy decisions, and responses to security incidents. The outlet publishes both news reporting and opinion pieces that sometimes offer critical perspectives on Netanyahu’s policies.

The Times of Israel has itself contributed to discussions of media bias by publishing articles critiquing other outlets’ coverage of Israeli affairs. For example, an editorial titled “From tears for Arafat to death to the IDF: How BBC’s Israel coverage has gone from bad to worse” demonstrates the outlet’s willingness to critique external coverage patterns (Times of Israel media criticism piece).

Live updates

The outlet operates a live blog feature that tracks breaking developments related to Israeli politics, including ongoing Netanyahu trial proceedings and government formation efforts. This real-time coverage positions The Times of Israel as a resource for readers tracking fast-moving political stories.

Analysis linking The Times of Israel to pro-Netanyahu media stances appears in academic contexts, though such characterizations often derive from the outlet’s general pro-Israel positioning rather than direct evidence of coordination or instruction (Dickinson College academic analysis).

The Times of Israel live and social presence

Beyond its website, The Times of Israel maintains an active presence across social media platforms, with Instagram serving as its largest follower base at 219,000 followers as of the latest available data.

Live blog

The live blog feature allows readers to follow breaking stories in real time, with automatic updates as developments occur. This format has proven particularly valuable for covering fast-moving events like military operations, diplomatic negotiations, and political crises.

Social media channels

The Times of Israel maintains active presences on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, using these platforms to share breaking news, analysis clips, and promotional content for feature articles. Instagram, with 219,000 followers, represents the largest social audience, followed by YouTube video content and Facebook page engagement.

These channels serve dual purposes: driving traffic back to the main website while building community engagement with readers who may prefer social consumption over direct website visits. The multilingual editions expand this reach into language-specific communities—Arabic, French, Chinese, and Persian-speaking audiences access content through their preferred platforms.

Timeline

Four documented dates shape the narrative of The Times of Israel’s development as an independent media outlet.

The implication is that The Times of Israel’s bias profile has remained relatively stable across major assessments, with the most recent update reflecting heightened attention to coverage during the recent conflict period.

What sources confirm and what remains uncertain

The verified facts about The Times of Israel contrast with areas where information remains incomplete or contested.

What this means is that researchers monitoring this outlet should prioritize Tier 1 and Tier 2 sources while remaining aware of the gaps in disclosed ownership and funding information.

What sources say

“The Times of Israel has no partisan political affiliation. It seeks to present the news fair-mindedly and offers a wide range of analysis and opinion pieces.”

— Times of Israel (Official Statement, Times of Israel about page)

“Overall, we rate the Times of Israel as Left-Center biased based on editorial positions that slightly favor the left. We also rate them as Mostly Factual rather than High due to one-sided pro-Israel reporting regarding Palestine.”

— D. Van Zandt, Media Bias Fact Check (December 13, 2024 update, Media Bias Fact Check rating page)

For readers seeking independent English-language coverage of Israeli and Jewish affairs, The Times of Israel offers a credible option with a documented factual record. Its Left-Center bias designation—updated most recently on December 13, 2024—means coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict skews pro-Israel, while other topics receive more neutral treatment.

Related reading: News of the World phone hacking scandal

Frequently asked questions