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Palestine

May 13, 2026

Ramallah 3:14 pm

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Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

European foreign ministers have agreed to sanction extremist West Bank settlers, but are still discussing the list of names.

An elections employee tapes a poster with instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Feature

Gazans show cautious hope ahead of first local elections in 20 years

The city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza is set to hold municipal elections for the first time in nearly two decades.

Rasha Abou Jalal

By Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Women read instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Analysis

On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply

With many races unopposed and rivals excluded, the vote underscores a calibrated effort to contain dissent and prioritize stability.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Olmert

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Al-Monitor that Israel will only be able to defang Hezbollah if it reaches an agreement with the Lebanese government.

Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Former Israeli prime minister

Latest News

Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel

Meloni

'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military

Israeli settler violence graffiti

Wartime closures at Jerusalem holy sites raise fears of lasting shift among Palestinians

Muslim worshippers break their fast outside the old city walls of Jerusalem on March 17, 2026, as the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains closed.

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Daoud Kuttab

Palestine Columnist

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Rasha Abou Jalal

In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Fatima AbdulKarim

In Ramallah, reporting on the West Bank

Palestinian supporters of former head of Fatah in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, hold posters depicting Dahlan (R) during a protest against Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City December 18, 2014. Dahlan, who lives in exile in the Gulf, is a powerful political foe of Abbas.
REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4IJ93

Will Hamas, Dahlan join forces in upcoming local elections?

Hamas has accepted to participate in the local elections that the Palestinian government announced to be held in October, but some observers believe the current division might obstruct said elections.

B'Tselem field researcher Iyad Hadad (2nd R) listens to a testimony from a Palestinian farmer, who said his land was damaged in an attack by Israeli settlers, in the West Bank village of Turmus Aya near Ramallah June 8, 2015. B'Tselem is an Israeli NGO that has long been a bane of the government, tirelessly flagging human rights abuses by Israel's military in the Palestinian territories. Set up by a group of academics, lawyers, journalists and politicians more than 25 years ago, the organisation - whose nam

Palestinians concerned about new Israeli NGO law

Palestinians working with B’Tselem and other human rights organizations are worried that the new Knesset law will restrict their work.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) gives a joint statement with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry prior to their meeting at his Jerusalem office on July 10, 2016.
Shoukry met Netanyahu in Jerusalem for talks on reviving peace efforts with the Palestinians, in the first such visit in nearly a decade and the latest sign of warming ties.

/ AFP / GALI TIBBON (Photo credit should read GALI TIBBON/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Egypt is suddenly so interested in Israel-Palestine conflict

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry's recent visit to Israel has sparked controversy and raised questions as to why Egypt is trying to resolve the Palestinian cause while drawing closer to Israel.

Palestinian poet and journalist Mahmoud Darwish gestures during the Carthage Theatre Days in Tunis theatre, 06 December 2007. AFP PHOTO/ FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images)

War of the Words: Palestinian poetry broadcast terrifies Israeli right

Israeli Ministers Miri Regev and Avigdor Liberman have attacked Army Radio over a broadcast featuring Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, even though his poetry is taught in Israeli schools.

Only six shrines remain standing as Gaza's ancient sites crumble

Gaza's shrines and mausoleums are being neglected by the authorities and ignored by the people as clerics discourage Gazans from visiting the sites.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a ceremony at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa, Israel, July 21, 2016. REUTERS/POOL/Dan Balilty - RTSJ1NL

What Bibi got wrong about comparison of Tel Aviv, Nice attacks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to ignore the reality of Israeli occupation by equating attacks by Palestinians and the terror attacks in Paris, Orlando and Nice.

A man walks past ancient ruins which archaeologists say may be part of a Byzantine church or cathedral dating from around 1,500 years ago, in Gaza City April 4, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTSDHOZ

Citizens map out Gaza’s history

Major archaeological sites in the Gaza Strip have been subject to looting and neglect, not to mention destruction from razing and urban sprawl.

A general view of the UNESCO headquarters before a ceremony for the "UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences" in Paris July 17, 2012. Rights groups said on Monday UNESCO's decision to award a science prize sponsored by the president of Equatorial Guinea was "shameful and utterly irresponsible". Despite calls to abandon it, the governing council of Paris-based UNESCO voted by 33 to 18 with six abstentions to approve awarding what was originally called the "UNESCO-Obiang

What really delayed UNESCO vote on Jerusalem?

Although Israel claimed success in delaying the vote to be held in Istanbul on a UNESCO resolution submitted by Palestine and Jordan on Jerusalem, Palestinian and Arab officials say the postponement was due to security instability in Turkey following the coup attempt.

A Palestinian woman hangs a torch inside her house during power cuts at Shatti (beach) refugee camp in Gaza City September 15, 2015. Power has been provided to different areas in the impoverished coastal territory in six-hour shifts as Gaza's lone power plant shut its generators on Saturday due to a fuel shortage, energy officials said. Electricity is also supplied to the Gaza grid through power lines from Israel and Egypt. Gaza's plant provides electricity to two-thirds of its population. REUTERS/Mohammed

Will Turkey succeed in resolving Gaza’s power crisis?

Turkey is working to resolve the Gaza Strip's energy crisis as part of an economic projects package included in Turkey's reconciliation deal with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomes Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (L) in Jerusalem July 10, 2016 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTSH5PM

Some Egyptians wary of normalizing relations with Israel

Egyptian leaders say they are playing an important role in reviving the Palestinian issue by mediating with Israel, but some sources say Egyptians might actually be losing their sympathy for Palestinians and don't want to normalize relations with Israel.

'No military solution' say Israeli, Palestinian ex-fighters

The Israeli and Palestinian former fighters of Combatants for Peace are using their personal stories to advocate a nonviolent, humanitarian approach to ending the Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territories.

Israeli border policemen take position as a Palestinian woman looks out a shop during clashes in the West Bank town of Al-Ram, near Jerusalem October 22, 2015. Nine Israelis have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and vehicle attacks since the start of October. Forty-nine Palestinians, including 25 assailants, among them children, have been killed in attacks and during anti-Israeli protests. Among the causes of the turmoil is Palestinians' anger at what they see as Jewish encroachment on the al

BDS movement targets Palestinian investors in West Bank mall

Pro-Palestinian activists are working with a consumer advocacy group to urge Palestinian investors to back out of a new shopping mall in northern Jerusalem, warning that not only will the project harm the Palestinian economy, the investors themselves could face legal action.