Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel." United States
Newsletter: Palestine Palestine elections chief: Vote ‘transparent’ despite war, restrictions In an exclusive interview, Rami Hamdallah defended the transparency of recent Palestinian local elections while outlining the political and logistical barriers to voting in Gaza and East Jerusalem. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
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. Israel
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. By Rasha Abou Jalal In Gaza City, reporting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Analysis On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
Interview Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable' Ehud Olmert Former Israeli prime minister
How one Hamas leader intends to reconcile with Fatah Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef speaks to Al-Monitor about the movement’s relations with Fatah, Iran and the international community. Palestine
Sentence 'suspended' for Palestinian journalist on hunger strike Palestinian journalist Muhammad al-Kik has been on a hunger strike for the past three months in protest of his administrative detention, and his life is now in real danger. Palestine
How bragging could backfire on al-Qassam Brigades The Hamas military wing's recent display of a tank may be something Israel could use as a pretext to justify action against Hamas and Gaza. Palestine
Arab Knesset members punished for helping their constituency In an interview with Al-Monitor, Knesset member Jamal Zahalka explains why he and his colleagues met with families in Jerusalem, claiming he is being punished for doing his parliamentary work. Palestine
How to reverse engineer Israeli-Palestinian peace With Israelis and Palestinians dubious of the "peace process," a new approach is needed to restore some hope in resolving their conflict. Palestine
Could Jerusalem get a Palestinian mayor? Former Minister Haim Ramon explains why his plan for separating from 28 East Jerusalem Palestinian villages responds to the security concerns of Israeli citizens and is not detrimental to dialogue with the Palestinians. Palestine
Israelis, Palestinians secretly discuss French initiative Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas seem to discuss the French initiative for an international conference, though Netanyahu, unchanged, is not really interested in advancing negotiations with the Palestinians. Palestine
How new restrictions block Palestinian peace activists from Israel New Israeli permit restrictions severely limit the ability of Palestinian activists to enter Israel to conduct peace-related activities. Palestine
How one Palestinian minister is empowering women Palestinian Minister of Women’s Affairs Haifa al-Agha speaks to Al-Monitor about her accomplishments in advocating for Palestinian women in society and her future endeavors to further empower women on social and political levels. Palestine
Israeli slip of the tongue embarrasses Egypt The statement by Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz in regard to alleged security cooperation with Egypt angered Cairo and complicated the battle against Hamas. Palestine
Israeli minister: After Abbas, there will be no more Palestinian Authority Talking to Al-Monitor, Israeli Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Immigrant Absorption Zeev Elkin predicts that once Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas steps down, the Palestinian Authority will disintegrate, lamenting that Israel has no plan to face this likelihood. Palestine
How Palestine's parliament is squandering millions of dollars There are no prospects that a new speaker could be elected or the PLC itself could be activated, as millions of dollars are disbursed to cover the spending of members of parliament. Palestine
