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
EU leadership divided over settlements According to Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, the president of the European Parliament opposes labeling settlement products, despite the official EU position. Palestine
Is Abbas spinning his wheels by meeting with Israelis? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has had numerous meetings with various Israeli delegations in hopes of resuming the peace talks stalled since 2014. Palestine
Israeli Arabs take their message to the White House Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi (Joint List) tells Al-Monitor that Obama administration officials he met with in Washington are concerned about discrimination against Israeli Arabs. Palestine
How Palestine plans to shift its media strategy In an interview with Al-Monitor, the newly appointed director of strategic communications in the Palestinian prime minister’s office, Jamal Dajani, promises to prioritize the Palestinian constituency and be accessible to the press. Palestine
Undeterred by closures, Hamas still boasts of tunnel advantage Despite setbacks, Hamas has been digging more tunnels and continues to flaunt them as a strategic weapon against Israel in propaganda videos. Palestine
Netanyahu’s threats recall Gaza's last war Military preparations by Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip are raising speculation that a new war is on the way. Palestine
Palestinians, Israelis face off on Facebook As the armed attacks against Israelis decrease, another kind of intifada has emerged on social networking sites as Palestinians and Israelis confront each other using Twitter and Facebook. Palestine
France, Egypt push two-state solution conference Egypt is contemplating its own initiative in order to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations on a two-state solution in coordination with the French Foreign Ministry’s initiative. Palestine
The rise of the individual intifada The prevailing IDF assessment by which the current wave of violence will die out has been proven wrong, with Palestinian attackers now using guns instead of knives. Palestine
Who's going to pay for Palestinian budget gap? The new Palestinian state budget is being criticized both for its approval process and its expenditures, which some critics say favor administrative items at the expense of other sectors. Palestine
Will splitting Jerusalem perpetuate occupation? The separation plans designed to separate Jerusalem from surrounding Palestinian villages will only perpetuate the annexation of Jerusalem to Israel. Palestine
'Tunnel arms race' heating up Hamas is in the midst of rebuilding its tunnel network under Gaza and into Israel, while the IDF has begun work to neutralize the threat. Palestine
