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Palestine

July 23, 2026

Al Bīrah 9:26 am

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Flags of Spain and Argentina

Culture

How Argentina-Spain World Cup final became debate over Israel, Palestine

Governments and fans alike have turned teams and players into symbols of political division.

Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference.

Explainer

What does Hamas' move to dissolve its Gaza government mean?

Hamas has agreed to hand civilian administration over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, but the committee is not yet in Gaza and may not deploy until Hamas’ disarmament is resolved.

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Kiros has taken a hard stance against Israel and opposes all aid to the country as pro-Palestinian candidates make further inroads in the party.

Latest News

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Record Israeli arms exports highlight global rush for air defense

People stand in front of the Arrow 3 shield system during an event of the German Air Force to declare the Initial Operating Capability for the Arrow Weapon System for Germany at the Annaburger Heide Air Base in Schoenewalde / Holzdorf, eastern Germany, on Dec. 3, 2025.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

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

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair listens to a question during an appearance at the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York October 6, 2015. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTS3AIQ

Tony Blair's blunder on Middle East peace

Tony Blair’s chance to play a political role in the Palestinian issue is slipping away, as the PA refuses to accept him, President Abbas and the PLO refuse to deal with him on a personal level and Hamas has turned down all his initiatives.

Coptic Pope's Jerusalem visit sparks backlash in Egypt

The Coptic Church confirmed that its position regarding the ban on Copts visiting Jerusalem is unchanged, despite the travel of Pope Tawadros II to the city to attend the funeral of Bishop Anba Abraham.

Will Israel's ban on the Islamic Movement lead to further restrictions?

Some observers fear that the recent ban of the Islamic Movement's northern branch might serve as a precedent for Israel to tighten the noose on its Arab citizens.

Netanyahu plans to 'punish' the Europeans over settlement labeling

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that Israel will distance the European Union from the diplomatic process makes no sense, in view of the ongoing diplomatic stalemate.

Are Israelis ready to move to the center?

Public support for the establishment of a “new Kadima” suggests that a significant segment of the Israeli electorate would back a party with a clear diplomatic agenda for a two-state solution.

How one Egyptian beauty queen lost her citizenship

The Egyptian minister of interior’s decision to withdraw citizenship from Naglaa Ahmad Abdel Ati Suleiman, who also holds Israeli citizenship, stirred mixed reactions in Egypt.

A general view of the concrete wall, part of Israel's controversial security barrier, which separates the West Bank city of Abu Dis from Jerusalem November 28, 2004. [Israel has asked French authorities to change Yasser Arafat listed place of birth on his death certificate to Cairo from Jerusalem, an Israeli official said Sunday.] - RTXN3CG

Israel makes it official: Another wall on the way

Palestinians are interested to see what kind of wall Israel will build along the Gaza border to discourage Hamas attacks.

Who's afraid of the 'intifada'?

The use of the expression ''wave of terror,'' rather than ''intifada,'' has created the illusion that the recent violence against Israelis will pass without the need for tangible measures to relieve the despair felt by young Palestinians.

Why IDF is urging Israeli government to keep calm, strengthen Palestinian Authority

The IDF has learned its lesson from the previous intifada, recommending now to contain the terror incidents and try to spread calm, as called for by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, instead of launching a military confrontation.

Hebron radio stations closed for 'exercising incitement'

The Israeli army has closed three Palestinian radio stations in Hebron so far, a step that concerned parties say will only escalate the violence witnessed in the Palestinian territories.

Will Palestine shun the shekel?

Many Palestinian officials consider dethroning the shekel as a necessary step toward limiting Palestine's economic ties with Israel.

A Palestinian woman sits in front of the gate of Rafah border crossing as she waits for a travel permit to cross into Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip June 14, 2015. Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing on Saturday to allow Palestinians to travel in and out of the Gaza Strip for the first time in three months, in a possible sign of easing tension between Cairo and Gaza's dominant Islamist Hamas movement. Gaza, a small impoverished coastal enclave, is under blockade by neighbouring Israel, and Eg

Egypt announces deal to reopen Rafah crossing, but when will it actually open?

Despite the fact that opening the Rafah crossing is an urgent humanitarian need for Gaza residents, it remains subject to political considerations associated with the quarreling factions: Hamas and Fatah.