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Palestine

July 25, 2026

Ramallah 3:55 am

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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

Latest News

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

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

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.

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 gunmen from different factions hold their weapons during the launch of a joint security force that includes all Palestinian factions, to maintain stability at the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the port-city of Sidon, southern Lebanon July 8, 2014.
REUTERS/Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3XMS5

Hamas working to lower tensions in Lebanese camps

With security tensions escalating in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Hamas and Lebanese officials are discussing ways to avoid the camps being turned into arenas for settling regional scores.

A Palestinian goalkeeper practices fielding shots in a file photo at the Gaza football stadium where a large mural of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat hangs behind the goal. The Palestinian national football team is now playing in its first international tournament in Hong Kong in the Asian Group 3 qualifying competition for next year's World Cup finals. The team returns to the Middle East for its next World Cup qualifier on March 20 when it plays in Qatar.

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Gaza soccer players work hard for little pay

Professional Palestinian soccer players, especially those in the Gaza Strip, are bound by restrictive contracts and low pay.

Palestinian men take part in Friday prayers as the Dome of the Rock on the compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City is seen in the background May 29, 2015. Picture taken May 29, 2015. To match Special Report ISRAEL-JERUSALEM/DOME REUTERS/Ammar Awad
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Arabs divided on visiting Jerusalem

Political and religious authorities in Palestine continue to disagree on visits by Arabs and Muslims from around the world to Jerusalem, split between seeing such trips as defiant support of Palestine and as normalizing relations with Israel.

Palestinians crowd into an ice cream shop during the first day of a three day ceasefire, in Gaza City August 5, 2014. Israel withdrew ground forces from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and started a 72-hour ceasefire with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8, after a

Gaza's ice cream industry melts

Although ice cream is popular among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, local ice cream shops struggle to sustain themselves under Israel's blockade and Hamas' law on imported goods.

UN envoy Mladenov: Absence of political process 'dangerous'

In an interview with Al-Monitor, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov stressed the UN's commitment to supporting peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

The U.S. Supreme Court is pictured in Washington June 8, 2015. The Court on Monday struck down a law that would allow American citizens born in Jerusalem to have Israel listed as their birthplace on passports. REUTERS/Gary Cameron - RTX1FO5Y

Why Israelis should pay attention to recent US Supreme Court decision

The US Supreme Court's rejection of a petition for a Jerusalem-born American to be registered as born in Israel in his passport should make Israelis realize that the only way to gain international recognition of its capital is a compromise with the Palestinians and therefore an end to the conflict.

Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour speaks at a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, December 18, 2014. REUTERS/Hadi Mizban/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4IKB0

Tension rises between Amman, Ramallah

Amman and Ramallah are not seeing eye to eye at the level of politics and coordination, threatening national unity in both Jordan and Palestine.

Palestinian dance group keeps folk art alive

El-Funoun is a dance troupe whose performances underscore the importance of Palestinian folk art while combining cultural authenticity and modernity — with the idea that art is a part of the revolutionary and popular movement against the occupation.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the annual Herzliya conference in Herzliya near Tel Aviv, Israel June 9, 2015. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX1FUEQ

Netanyahu's 'autumn restart' plan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to reduce international pressure during the last 18 months of US President Barack Obama's term and will begin a diplomatic initiative to that end this autumn.

A sign is seen at the Erez border crossing between Israel and northern Gaza Strip December 28, 2014. Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip prevented on Sunday a group of Palestinian children who lost parents in the July-August war with Israel from making a rare goodwill visit to the Jewish state, organisers of the trip said. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4JF9V

Will Israel’s Erez crossing supersede Rafah?

It looks like Israel is allowing more people to cross into the West Bank from Gaza through the Erez crossing, which has raised questions about the possibility of the Erez crossing replacing the Rafah crossing.

An Israeli settler argues with Israeli soldiers during a protest organised by Palestinians against Jewish settlements near the settlement bloc of Gush Etzion in the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4MMV0

Likud MK: Any concession could empower Hamas

In an interview with Al-Monitor, newly elected Likud Knesset member Yoav Kish argues that any territorial concession under current circumstances will end up with Islamic extremists taking control of that land.

A Palestinian boy rides a bicycle past tents in the West Bank village of Susiya June 24, 2012. Susiya the Israeli settlement enjoys well-watered lawns, humming electricity, and the protection of a mighty state. One rocky hill away, Susiya the Palestinian village is parched and doomed. Picture taken June 24, 2012. To match Feature ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS/DEMOLITION
REUTERS/Baz Ratner (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR347HR

Anti-boycott call rings hollow as village awaits demolition

Israeli plans to demolish the Palestinian village of Susiya and other similar acts will not generate support for the government's campaign to stanch the growing movement to boycott settlement products and in some cases products made in Israel.