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Palestine

May 11, 2026

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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

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Author, David Grossman (Israel) poses for a photo after being announced the winner of the Man Booker International Prize 2017 for his book 'A Horse Walks into a Bar' at Victoria & Albert Museum on June 14, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

Netanyahu critic wins prestigious literary award

Winner of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize, Israeli writer David Grossman has battled the occupation for decades.

Israeli soldiers stand guard near the entrance to Allenby Bridge, a crossing point between Jordan and the occupied West Bank, near the West Bank town of Jericho March 10, 2014. Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian on Monday at the crossing point, Israeli and Palestinian security officials said. The Israeli military said the man had tried to seize a soldier's gun at the Allenby bridge, which spans the Jordan River, and that troops had then shot him. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS

Palestinians optimistic as Jordan border crossing set to open 24/7

Israel has agreed to open the Allenby (King Hussein) border crossing into Jordan around the clock following bilateral negotiations with the Palestinians.

BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 19: In this handout image supplied by the Palestinian President's Office (PPO), Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on April 19, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. Abbas is meeting with Merkel as well as other European leaders and Vladimir Putin of Russia in an effort to gain support for the Mideast peace process. Abbas is next scheduled to travel to New York to attend peace talks at the United Nations. (Photo by Thaer Ghanaim/PP

Abbas eyes Merkel as Plan B if Trump fails on Mideast peace

Should President Donald Trump fail to deliver his ultimate regional deal, the Palestinians could opt for German Chancellor Angela Merkel to take the lead on relaunching peace talks with Israel.

Meet Palestine’s youngest female mayor

In face of harsh criticism, Yusra Mohammed Badwan recently became Palestine’s youngest female mayor, in the town of Azzun in the northern West Bank.

A Palestinian couple waits before a mass wedding ceremony in the West Bank city of Jericho January 28, 2014. A spokesman working together with the Palestinian Presidential Office said some 300 Palestinian couples, 80 of them from the Gaza Strip, wedded on Tuesday in the mass ceremony funded by the Presidential Office and attended by President Mahmoud Abbas. Each couple would also be given $4,000, the spokesman said. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX17YR6

Palestinian courts take a break from divorce during Ramadan

The head of Palestine's Islamic courts has banned judges from registering divorces during Ramadan, citing hasty decisions made by fasting Muslims.

Yahya Sinwar, the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, attends the opening of a new mosque in Rafah town in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2017. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Sinwar and Dahlan's Cairo face-to-face

Fatah's dismissed senior official Mohammed Dahlan met June 11 in Cairo with Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar in an attempt to advance a solution for Gaza’s economic crisis.

Members of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas ride a truck outside a Hamas-run military court where alleged collaborators with Israel are prosecuted, in Gaza City May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX36SVG

Hamas crisis could present an opportunity for Israel

According to Israeli assessment, the record-low point in which Hamas finds itself currently could either lead to a confrontation with Israel or to more moderate policies.

New Israeli pro-diplomacy lobby hopes to avoid another Gaza war

Yesh Atid Knesset member Haim Jelin promotes a new lobby for offering Gaza residents a diplomatic horizon and hope in the form of developing infrastructure and addressing the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian man and his son hold a Qatari flag during a rally in support of Qatar, inside Qatari-funded construction project 'Hamad City', in the southern Gaza Strip June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX39TEW

Palestinians divided over GCC-Qatar crisis

The Palestinians are divided over the recent announcement by four Arab nations to cut ties with Qatar, as Hamas seems to be worried about its relationship with its main backer in the region.

Palestinian Football Association (PFA) President Jibril Rajoub speaks to the media ahead of the 67th FIFA Congress in Manama, Bahrain May 9, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RTS15TON

Palestinian official comes under fire over Jerusalem comments

The response to comments by Jibril Rajoub shows how difficult it is to publicly address contentious issues involving the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Saudi-Hamas relations on verge of complete rupture

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip are witnessing deep tension that risks further escalation in light of the Arab nation's decision to cut ties with Qatar, one of Hamas’ main financial backers.

People attend the funeral of the victims who were killed on the June 7 attack at the Iranian parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini's mausoleum, in Tehran, Iran June 9, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY? - RTX39TEM

Mixed messages since US-Saudi-Islamic summit prove costly

Is the United States missing an opportunity with Iran in the war against the Islamic State? Turkey, Hamas deal with fallout from Qatar dispute; Al-Monitor had the jump on “secret” US-Russia talks on Syria.