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Palestine

May 12, 2026

Ramallah 5:06 am

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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

Jerusalem artist determined to keep puppets on stage

Jerusalemite artist Abdel Salam Abdo pulls the strings in the Arab world to ensure that puppet shows are not a dying art.

U.S. President Donald Trump waits to greet Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos in the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., May 18, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RTX36HA1

Who expects more of Trump visit, Israelis or Palestinians?

During Donald Trump’s visit, Israel wants him to realize wide right-wing objection to the two-state solution, while Palestinians expect that Trump would agree to launch shuttle diplomacy toward negotiations.

American and Israeli flags flutter in the wind atop the roof of the King David Hotel, in preparation for the upcoming visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to Israel, in Jerusalem May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX36DS2

How Trump's upcoming visit is connecting Israelis and Palestinians

The May 22 visit of President Donald Trump pushes Israelis and Palestinians into greater cooperation, driving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide on a package of economic incentives for the Palestinians.

Saltwater and 'honor' on Gazan restaurants’ menus

The Gaza Strip is showing its solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails by participating in the "Saltwater Challenge."

Open-air soccer game screenings come to Gaza City

A giant screen at al-Qutaibah Square in Gaza City has been showing the UEFA Europa League matches, easing the suffering of Gazans amid the power outage and unemployment crises.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a discussion about the Report of the State Comptroller for Operation Protective Edge at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 19, 2017 REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTS12VXD

Would Israel's Knesset support a Trump Mideast deal?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot claim that his coalition will fall apart if he supports a peace initiative by President Donald Trump.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTS14ZK3

What Abbas hopes to achieve from Trump's Palestine visit

Ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the West Bank, the Palestinian leadership is satisfied with its choice of strategy, consisting of opening communication channels with the new Trump administration and avoiding tensions on the ground.

Taxi drivers queue outside a petrol station in Gaza April 7, 2008, as they wait to fill their cars with fuel. Owners of petrol stations in Gaza said on Monday that they have ran out of fuel as Israel has not allowed fuel to be supplied to Gaza everyday. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA) - RTR1Z7BQ

Gaza women make inroads into driving

A very small number of women in the Gaza Strip have taken jobs as drivers, privately transporting other women and children to provide for themselves and families.

Jordan's King Abdullah arrives the opening ceremony of the first ordinary session of 18th Parliament in Amman, Jordan November 7, 2016. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX2SB9H

Jordan monarch's comments on Palestinians raise tensions in kingdom

The Jordanian media censored an interview King Abdullah gave to The Washington Post, where he said 96% of Islamic State terrorists captured and killed last year were of Palestinian origin, which provoked confusion in the kingdom.

Palestinians alone in FIFA face-off against settlement teams

Arabs in Israel as well as in the Gulf states might pay lip service to defending the rights of Palestinians under Israeli occupation, but meaningful commitment has often been lacking.

Hamas supporters hold crossed posters depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah during a protest against them in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX35K1R

Gaza citizens remain biggest losers of decadelong political dispute

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree exempting Gazans from fees for services that the Palestinian Authority provides, and that the Hamas-run treasury collects.

A worker rests at The Hanging Church as Egypt's Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh Eldamaty (unseen) tours the grounds, which forms one of the religious communities in Old Cairo, for a tourism development project August 19, 2014. Egypt's tourism revenue dropped by 24.7 percent to around $3 billion in the first half of 2014, the Ministry of Tourism said in a statement. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: BUSINESS RELIGION TRAVEL) - RTR42Y3N

Will Jesus save Egypt's struggling tourism industry?

The Egyptian government hopes that highlighting sites surrounding Jesus' flight into Egypt will boost its sagging tourism sector.