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Palestine

May 12, 2026

Ramallah 10:35 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

Left-wing Israeli protesters hold placards during a demonstration against the recent Palestinian-Israeli violence in Tel Aviv, Israel October 9, 2015. In the past 10 days, four Israelis have been shot or stabbed to death in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, and at least a dozen have been wounded by Palestinians wielding knives or screwdrivers in stabbings in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities. Three Palestinians have also been killed, and scores wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces during ston

Why is Israeli Labor shifting back to leftist agenda?

Israel’s Labor Party is returning to its left-wing agenda, readopting the vision of peace of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

What's in Palestine's first ever education law?

The Palestinian Education Ministry announced the ratification of their first law on education to bring significant changes to the educational and academic process in the Palestinian territories.

Library train brings books to Gaza children

A train serving as an library visits children in the Gaza Strip to encourage reading and learning.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas stands on podium during a reception ceremony at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX332HR

How Abbas is prepping for expected surge in nationalist sentiment

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is pinning his hopes on Egyptian and Jordanian pressure on the Trump administration to engage in a two-state solution process within a regional framework.

West Bank to get 3G mobile service

The Palestinian Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology signed a final agreement with Israel earlier this month allowing Palestinian companies to provide 3G mobile services in the West Bank.

Palestinian pound to start circulating in West Bank schools

The Palestinian Education Ministry launched an initiative to issue Palestinian pounds to be used in schools, in an attempt to introduce students to their national currency, which has been off the market since the end of the British Mandate in 1948.

Palestinian members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, take part in an anti-Israel parade in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip July 13, 2015. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

- RTX1K8RX

Another Hamas leader added to US terror list

Ahmed Ghandour recently became the fifth Hamas leader to be added to the US State Department's terrorist list in a continuation of a long-established US policy being enforced by the Trump administration.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis(L) stands with Israel's Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman with an Honor Guard, listening to their respective national anthems upon arrival to the Pentagon on March 7, 2017 in Washington, DC. / AFP PHOTO / PAUL J. RICHARDS (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images)

Where is Israel's place in US-Russia struggle?

Israel has a golden opportunity to cement a global anti-jihad alliance with the United States and pragmatic Sunni states as Russia continues to side with Iran.

Why Palestinian hunger strike may be destined to fail

Many Palestinian prisoners in Israel have hesitated to join the hunger strike championed by Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti because they doubt Barghouti is motivated by concern for their welfare.

Palestinian Authority employees take part in a protest against what they say are deductions on their salaries, in Gaza City April 8, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX34ONZ

PA faces backlash after slashing Gaza salaries

The Palestinian Authority's move to cut a chunk out of its Gaza employees’ salaries is being met with anger amid concerns that the real motive behind the decision is more political than financial.

An Israeli prison guard (L) escorts jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti (C) to a deliberation at Jerusalem Magistrate's court January 25, 2012. Convicted of murder for his role in attacks on Israelis, Barghouti was jailed for life by Israel in 2004.
REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTR2WTJR

How Palestinian hunger strike leader rattled Israeli politicians

Israeli politicians concentrated on The New York Times and the op-ed published by Fatah senior Marwan Barghouti, instead of focusing on Barghouti’s accusations against Israel.

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 - RTX35JYQ

Abbas kicks off reconciliation talks by cutting Gaza salaries

Ten years after the Palestinian Authority was overthrown in Gaza, President Mahmoud Abbas has made it clear that he is tired of using PA money to keep Hamas afloat.