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Palestine

May 12, 2026

Ramallah 6:44 pm

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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

Palestinian relatives of Tawfiq al-Aga, who medics said was killed in Israeli shelling, mourn during his funeral in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip July 23, 2014. Israeli forces pounded Gaza on Wednesday, meeting stiff resistance from Hamas Islamists and sending thousands of residents fleeing, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on a visit to Israel ceasefire talks had made some progress. Israel launched its offensive on July 8 to halt missile salvoes by Hamas and its allies, struggling under

At sit-in, Gaza widows demand unpaid benefits

Palestinian widows of men killed in the 2014 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip have told the government they will escalate their protests if they do not receive their monthly benefits.

Meet the men behind Gaza’s first female sports club

Two men from the Gaza Strip are getting ready to open the first women’s sports academy in Gaza, which would allow women of all ages to practice and play many different sports.

Palestinian Hamas supporters shout slogans during a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Hamas movement, in Gaza city December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTX2UZFP

How Hamas plans to rebrand internationally

It is thought that a policy document being finalized by Hamas will reflect a new flexibility in the movement's policies and perspectives.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is received on his arrival at the Bole International Airport ahead of the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RTSXXKH

Who will Abbas meet first: Putin or Trump?

In his expected meeting with US President Donald Trump, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will try to convey the image of a peace-seeking and open-minded leader, contrary to the image depicted to Trump by Israel.

Palestinian farmer Saleh Hamarsheh carries dry tobacco in his field to make local cigarettes in the town of Ya'bad near the West Bank city of Jenin September 22, 2014. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR4795L

Will new regulations deal a blow to Palestine’s local tobacco industry?

The Palestinian government approved a plan to regulate the local tobacco industry to increase tax revenue and end the chaos plaguing the market.

Yahya Sinwar (L) the new leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and senior political leaders of the Islamist movement Khalil al-Haya (C) Ismail Haniyeh (R) attend 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)

What will Hamas charter change mean for Israel?

Israeli experts disagree on whether expected amendments to Hamas' charter will significantly change the movement’s attitude toward Israel and whether it is wise to open a direct dialogue with the movement.

A person wearing a costume of U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man during an annual parade marking the Jewish holiday of Purim, in Jerusalem March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Nir Elias TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX30SHZ

Is Trump planning a two-state regional conference?

In order to “close a deal’’ between Israel and the Palestinians, President Donald Trump wants to convene a regional two-state conference later in the year.

A Palestinian boy sleeps on a mattress inside the remains of his family's house, which witnesses said was destroyed by Israeli shelling during a 50-day war in 2014 summer, during a sandstorm in Gaza September 8, 2015. A heavy sandstorm swept across parts of the Middle East on Tuesday, killing two people and hospitalising hundreds in Lebanon and disrupting fighting and air strikes in neighboring Syria. Clouds of dust also engulfed Israel, Jordan and Cyprus where aircraft were diverted to Paphos from Larnaca

Palestinians ask where their state comptroller report is

Palestinians hope to have an active control bureau to investigate the political and even military failures of Palestinian parties and leaders.

A Palestinian worker fills a cooking gas canister at a gas filling station in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 28, 2016. The strip, home for 1.95 million people, has been experiencing a shortage of cooking gas, local residents said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX24E0B

When will Gaza gas field start operating?

The Palestinian Authority is working to accelerate efforts to develop the Gaza Marine gas field, whose production capacity could help solve the energy crisis plaguing Palestinians.

Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Al Rajoub speaks during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 5, 2015. Palestine will host this month's home World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Malaysia in Jordan, soccer's governing body FIFA said on Thursday. FIFA announced on Wednesday that Palestine could no longer stage the matches at their 12,000-capacity Faisal Al-Husseini stadium on the Israeli-occupied West Bank for security reasons. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX1U

Egypt-Fatah tensions come to a head at Cairo airport

Egypt denied senior Palestinian official Jibril Rajoub entry into the country, raising concerns about Cairo's support of Mohammed Dahlan as successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

HEBRON, WEST BANK - DECEMBER 13: Israeli soldiers patrol the desert streets December 13, 2002 in the Palestinian town of Hebron, West Bank. The Israeli Army imposed a curfew all over Hebron, after Palestinian gunmen killed two Israel Defense Forces soldiers December 12 at a roadblock near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, a Jewish and Muslim holy site in the center of the West Bank city of Hebron. The two soldiers, Maor Kalfon, 19, a male, and Cpl. Keren Yakobi, 19, a female, were part of a Military Police unit

Why Israel arrested Hamas-affiliated MPs in West Bank

This week Israel arrested Hamas member of parliament Samira Halaika in an attempt to pressure Hamas into a prisoner exchange deal.

Gaza's all-female cafe, a breath of fresh air

Three women from Gaza opened an all-female cafe in the center of Gaza City, where women can gather, relax and laugh without the judgmental looks they get in mixed restaurants.