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Palestine

May 12, 2026

Ramallah 8:47 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

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (unseen) deliver joint statements during their meeting in Jerusalem November 10, 2016. REUTERS/Heidi Levine/Pool - RTX2T16O

Is Putin Bibi's new 'bestie'?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin have developed a surprising rapport and unexpected coordination between their countries on Syria.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid attends a women's committee convention in Tel Aviv March 1, 2015. The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candidate said on Monday. Lapid, a telegenic former news anchor and TV host, leads the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party ("There's a Future"), which emerged out of the cost-of-living protests that swept Israel in 2011. Picture

Israeli centrist leader speaks, says little

The measured response of Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid to the state comptroller’s Gaza war report reflects his ongoing strategy to become Israel's next prime minister.

Hezbollah members on motorbikes and vehicles parade during a procession ahead of the day of Ashura, in the Saksakieh village, in southern Lebanon, October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho - RTSRH2G

Will Hezbollah join Palestinian factions in confrontation with Israel?

Amid calls to unify fronts between Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, experts envision many difficulties in this possibility of coordination.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in Sydney, Australia, February 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jason Reed - RTS10BWE

Will international forces enter Gaza Strip?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion to deploy international forces in the Gaza Strip as a security solution has been met with stiff opposition from Palestinians.

Restaurant serving up Egyptian fare is buzzing in Gaza

Despite hard economic times in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian national Osama Hassan's koshari restaurant is attracting customers.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini at the State Department in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTX30C9R

What EU’s Mogherini, Tillerson agreed on

European Union leaders are exploring new policies on the Middle East, including the idea of convening a Madrid II conference.

Palestinian singer Yaqoub Shaheen (C), winner of Arab Idol season 4, performs as he stands next to Palestinian contestant singer Ameer Dandan (R) and Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf, winner of the second season of Arab Idol, during the final episode of Arab Idol season 4, in Zouk Mosbeh area, north of Beirut, Lebanon February 25, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTS10BP3

Abbas harnesses Palestinian's win on 'Arab Idol'

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is using Palestinian Yacoub Shaheen's win on "Arab Idol" as an opportunity to alter Palestinians' image in the world.

Palestinians walk on a road during a power cut in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip January 11, 2017. Picture taken January 11, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2YNDC

Can senior Hamas figure resolve Gaza's electricity crisis?

Palestinians and Israelis are both pinning their hopes on the new Gaza Energy Authority chief, Ghazi Hamad, to resolve the escalating electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY HOSSAM EZZEDINE
Palestinian radio presenter Nora Abdul Hadi works at Nisaa FM radio station in the West Bank city of Ramallah on November 4, 2012. The crew of Nisaa (Women) FM, which was established in 2010 and addresses Palestinian women, aims to reach the Gaza Strip and all of the Arab world. AFP PHOTO/ABBAS MOMANI (Photo credit should read ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images)

Palestinian media outlets commit to more coverage of women’s affairs

Several Palestinian media outlets from the West Bank and Gaza Strip signed a charter, drafted by the Ministry of Women's Affairs, to cover more issues about women and raise awareness about their rights.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) gestures as he speaks to incoming minister Aryeh Deri, party leader of the Ultra-Orthodox Shas party, in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem May 13, 2015. Netanyahu's emerging government scraped by its first parliamentary test on Wednesday, paving the way for the new cabinet to be sworn in after two months of difficult coalition building. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1CSJH

Israel's chronic impunity disorder

With so many politicians suspected or convicted of corruption, Israelis have given up on expecting public figures to have morals.

Palestinian college students rush to take Chinese language course

Although teaching the Chinese language is in its early stages at Birzeit University, it is an important step to broaden students’ work and studying horizons, especially given China's growing economic and political roles in the Middle East and the world.

A Palestinian flag and a Hamas flag (R) flutter atop the wreckage of a house, which witnesses said was destroyed during the seven-week Israeli offensive, in the east of Gaza City September 3, 2014. Fifty days of war in one of the most densely populated parts of the world have left swathes of Gaza in ruins. With the economy reeling under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade, the enclave now faces an almost impossible task of rebuilding. Picture taken September 3, 2014. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: CIVIL UNRES

Has Israel recognized link between Gaza blockade, security threat?

The report of Israel’s state comptroller about the management of the 2014 war in the Gaza Strip evokes officially for the first time the linkage between the distress of Gaza residents and the Hamas campaign against Israel.