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July 27, 2026

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Culture

How Argentina-Spain World Cup final became debate over Israel, Palestine

Governments and fans alike have turned teams and players into symbols of political division.

Government Media Office Director Ismail Thawabteh (R) and Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem (L) speak at a press conference.

Explainer

What does Hamas' move to dissolve its Gaza government mean?

Hamas has agreed to hand civilian administration over to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, but the committee is not yet in Gaza and may not deploy until Hamas’ disarmament is resolved.

Joint List Party leader Ayman Odeh attends a meeting on April 5, 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Interview

Ayman Odeh says Arab parties could back Bennett or Eisenkot to block Netanyahu

In an interview with Al-Monitor, head of the Arab-Israeli Hadash-Ta'al Knesset faction, Ayman Odeh, said his party is prepared to make difficult decisions to topple Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Ayman Odeh

Head of the Knesset's Hadash-Ta'al faction

Latest News

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Amnesty International accuses Israel of state-led ethnic cleansing in West Bank

Israeli security forces attempt to disperse Palestinians who had gathered to protest the reported burning of land by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian village of Idna, west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank, on June 5, 2026.

Ireland bans hard-line Israeli ministers Ben-Gvir, Smotrich: What to know

Israeli policemen surround Israeli Minister of National Security and far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir as he arrives outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Record Israeli arms exports highlight global rush for air defense

People stand in front of the Arrow 3 shield system during an event of the German Air Force to declare the Initial Operating Capability for the Arrow Weapon System for Germany at the Annaburger Heide Air Base in Schoenewalde / Holzdorf, eastern Germany, on Dec. 3, 2025.

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 Hamas-hired civil servants wait to receive payment outside a post office in Gaza City October 29, 2014. Some 24,000 civil servants hired by the Islamist group Hamas, many of whom have not received a full salary in almost a year, finally got some pay on Wednesday from the new Palestinian unity government based in the West Bank. The funds were supplied by the gas-rich kingdom of Qatar, which is an ally of Hamas. But the fact the cash was delivered by the West Bank administration gave a boost to ho

Why is Hamas giving away government-owned land?

While Hamas has begun distributing government-owned land as payment to employees of its disputed government, challenges about the project's legitimacy continue.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rome, Italy, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Giuseppe Lami/Pool - RTX2IEZ0

Quartet's latest edition of Israel-Palestine report offers nothing new

The Quartet report on the obstacles before the two-state solution is a compilation of old findings, and it is easy for Israel's prime minister to dismiss its recycled condemnations.

Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh (R) gestures during a meeting with Hanna Nasir (L), chairman of the Palestinian Central Election Commission (CEC), in Gaza City January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3D57Q

Will upcoming local elections unite Palestinians, or divide them even further?

The Palestinian Authority has announced a date for local elections to be held in Gaza and the West Bank, but Hamas is reluctant to sign onto an electoral process it suspects will marginalize it.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks on stage during the Facebook F8 conference in San Francisco, California April 12, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam - RTX29NQI

Israel faces off against Facebook

Minister of Internal Security Gilad Erdan has claimed that some of the blood in Israel's streets is on Facebook's hands as Knesset members demand better monitoring.

Palestinians walk past a bank in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 25, 2015. Israel's decision to withhold $130 million a month in revenue collected on behalf of the Palestinians is strangling the economy and leaving the banking system dangerously exposed, the Palestinian central bank governor said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTR4UT8C

New Islamic bank to set up shop in West Bank, Gaza

The founders of Palestine's brand-new Al-Safa Islamic Bank are working to open two branches in the West Bank and Gaza, where commercial banks vastly outnumber Islamic ones despite the wide demand for them.

Palestinian boy Mohamoud Yazji, 16, who works as apprentice mechanic, repairs a car at a garage in Gaza City March 17, 2016. Yazji, whose father works as a tailor, earns 50 Shekels ($12.9) a week to help his father support their family. The boy, who quit school, hopes to own a garage in the future. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem SEARCH "SALEM LABOUR" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES - RTSCT76

How education reform could curb Palestinian unemployment

To reduce unemployment among young people, the Palestinian government is developing vocational and technical education programs to meet Palestinian and Arab labor market needs.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chats with passengers at the international departure terminal during his visit to Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, July 2, 2016. REUTERS/Seda Sezer - RTX2JEBA

Erdogan’s latest wake-up call on Islamic State

The Obama administration weighs deeper coordination with Moscow against Jabhat al-Nusra; Erdogan’s slow turnaround on Syria policy; Hamas seeks to resume ties with Iran.

Containers are unloaded from the Panama-flagged Lady Leyla, a Turkish ship carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, at the Ashdod port, in southern Israel July 3, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX2JHIS

Could Turkish-Israeli reconciliation eventually end Gaza siege?

The reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey has been modestly welcomed in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians hope it will lead the way to the end of the blockade.

Pro-Palestinian activists wave Turkish and Palestinian flags during the welcoming ceremony for cruise liner Mavi Marmara at the Sarayburnu port of Istanbul December 26, 2010. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo - RTX2IC48

Did Turkey abandon Hamas in Israel deal?

As Hamas absorbs the aftermath of the Turkish-Israeli agreement, some wonder whether Turkey should be blamed for failing to lift the siege on Gaza.

A Palestinian woman holds a Turkish flag as activists ride a boat during a rally ahead of the 4th anniversary of the Mavi Marmara Gaza flotilla incident, at the seaport of Gaza City May 29, 2014. Nine activists, eight Turkish and one Turkish-American, died on May 31, 2010, when Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara ship, which was part of a flotilla seeking to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. A Turkish court issued arrest warrants on Monday for four former Israeli military commanders on tri

What Israel's payoff for Turkish civilians means for Palestinians

Now that Israel has agreed to compensate the families of the Mavi Marmara casualties it calls terrorists, Palestinians are hoping to advance their own claims for compensation.

How rotten fish became a favorite delicacy in Gaza

On the first day of Eid al-Fitr, Gazans buy and eat a salted and fermented fish called fesikh, which has a long tradition in the Gaza Strip.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wave Turkish and Palestinian flags as they await the return of the expelled activists from Israel to Turkey, in downtown Istanbul late June 2, 2010. Israel began expelling all activists seized during a raid on an aid convoy sailing to Gaza that has drawn international outrage and officials on Wednesday vowed to prevent any other ships from reaching the coastal territory. Israel had said it would deport 682 activists from more than 35 countries taken into custody after the marit

How Erdogan’s Israeli gambit may cost him Islamist support

For the first time, the Islamist opposition is raising its voice loudly against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, decrying the normalization agreement with Israel.