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Palestine

October 1, 2026

Ramallah 8:22 pm

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West Bank settlers attack Israeli activists as Netanyahu claims 'hoax'

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attention surrounding settler violence was a “tremendous hoax.”

Israeli PM

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

During his trip to Abu Dhabi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked President Mohamed bin Zayed to deny reports that he had been warned ahead of the Oct. 7 attack that Hamas was preparing a major assault.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds

Palestinians hold up the green Hamas flag during a protest by supporters of both the Fatah and Hamas movements, as they rally in support of the Palestinian people following Friday noon prayers in Hebron, occupied West Bank, Nov. 3, 2023.

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

West Bank settlements

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 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

Palestinians walk past trucks loaded with gravel at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip December 30, 2012. Israel eased its blockade of Gaza on Sunday, allowing a shipment of gravel for private construction into the Palestinian territory for the first time since Hamas seized control in 2007.
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3BZD9

Hamas Restricts Travel for Gazans

The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior has recently placed new restrictions on those traveling through the Erez crossing, further limiting the movement of Gaza's residents, writes Abeer Ayyoub.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not pictured) at the Muqata presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 21, 2013. Obama said on Thursday that settlement building in the occupied West Bank did not "advance the cause of peace", but stopped short of demanding a construction freeze to enable negotiations to resume. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9Q2

Why Obama Didn't Leave a Wreath On Arafat’s Grave

Shlomi Eldar responds to Daoud Kuttab’s call to President Barack Obama to leave a wreath on Yasser Arafat’s grave.

The mother (2nd R) of al-Aqsa TV cameraman Mahmoud Al Kawmy mourns during his funeral in Gaza Strip November 21, 2012. Hospital sources said that two cameramen working for al-Aqsa TV, including Kawmy, and an educational programming director for the al-Quds channel, both affiliated with Gaza's Hamas government, were killed by Israeli air strikes in their cars on Tuesday. The cameramen were killed in their car not far from the main Shifa hospital in Gaza city while the al-Quds programmer director was killed

Mother's Day in Gaza: A Time for Sorrow

As Mother’s Day nears, many Gazans are remembering their lost loved ones, reports Asmaa al-Ghoul.

Palestinians gesture during a demonstration to mark International Women's Day in the West Bank village of Burin near Nablus March 8, 2011. The banner reads in Arabic: "The general union of Palestinian women marks Women's Day. No to occupation. Yes to the right of return (for refugees). Yes for unity" (refering to the split between Hamas and the Fatah movement). REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2JM4M

Palestinian Women Face Violence, Discrimination

Lana Shehadeh writes from Ramallah on the discrimination and violence women face in Palestinian society.

A man holds a bottle filled with water from the Gaza Strip that is unsuitable for drinking during an event in Gaza City on June 14, 2012 as fifty international organizations and UN agencies urged Israel to lift its blockade on the Gaza Strip to mark the fifth anniversary of the strengthening of that measure after the takeover of the Palestinian territory by Hamas. AFP PHOTO/ SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/GettyImages)

Gaza on Brink of Water Crisis

Scarce rainfall, coupled with the Israeli blockade, have limited Gaza’s ability to address its water shortage and poor sanitation, reports Hazem Balousha.

Prefabricated homes are seen in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Eli, south of Nablus March 17, 2013. U.S. President Barack Obama is due to make his first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories this week, looking to improve ties after sometimes rocky relations with both sides during his first term in office. Israeli settlement expansion lies at the heart of much of the rancour between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Obama, who has said the U.S. does not accept the legitimac

Palestinians Tire of Israeli 'Games' on Settlements

Palestinians are tired of being fooled, and want President Barack Obama to press Israel on its illegal settlements, Daoud Kuttab writes.

Palestinian women attend a rally in Gaza City to show solidarity with prisoners held in Israeli jails May 3, 2012. A hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners against Israel's jail policies has swollen in weeks from a protest by a handful to a national movement with around 1,400 participants. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR31JO6

Palestinian Mother Speaks Out About Daughter’s Honor Killing

Those who commit so-called honor crimes continue to receive light sentences in the Gaza Strip despite efforts to amend outdated laws in this regard, Asmaa al-Ghoul reports.

Palestinian former women prisoners pose with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal after they were released and deported from Israeli jails and arrived in Cairo, October 18, 2011. Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinians crossed Israel's borders in opposite directions on Tuesday as a thousand-for-one prisoner exchange brought joy to families but did little to ease decades of conflict. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2ST34

Documenting the Plight Of Palestinian Female Prisoners

A new book will recount the experiences of Palestinian women in Israeli prisons, highlighting the abuse that they faced and the challenges they have faced since being released, writes Naela Khalil.

A Palestinian man walks near placards designed by an activist depicting U.S. President Barack Obama, ahead of his visit to the region, in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 12, 2013. The White House has yet to officially announce the dates for the trip, but Israeli news media have reported that Obama will arrive in the region on March 20. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EVUU

Palestinian Disappointment Ahead of Obama's Visit

Some Palestinians are planning creative protests for President Barack Obama's visit to the West Bank, Lena Odgaard reports.

Mariam Farhat, a Hamas woman candidate for the upcoming Palestinian parliament, is seen in front of a large mural of her three dead sons inside her house in Gaza December 8, 2005. The Islamic militant group Hamas has chosen the mother of three "martyrs" who died fighting Israel to run for Palestinian parliament in a race where Hamas will likely pose a tough challenge to President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem Pictures of the Month December 2005 - RTR1AJ4O

'The Mother of Martyrs' Leaves Bloody Legacy

With the death of the “Mother of Martyrs,” Mariam Farhat, who sent her sons to commit suicide attacks in Israel, Shlomi Eldar hopes that her legacy of bloodshed will not survive her.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations in New York September 21, 2011. Netanyahu said Wednesday that direct negotiation was the only way to achieve a stable Middle East peace and the Palestinian effort to secure U.N. recognition of statehood ''will not succeed.'' REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E8BQ1LQZ01 - RTR2RMH8

Obama’s March Madness in the Middle East

President Barack Obama will realize on his trip this week that Israeli and Palestinian leaders do not have an interest in a peace process, writes Alon Pinkas.

Palestinian labourers work at a construction site in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip January 2, 2013. Israel eased its blockade of Gaza on Sunday, allowing a shipment of gravel for private construction into the Palestinian territory for the first time since Hamas seized control in 2007. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTR3C1PZ

Aid to Palestinian NGOs Caught in Politics

Palestinian NGOs face political pressure and scrutiny, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul.