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Palestine

December 29, 2025

Ramallah 1:10 am

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Analysis

Gaza realities test Trump’s 2025 Middle East ambitions

During its first year, the second Trump administration confronted wars in Gaza and Sudan, forged new ties with Syria and grappled with the growing nuclear threat from Iran.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump (not seen) in the State Dining Room at the White House on Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

In 2025, Netanyahu saved his coalition but stalled on Gaza, Iran, Lebanon

With 2025 ending, Israelis are frustrated over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to fully end the Gaza war, solve the Hezbollah problem, reach a deal with Syria or find a way to constructively impact talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

US President Donald Trump speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on Oct. 13, 2025.

Analysis

Trump has upper hand over Netanyahu, but is it enough for Gaza?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stalling on the implementation of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s Gaza plan, but at the end of the day, Trump has much more leverage over Netanyahu.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Latest News

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Facing Israeli pushback, Turkey recalibrates public messaging on Gaza force

Saeed Jaras / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Trump's Syria envoy Barrack tests Israel's patience as Netanyahu pushes back

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) meets with US special envoy Tom Barrack, Jerusalem, Dec. 15 2

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

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 diplomat: 'No honor' in Arab rush to normalization

The Palestinian Authority withdraws its chairmanship of the Arab League.

East-Med Gas Forum evolves as Israel, Egypt enhance cooperation

Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and six others sign the charter of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which brings cooperation with other partners into a second, concrete phase.

Hamas members see 'false unity' with Palestinian Authority

Although leading Hamas and Fatah members have repeatedly met in the past few days, the mid-level leading members have been skeptical, as they believe that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are not committed to reconciliation.

Israel installs more loudspeakers at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Israel expands its surveillance of Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is in defiance of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, which claims the surveillance is a violation of sovereignty.

Gaza factions respond with rockets to UAE, Bahrain normalization with Israel

Israel retaliates with airstrikes as Palestinian armed groups in Gaza reject normalization and weigh their next moves.

Demonstrators, mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, attend a protest against the United Arab Emirates' and Bahrain's decisions to normalise relations with Israel, in Gaza City on September 15, 2020. - Palestinian leaders had earlier called for demonstrations against the "shameful" deals the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are set to sign with Israel. Officials from both Gulf states are due to attend a ceremony at the White House on September 15 to formalise ties with Israel, prompting Palest

Jordan clings to two-state solution in wake of normalization deals

With normalization deals being signed and regional dynamics in flux, Jordan is trying to adapt to what it fears is faltering Arab support for the Palestinian issue and a two-state solution.

DUMA,WEST BANK - JULY 31: Family members and relatives of 18 month old baby, Ali Saad-Dawabsheh, view the remains of their house after a fire which was suspected to have been set by Jewish extremists on July 31, 2015 in the Palestinian village of Duma, West Bank. A house fire in the Palestinian village of Duma, West Bank, suspected to have been set by Jewish extremists, killed an 18-month-old Palestinian child, injured both parents and a four year old brother. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Getty Images)

Family of Palestinian boy disfigured in 2015 firebomb attack still seeking justice

An Israeli court sentenced to life imprisonment the Jewish settler behind the 2015 arson attack in the village of Duma in the northern West Bank, which killed three members of the Dawabsha family, but the family says the court’s decision is not enough.

The Iron Dome anti-missile system fires interception missiles in the sky early morning on August 21, 2020 as rockets are launched against Israel. - Israeli planes launched raids against Gaza late on August 20 in response to rocket fire, security sources in the Palestinian enclave said, as mediators sought to broker an end to the latest flare-up. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP) (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

Rockets rain from Gaza as Netanyahu speaks in Washington

Militants in Gaza fired a barrage of rockets at Israel’s southern towns while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking at the White House signing ceremony with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Hamas opens up on arms, missile supplies from Iran

Hamas surprisingly revealed the secrets of weapons smuggling through Sudan, Syria, Iran and Sinai, which led to questions about the reasons behind such disclosure at this time.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (C), mask-clad due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, recites a prayer as he arrives for a meeting in the West Bank's Ramallah on September 3, 2020, with representatives of Palestinian factions there and with others by video conference gathered at the Palestinian embassy in Beirut in rare talks on how to respond to such accords and to a Middle East peace plan announced by Washington this year. (Photo by Alaa BADARNEH / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALAA BADARNEH/POOL/AFP via Ge

Ramallah meeting produces new Palestinian unity committee

The various Palestinian factions that took part in the unity meeting in Ramallah agreed to establish yet another body in the name of unified national leadership.

Israel expands campaign to seize West Bank archaeological sites

Israel gave notice of seizure of two new archaeological sites in the West Bank, in an endless series of targeting such sites in Palestinian areas.

A Jewish couple stand together overlooking the Western wall and the Dome of the Rock mosque next to wedding floral decorations in Jerusalem's Old City on August 25, 2020. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP) (Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Second wave of virus ravages Israel's Arab population

According to health experts, weddings and conspiracy theories are behind the high number of new infections in Arab-Israeli society.