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Palestine

April 27, 2026

Ramallah 12:52 am

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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.

Meloni

Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced her country's military cooperation agreement with Israel will no longer be automatically renewed.

Latest News

'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.

Analysis

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority

Displaced Palestinians gather for a fast-breaking Iftar meal amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Feb. 23, 2026.

Abeer Ayyoub

By Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

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

US President Joe Biden takes notes while an usher serves coffee during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit (GCC+3) at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 16, 2022.

Breaking | Last Updated: August 22, 2024, 10:46 am

Live Updates: Biden at GCC summit in Saudi Arabia 'the US is not going anywhere'

Follow along for the latest updates on the US president's trip to Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia.

US President Joe Biden (C-L) takes part in a working session with Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C-R) at the Al Salam Royal Palace in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, on July 15, 2022.

Analysis

Biden visit to Israel a ‘mixed bag’ because of differences on Iran

Meeting between US and Palestinian presidents described as ‘warm’; UAE opts out of anti-Iran alliance; Biden agenda may include Saudi-American families banned from traveling.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

US President Joe Biden (C) is received by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas (R) during a welcome ceremony at the Palestinian Muqataa Presidential Compound in the city of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank on July 15, 2022.

Biden, Abbas look to reset US-Palestinian ties to pre-Trump era

The meeting between the US and Palestinian presidents was described as "warm," exceeding low expectations.

US President Joe Biden disembarks from his plane upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport,

Analysis

The Takeaway: Biden opens ‘new chapter’ with Middle East trip

Energy company touts oil for food for Syria; Ukraine’s ambassador in Turkey talks Russia; Iran’s unprecedented inflation; oil stoves make comeback in Lebanon; Sudanese civilians skeptical of moves by military leaders; and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

Palestinians celebrate the release of hundreds of prisoners following a swap with captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on October 18, 2011, in Gaza City.

Israeli activist in Gaza to revive prisoners file

In a rare move, Hamas allowed an Israeli activist to enter Gaza for talks with the movement’s leaders on the possibility of reaching a prisoner swap deal after Hamas’ military wing posted a video clip of one of its Israeli prisoners lying sick in a hospital bed.

US Vice President Joe Biden (L) holds a joint press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after their meeting at the presidential compound, Ramallah, West Bank, March 10, 2010.

Palestinians have low expectations for Biden trip to region

Although US President Joe Biden will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Palestinians expect little to come from the meeting.

Rula Halawani

Culture

Palestinian photojournalist turned artist inspires female students

Rula Halawani's journey as an artist has always involved looking at the Palestinian land and people.

A protester wearing a mask of the Anonymous computer hacking activists group and holding the Palestinian flag.

'Ethical hacking' courses proliferate in Gaza

Some centers in Gaza are providing courses on ethical hacking under the pretext of helping citizens protect their online data, while in some cases hacking and piracy operations are being taught.

Abdul Karim al-Kafarnah, a Palestinian resident of Beit Hanun, collects pottery fragments.

Culture

2,000-year-old Roman tomb found in northern Gaza

Egyptian excavations in the northern Gaza Strip have unearthed the remains of a Roman cemetery dating back 2,000 years and containing nearly 100 graves.

Head of the Hamas Political Bureau Ismail Haniyeh (R).

Palestinian rivals Abbas, Haniyeh shake hands in Algeria

Algeria's president managed to bring together Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh for the first time in 6 years, but divisions between the two rival factions they represent may be too deep at this point.

Haya Barzaq takes photographs of a building in Gaza City to track the evolution of architecture in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, June 2022.

Culture

Palestinian female engineer documents architectural history in Gaza

Palestinian female engineer Haya Barzaq is documenting residential houses with special architectural styles in the Gaza Strip to track the evolution of architecture in the besieged enclave.

Akleh

Analysis

The Takeaway: Shireen Abu Akleh’s killing looms over Biden trip to Israel, West Bank

A hedging US response to the Palestinian-American journalist's killing reinforces beliefs about favoritism for those living in the West Bank and Gaza.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti