Palestine - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Palestine cover image

Palestine

July 30, 2026

Ramallah 3:15 pm

32°C

Flags of Spain and Argentina

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

Employees of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists ahead of the upcoming general elections, at the commission's district offices in the city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on April 6, 2021. Palestinian legislative elections are scheduled for May 22, with a presidential vote to follow on July 31.

Palestinian candidates attacked, threatened ahead of elections

Candidates for the Palestinian legislative elections are facing attacks on their properties and threats in an attempt to prevent them from running in the elections.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the United Nations Security Council, New York, Feb. 11, 2020.

Abbas faces tough decision on Palestinian elections

The pressure is intensifying for President Mahmoud Abbas to postpone the elections, which are becoming a dangerous game for the Israelis and other concerned parties.

Staff of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission display electoral lists ahead of the upcoming general elections, at the commission's local offices in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on April 6, 2021.

Palestinian women still underrepresented on electoral lists

Although the Palestinian electoral law has been amended to raise the quota for women's participation in the Palestinian elections from 20% to 26%, Palestinian women continue to be unfairly represented on electoral lists.

Gaza testing clinic

Gazans with COVID-19 symptoms refuse testing

Some people in the Gaza Strip are hiding their COVID-19 symptoms and avoiding testing in order to keep their jobs.

checkpoint near Bethleham

Palestinians attend prayers at Al-Aqsa mosque amid Israeli virus restrictions

Israeli officials controlling access to the mosque had limited the number of Palestinians able to worship on Friday, citing coronavirus concerns.

Former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Qudwa, a nephew of Yasser Arafat, holds a slab bearing an engraving of a portrait of the late Palestinian leader during a press conference he held in Ramallah, West Bank, Nov. 8, 2009.

Hamas welcomes Abbas’ rivals in Gaza Strip

As the Palestinian elections near, dismissed Fatah leader Nasser al-Qudwa arrived in the Gaza Strip in a rare visit after obtaining the approval of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, as President Mahmoud Abbas’ rivals step up their moves to build counterelectoral lists.

Portraits of Palestinian prisoners held by Israelis

Israel cracks down on Hamas as Palestinian election nears

Israel continues to pursue leaders of the Hamas movement in the West Bank, namely Hamas candidates in the legislative elections in a bid to undermine the movement's chances to win the vote.

Settlers and Palestinians

UN experts warn of uptick in settler violence against Palestinians

In the first three months of 2021, the UN human rights experts documented 210 incidents of violence against Palestinians.

Sulala Association

Gaza animal shelter gets stray dogs off streets

With help from the Gaza municipality, a rescue group has established a rare animal shelter in the enclave.

Israeli policemen check the ID of an employee before he enters Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem on March 23, 2020, due to its closure following the Waqf decision in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Will waqf expansion strengthen Jordan’s control of Jerusalem holy sites?

The Jerusalem Waqf Council is now witnessing changes after years of no activity. With the change of names and an increase in the number of representatives, is the council now more or less representative of the Palestinians?

A large mosaic is pictured at the archaeological site of the St. Hilarion Monastery, one of the largest Christian monasteries in the Middle East, in Tell Umm al-Amr close to Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, on March 19, 2013. The earliest building dates back to the fourth century and is attributed to St. Hilarion, a native of the Gaza region and the father of Palestinian monasticism. Abandoned after a seventh-century earthquake and uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999, today the settlement asp

New archaeological discovery in St. Hilarion Monastery

In cooperation with Palestinian experts, a French antiquities mission found graves dating back to the Byzantine era at the site of St. Hilarion in the western Gaza Strip.

A Palestinian vendor displays a necklace in a window case at a gold market in Gaza City's historic old quarter, Gaza Strip, March 30, 2016.

Gold industry in Gaza booms amid coronavirus outbreak

The gold industry in Gaza has thrived amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in terms of increased production locally and enhanced quality and availability of a variety of gold products and jewelry.