West Bank village courts tourists with eggplant, stone terraces

A festival in the West Bank village of Battir celebrates the locally grown eggplant of the village known for its terraced cultivation of vines and olives.

Palestine

Israel, Egypt, Hamas against global jihad

Egypt considers Hamas to be a vital and integral partner in the war that it is waging with Israel against the international jihadist movement, its branches in the Sinai Peninsula and the Salafist cells that started flourishing in the Gaza Strip recently.

Palestine

Palestinian, Israeli economies intertwined

A tour of the West Bank city of Bethlehem makes it clear that the Palestinian and Israeli economies are intertwined.

Palestine

Israel, PA find creative ways to save West Bank from economic collapse

Israel understands that implementing the "deduction" law could generate an economic collapse of the PA and in turn endanger security coordination with the Palestinians.

Palestine

Gaza’s Islamic Jihad openly at the service of Iran

Hamas no longer tries to conceal the growing involvement of Iran in Gaza through its proxy Islamic Jihad.

Palestine

Will Jordanian prisoners in Israel complete sentences at home?

Questions arise as to whether Israel will send Jordanian prisoners to complete their prison sentences in their country, in an attempt to avoid releasing them in a possible prisoner exchange.

Palestine

Abbas starts austerity measures by sacking his advisers

Several reasons pushed President Mahmoud Abbas to suddenly end the services of his advisers, most notably his intention to downsize the number of his many advisers amid the crippling financial crisis hitting the PA.

Palestine

Why is Netanyahu reviving Palestinians' ‘willing relocation’?

Past attempts to encourage Palestinians to voluntarily emigrate have always failed, so time and effort would be better invested in reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement than pursuing a new push by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Gaza residents to voluntarily move elsewhere.

Near East

Can Abbas revive peace vote for Israeli left?

A meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and a Democratic Union delegation was conducted with the hope of returning the two-state solution to Israeli electoral politics and encouraging Israelis who still back that approach to get out and vote in Knesset elections in September.

Palestine

Hamas seeks ties with other factions, Palestinian families

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar revealed details of a recent meeting between Hamas and Islamic Jihad to coordinate efforts to confront Israel and pursue the Palestinian cause.

Palestine

The Palestinian reconciliation that keeps Abbas awake at night

Jibril Rajoub and Mohammed Dahlan have decided to reconcile in preparation for the fight of their lives — the battle to succeed Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian president and PLO chairman.

Palestine

How Palestinian women's self-sufficiency blossoms in this new garden

A garden built by the Cedar Environmental for Soufra Kitchen, a catering company run by Palestinian women at Lebanon's Burj el-Barajneh, enables the group to grow organic produce.

Palestine