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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

September 8, 2026

Ramallah 7:43 pm

25°C

West Bank settlements

Breaking | Last Updated: September 8, 2026, 11:34 am

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

The decision comes against the backdrop of an escalation in settler violence and settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

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

After a West Bank stabbing of an Israeli settler, Defense Minister Israel Katz warns the Palestinian Authority against launching an “Oct. 7-style” assault.

A woman walks past a model of a Lora missile, Israel's long range artillery missile at the Israel defence stall at the international DefExpo 2008 defence fair, in New Delhi on February 16, 2008. India kicked off South Asia's largest defence fair, with hundreds of global weapons firms offering their latest hardware to the country's technology-hungry military. About 450 weapons companies from 30 countries are present at the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi, with several big-ticket announcements expected. AFP P

Analysis

LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel

The German navy tested Israel’s LORA ballistic missile as Berlin considers acquiring the system, deepening defense ties with Israel despite criticism of the Gaza war.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Israeli soldiers arrive in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has faced escalating Israeli settler violence over the past month, on Aug. 29, 2026.

Analysis

As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu

President Donald Trump has stayed silent amid a spate of settler attacks on Palestinians and their property in the West Bank.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Latest News

Analysis

Why Palestinians see success of Trump talks as contingent on Israeli elections

Evan Vucci / Getty Images

Mohammed Najib

By Mohammed Najib

Israel, Hamas bide their time as Gaza peace plan stalls

A boy walks carrying a table on his back past salvage workers scrapping the rubble of a building that was destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza City on Aug. 16, 2026. — Photo by Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images

Ex-defense minister: Israel in ‘worst possible’ Gaza situation as Hamas gains strength

Palestinian militant group Hamas police officers stand guard as people attend the opening of the Fatah party's eighth general conference at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City on May 14, 2026.

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

Chet Strange/Getty Images)

Egyptian national charged in attack at Colorado rally for Israeli hostages: What to know

The attack is the second in as many weeks targeting pro-Israel events in the United States and is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism.

YOUSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Israel expands Gaza offensive as dozens reported killed at aid sites

Israel has announced an expanded Gaza military operation after accusing Hamas of rejecting the latest US ceasefire proposal.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud (R) receives his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, prior to their meeting in Riyadh on April 25, 2025.

Israel blocks Saudi, UAE and other FMs from West Bank visit: What to know

The move to block the visit comes amid heightened international pressure on Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza and make progress toward Palestinian statehood, a key condition for normalization with Riyadh.

A hungry young boy eats raw noodles as dislocated Palestinians carry the humanitarian aid they have received from a United Nations distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on May 27, 2025, following a chaotic incident in which Gazans stormed the aid center, leading to the withdrawal of the American company overseeing the operation after losing control of the situation. The scene underscores the desperation and urgency surrounding the humanitarian crisis as

Why a US-backed Gaza plan is sparking accusations of weaponizing aid

Humanitarian experts say an obscure paramilitary contractor led by a former CIA official may be aiding Israel’s military in using food as a weapon of war in Gaza.

People watch as smoke billows following an Israeli strike in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on May 25, 2025.

Gaza ceasefire seen imminent as Witkoff finalizes Hamas-Israel deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told relatives of hostages held in Gaza that he accepts the recent proposal by American envoy Steve Witkoff, which is expected to secure the release of 10 abductees and establish a two-month ceasefire in Gaza.

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff delivers remarks during the swearing in ceremony for interim US Attorney for Washington, Jeanine Pirro, in the Oval Office of the White House on May 28, 2025 in Washington.

Trump envoy optimistic about Gaza ceasefire as US prepares new terms

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said he had "good feelings" about prospects for a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Amir Levy/Getty Images

UAE summons Israeli envoy over Jerusalem march, provocations

The United Arab Emirates has summoned Israel’s ambassador over recent tensions and violence in east Jerusalem, marking the first such diplomatic protest by the Gulf state since 2022.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

US-backed Gaza aid body launches as Witkoff pans Hamas truce proposal: What to know

Hamas said it accepted a US proposal on a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which both Israel and the US denied, as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is quickly deteriorating.

MARTIN BERTRAND/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

EU could partially suspend Israel's association agreement within weeks: Sources

European diplomats told Al-Monitor that in view of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the European Commission is expected to present options to member states for pressuring Israel on the issue.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A truck carrying humanitarian aid drives through the Kerem Shalom crossing between southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, on May 22, 2025

US-backed aid group begins controversial relief operation in Gaza

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has faced controversy since its establishment over its plan to deliver aid to Gazans through a limited number of distribution points, without the involvement of UN agencies.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

29 in Gaza die from starvation says PA; UNICEF warns 9,000 children malnourished

Under international pressure, Israeli has allowed dozens of aid trucks into Gaza as Palestinian officials report starvation-related deaths.