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Palestine

May 12, 2026

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Two men stand next to the burned remains of a Palestinian vehicle in the Wadi al-Rakhim area of Susya village in Masafer Yatta, south of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on May 1, 2026.

EU ministers agree to sanction violent West Bank settlers: What to know

European foreign ministers have agreed to sanction extremist West Bank settlers, but are still discussing the list of names.

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.

Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Former Israeli prime minister

Latest News

Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel

Meloni

'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.

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

Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh (R) chairs a meeting between Hamas and Fatah in his house in Gaza City on January 14, 2012 in a fresh move to push ahead with the rapprochement signed last April following years of bitter rivalry. On left are Fatah members Abdullah Abu Samhadana (L) and Zakaria al-Agha (2nd L). AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

Hamas blocks Fatah officials from traveling to West Bank

Hamas' security forces in Gaza have prevented Fatah figures from traveling to the West Bank in what observers say is the movement lashing out at President Mahmoud Abbas’ escalating measures against the Gaza Strip.

Hamas supporters hold crossed posters depicting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah during a protest against them in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip April 14, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX35JYQ

Intra-Palestinian rift keeps widening with no end in sight

Amid reports that local and international mediators are shuttling between the Gaza Strip and Ramallah to end the dispute, it seems Fatah will not yield until Hamas meets all of its demands.

Bank project offers Palestinian women independence

Hayati, a National Bank program, is making it possible for Palestinian women to start their own businesses, join the labor market and gain financial independence.

Palestinian women earn sweet money as pastry chefs

Once considered taboo, women take over pastry-making in West Bank sweets factory.

Israel Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman speaks at the 53rd Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Michaela Rehle - RTSZCHS

Expansion plan for Palestinian town a power test for Liberman

The battle over Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s plan to expand the Palestinian town of Qalqilya reflects division within the right-wing camp, ahead of the next elections.

Palestinians pray as Israeli police officers look on by newly installed metal detectors at an entrance to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3BN0P

Israeli judiciary’s double standard on Jewish, Arab terrorists

The Israeli justice system appears to have a double standard on collective punishment for the families of Arabs who commit acts of terror and those of Jews who do the same.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat speaks during a joint news conference with Foreign Ministers of Jordan Ayman Safadi, and Egypt Sameh Shoukry in Amman, Jordan May 14, 2017. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX35SMV

Palestinian succession gets more complicated

Hopes that Saeb Erekat, the head of the Palestinian negotiating team, would succeed President Mahmoud Abbas have been dashed by news that Erekat has to undergo an urgent lung transplant, thus further complicating the Palestinian political scene.

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh waves before giving a speech in Gaza City July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX3A66U

New Hamas chief's first speech reflects strategic shift

Ismail Haniyeh's maiden speech as the head of Hamas' political bureau was uncharacteristically dry and vague for the movement, avoiding potentially divisive policy details and providing leeway for any future shift in positions.

450-year-old home restored in traditional style in Gaza

A Gaza resident has turned his centuries-old house into a Damascene-type home with an inner courtyard, using old cut stones, stained glass and iron.

A Palestinian argues with an Israeli border police officer during scuffles that erupted after Palestinians held prayers just outside Jerusalem's Old City in protest over the installation of metal detectors placed at an entrance to the Old City's compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX3BRG8

Israeli-Arab town's residents fear speaking out after Temple Mount attack

Residents of Umm al-Fahm, an Israeli-Arab town that was home to the three perpetrators of Friday's Temple Mount attack, claim that ever since Islamic Movement’s northern branch leader Sheikh Raed Salah was elected mayor, the town has been turning extremely religious.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu react after making a joint declaration at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTX3BNWB

What Netanyahu told Macron in Paris

French President Emmanuel Macron’s warm welcome in Paris of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shouldn’t fool Jerusalem; France will continue to criticize settlement construction and continue the quest for the two-state solution.

An Israeli border police officer guards next to an entrance leading to the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3BMMA

Doomsday averted on the Temple Mount, for now

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set aside their mutual loathing to calm tensions when Israeli Arabs launched a short-lived attack on the Temple Mount.