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Palestine

September 23, 2026

Ramallah 11:37 pm

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Palestinians hold up the green Hamas flag during a protest by supporters of both the Fatah and Hamas movements, as they rally in support of the Palestinian people following Friday noon prayers in Hebron, occupied West Bank, Nov. 3, 2023.

Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds

A recent poll by a Palestinian survey center found that trust in Palestinian factions has declined, amid stalled efforts to implement the Gaza peace plan and escalating settler violence in the West Bank.

Latest News

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

West Bank settlements

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

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

Analysis

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

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

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

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

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.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

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

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JOE KRAUSS
Ibrahim Jeradeh, a worker for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), maintains a cemetery north of Gaza City, 17 October 2007. The close-cut grass, the blossoming trees, and the row after row of austere white chiseled tombstones evoke the famed war cemeteries of northern France rather than the chaos of the Gaza Strip. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

All Faiths Rest in Peace At English Cemetery in Gaza

In a part of the world where conflicts typically revolve around religious affiliation, soldiers of all faiths who fought in various global conflicts have found their final resting place in Gaza’s English cemetery, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gestures as he speaks during a Likud party meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYVXD

Netanyahu Will Ignore Arab League's Land-Swap Proposal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ideology will prevent him from accepting the pragmatic Arab League peace proposal, writes Akiva Eldar.

Members of the Palestinian security forces stand guard as a protest is held during the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 21, 2012. Israeli air strikes shook the Gaza Strip and Palestinian rockets struck across the border as Clinton held talks in Jerusalem in the early hours of Wednesday, seeking a truce that can hold back Israel's ground troops. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR3AONI

Alleged Beating by PA Interrogators Costs Palestinian Man His Speech

Reports of beatings and torture by PA security forces are common, but there is no follow up or accountability, reports Linah Alsaafin.

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATH

Palestinians carry the body of Haitham Al-Mes-hal, who relatives said belonged to a militant Jihadist Salafi organisation, before his burial during his funeral at a cemetery in Gaza City April 30, 2013. Israel on Tuesday launched its first targeted attack on a militant in Gaza since a war in November, killing the Palestinian jihadist in an air strike that put further strain on a five-month-old ceasefire. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags:

Palestinian Groups Ponder Response to Israeli Strike in Gaza

While coordinating a response to the April 30 Israeli air strike, Palestinian groups in Gaza urge respect for the cease-fire agreement signed in November 2012, writes Mohammed Suliman.

A Palestinian girl plays on a makeshift swing in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip September 23, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR38BK0

Gaza’s Green Spaces Face Constant Threats

In a vast project to cut down hundreds of Kenya trees near Rafah city for the expansion of the highway, Gaza’s agricultural and green spaces face constant threats, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (4th R) and Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (4th L) shake hands after speaking to the media following their meeting with members of the Arab League at Blair House in Washington April 29, 2013. With them are (L-R) Saudi Ambassador to the United States Adel A-Jubeir, Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister

Arab League Land-Swap Offer Angers Palestinians

The decision by the Arab League’s Washington delegation to offer a land swap to Israel has raised the ire of Palestinians, who say the move was unauthorized, reports Dalia Hatuqa.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad sits at the head of a Palestinian cabinet meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 16, 2013. Abbas accepted Fayyad's resignation on Saturday, but is likely to keep him in office for the next few weeks while the U.S. tries to revive Middle East peace talks, officials said on Monday. REUTERS/ Mohamed Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYNV1

Fayyad Says Palestinian Leadership Must Stay Relevant, Engaged

Outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad shows no sign of winding down politically in an interview with Daoud Kuttab.

Former centrist Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni gestures during a news conference in Tel Aviv November 27, 2012. Livni announced on Tuesday she would challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Jan. 22 election by running for office as head of a new political party she vowed would "fight for peace." REUTERS/Nir Elias (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3AXEZ

The Case for an Israeli Referendum on Peace

Mazal Mualem argues that a referendum law may well emerge as a useful lever for jump-starting the peace process.

Children watch Israeli Air Force planes fly over the Mediterranean Sea from a Tel Aviv beach, during an aerial show as part of celebrations for Israel's Independence Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the creation of the state, April 16, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: ANNIVERSARY ENVIRONMENT TRANSPORT MILITARY) - RTXYNTO

'Israel Has Nothing to Fear'

Daniel Abraham, founder of the Center for Middle East Peace, warns Ben Caspit that without an agreement with the Palestinians, Israel will find itself with a non-Jewish majority.

Palestinian singer Reem Talhami from the West Bank, sings with choir members, who attend an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) funded school, during a performance of the "al-Sununu" concert on April 23, 2013, in Gaza City. The Elena Rostropovich association, in cooperation with UNRWA are organizing the "al-Sununu" (The Swallow) concert which will involving a total of 23 choirs from across the Levant, including the Palestinian West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jo

Palestinian Singer Gives Rare Concert in Gaza

Palestinian singer Reem Talhami released her first album at a recent concert in Gaza, singing songs far removed from death, destruction and war, writes Hazem Balousha.

A projection taken from the official poster of the 66th Cannes Film Festival, taken from a picture of Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, photographed during the shooting of the aptly named "A New Kind of Love", by director Melville Shavelson (1963), is seen on a screen during a news conference to announce the competing films at the 66th Cannes Film Festival in Paris April 18, 2013. Hollywood stars will mingle with filmmakers from all over the world at next month's Cannes Film Festival after organisers on Thur

Palestinian Film 'Condom Lead' Nominated for Cannes Award

Gazan brothers Arab and Tarazan Nasser’s short parody “Condom Lead” has been nominated at the Cannes Film Festival, a first for producers from the Gaza Strip, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul.

U.S. President Barack Obama embraces former president George W. Bush following remarks at the dedication ceremony of the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, April 25, 2013. Obama is in Texas to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Bush in what could serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggle against terrorism, from the Sept. 11 attacks to the Boston Marathon bombings. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYZY9

Why Is Obama Giving Up On Bush's Road Map?

Akiva Eldar writes that the Road Map, Annapolis Declaration, and Arab Peace Initiative should be a start for the latest round of US Middle East diplomacy.