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Palestine

May 11, 2026

Ramallah 8:10 pm

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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

Gazan women to join PA army

President Mahmoud Abbas approved Oct. 17 women enlisting in the Palestinian Authority security services in the Gaza Strip.

Can this marathon help Palestinian cause?

Several years into its launch, the Palestine Marathon in Bethlehem received recognition from the International Association of Athletics Federations in yet another sporting achievement that conveys to the world that Palestine is capable of organizing such events despite the occupation obstacles.

Palestinian youth find outlet in new skate park

A British charity helped build a skate park in the West Bank village of Jayyous, where Palestinian boys and girls can find an escape from their situation through skateboarding.

Hamas chief is still talk of the town in Gaza 9 months after election

Since his election, new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has made major decisions that may scare some of the movement.

US optimistic about Mideast peace deal

The US administration will soon publish guidelines for restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Why hasn't Abbas lifted sanctions on Gaza?

Palestinians are wondering why President Mahmoud Abbas has yet to lift the sanctions he had imposed on Gaza to pressure Hamas to dissolve its administrative committee and relinquish control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority.

Chairman of the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine Tokyo Sexwale poses for photographers after a meeting of the FIFA Council at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann - D1AEUGXWSFAA

Palestinians cry foul at FIFA decision

Some say FIFA is getting involved in the political game after it refused to take action on six Israeli soccer clubs playing in settlements of the occupied West Bank.

People release pigeons during an event to show support for a unity deal between rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah, in Gaza City, October 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC13CF7EA9F0

Hamas serious about Palestinian reconciliation deal

The tough economic sanctions carried out by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas against Hamas may have been the final straw to convince Hamas to finally see out a reconciliation agreement.

Netanyahu celebrates Balfour Declaration, yet ignores its legacy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went to London for the centennial ceremony of the Balfour Declaration, sidelining the essence of the declaration and its vision of peace with the Palestinians.

A Palestinian militant of the National Resistance brigades, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), gets out of a tunnel during a graduation ceremony in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on November 4, 2016. / AFP / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel and Gaza's underground battle

Besides constructing an underground wall obstacle to thwart the building of attack tunnels, Israel is also developing technologies to identify tunnel digging from above ground.

Moshe Kahlon, Israel's new Finance Minister, attends a meeting at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem May 18, 2015. Boosting competition in Israel's banking system and the economy as a whole as well as bringing down property prices will be priorities for the country's new finance minister, he said on Monday. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - GF10000099277

Is Israel really implementing economic aid to Palestinians?

Palestinians argue that Israel has not implemented the economic aid measures it has promised, apart from finalizing the already authorized Hebron industrial park.

US project aims to improve water access for Palestinian farmers

The US consulate in Jerusalem launched a $10 million water project to increase Palestinian farmers' access to treated irrigation water.