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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

May 12, 2026

Ramallah 1:10 pm

30°C

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

A general view shows the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm August 16, 2016. Picture taken August 16, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RTX2N04G

Residents of Israeli-Arab town anxious about proposed land swap

Residents of the Israeli-Arab town Umm al-Fahm fear that Israel will swap them for West Bank settlement bloc.

Netanyahu's crusade against Al Jazeera in Jerusalem

In an effort to repair the damage to his image caused by the Temple Mount crisis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will attempt to shut down Al Jazeera's Israel bureau, again.

Exiled former senior Fatah member Mohammed Dahlan attends a Palestinian legislative Council meeting in Gaza City through video conference from the United Arab Emirates on July 27, 2017 following developments at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Palestinians were set to return to pray at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site after Israeli authorities removed controversial new security measures, potentially ending a nearly two-week crisis that sparked deadly unrest. Dahlan, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's exiled r

Dahlan muscles his way into Gaza with UAE money

A reconciliation effort between Hamas and estranged Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan could resolve the bad blood among Palestinians resulting from the 2007 infighting between Fatah and Hamas.

Embassy killings fuel Jordan-Israel tensions

The entire Israeli Embassy staff was evacuated from Jordan after a guard shot and killed two Jordanians following a dispute on embassy grounds.

Palestinian Christians, Muslims come together over Al-Aqsa protests

Palestinian Christians are participating alongside Muslims in demonstrations and sit-ins in Jerusalem in a show of solidarity for their cause.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem July 23, 2017. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - RTX3CK7R

Netanyahu's power drunk government

Instead of listening to Israel’s security experts, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps provoking the Palestinians and escalating tensions.

A Palestinian boy climbs over a fence during a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the founding of the Hamas movement, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX2UIXX

Amid Qatar crisis, Hamas lays groundwork for official presence in Algeria

Hamas and Algeria are in talks about accommodating Hamas leaders as well as opening a new office in the sympathetic North African country.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem July 23, 2017. REUTERS/Abir Sultan/Pool - RTX3CK7H

Netanyahu's dangerous delusion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the right remain under the delusion that they can sustain the occupation at no cost to Israel.

Palestinians shout slogans during a protest over Israel's new security measures at the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque, known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RTX3C765

Al-Aqsa protests unite Jerusalemites

The Palestinians of Jerusalem collaborated to keep the protests against Israel’s restrictions at Al-Aqsa Mosque ongoing.

Bedouin women sit next to their makeshift home on November 22, 2016 in the village of Umm Al-Hiran village, which is not recognized by the Israeli government, near the southern city of Beersheba in the Negev desert.
In May 2015, Israel's Supreme Court approved the removal of 750-1,000 Bedouin residents from Umm al-Hiran to enable the construction of a Jewish town. According to Human Rights Watch, the villagers say they were expelled from their land in 1948, when the state of Israel was established, and whil

Israel sees Bedouin polygamy as security threat

Some Israeli Bedouin men continue to practice polygamy, in part to milk state benefits, but some worry the practice is creating a security threat.

TOPSHOT - A Palestinian couple walk along traces of cart tracks on a beach in Gaza City on June 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Gaza's beaches unseasonably empty

The Gaza Municipality has increased rent for the land used to set up beach resorts every summer, forcing many lodge owners to condense their facilities or close altogether.

Palestinian photographer devotes decade to capturing life in Gaza

An exhibition of 1,000 photographs shows the work of Palestinian photographer Fadi Thabet, who has worked for 10 years to capture the beauty of the people in the Gaza Strip.