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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

May 6, 2025

Ramallah 10:15 am

20°C

The barge Jennifer, part of a three ship flotilla carrying food aid for the Gaza Strip, sails next to the French frigate Courbet as the flotilla departs the port of Larnaca in Cyprus, March 30, 2024.

Gaza-bound aid flotilla hit in drone attack near Malta: What to know

The attack on the flotilla comes as the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip deteriorates.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025.

Trump's Gaza diplomacy takes back seat to Iran, Ukraine in first 100 days

Gaza is on the back burner as nuclear negotiations with Iran and talks to end the Ukraine war command the attention of President Trump and his Middle East envoy.

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh attends a meeting with the US Secretary of State and other foreign ministers, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Jordanian capital Amman on Nov. 4, 2023.

Analysis

For Israel, al-Sheikh appointment as Palestinian VP signals continuity, pragmatism

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestinian Authority is unlikely to bring dramatic changes to its policies on Israel.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Hussein al-Sheikh

Hussein al-Sheikh, Abbas protege named Palestinian VP, draws mixed reactions

Sheikh’s rise to vice-chair of the PLO and vice president of the State of Palestine signals a potential shift in leadership, but his controversial past and complex political alliances leave the future of his role uncertain.

Latest News

Switzerland to ban Hamas on May 15, allowing expulsions: What we know

This photograph taken on April 3, 2024, shows the House of Swiss Parliament under heavy clouds in Swiss capital Bern.

Israel intercepts weapons-laden drone from Egypt: What we know

AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Hussein Sheikh as PLO's first vice president: Palestinian reform or Abbas gesture?

Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hussein al-Sheikh, gestures as he arrives for the 32nd Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council session in Ramallah on April 23, 2025. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on April 23 urged Hamas to free all hostages in Gaza, saying their captivity provided Israel with "excuses" to attack the territory, as rescuers recovered charred bodies from an Israeli strike. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Analysis

Macron’s Palestine gamble: Can recognition plan jump-start peace talks?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron take part in a joint press conference at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on July 20, 2022. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

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

Supporters of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), a student wing of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party stage a pro-Palestinian protest outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant calling for boycott of Israeli products on the outskirts of Islamabad on May 7, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the militant Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Farooq NAEEM / AFP) (Photo by FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images)

KFC, Pizza Hut profit in Middle East cut by half amid Gaza war boycotts

Americana Restaurants said the decline was due to the “ongoing geopolitical tensions” in the Middle East and the effect of the Ramadan period.

Israeli army tanks take position in southern Israel near the border with the Gaza Strip as smoke billows over Gaza during Israeli bombardment on May 6, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Breaking | Last Updated: May 7, 2024, 8:29 am

Israel takes control of Rafah crossing as Hamas accepts Egypt-Qatar cease-fire proposal

The group issued a statement Monday saying its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, delivered the news in a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel.

US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden greet Jordan's King Abdullah II.

Biden meets with Jordanian king as Israel begins Rafah evacuation

Ahead of his lunch with Jordan's King Abdullah II, President Joe Biden "reiterated his clear position on Rafah" in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

AFP via Getty Images

Gaza’s Orthodox Christians spend grim Easter praying for Palestinian rebirth

The few remaining Christians in Gaza are observing a joyless Easter this week.

Youths gather atop an elevated area in al-Zahra in the central Gaza Strip on April 23, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the militant group Hamas.

Dangers for Palestinian aid workers stall deal on US-built Gaza pier

Israel’s role in providing security for the maritime endeavor has raised questions over the safety and neutrality of the Palestinian aid workers involved.

Pro-Palestinian supporters continue to demonstrate with a protest encampment on the campus of Columbia University on April 30, 2024 in New York City.

Analysis

Despite crackdown, protesters ‘haven’t lost the plot' on Gaza war, says Columbia journalist

Al-Monitor’s coverage of the police action against Columbia demonstrators; Netanyahu’s Saudi temptation; Palestinian leaders chart statehood.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Members of the Saraya al-Quds walked through alleyways during the funeral of Mateen Debaya, killed during an Israeli raid, in the Jenin refugee camp, near the West Bank city of the same name, in the occupied West Bank, on Oct. 14, 2022.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad denounce PA over killing of fighter in West Bank

The Palestinian Authority is unpopular in the West Bank, and the incident occurred as its leading Fatah faction is seeking to reconcile with Hamas and other armed groups.

China's President Xi Jinping talks with his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas (R) during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 6, 2013.

Analysis

What’s behind China’s decision to host Hamas-Fatah talks?

China has not achieved any breakthroughs in its efforts to mediate between Fatah and Hamas but is seeking a greater role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in part due to its rivalry with the United States, says one expert.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A woman writes "complicit" and "boycott" on a Starbucks window.

Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC continue to feel effects of Gaza war boycotts

Starbucks on Tuesday lowered its expectations for full-year sales and profits after a disastrous quarter that saw a marked drop-off in customer traffic.

Palestinians inspect the damage to buildings after Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on April 29, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Pressure builds for Gaza cease-fire as Israel readies to invade Rafah

As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to launch a Rafah incursion "with or without a deal.”

ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images

How EU-West Bank police mission hopes to advance two-state solution

Newly appointed EUPOL COPPS chief Karin Limdal is tasked with helping Palestinian law enforcement institutions reform to facilitate the implementation of the two-state solution and Palestinian statehood.

THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - APRIL 12: A general view of the International Court of Justice April 12, 2006 in The Hague, the Netherlands. (Photo by Michel Porro/Getty Images)

ICJ rejects Nicaragua's request for action against Germany over support for Israel

Nicaragua filed its case against Germany last month over alleged violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention.