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. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics
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.
Meloni suspends Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced her country's military cooperation agreement with Israel will no longer be automatically renewed. Israel
'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law A group of foreign ministers struck out at a new Israeli law requiring the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism in military courts. Palestine
Analysis Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority By Abeer Ayyoub In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine
Ancient Gaza monastery gets second life as children’s library The Khodr Monastery, which dates back to the Byzantine period, is being restored into a children’s library. Palestine
Is new Gaza war more probable with Liberman? With Avigdor Liberman joining the Netanyahu government, Palestinians feel desperate about a breakthrough in the political stalemate between the PA and Israel and anticipate a military escalation in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Claiming lack of building permits, Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes While refusing to grant Palestinians building permits, the Israeli authorities have recently intensified their demolition operations targeting Palestinian homes, justifying their actions by claiming that these homes were built without permits. Palestine
Palestinians get ready for hard-line Liberman as defense minister The appointment of ultranationalist Avigdor Liberman as Israel's defense minister sparked outrage among Palestinians, who already regard President Benjamin Netanyahu's government as one of the most extreme in Israel’s history. Palestine
Why confederation with Palestine is suddenly a hot issue in Amman Discussion of a possible Palestinian-Jordanian confederation is testing the public mood in Jordan and the West Bank as President Mahmoud Abbas' popularity dips further. Palestine
Hamas to execute 13 Gazan criminals as warning to others A crime wave in Gaza is putting pressure on Hamas, which has promised to execute 13 Palestinians sentenced to death as a deterrent. Palestine
Why this Israeli rights organization will stop submitting complaints to army Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem has decided it will no longer submit complaints to the Israeli army regarding human rights violations by its soldiers. Palestine
Will Palestinian-Jordanian confederation see the light? In light of the stalled peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel, Palestinians are seriously considering the Palestinian-Jordanian confederation option as the only way out of their impasse. Palestine
Can a Cairo conference launch regional peace talks? While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are discussing a Cairo regional conference, experts are presenting a security plan, based on the one elaborated by Gen. John Allen. Palestine
Switzerland gets active on Palestinian reconciliation After the Swiss Paper in 2014, Switzerland gets active on the Palestinian reconciliation in an attempt to solve some of the outstanding issues between Fatah and Hamas, most notably the issue of Gaza’s employees. Palestine
Hamas leader: We made Gaza security oasis In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ziad al-Zaza, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, addressed several internal and foreign issues, including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Israel and Palestinian legislative elections. Palestine
'Utter failure' prompts political retirement of Palestinian official In an interview with Al-Monitor, member of the PFLP Central Committee Zulfikar Suergo says that the Palestinian leadership has failed to put an end to the people's dire situation. Palestine