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Palestine

April 24, 2026

Ramallah 9:45 am

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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.

Meloni

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.

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

'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.

Latest News

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.

Analysis

Hamas sits out Iran war as Gaza, Gulf interests take priority

Displaced Palestinians gather for a fast-breaking Iftar meal amid the rubble of destroyed buildings at the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Feb. 23, 2026.

Abeer Ayyoub

By Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Spain recalls Israel ambassador, calls Iran war 'flagrant illegality': What to know

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a United Nations Summit on Palestinians at UN headquarters during the United Nations General Assembly, New York, Sept. 22, 2025.

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

Palestine to raise concerns about settlement-based teams at FIFA conference

The Palestinian Football Federation is planning to raise the issue of five Israeli soccer teams located in the occupied territories on the grounds that these teams are violating FIFA statutes.

Ancient Palestinian monastery under UNESCO consideration

The 1,500-year-old Mar Saba Monastery in Palestine has been nominated for inclusion among UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.

Why the PA is distancing itself from BDS movement

Israel must understand that the marginal BDS movement is not its main strategic threat — the occupation is.

A Palestinian worker checks a truck loaded with cement bags after entering the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing September 22, 2013. Israel began allowing construction material for private projects into the Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time in six years, in response to a request from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, an Israeli defence official said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION REAL ESTATE) - RTX13UHI

How Israel avoided another escalation with Hamas

Israel and Hamas agreed, yet again, to hold fire; yet the misery of Gaza residents will continue as long as the blockade continues.

A student supporting Hamas holds a Palestinian flag in a rally during an election campaign for the student council at the Birzeit University in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RTX2BOVO

How Hamas scored a win in West Bank student elections

The victory of Hamas' student branch in the elections at Birzeit University in the West Bank reflects the Palestinian public support for Hamas, following the arrests and restrictions it has been subjected to by both the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Pigeon lovers flock to Gaza expo

Hundreds of enthusiasts and breeders of exotic pigeons gathered in a Gaza arena for an event as rare and special as their birds.

Hamas watches its words in response to Jerusalem bus bombing

Hamas is celebrating — but not claiming responsibility for — the April 18 bus bombing in Jerusalem, indicating it is walking a fine political line between maintaining its popularity among frustrated Palestinians and avoiding a punitive retaliation by Israel.

Can Paris conference offer breakthrough on two-state solution?

The Palestinian leadership considers the French initiative and international support of the Paris conference the last opportunity for diplomacy.

A Palestinian taxi driver sits in his damaged car as he waits for passengers in Gaza City September 22, 2014. An open-ended ceasefire between Israel and Hamas-led Gaza militants, mediated by Egypt, took effect on August 26 after a seven-week conflict. It called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza's blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt, and a widening of the territory's fishing zone in the Mediterranean. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR47

Gaza renews taxi fleet to dismay of old cab drivers

For the first time in nine years, Israel has allowed the entry of new taxi cars into Gaza, a decision that appealed to Gazans but was met with criticism by the owners of old and dilapidated cars, who fear that the new cars will put them out of business.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2R) and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (C) pose for a group picture with their delegations at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, February 16, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX275MJ

Will European pressure push Netanyahu on right track?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces European pressure to advance talks with the Palestinians while the Likud simultaneously pushes for continued settlement expansion.

Israeli forces inspect the scene where a Palestinian, whom the Israeli military said attacked Israeli soldiers with an axe, was shot dead at the entrance of Arroub refugee camp, north of the West Bank city of Hebron April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29Y9E

Have Israel, PA figured out how to stop attacks?

The Palestinian Authority is using a two-phase approach against potential attackers, first approaching school students and then talking to their parents.

Why Merkel's criticism only strengthens Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to have suffered not at all from Der Spiegel's bombshell report about German frustration over Israel's continuing occupation policy.