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Palestine

May 15, 2026

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Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's accusations of systematic sexual abuse and rape of Palestinian prisoners, calling the claims a "blood libel."

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

Latest News

Analysis

On eve of Palestinian local elections, competition in short supply

Women read instructions to voters ahead of the upcoming municipal elections in Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on April 21, 2026.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

Interview

Olmert: Only Israel-Lebanon deal can curb Hezbollah, occupation 'unviable'

Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert

Former Israeli prime minister

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

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

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Trump calls Biden ‘bad Palestinian’ in Gaza debate jab

Former President Donald Trump accused the sitting president of not letting Israel "finish the job" against Hamas.

Washington Connection

Radical Palestinian group, Hamas chief, Khaled Meshaal (2nd R) introduces his deputy Moussa Abu Marzouk (L) to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Hamas official in Russia, talks hostages, seeks Moscow mediation in cease-fire

Russia is seeking the release of two of its citizens who are still being held in Gaza. The country hosted Palestinian reconciliation talks earlier this year.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shakes hands with China’s President Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 14, 2023.

Palestinian talks in China postponed as Hamas, Fatah trade blame

Hamas and Fatah were due to meet in Beijing this month, following talks in the Chinese capital in April aimed at unifying the rivals amid the war with Israel.

A Palestinian girl sits next to rubble from the Al-Rai family home which was hit at dawn in Israeli bombardment of Nuseirat city in the central Gaza Strip on June 18, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas movement.

Fatigued by Israel-Hamas war, Gazans pin hopes on stalled cease-fire talks

Gazans have differing opinions about the cease-fire outline currently on the table, with many backing amendments to the US-backed proposal put forward by Hamas.

A protester holds an Armenian national flag next to a placard with a Palestinian flag as students participate in a "Walkout to fight Genocide and Free Palestine" at Bruin Plaza at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) in Los Angeles on October 25, 2023. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza the following da

Armenia recognizes Palestinian state as furious Israel summons ambassador

Momentum has been building toward recognizing Palestinian statehood since the war in the Gaza Strip began last October.

Cindy McCain executive director of the UN World Food Program, is pictured at the UN Security Council in this undated image, in New York.

Interview

WFP’s McCain: 'No difference' in Gaza aid flow despite Israel’s tactical pause

Al-Monitor interviews World Food Program chief Cindy McCain about the hunger crisis gripping the Gaza Strip after more than eight months of war.

Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain

World Food Programme Executive Director

Polls show soaring Palestinian support for Barghouti

Polls show soaring Palestinian support for Barghouti as Hamas, Abbas stumble

New polling of Palestinian adults suggests that Hamas has been more popular than Fatah in the West Bank, while Fatah is more popular than Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

As Netanyahu protests, Blinken says Israel arms shipments moving 'normally'

The top US diplomat said one shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel's military remains under review, though most weapons shipments continue.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in country's general election, in New Delhi on June 4, 2024. Modi claimed election victory for his party and its allies on June 4, but the opposition said they had "punished" the ruling party to confound predictions and reduce their parliamentary majority. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

From Israel to Iran, Modi 3.0 eyes deepening of India's Middle East ties

India refuses to be restricted by its former Cold War commitments; as with any other power or wannabe power, only self-interest matters, and the oil monarchies of the Gulf top India's list of friends in the region.

Jack Guez/Getty Images

Analysis

Netanyahu, Sinwar play for time on Gaza cease-fire

The Israeli prime minister is in no rush for a showdown with the right over the Gaza Strip as attention shifts to Hezbollah.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

01/18/2024 Nablus, Palestine. Osama Hamdan, chief of Hamas' Foreign relations and member of its political bureau, conducts an interview in a Hamas office in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo by Oliver Marsden / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by OLIVER MARSDEN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Hamas figure says 'no one has any idea' how many hostages left alive

Hamas criticized US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent remarks on the cease-fire and blamed Israel for the failure to reach a deal, while a senior official said the group wants more clarity on the Biden administration proposal.

EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images

Hamas open to direct channel on cease-fire, says former hostage negotiator

After months of failed talks, Israel's former back-channel negotiator Gershon Baskin says it’s time to bypass the mediators and open a direct line of communication with Hamas.