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

Palestine cover image

Palestine

September 20, 2026

Al Bīrah 12:30 pm

26°C

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to hold a joint press conference in Jerusalem, Oct. 24, 2023.

Analysis

After France's settlement ban, Israel sees no warming of ties with Macron government

Israeli diplomats say France’s decision to ban imports from West Bank settlements has brought bilateral relations to an unprecedented low point.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Jewish settlement of Kedumim, in the West Bank

Analysis

Europe’s West Bank trade ban fires warning shot at Israel’s economy

Weeks before key Israeli elections, a dozen nations announced new trade restrictions targeting settlements in the West Bank, delivering a sharp rebuke to Israel's government that could presage additional international pressure.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Palestinians hold up the green Hamas flag during a protest by supporters of both the Fatah and Hamas movements, as they rally in support of the Palestinian people following Friday noon prayers in Hebron, occupied West Bank, Nov. 3, 2023.

Majority of Palestinians lose trust in Hamas and Fatah, new poll finds

A recent poll by a Palestinian survey center found that trust in Palestinian factions has declined, amid stalled efforts to implement the Gaza peace plan and escalating settler violence in the West Bank.

Latest News

12 countries including France, UK, Canada end trade with West Bank settlements

West Bank settlements

Katz warns PA against 'Oct. 7-style' attack as West Bank violence rises

Israeli soldiers take positions during a military operation in the town of Qalqiya, in the occupied West Bank, Dec. 4, 2025.

Analysis

LORA missile test reveals limits of Germany’s Gaza criticism of Israel

A woman walks past a model of a Lora missile, Israel's long range artillery missile at the Israel defence stall at the international DefExpo 2008 defence fair, in New Delhi on February 16, 2008. India kicked off South Asia's largest defence fair, with hundreds of global weapons firms offering their latest hardware to the country's technology-hungry military. About 450 weapons companies from 30 countries are present at the four-day "DefExpo" in New Delhi, with several big-ticket announcements expected. AFP P

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

As Israeli settler attacks mount, Trump avoids public pressure on Netanyahu

Israeli soldiers arrive in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has faced escalating Israeli settler violence over the past month, on Aug. 29, 2026.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

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

Released Palestinian prisoner Samer al-Issawi gestures as he celebrates in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Issawiya December 23, 2013. Israel on Monday freed al-Issawi from jail, to complete a deal agreed earlier this year over his release in exchange for him ending a lengthy hunger strike that almost killed him. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX16SOH

Issawi’s release places individual hunger strikes in spotlight

Samer Issawi's release set off exuberant celebrations in the streets, but more importantly has refocused the spotlight on his fellow hunger strikers in prison.

Dayan: 'Kerry causes damage by insisting on a solution now'

While some in the Israeli right looked for an alternative to the two-state solution, former Yesha head Dani Dayan prefers the status quo since ''there is no solution to the conflict at the moment.''

U.S. President Barack Obama waves after addressing Israeli students at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem March 21, 2013. Obama appealed directly on Thursday to the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of stateless Palestinians and recognise that Jewish settlement activity in occupied territory hurts prospects for peace. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FA2D

Obama should see peace process through

History suggests that only a resolved American president, such as former Presidents Jimmy Carter or George Bush, Sr., can persuade the Israelis to come to an agreement with the Palestinians.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh flashes the victory sign during a ceremony to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran's Azadi square February 11, 2012. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on the anniversary of the revolution that the Islamic Republic would soon announce "very important" REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSAR

Will Iran, Hamas resume relations?

Following a split between Iran and Hamas over a number of regional issues, most prominently the Syrian conflict, the two sides have once again restored relations, according to sources in Hamas.

Talks with Palestinians return to Israel's public discourse

Pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from opponents within and outside his coalition has grown in sync with advances in talks with the Palestinians.

Palestinians man a boat carrying food supplies, to be passed to people whose houses were flooded with rainwater on a stormy day, in the northern Gaza Strip December 14, 2013. Northern Gaza Strip has become a disaster area following an icy storm that led to the evacuation of hundreds of Palestinian families from their flooded houses to UNRWA facilities, Chris Gunness, UNRWA spokesman, said. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX16HYD

Storm recovery could bring Abbas to Gaza

The recent devastating storm could prompt a visit by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to the Gaza Strip and potentially expedite Palestinian reconciliation efforts.

The year in Palestinian hip-hop

The Palestinian hip-hop scene released a broad variety of productions in 2013 that are pushing the genre to another level.

Palestinian demonstrators protest near the Israeli border fence with Gaza as the Israeli army shoots tear gas, December 27, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX16V3B

Israel, Hamas caught in 'the Gaza trap'

Israel and Hamas are trapped in the same dilemma: avoiding escalation on the Israeli-Gaza border requires cooperation between them, but such cooperation portrays each side as weak.

An entrance to a tunnel exposed by the Israeli military is seen near Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, just outside the southern Gaza Strip October 13, 2013. Israel displayed on Sunday what it called a Palestinian "terror tunnel" running into its territory from the Gaza Strip and said it was subsequently freezing the transfer of building material to the enclave. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTX149RZ

Israel uses storm to locate Gaza tunnels

A new report indicates that Israeli intelligence took advantage of the recent storm that hit the Gaza Strip to locate Hamas-operated tunnels by tracking storm damage and sinkholes.

Prominent Palestinian psychiatrist Eyad Sarraj dies

Prominent Palestinian psychiatrist and champion of the national cause, Eyad Sarraj, dies at 70.

Facebook businesses boom in Gaza amid unemployment

Given the growing unemployment rate and harsh blockade in Gaza, an increasing number of citizens are turning to Facebook to market products and launch small businesses.

Through the lens of Muhammad Hassunah: 1970s Gaza

Prominent Gazan photographer and filmmaker Muhammad Hassunah speaks to Al-Monitor about Gaza in the 1970s and his artistic experiences.