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Palestine

September 23, 2026

Ramallah 4:27 pm

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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

U.S. President Barack Obama (front L) participates in a farewell ceremony with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (front R) at Tel Aviv International Airport March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBWN

How Much Real Progress Did Obama Make in Israel?

The positive impression US President Barack Obama left in Israel will not last long in a Middle East where goodwill is never enough, warns Nadav Perry.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he boards Air Force One at the airport in Amman March 23, 2013. Obama marvelled at the sights of Jordanís ancient city of Petra on Saturday as he wrapped up a four-day Middle East tour by setting aside weighty diplomatic matters and playing tourist for a day. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXUHD

Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions

Obama called on Palestinians to begin talks with Israel despite settlement activity; Iraq is on edge; and it's unclear if a Kurdish initiative and Netanyahu’s apology represent new trends in Turkish foreign policy.

U.S. President Barack Obama is seen next to Bethlehem Mayor Vera Baboun (L) and children at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR3FBRR

Mixed Reactions in Bethlehem To President Obama's Visit

Daoud Kuttab reports on US President Barack Obama’s visit to Bethlehem, and the people's mixed reaction.

U.S. President Barack Obama participates in a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Muqata Presidential Compound in Ramallah March 21, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9UB

Obama Gets Mixed Reception On Visit to Ramallah

With no clear peace initiatives to push, US President Barack Obama has received a mixed reception on his visit to Israel and the West Bank from Palestinians, writes Hazem Balousha.

Palestinian activists stand near newly-erected tents in the West Bank village of Beit Iksa, between Ramallah and Jerusalem January 20, 2013. Palestinians pitched tents in an area of the West Bank as a protest against an Israeli barrier they said would cut villagers off from their lands. The tents were erected on Friday in the Palestinian village of Beit Iksa, north of Jerusalem. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3CPA5

Palestinians Erect Tent Village During Obama Visit

As the US president backtracks on earlier statements on settlements, Palestinians resort to nonviolent resistance to reclaim land and draw attention to their plight, writes Dalia Hatuqa.

A Palestinian woman argues with policemen during a demonstration against U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to the Church of the Nativity, revered as the site of Jesus' birth, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem March 22, 2013. Obama made a pilgrimage on Friday to the traditional birthplace of Jesus, receiving a subdued reception from Palestinians at the end of a Holy Land visit heavy on symbolism and lacking in practical steps towards peace. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FBWP

Gazans Unmoved by Obama Visit

Gaza's Palestinians have expressed mostly pessimism and frustration in response to US President Barack Obama's visit, reports Mohammed Suliman.

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) - RTR3FA4A

Palestinians Hope Obama’s Words Mean Action

Daoud Kuttab writes that, for Palestinians, what matters is not just what was said, but more importantly what happens next.

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during his address to 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) - RTR3FA4M

Obama Makes His Case for Israel To Resume Peace Efforts

President Barack Obama appealed directly to the Israeli people to recognize that settlements in occupied territory hurt peace prospects, Akiva Eldar reports.

(L-R) Fatah leadership member Mohammed Dahlan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca early February 9, 2007, in this handout photo by the Palestinian Authority Press Office. REUTERS/Omar Rashidi/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA) - RTR1M6EV

Dahlan Case Shows Split In Palestinian Fatah Movement

The dispute over the immunity of Fatah-affiliated MP Mohamed Dahlan has revealed rifts between members of the Fatah Movement, writes Naela Khalil.

A young Bedouin girl is seen near the West Bank city of Jericho August 18, 2008. Threats of evacuation, house demolition, drought, travel restriction, and harassment are just some of the growing hardships the Bedouin community is facing daily, both in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. This is all happening in the midst of a painful social transition between traditional and modern values. In Israel and the West Bank, Bedouins are native to the Negev and Judean Deserts which spans across Israel

Palestinian Bedouin Community Battles Eviction

Palestine’s ancient Bedouin community has been threatened with eviction by Israel, which plans to use their land to expand settlement operations, reports Jihan Abdalla.

Palestinians walk past trucks loaded with gravel at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip December 30, 2012. Israel eased its blockade of Gaza on Sunday, allowing a shipment of gravel for private construction into the Palestinian territory for the first time since Hamas seized control in 2007.
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3BZD9

Hamas Restricts Travel for Gazans

The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior has recently placed new restrictions on those traveling through the Erez crossing, further limiting the movement of Gaza's residents, writes Abeer Ayyoub.

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (not pictured) at the Muqata presidential compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 21, 2013. Obama said on Thursday that settlement building in the occupied West Bank did not "advance the cause of peace", but stopped short of demanding a construction freeze to enable negotiations to resume. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3F9Q2

Why Obama Didn't Leave a Wreath On Arafat’s Grave

Shlomi Eldar responds to Daoud Kuttab’s call to President Barack Obama to leave a wreath on Yasser Arafat’s grave.