Israel on Thursday released thousands of previously classified official documents charting political decisions during the 1967 Six-Day War when it occupied the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Made public by the Israel State Archives ahead of the 50th anniversary of the June 5-10 conflict, the 150,000 pages contain minutes of the wartime security cabinet and … Read more
A Palestinian was killed by an Israeli settler on Thursday during a clash near the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry and security sources said. The clash near a military post erupted when an Israeli settler in a car attempted to cross a crowd of Palestinian protesters, with the … Read more
A military court in Gaza on Monday held the first hearing of three men accused of assassinating a Hamas military leader, naming the chief suspect for the first time. Hamas has accused Palestinian “collaborators” of working with Israel to commit the murder. “In Gaza today, the first hearings were held for three (men) accused of … Read more
An Israeli patrol boat fired at Palestinian fishermen accused of breaching the blockade off the northern Gaza Strip on Monday, leaving one of them dead, officials said. Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008 and the strip has been under an Israeli blockade for 10 years. Fishing off the northern … Read more
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party was ahead in most of the West Bank’s main cities after municipal elections that highlighted persistent divisions with its rival Hamas, results showed Sunday. Voting took place on Saturday only in the occupied West Bank, controlled by Fatah, and not in the Gaza Strip, which is run by the … Read more
Gaza doesn’t have much space for cultural events — there is no proper cinema in the entire enclave — but this weekend the city’s port has been transformed into a venue for outdoor screenings. The Red Carpet Festival showcases films focusing on human rights issues and aims to provide Palestinians, many of them unemployed, with … Read more
A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli officer in annexed east Jerusalem on Saturday before being shot dead, police said. The officer was taken to hospital with “moderate” injuries after the attack in the walled Old City, police spokeswoman Louba Samri said in a statement. The attacker, brandishing a knife, stabbed the policeman in one … Read more
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank voted Saturday in municipal elections that underscored deep rifts between president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party and Islamist rival Hamas which runs the Gaza Strip. Their failure to reconcile is seen as a major obstacle to any settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The West Bank and Gaza have not participated … Read more
A Palestinian youth was shot dead during clashes with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said. The man was shot during the protests which are held weekly near the village of Nabi Saleh, north of Ramallah, and later died in a nearby hospital, the ministry said in a … Read more
Hamas has arrested the suspected murderer of one of its key military commanders in Gaza, the Palestinian Islamist movement’s leader said Thursday, while maintaining Israel was behind the March assassination. The killing of Mazen Faqha in the heart of Hamas-controlled Gaza shocked the militant movement and raised fears of a fresh conflict with Israel. “We … Read more
Hamas has arrested the suspected murderer of one of its key military commanders in Gaza, the Palestinian Islamist movement’s leader said Thursday, while maintaining Israel was behind the March assassination. “We announce that the killer and criminal that carried out the orders of the officers of the Zionist security services is in the hands of … Read more
Palestinians vote in municipal elections on Saturday, but only in the West Bank and not the Gaza Strip, illustrating the persistent inability of rival movements Fatah and Hamas to overcome deep divisions. The Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip — the two territories that would in theory form an independent Palestinian state — have … Read more
The leader of the world’s Anglicans on Wednesday backed US President Donald Trump’s bid for fresh peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, saying “determined leadership” could tip the balance towards a resolution. Speaking near the end of a 12-day trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Trump would … Read more
New Hamas leader Ismail Haniya pledged support for hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners on Monday in his first comments since being elected as head of the movement that runs the Gaza Strip. Haniya, who was chosen by the party as its new leader on Saturday, said the Islamist movement stood with the hundreds of prisoners on hunger … Read more
Ismail Haniya’s election as Hamas chief is another sign that the Islamist movement is seeking to soften its image and show it can offer a viable alternative to Mahmud Abbas, analysts said. Considered a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, Hamas has taken steps in recent days that are seen as … Read more
A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli police at an entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday before she was shot dead, Israeli authorities said. Police said the assailant approached officers while pulling out a knife at Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the Old City and the site of a number of such … Read more
Egypt has temporarily reopened the Rafah border crossing, in one direction, to allow hundreds of stranded Palestinians to return to the Gaza Strip, according to officials. The Rafah border, the only crossing from Gaza bypassing Israel, opened for three days starting on Saturday, allowing people in but not out. “Egyptian authorities reopened the Rafah crossing … Read more
Ismail Haniya has been elected as the new leader of Hamas’s political bureau, according to the Palestinian movement’s news agency. The announcement on Satuday came just days after Hamas unveiled a more moderate stance towards Israel. Khaled Meshaal, who preceded Haniya as leader of the movement’s political wing, confirmed the transition of power to Al … Read more
Ismail Haniya, named Saturday as head of Hamas, is a charismatic leader from the Gaza streets who represents the more pragmatic wing of the Islamist movement. The 54-year-old with a salt-and-pepper beard takes charge as it seeks to ease its international isolation while not marginalising hardliners within the movement. Labelled a terrorist group by the … Read more
Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for three days starting on Saturday to allow hundreds of stranded Palestinians to return home, officials said. The move, described by Palestinian border officials as a “humanitarian” gesture, will allow Palestinians stranded in Egypt and elsewhere, including students and sick people, to return to Gaza. … Read more