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
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
Hisham Suleiman now hears calls of “Abu Ahmad” when walking down the street — a sign of the popularity of a television drama that dares to present a complex view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The show “Fauda,” or chaos in Arabic, sees Arab Israeli actor Suleiman portray Abu Ahmad, a Hamas militant being pursued by … 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
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
Hamas’s former chief in Gaza, Ismail Haniya, has been elected overall head of the Palestinian Islamist group, succeeding Khaled Meshaal, its official media announced Saturday. Haniya, seen as a pragmatist within the movement, is expected to remain in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian enclave run by Hamas since 2007, unlike Meshaal who lives in exile … Read more
The radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad has rejected Hamas’s new policy of easing its stand on Israel and accepting the establishment of a Palestinian state limited to the 1967 borders. “As partners with our Hamas brothers in the struggle for liberation, we feel concern over the document” which the main Islamist movement that rules Gaza … Read more
Israel said Wednesday it had eased restrictions on Gaza fishermen, allowing them to travel up to nine nautical miles off the coast of the blockaded territory instead of the previous six. COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry agency responsible for civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, said in a statement the measure would last until the … Read more
President Donald Trump plunged into the Middle East peace process on Wednesday, receiving Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at the White House as part of a push to end the long-running conflict. After hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February, the self-styled deal-maker-in-chief will host Abbas for the first time since coming to office. “The … Read more
The leader of the radical Palestinian group Hamas called on US President Donald Trump Wednesday to break with past approaches to Middle East peace and find an “equitable solution” for Palestinians. Khaled Meshaal’s comments came as Trump was due to receive Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at the White House to explore avenues for reviving the … Read more
Israel warned its citizens on Wednesday against visiting Tunisia, where Jewish pilgrims will celebrate a religious festival later this month, citing the threat of jihadist attack. It also said any Israelis currently there should “leave the country immediately.” The festival of Lag BaOmer, taking place this year on May 14-15, draws hundreds of Jews to … Read more
The United States has for several decades played a mediating role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while remaining Israel’s main supporter. On May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion founds the Jewish state of Israel, after the British mandate ends in Palestine. The administration of US president Harry S. Truman recognises the state minutes after it is … Read more