Palestinians mark Nakba with West Bank protests

Published on May 16, 2013

Thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank marked the 65th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel, which they call the “catastrophe,” with marches and protests.

Turkey’s prime minister set to visit Gaza

Published on May 8, 2013

Political observers in Turkey expect Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to reaffirm his support for Palestinians with a visit this month to Gaza, marking the third anniversary of a deadly Israeli raid on a Turkish aid flotilla bound for the disputed territory

Murder of Jewish settler sparks West Bank clashes

Published on May 1, 2013

Israeli settlers and Palestinians clashed in the West Bank more than a day after the murder of a Jewish man by a Palestinian attacker.

Kerry to visit Jerusalem, Ramallah; not bringing new peace plan

Published on April 3, 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry will visit Jerusalem and Ramallah next week but does not intend to offer an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan, the State Department said on Wednesday.

P.A.’s Fayyad hospitalized

Published on April 2, 2013

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was hospitalized with abdominal pain.

In Ramallah, Obama implies settlement freeze not needed

Published on March 21, 2013

President Obama implied during a news conference in Ramallah that a settlement freeze should not be a precondition for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Palestinians vent frustration at brief Obama visit

Published on March 21, 2013

Palestinian protesters raised their hands and tried to wave away the helicopter that brought U.S. President Barack Obama to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Thursday, accusing him of siding with Israel.

World Bank: Palestinian economy in decline

Published on March 12, 2013

During President Obama’s visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) next week, he will visit the West Bank towns of Ramallah, where he will meet PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, and Bethlehem, to see the Church of the Nativity. A new report by the World Bank says he will see an economy that is in steady decline and losing its competetiveness.

Two Palestinians end hunger strike that fueled protests

Published on February 27, 2013

Two Palestinian prisoners whose hunger strike stoked clashes in the West Bank have ended their protest after Israel agreed to release them in May, a Palestinian official said on Wednesday.

Palestinian hunger striker to be released next month, protests continue

Published on February 21, 2013

A Palestinian prisoner on a long-term hunger strike in an Israeli jail will be released in March.

Israel to allow Turkish construction material into Gaza

Published on February 12, 2013

Israel has agreed to allow Turkish trucks carrying construction materials into the Gaza Strip for the construction of a hospital.

Palestinian stabs Jewish teen in West Bank

Published on January 29, 2013

A Ramallah man reportedly said he stabbed a teen in the West Bank because he was Jewish.

Snow falls in Jerusalem, northern Israel

Published on January 9, 2013

Snow and hail began falling in the Jerusalem area and continued to fall in the north of the country.

Will Obama focus on Israel-Palestinian issues?

Published on December 18, 2012

Is history about to repeat itself? President Obama’s first three years in office saw some serious tussling with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the peace process and settlements.

Living next to E1, Maale Adumim residents reflect Israeli consensus on settlements

Published on December 6, 2012

From the terrace of the mall in Maale Adumim, a West Bank settlement eight miles from Jerusalem that serves as a bedroom community for Israel’s capital city, customers get a panoramic view of the Judean Desert to the east.

Reform movement raps Israeli settlement plans, Palestinian U.N. upgrade

Published on December 5, 2012

The Union for Reform Judaism criticized Israel for its decision to build new settlement housing and the Palestinians for unilaterally seeking upgraded status at the United Nations.

U.S. repeats opposition to new Israeli settlements

Published on December 3, 2012

The United States on Monday reiterated its opposition to new Israeli settlement activity on West Bank land including in the site known as "E1", which it said could be especially damaging to efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinians see U.N. gambit as step toward reconciliation

Published on November 30, 2012

Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning to celebrate the UN General Assembly vote bestowing non-member status to “Palestine.”

Abbas hints has no ‘right of return’ to home in Israel

Published on November 1, 2012

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made a rare if symbolic concession to Israel on Thursday, saying he had no permanent claim on the town from which he was driven as a child during the 1948 war of the Jewish state's founding.

Palestinian PM responds to unrest with economic program

Published on September 11, 2012

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the key target of nine days of socio-economic protests throughout the West Bank, responded on Tuesday to some of the demands that have been prominent during the course of demonstrations that have become increasingly violent in recent days.

Migron evacuation: A look back and a look ahead

Published on September 4, 2012

The evacuation of all 50 Jewish families in Israel’s Migron outpost was completed on Sunday evening without major incident. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the successful and peaceful evacuation—but vowed that his government would continue to strengthen Jewish communities in the West Bank.

Jewish families leave Migron outpost

Published on September 3, 2012

All of the Jewish families living in the West Bank outpost of Migron reportedly have evacuated.

Migron must be evacuated in a week, Israel’s high court rules

Published on August 29, 2012

Israel's Supreme Court ruled that the West Bank outpost of Migron must be evacuated by Sept. 4.

Palestinian cars torched in price tag attack

Published on August 29, 2012

Palestinian cars were torched and vandalized in a price tag attack near Ramallah in the West Bank.

Migron not evacuated as scheduled

Published on August 28, 2012

The Migron outpost in the West Bank was not evacuated as scheduled.

On the eve of evacuation, Migron projecting tranquility

Published on August 27, 2012

Off a rough, paved road atop a mountain, on the thin stucco wall of a trailer home, black graffiti proclaims "Private Jewish land." And underneath, in red, "Migron."

Evacuate Migron on time, state says

Published on August 20, 2012

The West Bank outpost of Migron must be evacuated on time, Israel's State Prosecutor's office told the Supreme Court.

Palestian power issues: The night that the lights went out?

Published on August 14, 2012

The Palestinian Authority (PA) owes more than $170 million to the Israel Electric Company, and Israel is threatening to cut off the flow unless the debt is paid. Palestinian officials say that could cause widespread blackouts throughout the West Bank.

Ramallah to honor remains of Savoy Hotel terrorists

Published on August 14, 2012

The Ramallah municipality approved the construction of a mausoleum to honor the Palestinian terrorists who killed 11 Israelis in the 1975 attack on Tel Aviv's Savoy Hotel.

2 Palestinians indicted in 2000 Ramallah lynching

Published on August 9, 2012

Two Palestinians involved in the lynching 12 years ago of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah have been arrested and reportedly confessed to their involvement.

Non-Aligned meeting in Ramallah canceled after Israel stops some envoys

Published on August 8, 2012

A meeting of representatives of the Non-Aligned Movement of countries was canceled after Israel would not allow the states with which it has no diplomatic relations to enter.

Israeli panel: West Bank settlements, outposts legal under int’l law

Published on July 9, 2012

West Bank settlements are legal under international law, according to an Israeli committee set up to review the legal status of West Bank land.

Palestinians take anti-Oslo protest to Abbas

Published on July 3, 2012

Hundreds of demonstrators marched on the offices of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to protest against diplomatic contacts with Israel and to denounce police violence at a previous rally.

Ulpana residents agree to leave peacefully

Published on June 20, 2012

An Israeli government committee approved a compromise agreement with the families of the Ulpana neighborhood under which they would leave voluntarily.

Jewish settlers won’t go quietly as eviction looms

Published on June 15, 2012

The clock is ticking for 30 Jewish settler families in the West Bank. Israel's Supreme Court has said their homes sit on privately-owned Palestinian land and as an eviction deadline draws near, they say they will not go quietly.

Activists attack contractors at Ulpana site

Published on June 13, 2012

Activists threw rocks at contractors inspecting the Ulpana neighborhood in preparation for the evacuation of five apartment buildings there.

Putin, under fire backing Assad, to visit Israel

Published on June 13, 2012

Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to visit Israel, Israel's Foreign Ministry announced.

Palestinian Authority blames Gaza for deficit mess

Published on April 11, 2012

Paying for the upkeep of the Gaza Strip while its political rival actively blocks revenues flowing back is taking its toll on the deficit-racked Palestinian Authority.

Israeli soldier stabbed in Ramallah

Published on March 27, 2012

An Israeli soldier was attacked and stabbed by a group of Palestinians during an operation in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Police say Palestinian stabber acted alone

Published on March 26, 2012

The Palestinian held for stabbing an Israeli female soldier this month is suspected of acting alone.

Israel not halting settler attacks on Palestinians, EU report says

Published on March 14, 2012

Israel is not doing enough to stop the large increase in attacks on Palestinians by Jewish extremists, according to an internal European Union report.

Abbas: Israel will face ‘difficult’ measures if attempt to revive peace talks fails

Published on January 3, 2012

President Mahmoud Abbas said on Tuesday Palestinians could take unilateral steps if Israel does not agree to halt settlement building in the occupied West Bank and recognize the borders of a future Palestinian state.

West Bank mosque set alight following outpost razing

Published on December 15, 2011

A mosque in the West Bank was set alight hours after Israeli soldiers demolished two structures in an illegal outpost.

Prime Minister Fayyad: ‘Unity and Non-violence’ requisites for statehood

Published on November 29, 2011

With skepticism rife over a Fatah-Hamas rapprochement and the Hamas demand to replace him, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the man credited with energizing the movement toward statehood and the man Western governments want holding the PA’s purse strings, discusses the pending issues with Friedson Friedson, President and CEO of The Media Line news agency, at his Ramallah office. Below is the first of two sessions between Prime Minister Fayyad and Ms. Friedson.

Opinion: Losing our way

Published on November 17, 2011

Picture this if you will. During the time when US citizens were prohibited from traveling to Cuba, a member of the House of Representatives decides to disobey US law and travel to Cuba to speak at the annual observances there of the January 1 1959 overthrow of the Batista government and the rise to power of Fidel Castro and his Communist buddies.

Israeli-Arab lawmaker Tibi hails Arafat at Ramallah rite

Published on November 16, 2011

Israeli-Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi at a memorial for Yasser Arafat in Ramallah suggested that the Israeli government will soon "propose a 'death to Arabs' law."

Palestinian protesters throw shoe at American diplomats

Published on October 5, 2011

Palestinian protesters confronted a group of U.S. diplomats visiting the West Bank city of Ramallah.

In Ramallah, West Bank Palestinians divided between celebratory and cynical

Published on September 23, 2011

A larger-than-life sky-blue chair with the word “Palestine” dominates the center of Manara Square in downtown Ramallah.

Palestinians protest Obama speech in Ramallah rally

Published on September 22, 2011

Palestinian protesters denounced President Obama during a rally in Ramallah outside the office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinians rally for Abbas’s U.N. statehood bid

Published on September 21, 2011

Flag-waving Palestinians filled the squares of major West Bank cities on Wednesday to rally behind President Mahmoud Abbas's bid for statehood recognition at the United Nations despite U.S. and Israeli objections.

Bibi in Arab TV interview: Peace talks can be in Ramallah

Published on July 20, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during an interview on an Arabic-language television station suggested Ramallah as a possible site for the immediate restarting of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Picasso painting goes on display in Ramallah

Published on June 21, 2011

A Palestinian art academy has put a $7 million Picasso painting on display. The painting, Pablo Picasso's "Buste de femme," painted in 1943, is on loan from the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Netherlands. It went on display in Ramallah Monday as part of the “Picasso in Palestine” exhibit.

Palestinians rally for unity

Published on March 15, 2011

Thousands of Palestinians rallied for unity in Ramallah and Gaza City. The rallies Tuesday were organized on Facebook by young Palestinian activists who are calling for an end to the division between Fatah, which governs the West Bank, and Hamas, which ousted Fatah and took over Gaza in 2007.

Israeli lawmakers’ petition calls for boycott

Published on January 3, 2011

Dozens of Israeli lawmakers have signed a petition calling for a boycott of Israeli companies that have signed contracts to help build a new Palestinian city. Sponsored by the Land of Israel Lobby, the petition was signed by 48 lawmakers after being circulated Monday. Right-wing lawmakers and half of the Kadima Party signed, The Jerusalem Post reported. The petition comes in response to a contract signed by 20 Israeli companies to help build Rawabi, in the West Bank near Ramallah, in which they agree not to use raw materials, products or services originating in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as well as in eastern Jerusalem or on the Golan Heights, which the Palestinian Authority also defines as settlements.

Palestine National Orchestra debuts

Published on January 3, 2011

The Palestine National Orchestra performed for the first time in the Palestinian Authority and in Israel. The orchestra made its debut in Ramallah, and then performed in eastern Jerusalem over the weekend and in Haifa on Sunday night. "Today an orchestra, tomorrow a state," Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, wrote in the program, according to the French news agency AFP.

Abbas speaks against settlements at Arafat memorial

Published on November 11, 2010

Mahmoud Abbas told thousands of Palestinians gathered for a Yasser Arafat memorial that "The Palestinian state will arise when it is cleared of settlements."

Ramallah street named for terrorist

Published on April 8, 2010

A street in Ramallah has been named after a Palestinian terrorist responsible for the deaths of dozens of Israelis.

Letter from France:  An incendiary TV news report’s truthfulness is on trial

By Shirli Sitbon
Published on November 29, 2007

Letter from France highlights three stories; slander trial raises questions over footage of the killing of Mohammad al Dura in 2000, the mayor of Paris shows his support for captive Isreali soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert visits Paris.

Palestinians Facing Uncertain Future

By Fadi A. Elsalameen
Published on January 6, 2005

Standing in the Muqata, Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah, on his funeral day made me believe that we Palestinians must overcome a hurdle if we are to move forward.

Our youth face uncertainty, our people feel lost and beaten and our elders are sad to think that their children and grandchildren will share their same destiny -- never to live in peace in an independent Palestinian state.

Controversial Conference

By Leslie Susser
Published on April 18, 2002

When Ariel Sharon decided to isolate Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, he realized he would be accused of deliberately blocking diplomatic channels if he didn't find an alternative form of dialogue with the Palestinians. Sharon's answer: A regional conference of Israel, moderate Arab states and Palestinians -- but not Arafat -- to be convened under American auspices.