Matthew Bell
Editor
Matthew Bell is an editor at The World.
I’m an editor based in the Boston newsroom — working from home a lot lately, of course. I work closely with our correspondents who cover the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.By way of background, I studied comparative religion and Chinese history at the University of Vermont. That led me to Mandarin language classes and UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and then to KQED Radio in San Francisco. From there, I started freelancing for The World and joined the team full-time here in Boston in late 2001.In my previous life as a reporter, I was blessed with the opportunity to cover a huge range of stories for The World. But some of the most memorable ones involved taking a trip on a Louisiana shrimping boat in the Gulf of Mexico, covering events in Egypt during the so-called Arab Spring, and meeting North Korean refugees in Seoul, South Korea.I’m super interested in religion and I tend to think most big news stories have an important, if overlooked, religion angle. I’ve reported a lot on US foreign policy, human rights in China, North Korea’s nuclear activities and life in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Beyond journalism, I’m helping to raise kids and engaged in the lifelong pursuit of learning to play the electric guitar.
Armenian Christians of Jerusalem say their centuries-old community faces an existential threat
Armenian Christians in the Old City of Jerusalem say their centuries-old community is facing an existential threat. It stems from an ongoing legal dispute over a real estate deal signed three years ago. Members of the small minority community of Armenians in Jerusalem say they are fearful about their future in the holy city.
Who is Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and what does he want?
Israel’s national security adviser says top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is “living on borrowed time.” Sinwar is believed to be the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. He would also have to sign off on any ceasefire deal to release the remaining hostages held in Gaza.
As Israel moves into Rafah, are ceasefire talks over?
The Israel Defense Forces now controls Gaza’s main border crossing with Egypt in the city of Rafah. Israel’s military carried out airstrikes overnight in Rafah. The IDF operation commenced on Monday as Hamas offered a counterproposal for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange. The negotiations aimed at getting a ceasefire in place appear to be ongoing.
Netanyahu says stopping the Gaza war now is ‘not an option’
As talks around a possible ceasefire in Gaza continue, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the Israeli military is still planning to launch a ground offensive into Rafah. But there are signs that negotiators are getting closer to a ceasefire deal.
‘We need to fix the country’: Israelis ponder a post-war future
US President Joe Biden says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a “mistake” with his approach to Gaza. More than 70% of Israeli respondents of a recent survey said Netanyahu should either resign now, or as soon as the war in Gaza ends. The World’s Matthew Bell is in Jerusalem and he’s been speaking with Israelis about how they’re thinking of the post-war future.
For Palestinians, a grim reality in Gaza obscures the future
The Biden administration says it’s looking for leadership from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank after the war in Gaza is over. A new technocratic government has been sworn in, but as war continues to rage in Gaza, Palestinians are not hopeful. The World’s Matthew Bell speaks with people in the West Bank city of Ramallah about their vision for the future.