West Bank
The politics of Ireland’s enduring support for Palestinians
Ireland is the first EU country to declare that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories amount to de facto annexation.
Israel has a stake in Biden administration's decision to lift ICC sanctions
Why a leading Israeli rights group is calling Israel an 'apartheid' state
Palestinians worry about the impact of the Abraham Accords. They say it's time to elect new leaders.
Israeli plans for annexation weigh heavily on Jordan Valley residents
Pompeo visits Israel; Europe wants a summer travel season; Lebanon counters second virus wave
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Israel, where Iran, China and the annexation of occupied Palestinian territories is on the agenda. Europe is optimistic about a summer travel season. But Lebanon, facing a potential resurgence of the novel coronavirus, has locked down. And Malaysia is applying lessons from its experience with the Nipah virus. In Shanghai, Disneyland is reopened — but pandemic precautions are making their mark on the magical place.
Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace gets a makeover. But will it boost tourism?
Palestinian officials are hoping that the nearly-completed restoration will boost tourism at a time when the West Bank remains under Israeli occupation, plagued by a political stalemate and hobbled by high unemployment.
Legal recognition of West Bank settlements could 'kill off' hope of two-state solution, says former US ambassador
Former US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, spoke with Marco Werman about the US' decision to recognize Israeli settlements in the West Bank as legal. He explains the ramifications this decision could have for peace in the region.
Is Airbnb’s no-profit return to the West Bank ‘whitewashing’ human rights violations?
Airbnb announced plans to delist rentals in the occupied West Bank in November, but was quickly engaged in lawsuits that alleged discrimination. The vacation website has reversed their decision, but is again fielding blowback.
US cuts funds to Palestinian refugees, leaving many without essential services
“The abolition [of UNRWA] means erasing the existence of the refugee issue. We say to them that we insist on the existence of the agency as long as the issue of refugees is not resolved," says Taha al-Biss, leader of the al-Amari refugee camp in the West Bank.
Airbnb to remove listings in Israel's West Bank settlements
Airbnb has announced it will remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move Israel called a "wretched capitulation" to boycotters and Palestinians hailed as a step toward peace.
Protesters arrive at Bedouin village as Israeli demolition looms
Israel's Supreme Court rejected petitions to prevent the move, siding with the authorities which say the village was built without the required permits. Palestinians say such documents are impossible to obtain.
UN agency chief says Palestinian refugees can't 'simply be wished away'
Washington's move against UNRWA was the latest in a series of US and Israeli policy decisions that have angered Palestinians and raised international concern.
Eight years late, 10 tons of mail finally makes it to the West Bank
The 10.5 tons of mail had been held in Jordan since 2010 because Israel would not permit direct transfer to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Palestinian officials said.
Can Toastmasters Ramallah stay politics-free?
Speakers are asked to avoid controversial subjects like politics, religion and race, and so far Toastmasters Ramallah has followed the custom. But it's getting harder to do that, members say.