Category: Palestinian Politics

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with the Central Election Commission in Ramallah to discuss legal steps and logistics for holding the elections.   Dr. Hanna Nasser chair of the commission…

One Palestinian presidential guard was killed early Sunday morning after scores of masked militants attacked an outpost, west of Gaza City, belonging to the Palestinian President’s 17 force, as armed…

At least five Palestinian residents were wounded Saturday night during clashes between supporters of the two major Palestinian political parties, Fateh and Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip city of…

Number of Palestinians injured in the Hamas-Fateh clashes in Ramallah arrived to 35 residents, members of Hamas and Fateh, including four who suffered serious wounds. The Ramallah clashes took place…

Scores of Palestinians security forces officers took to the streets, in Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, and in the northern West Bank city…

Ten hours after they were abducted by an unknown group in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, the two Italian citizens, working with the International Committee…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected in Gaza Strip on Monday to discuss details of National Unity Government, Palestinian sources said. The sources added that chances to reach an agreement…

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights in Gaza strongly denounced the abductions carried by unknown gunmen against international in the Palestinian territories, and considered these attacks as direct violations to…

Palestinian security sources in the Gaza Strip reported on Monday night that the Spanish aid worker who was abducted earlier in Gaza by unknown gunmen was released. Palestinian security sources…

In a clear effort to further weaken Hamas, Fatah factions have kept a close watch on Hamas’ attempts to expand its security force inside the West Bank and the Gaza…

The Palestinian news network PNN reported on Wednesday that members of the newly formed Palestinian executive force started to recruit personal in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and neighboring…

A senior Palestinian official reported that gunmen who abducted a Spanish photographer working with the Associated Press in the Gaza Strip, freed him hours after abducting him.   Tawfiq Abu…

Leaders from political rivals Hamas and Fatah have decided to stop fighting each other for fear of continued escalation. Although an agreement on a unity government has so far failed,…

Women took to the streets of Ramallah Wednesday in protest of the continued infighting between political rivals Hamas and Fatah.   The marchers urged the president and legislative council to…

In a joint press release issued on Wednesday, several armed resistance groups demanded the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop “attacking and defaming” them  in his press conferences, and to…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not have the support he needs to vote out the Hamas government, nor does the Palestinian constitution allow for it. Abbas’ threats to dissolve the…

In line with America’s policy to render Hamas ineffective, the US is now funding alternative political groups. The US plans to spend $42 million to provide operational and strategic support…

UNICEF has set up youth clubs to provide extracurricular activities, safe indoor and outdoor play areas, and centres to provide literacy and computer training for Palestinian children, who have been…

The chaotic situation in the Palestinian Authority contnue as a result of the financial crisis in the Palestinain terretories.  Unknown gunmen set two local buses on fire in the West…

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, threatened to kill Hamas officials for the first time since the fighting broke out between the two Palestinian political parties.  The group…

The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, threatened to kill Hamas officials for the first time since the fighting broke out between the two Palestinian political parties.  The group…

After one of the most serious days of fighting between Hamas and Fatah supporters, Abbas’ Fatah party, in a show of power, closed shops and private schools throughout the West…

Amidst internal fighting between Hamas and Fatah supporters Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas emphasized his power to dissolve the Hamas-led government and call for new elections. "I as a president…

The Hamas and Fatah parties are working together to prevent further internal fighting in the Palestinian areas, said Dr. Salah Bardaweel, spokesperson of the Hamas bloc in the Palestinian Legislative…

The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) canceled its session on Monday after clashes between angry public sector employees and Prime Minster Isma'il Haniya's guards in Gaza.   Earlier, hundreds of angry…

Unknown gunmen attacked and set fire to the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) office in the West Bank city of Qalqilia, on Saturday morning.     According to local police…

A strike which began this past Saturday by the Palestinian teachers' union has now expanded to include nearly all sectors of the Palestinian government, as well as banks and private…

Without salaries since the Hamas government took power in March, and with no sign that they will receive salaries anytime soon, hundreds of Palestinian schoolteachers took to the streets Saturday…

Steve Centanni, a 60-year-old American, and Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand, were freed today after nearly two weeks of being held hostage, apparently having had to 'convert to Islam'…

A group, calling themselves the Holy Jihad Brigades, a faction which was not previously known in Gaza, has threatened to kill the two Fox News journalists kidnapped 9 days ago,…

In a video released today on Al-Jazeera Television, the previously unheard-of "Holy Jihad Brigades" claimed responsibility for the abduction of two foreign reporters in Gaza nine days ago.  The group…

During a meeting Monday evening in the northwestern West Bank city of Tulkarem, attendees from Islamic and National parties issued a call for a unity government. The meeting followed a…

Amid reports that President Abbas and Prime Minister Hannia will be meeting in Gaza today to discuss a national unity government, several prominent Palestinian politicians have spoke out on the…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet on Saturday with his Prime Minister Ismael Haniya in Gaza city to discuss several issues of interest, Palestinian sources reported. Abbas and Haniya will…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that national dialogue will be resumed for a week, in bid to reach an agreement over the national conciliation document presented by the Palestinian prisoners…

Recently, the US cancelled talks in which ministers had been expected to approve urgent measures leading to the payment of Palestinian salaries, including those of the security forces, frozen after…

Fire and smoke rose up from the main roadway in front of Al Quds Open University in Beit Sahour as part of a protest in which the students burned tires…

The number of residents of the occupied Palestinian territories classified as poor more than doubled in the first quarter of 2006, and by one measure more than 70% of the…

The Palestinian Parliament is set to discuss Monday the legality of a Presidential decree issued by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he calls for a public referendum over the…

At about 10am on Saturday morning 2,500 members of the new Fateh security force in Jenin gathered in different parts of the city to march towards the center of town…

The step taken by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which he decided to prolong the national dialogue over the National Agreement Document presented by the Palestinian prisoners. The ultimatum…

The Arab Bank closed two of its branches in Gaza City because it did not want to expose its employees to the anger and frustration of hundreds of employees of…

Palestinian civil servants, who have not been paid since the end of February, have begun to receive their back salary checks, a bank official told reporters Sunday. "Our bank has…

In a step apparently countering the Hamas Special Forces in the Gaza Strip, Fatah deployed its Special Force into the West Bank city of Jenin on Saturday, Palestinian sources reported.…

Nabil Amro, a senior Fatah leader said that the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not visit Gaza if Hamas does remove the new forces deployed in the Gaza strip, Voice…

Al-Quds brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad organization in Palestine strongly dismissed reports saying that the group has approved the document drawn by the Palestinian prisoners which carries…

A member of the Fatah-controlled Palestinian security forces was killed and four others were wounded Thursday, doctors and witnesses said, in the latest factional clashes in the Gaza Strip. The…

Representatives and leaders of different Palestinian factions and religious sects are set to convene on Thursday in Ramallah and Gaza to put an end to the internal conflicts which escalated…

Spokesman of the Palestinian government, Dr. Ghazi Hamad has said that an investigation was underway into Saturday’s attempt to kill the chief of the Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence service in…

A security source in the Palestinian Preventive Security reported on Sunday that an explosive was discovered today on the main road along the route of Director General of Internal Security,…

Palestinian Minister of Interior Sa’eed Siyam announced that the special force the ministry has established will start working in the Palestinian areas today.     Siyam told a press conference…

The Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz on Monday reported an alleged plan by the Islamic Jihad organization in Palestine to assassinate the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Two weeks ago the British…

The Bush administration endorsed a European proposal on Tuesday to increase aid to the Palestinian territories, including money that could pay the salaries of some civil servants working for the…

At least three Palestinians were killed on Monday during a gun battle between members of the rival Hamas and Fatah groups in the Gaza Strip, paramedics said. It was the…

The Jerusalem and Right of Return bloc of the Fateh party won the majority of seats in Bethlehem University’s student council elections today. Fateh won 16 out of 31 seats,…

The Shass right-wing religious party is the second to join the Kadima-Labor coalition to form the Israeli government, yet without a pledge to back Kadima’s unilateral pullout plan, Israeli sources…

Labor party’s negotiating team rejected an offer by the winning party Kadima to get five portfolios if they join a coalition to form the government saying that they want 6-7…

Wednesday, Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, won the biggest number of seats in the Student Council elections in Bir Zeit University, near the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Public Relations…

The Israeli Knesset will be sworn in on Monday marking the start of the 17th Knesset term with 41 new members elected on March 28. The new Knesset will not…

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas did not transfer control over the border crossing points to the Palestinian Government, an informed source at the president’s office said on Sunday. The statement came…

Some armed resistance wings are expanding their efforts from just fighting the Israeli occupation to those who are fighting the Palestinian police and public governmental buildings. Many view the Palestinian…

Palestinian gunmen broke on Saturday into the offices of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, protesting against the delay in the…

Masked Palestinian police sealed off a main road in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis on Saturday and stormed a government building in anger over not receiving salaries…

Rasheed Abu Shbak, head of the Palestinian Preventive Security in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip reported that the Palestinian Authority formed an investigation committee to probe the clashes…

A Palestinian security source reported on Friday night that three Palestinians were killed, twenty others were injured, during an  exchange of fire between fighters of the Popular Resistance Committees and…

The Israeli acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, declared victory in the Israeli elections early Wednesday while his confidants said that Shas and the Pensioners Party would be partner of the…

Hamas adopted a strident tone after its cabinet won approval in the Palestinian parliament, with one Member of Parliament declaring "jihad is our way".  The parliament, dominated by members of…

Kadima, Labor and the Likud parties, the biggest three parties in Israel, are under increasing pressure fearing that the lowest voter turnout in Israel’s electoral history may hinder their political…

On Tuesday morning, the Israelis started casting their ballots to elect 120 members of the seventeenth Knesset. The voting comes amidst a clear statement from the acting Prime Minister, Ehud…

Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip, afraid of losing their means of livelihood and receiving no compensation from the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority, have been unwilling to kill their chickens after…

Four Palestinian Security Men were injured during clashes with members of the Al Aqsa brigades, the armed wing of the Fateh party, in the north and central areas of the…

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) announced Sunday that the faction is still deciding whether to participate in the new Hamas Government. After winning a majority in…

Thousands of Palestinians employed by the Palestinian Authority received on Wednesday their paychecks for the month of February.   The ministry of Finance was 15 days late in providing the…

The Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas allowed until Monday for the Palestinian factions to express readiness to join a Hamas-led coalition to form the government. Hamas secured an absolute majority as…

The Palestinian Parliament disapproved in its first session the decision by the previous parliament to form a constitutional court which has an authority to disolve the council.   64 members…

Dr. Osama Al-Baz, senior advisor of the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday called Israel not set preconditions to resume talks with the Hamas led Palestinian Authority.   Al-Baz added…

Sources at the Palestinian Attorney General office Ahmad Al Mughani said Tuesday that 13 summons were sent to those involved in the corruption scandal revealed earlier this week, Maan News…

An internal investigation on Sunday revealed that over the past several years, $700 million has gone missing from the finances of the Palestinian Authority (PA).The State Comptroller, Ahmed al-Moghani, stated…

In an interview with, Shiekh Yasser Mansour, a Hamas prominent leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council affirmed that the movement has no reservations about opening dialogue with any…

Former Palestinian Authority official denied all accusations of money mismanagement which surfaced in the last several days, Maan News Agency reported.   The former Minister of Civil Affairs, Mohammad Dahlan,…

Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ parliamentary slate in Gaza, declared Wednesday that the new Hamas government will oppose a proposed transfer of authority of Palestinian Authority security forces to…

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission published (CEC), on Sunday, the final results of the Palestinian Legislative Council elections showing Hamas gaining 74 seats. Fateh movement achieved 45 seats. The CEC…

Hamas asked the Palestinian former Finance Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad Friday to be the new Prime Minister replacing Ahmad Qorei who resigned on Thursday morning, the Maan News Agency reported.…

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, announced on Friday that he will ask Hamas to form the new Palestinian government after it swept the parliamentary elections carried on January 25. "Until now…

The Israeli acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said on Thursday evening that a Palestinian Authority led by Hamas cannot be a partner in peace, adding that the world will not…

Dr. Hanna Nasser, chair of the Central Election Commission announced in a press conference in Ramallah the official, but not final results of the parliamentary elections held on Wednesday.  …

Dozens of detainees flooded to a tent in the Negev detention facility to celebrate the victory of one of the detainees who achieved the highest votes in Nablus district. Detainee…

Ismail Haniyya, one of Hamas leaders, said that the movement will not disarm its resistance fighters in spite of the American pressures, and conditions which state that Hamas should either…

Khaled Mashal, one of the senior leaders of Hamas movement, who is based in Syria, phoned the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on Thursday, and told him that Hamas is ready…

In its first reaction to the unexpected victory of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Wednesday’s Palestinian parliamentary elections, the European Union said on Thursday that it would work with…

Latest unofficial results show that Hamas has won 75 out of the 132 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council in the elections held on Wednesday in the West Bank and…

An exit poll conducted by Bir Zeit University on Wednesday showed Fateh party holding a slight lead over the Hamas movement, with 63 seats out of 132-seat Palestinian parliament, Hamas…

The United States reiterated its rejection to hold talks with Hamas despite its participation in the Palestinian Legislative elections. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the USA will not…

Palestinian refugees in Ein Al Hilwa refugee camp in Lebanon expressed their willingness to participate in Palestinian democratic process by conducting symbolic elections. One hundred refugees of different ages participated…

Officials of the leading Fateh party estimated on Wednesday evening that the movement won 46% of the vote in Wednesday’s elections for the legislative council. An official of Fateh movement…

Senior Israeli diplomatic sources reported on Wednesday that even if jailed Fateh leader Marwan Barghouthi were to be elected as the head of the new Palestinian government, the Israeli government…

120 members of the Islamic Jihad movement in Bethlehem announced on Wednesday their resignation from the movement in protest to the movement’s position which rejects the participation in the Palestinian…

At least 1.3 million Palestinians who are eligible voters will elect 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council on Wednesday in the second parliamentary elections ever since the establishment of…

The Palestinian Interior Ministry announced a state of emergency on Tuesday in a bid to ensure a secure and smooth legislative election due on Wednesday, Palestinian sources reported.   Tawfik…

The Central Elections Commission (CEC) announced on Monday evening that polling centers for Palestinian security personnel are now closed after they conducted their voting process. The ballot boxes were closed…