West Bank news and stories by mail.com

West Bank

Israeli watchdog rips Netanyahu over settlements
A review of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's settlement policies shows a clear intent to prevent the creation of a viable Palestinian state by ...
Jerusalem barrier spurs illicit building boom
Dozens of apartment towers sprouting up illicitly in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem are creating a fraught new dynamic in the struggle for control ...
Israel's Labor head poised to be Netanyahu gadfly
Just seven years after quitting her job as a high-profile media commentator, the leader of Israel's Labor Party appears to be on track to become head ...
Palestinians: Israel soldiers shoot, kill teen
The Israeli military shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian near the West Bank separation barrier on Tuesday, Palestinians said. The Israeli military ...
Voter turnout push could challenge Israeli leader
With large numbers of Israelis expected to sit out next week's election, centrist activists have launched a last-ditch appeal to get out the vote, ...
Israel investing in disputed West Bank sites
Israel is advancing a plan to invest in places it considers part of its national heritage, including nine West Bank sites, the government said Monday ...
Israel PM vows to proceed with disputed settlement
Israel's prime minister pledged Sunday to move ahead with construction of a new Jewish settlement in a strategic part of the West Bank, speaking just ...
Palestinian protesters evicted from West Bank site
Palestinian protesters who pitched tents at a strategic West Bank site to protest plans to build a Jewish housing project there were evicted early ...
Analysis: Israel left wing sees Jewish state's end
An apocalyptic tone has crept into Israel's hitherto muted election season, with opposition leaders and others sounding increasingly desperate ...
Palestinian killed in Gaza border fence shooting
The Israeli military shot and killed one Palestinian near the border fence with Gaza on Friday, an official in the territory said. The military said ...
Palestinian leader rejects deal on Syria refugees
The Palestinian president said he has rejected a conditional Israeli offer to let Palestinian refugees in war-torn Syria resettle in the West Bank and ...
Israel president warns of new Palestinian uprising
Israel's president has warned that the Palestinians are liable to launch a new uprising if the Jewish state doesn't do more to try to reach a peace ...
Winter storm batters Mideast, 8 dead
The fiercest winter storm to hit the Mideast in years brought a rare foot of snow to Jordan on Wednesday, caused fatal accidents in Lebanon and the ...
State of Palestine name change shows limitations
With U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state in his pocket, President Mahmoud Abbas wants official documents to carry a new emblem: "State of ...
Palestinians change their name following UN bid
The Palestinian president has ordered his government to officially change the name of the Palestinian Authority to "State of Palestine." The move ...
Fatah rally in Gaza looks toward unity with Hamas
Tens of thousands of Fatah supporters rallied in the Hamas stronghold of Gaza on Friday for the first time since they were routed from power in the ...
Israeli undercover raid sets off violent protests
Israeli undercover troops broke into a West Bank apartment building in a failed arrest raid Thursday, igniting a violent protest and signaling that ...
Israel orders Bedouins to leave West Bank area
The Israeli military on Wednesday ordered dozens of Palestinian Bedouins to leave their communities so it could conduct military exercises in a remote ...
Israeli-Palestinian clashes erupt in West Bank
An arrest raid by undercover Israeli soldiers disguised as vegetable vendors ignited rare clashes in the northern West Bank on Tuesday, residents ...
Arab League chief says Palestinians to petition UN
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby said Saturday that two decades of talks with Israel have been "a waste of time" and that Palestinians will soon take ...
Abbas: Israel reduced security cooperation
The Palestinian president has claimed Israel has reduced its security cooperation with Palestinians in the West Bank to protest the successful bid for ...
Unprecedented east Jerusalem building in pipeline
Israel is planning its biggest construction surge in east Jerusalem in decades in a move that critics argue would cement its grip on the contested ...
New Israeli right-wing leader worries Netanyahu
The charismatic new leader of Israel's Jewish religious right is siphoning a large chunk of votes from the prime minister's party, according to polls ...
Pope's Christmas message focuses on Mideast, China
In his Christmas message to the world Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI called for an end to the slaughter in Syria and for more meaningful negotiations ...
Israel to build 942 more homes in east Jerusalem
Israel has advanced the process of building 942 more settler homes in east Jerusalem under a new fast-track plan to tighten its grip on the territory, ...