Topic: Palestinian National Authority

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Who is Hamas? 5 questions about the Palestinian militant group.

The Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to form a unity government led by Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority and head of rival Palestinian faction Fatah. But who is Hamas? What is their relationship with Fatah, and what might Hamas gain from reconciling with them? Here are five key questions about Hamas.
Palestinian UNESCO membership: What it means for 4 key players
What are the Israeli-Palestinian peace talk preconditions?
Palestinian statehood: why Arabs have turned on Obama
Obama's speech: Five ways Netanyahu can respond

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Merkel meets Netanyahu as Israel and Germany hit rocky patch

Germany's abstention from the UN vote on the status of the Palestinian Authority angered Israel and raised questions about whether Germany's once almost unconditional support is changing.
Focus Analysis: For Hamas, a validation

Armed resistance to Israel wins Hamas friends in the streets and among Arab neighbors.
Focus Analysis: Positions remain entrenched after Gaza conflict

Neither Israel nor Hamas has budged on long-held principles that make coexistence difficult and the prospects for lasting peace remote.
Terrorism & Security Has Israel's settlement expansion crossed a 'red line'? (+video)

Both Britain and France have summoned Israel's ambassadors to protest plans to expand construction in East Jerusalem, while some say more serious action like economic reprisals are possible.
Pushback: Israel withholds Palestinian revenue, approves new settlements

The Israeli moves came in response to the Palestinians’ successful bid to be recognized at the United Nations as a state.
U.N. votes to upgrade Palestine's status

In a vote at the United Nations in New York on Thursday, the body granted Palestine the title of "non-member observer state". Palestinians celebrated the outcome, while the United States and Israel denounced it.
Palestinians win upgrade to 'state ' at UN. What does that change? (+video)

The UN General Assembly's 138-to-9 vote officially put 'Palestine' together with 'state' for the first time. But it appeared to offer little practical change. Even Palestinians called it part of a 'process.'
Europeans bolster Palestinian bid at the UN (+video)

Support from the Europeans for Palestinian non-member 'state' status may derive partly from concern that Palestinians would view missiles, not diplomacy, as the way to sway Israel.
Opinion: US support for Mahmoud Abbas's UN bid for Palestine could save two-state solution (+video)

Mahmoud Abbas hopes to save his legacy with a bid to have the UN effectively recognize a state of Palestine. Opposition from the US and Israel is self-defeating, as the collapse of Abbas's leadership would also spell the end of a two-state solution, as well as its greatest champion.
Backchannels Who backs Palestine UN bid? Ehud Olmert, among others (+video)

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert came out strongly in support of Palestine being given "observer state" status at the UN tomorrow.
Palestinians push for elevated UN status: Did Gaza conflict help?

Some nations are warming to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's bid for enhanced UN status. After the Gaza conflict, they see the moderate Abbas as a counterweight to Hamas.
Backchannels How lonely must it be to be Mahmoud Abbas?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is losing support at home as Hamas' star rises. While he's trying to regain relevance with a UN bid this week, the US and Israel are working against him.
Tentative ceasefire agreed between Hamas and Israel

A ground war may have been averted thanks to US pressure and Egyptian diplomacy. But how long the Gaza Strip ceasefire between Hamas and Israel will last is the question.
Opinion: How to make a Hamas, Israel ceasefire in Gaza stick

Contrary to Hamas reports, Israel claims there is no ceasefire deal for the Gaza conflict. But US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is en route to Jerusalem, and an agreement appears to be in the making. Making it stick will require regional commitment.
West Bank Palestinians cheer on their Gaza counterparts

Palestinians in the West Bank have staged solidarity marches, praising Gaza's rocket strikes on Israel and calling for an end to the diplomacy track with Israel – an indirect blow to President Mahmoud Abbas.
Opinion: Israel should rethink its strategy against Hamas in Gaza

Israel has dealt with Hamas through a policy of isolation and military containment. The recent escalation of violence in Gaza calls for a reconsideration of this strategy. Israel’s military response only offers a temporary palliative against a broader, inherently political problem.
Backchannels For both Hamas and Israel, there are reasons to escalate (+video)

For Hamas, a fear that capitulation will hurt their standing more than defiance. For Israel, it's a question of making good on public threats.
Opinion: In shifting sands of Middle East, who will lead? (+ video)

Leadership in the Middle East is up for grabs as the Syrian war intensifies, the Arab Spring changes regional power dynamics, and Israel's airstrikes and Hamas rockets again roil Gaza. Last year, Turkey was the assumed role model for the region. But it has fallen down on the job.
Backchannels For Israel, costs and benefits of striking Gaza

Israel assassinated a senior Hamas militant, Ahmed Jabari, today. How much further will the Gaza strikes go?
Focus How water could bring Israelis, Palestinians together

A sole joint committee between Israelis and Palestinians survives 17 years after the Oslo Accords: the one on water.
Palestinian Authority unable to pay salaries, even as it pursues statehood

The Palestinian drive for non-member state status at the UN could trigger Israeli economic retaliation that would end the viability of the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian elections: Despite Hamas boycott, Fatah fares poorly

The results announced today add to mounting concerns that Fatah – and the broader Palestinian leadership – is losing its legitimacy.
Israel's Netanyahu banks on tough guy image to win early elections

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is campaigning in early elections, announced today for January, as the candidate with a proven record of keeping Israelis safe in turbulent times.
Hamas election boycott leaves West Bank Palestinians with only one choice

Campaigning begins today for West Bank local elections this month. Hamas might have done well in some cities, like Nablus, but its boycott means rival Fatah is already the de facto winner.
Change Agent One solution to Palestine's economic problems? Export bits and bytes

The technology sector, which simply requires an Internet connection, is free of the border restraints that most other Palestinian industries experience.