Topic: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

Syria: rebels fight Palestinian pro-Assad group (+video)

When the revolt against Assad's rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines. But as the civil war deepened, many Palestinians have taken sides.

Israel scrambles Palestinian 'right of return' with Jewish refugee talk

Some 856,000 Middle Eastern Jews fled their home countries after Israel's founding. If Palestinian refugees are to be considered for compensation, these Jews should be, too, Israel argues.

Palestinian comments on Holocaust underscore internal divides

A Palestinian official prompted a heated debate when he visited Auschwitz last month. Many Palestinians believe that recognition of the Holocaust detracts from their own suffering. 

Backchannels Did the Red Cross say there's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza?

Technically, yes. But the Red Cross says chronic shortages create deplorable economic and medical conditions.
07/06/2011 01:39 pm

Backchannels Greece puts halt to Gaza flotilla in a win for Israel

The Greek coastguard escorted a US boat seeking to join the Gaza flotilla back to port and said it will stop all other attempted departures. It looks like a big diplomatic victory for Benjamin Netanyahu.
07/01/2011 06:40 pm

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 06/30

Goldstone Report: Reexamining 5 key findings

The controversial Goldstone Report, the result of a UN fact finding mission following allegations of human rights violations during the 2008 to 2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, is under scrutiny again. In a column published April 1 in The Washington Post, Richard Goldstone, the South African judge who led the mission, retracted one of the most contested findings of the group’s September 2009 report. “If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document,” he wrote. What findings makes this nonbinding UN report such a flashpoint?
04/04/2011 04:51 pm

Palestine papers: More nations floated for Palestinian resettlement

Al Jazeera's release this week of the so-called 'Palestine papers' – a collection of secret documents from the past decade of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations – revealed a US suggestion made in 2008 that Palestinian refugees be permanently resettled in Chile and Argentina. The disclosure was a slap in the face to the many Palestinian refugees and descendants – the UN Relief and Works Agency estimates at least 4.7 million worldwide – hoping to eventually return to what is now Israel. But it wasn't the first time the idea of permanent resettlement has been floated. Here are some of the countries proposed as permanent resettlement locations.
01/25/2011 04:28 pm

Gaza blockade over? Not according to the UN.

The UN's top representative in Gaza says building projects are being delayed because Israel is not allowing the free flow of construction materials into the territory.
12/09/2010 04:20 pm

Hamas-Fatah divide turns the lights out on Gazans

Deep distrust between Hamas and Fatah, which are due for another round of reconciliation talks next week, has led to a dispute over who should pay the electricity bill.
10/28/2010 01:42 pm

Top 5 issues on the table for Israeli-Palestinian talks

These are the five most central issues that Israel and the Palestinian Authority need to address in the latest round of peace talks, which began Sept. 2.
09/02/2010 06:34 pm

Israel's Gaza blockade: Millions of dollars worth of aid piles up in warehouses

As the US ramps up Gaza aid projects worth $140 million, stockpiles of everything from steel pipes to medical needles will take months to clear out after the recent easing of Israel's Gaza blockade. Many items are still being blocked.
08/10/2010 06:17 pm

Summer camps for Gaza children targeted by extremists

Summer camps are being targeted for vandalism in Gaza. Early Monday, two dozen masked men destroyed toys and tents at a UN summer camp for children, in the second such attack in just over a month.
06/28/2010 12:45 pm

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 06/14

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 04/29

Why Gaza's moderates are losing hope

Isolated by Israel and alienated by Hamas, they see little room for constructive lives in a society that is disintegrating.
09/02/2009 01:00 am

In ruins for 18 months, a Palestinian enclave languishes in disrepair

Lebanese officials worry that Gaza has overshadowed efforts to help Palestinian refugees there rebuild from a 2007 battle between the Army and militants.
03/11/2009 01:00 am

New drive for Israel, Hamas cease-fire deal

With no official agreement, Israel's Kadima Party could falter in Tuesday's vote.
02/10/2009 12:00 am

New drive for Israel, Hamas cease-fire deal

With no official agreement, Israel's Kadima Party could falter in Tuesday's vote.
02/09/2009 12:00 am

Letters to the Editor

Readers write about the ripple effect that the US's treatment of its prisoners has on others, erroneous reports from the Middle East, how President Obama is doing so far, and the circumstances that influence green purchases.
02/06/2009 12:00 am

After the war, Gazans seek answers on white phosphorus

Gaza doctors add to the growing number of accounts that suggest Israel used white phosphorus munitions against international norms of war.
02/05/2009 12:00 am

Crux of Gaza cease-fire: border crossings

Israel temporarily closed its crossings into Gaza Tuesday after a soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. After the attack, Israeli forces killed one Palestinian and wounded a senior militant.
01/28/2009 12:00 am

Newest Gaza fight: Who controls reconstruction aid?

Israel and the US don't want rebuilding homes to become rebuilding Hamas.
01/23/2009 12:00 am

In Gaza, a family wonders how to rebuild

01/23/2009 12:00 am

Israel's last surge before a Gaza cease-fire?

The UN headquarters in Gaza was struck by Israeli fire. Fissures are emerging among Israeli civilian and military leaders over how and when to end the campaign.
01/16/2009 12:00 am