Topic: West Bank

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As Kerry coaxes Israel toward peace, EU gives hard shove

As Secretary of State Kerry shuttled between the Israelis and Palestinians this week, the EU issued sanctions on Israeli activity in the Palestinian territories.
Palestinians: Israel must agree on borders

Kerry has been shuttling for months in search of a formula to allow resumption of talks for the first time since 2008. Israeli settlements remain at the heart of the deadlock.
Olive Press Arab Idol's victory lap brings rare euphoria to West Bank

A sea of exuberant fans greeted Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf in Ramallah last night as he kicked off a victory tour in the West Bank after winning the Arab Idol singing contest.
Olive Press Behind the wheel with a witness to Israel's history

Professor Meron Medzini guides our reporter along Israel's borders, narrating the challenges and change he has seen since the country's founding.
Opinion The two-state solution for Israel and Palestinians needs a big boost

Those on the extremes of the Palestinian and Israeli conflict don’t see a two-state solution as viable – or preferable. Secretary of State John Kerry and those in the center with practical ideas about how to achieve two peaceful states must strengthen their voices.
Olive Press Home-cooking lures Palestinian expat home

The opportunity to own a restaurant in his homeland brought Mazen Saadeh back to the West Bank, where he is serving food that comes straight from his backyard.
Abbas accepts new Palestinian prime minister's resignation

President Mahmoud Abbas accepted on Sunday the resignation of Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. His quick exit highlights internal divisions in the Palestinian Authority that could upset foreign donors.
Backchannels So long Fayyadism, So long Palestinian Authority?

With a democratic mandate that expired six years ago and an aging old guard around President Mahmoud Abbas, new Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah's attempted resignation is just the latest trouble.
Israel debates branding settler price tag attacks 'terrorism'

So-called price tag attacks on Palestinian property by West Bank settlers and their supporters have surged this year. Israel wonders if it should call the attacks 'terrorism.'
Israeli policy pivot strengthens grasp on East Jerusalem

The Israeli government has backed a property law that could enable seizure of up to 40 percent of the Palestinian private property in Jerusalem.
Can a low-key professor fill the shoes of Washington's West Bank darling?

Salam Fayyad, who resigned as prime minister in April, was renowned internationally for winning donor trust. Rami Hamdallah, head of a West Bank university, is comparatively unknown.
In Israel, a modern wall is halted by ancient terraces

Israel’s high court has issued an injunction against extending the separation barrier through the Palestinian village of Batir, famed for its 2,500-year-old terraces and aqueducts.
Briefing: Palestinian factions agree to reconcile

Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian factions, have put a three-month deadline on efforts to mend their long-standing differences.
Olive Press Palestinian woman with prison legacy feels betrayed by her own

Umm Abdullah, whose husband is on his 14th turn in prison and has been imprisoned herself, is angry with Palestinian officials for cooperating with Israelis to arrest Palestinians.
Boycott of Israel is small for now, but gets higher profile with Hawking

Many celebrities have ignored boycott appeals, such as Elton John, Lady Gaga, Madonna, and Paul McCartney. Some academics say that the impact of the movement has been overstated.
Olive Press Middle East nomads, lost in translation

The language barrier makes it hard for non-Arab tourists to understand the Bedouin lifestyle, but Abdullah Zhaeka's English and Hebrew skills are bridging the gap.
Olive Press A shortage of water, but not hospitality, in the West Bank's fields

Abu Elias, a Jericho farmer, cultivates cucumbers, eggplants, ingenuity, and a good sense of humor.
Kerry makes headway with Middle East peace, but violence flares

Secretary of State John Kerry got an important boost yesterday when the Arab League agreed to soften the terms of their Middle East peace proposal.
Olive Press Dancing around the conflict in Ramallah

Shyrine Ziadeh dreamed of studying ballet abroad, but once she realized how much she could help talented girls in Ramallah, she put aside that dream and opened her own studio.
Outside the camps, Syrian refugees face further hardship

With 74 percent of Syrian refugees living outside camps, life is a daily struggle to find affordable housing, jobs with living wages, and schooling for their children.
Hagel goes to Israel bearing gifts of radar and Ospreys

The US will give Israel advanced radar systems, more powerful missiles, and aircraft never before sold outside the US. Together, they could diminish Israel's sense of threat from Iran.
Olive Press The trials of an Israeli Arab prosecuting Palestinians

Israeli Arab Arin Shaabi's job as a military prosecutor for the Israel Defense Forces puts her in the difficult position of handling the cases of fellow Arabs, earning her hatred from some.
First West Bank marathon highlights barriers to Palestinian movement

Marathoners observed a moment of silence for the victims in the Boston attacks before running a landscape scarred by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In Middle East Kerry pushes for Turkey-Israel rapprochement

Secretary of State John Kerry is in the Middle East exploring options for renewed peace efforts. On Sunday, he urged Turkey and Israel to normalize relations, which broke down after Turks were killed in an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla in 2010.
Olive Press Former Palestinian prisoners once jailed for murder, now dole out dessert

The two men behind one of Gaza's most famous kenafeh shops spent more than decade in Israeli prison for conspiracy to murder and planting bombs.