Palestinians

The Palestinians are an Arab national group from the Southern Levant, predominantly the modern State of Israel.

Palestinians are predominantly Sunni Muslims, thought there are a minority of Christian and Shia Palestinians, as well as Druze and Samaritians that identify as Palestinian. There is dispute about when the Palestinian identity coalesced, be it in the post- or pre-war periods, and if it was an internal development or in direct response to the zionist movement.

The war that established Israel between Jewish and Arab forces resulted in a mass displacement of Palestinian Arabs. There is a significant diaspora of Palesitnians, especially in neighbouring Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. 20% of Israeli citizens are Arabs, of which many also identify as Palestinian. Many Diaspora Palesitnians, as well as those from families displaced from beyond the 1948 armistice lines, identify as refugees.

Many Palestinian political movements lay claim to all the land of Israel as the future Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority is one of the pirmary bodies that governs the Palestinians, with varying degrees of control in the West Bank. Palestinians have autonomy in Gaza, which is under the rule of Hamas.

Protests, revolution in Strip cannot succeed while Hamas remains in control, Gazans tell 'Post'

“No one can imagine the level of fear and intimidation Hamas has instilled in people’s hearts since its foundation in 1987,” said one Palestinian from Gaza City.

JUNE 30, 2026|ByDANA BEN-SHIMON

[ILLUSTRATIVE]Palestinians protest to demand an end to war, chanting anti-Hamas slogans, in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip March 26, 2025.

Hamas members look on as they escort members of the Red Cross towards an area within the yellow line, in Gaza City, November 12, 2025.

Hamas maintains full control over Gaza after deterring Palestinian protests - analysis

Hamas, which monitored the campaign and prepared for the protests, stepped up its deterrence efforts, including by publicizing the executions of people suspected of collaborating with Israel.

JUNE 29, 2026|ByAMIR BOHBOT

US President Donald Trump holds a gavel during a signing ceremony at the inaugural meeting of the "Board of Peace" at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on February 19, 2026.

Leaked draft reveals Trump's Gaza Board of Peace seeks total legal immunity, free property - report

The immunities, extending to all BoP members, include "any arrest, detention or legal proceedings in the courts or other entities in Gaza."

JUNE 28, 2026|ByAARON GLICK

Palestinian gunmen from the Balata Brigade of the Fatah movement carry their weapons during a military parade, in Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank, on November 4, 2022.

IDF braces for Gaza riots along Yellow Line on Friday, Fatah uses social media to spread the word

Southern Command is preparing for violent demonstrations along Gaza’s yellow line Friday as Fatah campaigns against Hamas, conditions in the Gaza Strip, and postponed negotiations.

JUNE 26, 2026|ByAMIR BOHBOT

How to influence the Israeli and Palestinian elections for peace - opinion

Israelis and Palestinians will soon be voting almost at the very same time. They should not vote in darkness.

JUNE 25, 2026ByGERSHON BASKIN

Palestinian and Israeli flags overlook Dome of Rock and Western Wall

Are Israeli ‘settlements’ illegal? - opinion

The idea of a “two-state solution,” creating another Palestinian state, in addition to Jordan, is not realistic or practical.

JUNE 23, 2026ByMOSHE DANN

View of the settlement of Sa-Nur in the West Bank, April 19, 2026.

Nearly one million Gazans remain in tents amid extreme summer heat, Norwegian report suggests

The Norwegian Refugee Council notes that it leads “the Shelter Cluster in Palestine, which coordinates humanitarian shelter actors responding to emergency shelter needs in Gaza and the West Bank.”

JUNE 22, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

A wide view shows tents and shelters set up in Gaza on June 10, 2026.

IDF kills two terrorists who threw Molotov cocktails towards Karmei Tzur community

IDF forces then began scanning the area for additional threats, as firefighters work to extinguish fires resulting from the tossed Molotovs and burning tires.

JUNE 22, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF

Israeli security forces operate during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus on June 7, 2026.

Grapevine, June 21, 2026: Peace, a distant dream - opinion

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JUNE 21, 2026ByGREER FAY CASHMAN

Danna Azrieli (8th from left) with Ziv Koren, Noam Horev and former hostages .

Democratic socialist whose Israel criticism ignited Jewish concern leads DC mayoral primary vote

Janeese Lewis George, a DC Council member, had received just over half of the 65% of votes that had been counted by Wednesday morning.

JUNE 17, 2026BySHIRA LI BARTOV/JTA

DC MAYORAL candidate Janeese Lewis George prepares for an interview with members of the news media next to a voting site at the Chevy Chase Community Center during DC’s primary voting day in Washington, DC, US, June 16, 2026.

Tackling terror indoctrination in Palestinian schools key to ending 'Pay-for-Slay,' panelists say

“Why are people terrorists?" Fleur Hassan-Nahoum asked. "Because they're indoctrinated."

JUNE 17, 2026BySAM HALPERN

Children return to school at an establishment run by United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus in the West Bank on August 29, 2018.

'No law, no political program': Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah rival says reforms are a sham

A recent election in the central committee of the ruling Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party sparks accusations of corruption and authoritarianism

JUNE 16, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON

Former Palestinian Authority foreign minister and Palestinian envoy to the United Nations Nasser al-Qudwa, who is related to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (portrait), has been critical of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Palestinian Authority to hold presidential elections in 2027, Mahmoud Abbas says

The report also mentioned that Abbas is expected to issue a decree calling for elections to the PA's legislative council, which are scheduled for November 2026.

JUNE 14, 2026ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the 8th General Conference of Fatah in Ramallah in the West Bank, May 14, 2026.

Anti-Hamas campaign gains momentum as Gaza activists urge residents to take to the streets

Palestinian activists are beginning to speak out against Hamas, asserting that “Hamas is finished” and urging Gaza residents to join the protests set for the end of June.

JUNE 13, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON