Yasser abbas

Europe’s applause for Abbas is failing Palestinian democracy - opinion

As Abbas tightens control, Western governments are applauding a Palestinian political system that has denied elections for 20 years.

|BySAMER SINIJLAWI
Yasser Abbas, member of the Fatah Central Committee, attends the announcement of results of the 8th General Conference of Fatah during a press conference in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 18, 2026.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds a leadership meeting in Ramallah, in the West Bank, April 23, 2025

Palestinian Fatah movement elects new leaders in Lebanon

Fatah held elections in Lebanon as Mahmoud Abbas seeks closer ties with Beirut. The vote highlights Fatah’s influence among Palestinians and hints at post-Abbas dynamics.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian unilateralism

Even if in reality little remains of the Oslo agreements, day-to-day relations between Israel and the Palestinians is still governed by them. The Palestinians have no external borders that they control.

|ByGERSHON BASKIN