Below are daily news feeds from several publications that cover the Middle East. Recommended web sites to check regularly are Ha'aretz.com (an Israeli newspaper) and Maan News (a Palestinian newspaper). BBC News (a British source covering the Middle East. IMEU (Institute for Middle East Understanding) provides a summary of media highlights covering Israel and Palestine. The Jerusalem Post provides an opportunity to read news that generally mirrors Israel's official positions.

  • Institute for Middle East Understanding

    The Institute for Middle East Understanding offers journalists and editors quick access to information about Palestine and the Palestinians.

    • Israeli forces detain 5 Palestinians from Jenin (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 24, 2013 - 01:24:51 AM
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      Israeli forces on Thursday detained at least five Palestinians from the Jenin district after raiding their houses, locals said. Israeli forces raided the Yabad villages and detained Suhail Ali Amarneh, Abed al-Majid Amarneh, and Bara Abed al-Latif Amarneh after raiding their houses. Soldiers handed a notification to Mufleh Ahmad Abu Baker to meet intelligence services, and they raided several houses at the northern and southern areas in the town.
    • Monitoring Palestinian rights provides link between West Bank and Gaza (Amira Hass, Haaretz)
      May 24, 2013 - 01:18:37 AM
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      The report for 2012, published on Tuesday, states that last year, the Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights documented 306 violations in the category of torture and ill-treatment − 172 in the West Bank and 134 in the Gaza Strip. This is a considerable increase over 2011, when 214 cases of ill-treatment and abuse of persons in detention were recorded.
    • Palestine Festival of Literature: History, challenges and impact (Mary Mourad and Mohammed Saad, Ahram Online)
      May 24, 2013 - 01:13:16 AM
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      Ever since its inauguration in 2008, the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest) has faced multiple challenges, while it struggles to "break the cultural siege imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli military occupation." Founded by the internationally bestselling Egyptian author, Ahdaf Soueif, every year, writers, journalists, poets, and activists from various countries around the world arrive to participate in workshops and free public performances throughout Ramallah, Gaza, Nablus, Haifa, Jerusalem and other places. They aim to tell their stories to a wide audience and open their eyes to the challenges lived everyday by the Palestinians living under multiple sieges.
    • Deja vu all over again (Rashid Khalidi, Foreign Policy)
      May 24, 2013 - 01:08:46 AM
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      If the aim is to change the status quo, rather than consecrate it, a radically different approach by the U.S. and others will be necessary. Firstly, there has to be an American willingness to consider the views of other consequential actors where the Palestine issue is concerned. . . After three and a half decades of failed efforts to broker an Israeli-Palestinian settlement, going back to the 1978 Camp David Accords, the United States is no position to insist on monopolizing peacemaking, or to claim that it is the only party qualified to offer constructive proposals.
    • On the al-Dura affair: Israel officially drank the Kool Aid (Larry Derfner, +972)
      May 23, 2013 - 01:29:44 AM
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      In the 13 years since Muhammad al-Dura was killed in an Israeli-Palestinian shootout in Gaza while cowering behind his father, masses of right-wing Jews have eagerly embraced a conspiracy theory of the 12-year-oid boy's killing – that it was staged, a hoax perpetrated by Palestinians to blacken Israel's name. This theory, promoted most avidly by Boston University Prof. Richard Landes and French media analyst Philippe Karsenty, depends on a view of Palestinians being superhumanly clever and fiendish, and a view of reality that comes from the movies. This week, the State of Israel officially joined the movement.
    • Israel cracks down on American travel to West Bank by requiring tourists to obtain military permit (Alex Kane, Mondoweiss)
      May 23, 2013 - 01:23:54 AM
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      Israeli authorities have implemented another way to impede free access to the occupied Palestinian territories for American travelers. Haaretz's Amira Hass reported over the weekend that Israel is now forbidding "tourists from the United States and other countries to enter the territories under Palestinian Authority control without a military entry permit - but it has not explained the application process to them."
    • Israel detains 5 students in Jerusalem (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 23, 2013 - 01:16:37 AM
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      Israeli forces detained five students from a school belonging to an Islamic orphanage after they were accused of attacking a settler in Jerusalem, officials said Wednesday. Headmaster Mazen Jamjoum told Ma'an that Israeli troops raided the school and detained five students between the ages of 13 to 15. Jamjoum says Israeli police told him they were checking surveillance cameras to verify the settler's claims that the students attacked him.
    • Princeton students 'come out' for Palestine to overcome shame attached to issue in U.S. (Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss)
      May 22, 2013 - 01:22:43 AM
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      Beautiful video out of Princeton. A bunch of students from diverse backgrounds "come out for Palestine," so as to remove the stigma that the issue has in the U.S. These students speak of human rights, the end of the occupation and the blockade, and the right of return. Very moving.
    • Israel demolishes 4 homes in East Jerusalem (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 22, 2013 - 01:19:40 AM
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      Israeli forces demolished two residential buildings in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood of East Jerusalem on Tuesday, having earlier destroyed two Palestinian homes in al-Tur. Witnesses said that a large Israeli police force surrounded the buildings in Jabal al-Mukabbir and closed off the area before demolishing the buildings. Since 1967, the Israeli authorities have demolished some 2,000 houses in East Jerusalem.
    • Prisoners who starved for art honored by Gaza show (Joe Catron, The Electronic Intifada )
      May 22, 2013 - 01:14:49 AM
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      For former Palestinian detainee Abdelfattah Abu Jahil, prison art is a victory. "The greatest achievements of the prisoners’ movement were in 1985," Abu Jahil said. "We went on hunger strike to force the Israelis to allow us to make art, among other things. I myself went on hunger strike for 79 days." Today, Abu Jahil, who was finally released from his fourth detention in 2002, continues to make art about detainees and the prisoners’ movement in Gaza.

    • Israeli forces shoot teen near Ramallah (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 22, 2013 - 01:12:28 AM
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      Israeli forces on Tuesday shot and injured a Palestinian teenager in Jalazoun refugee camp near Ramallah, witnesses and the Israeli army said. Witnesses told Ma'an that Atta Sabah, 13, was walking with school friends when Israeli forces opened fire at the group and hit him in the back. Sabah is undergoing surgery at the Palestine Medical Complex in Ramallah.
    • Investigate Israel's killing of US teen, rights group tells Obama (Maureen Clare Murphy, The Electronic Intifada)
      May 21, 2013 - 02:14:00 AM
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      The Center for Constitutional Rights called on US President Barack Obama last week to break his three-year silence over Israels 2009 killing of 18-year-old US citizen Furkan Doan during its siege on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship in international waters. Earlier this year, the Center for Constitutional Rights published 5,000 pages of US government documents related to the killing of the nine humanitarian activists on the Mavi Marmara. The documents show the extent to which the US disregarded the rights and safety of its citizens participating in the humanitarian mission to the besieged Gaza Strip.
    • Palestinian film of love and betrayal breaks new ground at Cannes (Belinda Goldsmith, Reuters)
      May 21, 2013 - 02:09:47 AM
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      A tragic love story between two Palestinians living under Israeli occupation received a standing ovation at the Cannes film festival on Monday and broke new ground as the first film fully funded by the Palestinian cinema industry. "Omar" by director Hany Abu-Assad, known for the 2005 award-winning film "Paradise Now", is a political thriller interwoven with a story of trust and betrayal as two lovers are torn apart by Israel's secret police and Palestinian freedom fighters.
    • Israeli forces demolish 2 houses in East Jerusalem (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 21, 2013 - 02:07:33 AM
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      Israeli forces demolished two houses in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Tur on Tuesday, locals said, leaving seven people homeless. Israeli forces raided two homes owned by the Shalan family early Tuesday and forced them to evacuate the property and take their belongings with them, members of the family told Ma'an. Since 1967, the Israeli authorities have demolished some 2,000 houses in East Jerusalem.
    • Palestinian activists sue Israel for the return of 6,000 books (Vita Bekker, The National)
      May 20, 2013 - 01:13:09 AM
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      In 2011 a revelation by an Israeli researcher that about 6,000 books that had belonged to the Palestinian cultural elite living in West Jerusalem before the 1948 war are languishing in the basement of the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem and marked "abandoned property" caused controversy. Now, Palestinian activists are making a legal bid to get the books back. Palestinian history experts like Mahmoud Yazbak of Israel's Haifa University say their return could significantly shed light on the pre-war Palestinian intellectual awakening that had been centred in Jerusalem.

    • London protest outside UEFA congress to call for cancelation of Israel tournament (Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada)
      May 20, 2013 - 01:06:42 AM
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      On Friday, 24 May, protestors from several European countries will assemble outside UEFA's annual congress to call for the cancelation of Israel as location for the European Under-21 football championship. The European football's governing body awarded Israel the prestigious tournament despite the country’s systematic violation of Palestinians' rights. Geoffrey Lee, coordinator of the Red Card Israeli Racism campaign, stated that UEFA should follow the example of Stephen Hawking, who pulled out of an international conference in Israel because of its treatment of Palestinians. UEFA should "refuse to be part of one of Israel’s window-dressing exercises," he said.
    • Kibbutz residents attack Bedouin village in the Negev (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 20, 2013 - 01:03:59 AM
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      Israelis from a Negev kibbutz attacked a Bedouin village on Sunday, setting fire to a tent, a Ma'an reporter said. Residents from the Kibbutz of Retamim attacked the adjacent Bedouin village of Bir Hadaj and set fire to a tent belonging to Eid Abu Habbak, head of the local village council, Salman Ibin Hamid, told Ma'an. On May 6, an Israeli government committee approved a draft bill setting a framework to implement the evacuation of "unrecognized" villages in the Negev, most of which existed before the state of Israel.
    • Barbara Boxer's visa bill for Israel comes under concerted attack (Alex Kane, Mondoweiss)
      May 19, 2013 - 01:58:11 AM
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      A bill pushed by the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) that critics say would codify Israeli discrimination against American travelers is still on the table. But Palestine solidarity activists and their allies are ramping up their campaign to thwart it. The bill in question is a reciprocal visa waiver program with Israel. But the legislative language would effectively give Israel the go-ahead to continue its practice of pointing to security concerns when it denies Palestinian- or Arab-Americans entry to the country. The U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation and a host of other groups are now making a concerted effort to make sure the proposal doesn't become the law of the land.
    • Settlers attack West Bank farmer twice a week (Jillian Kestler-D'Amours, The Electronic Intifada )
      May 19, 2013 - 01:56:08 AM
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      Makhlouf's home sits on the outskirts of the West Bank village of Asira al-Qibliya, only 500 meters from the illegal Israeli settlement outpost of Shalhevet Farm, an offshoot of the equally illegal settlement of Yitzhar. Makhlouf said that his house was attacked by Israeli settlers at least two times per week and has been vandalized more than 100 times. The windows on Makhlouf's two-story home all have bars on the outside to prevent them from shattering when settlers throw stones.
    • Israeli forces close road linking villages to Ramallah (Ma'an News Agency)
      May 19, 2013 - 01:53:54 AM
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      Israeli forces on Saturday blocked a road between Ramallah and Deir Jarir with cement blocks, witnesses said. The road connects Deir Jarir and neighboring villages to Ramallah and Jericho. Locals said they will be forced to take a long and bumpy detour to Ramallah via Qalandia. The mayor of Deir Jarir, Imad Ulwei, condemned the road's closure as collective punishment in response to peaceful protests.

  • BBC Middle East News

    BBC Middle East News

    • VIDEO: Leaving Egypt for life in Dubai
      May 24, 2013 - 07:46:29 PM
      Amid dismay at Egypt's political direction and pessimism about the state of the economy, thousands of Egyptians are choosing to move abroad.
    • VIDEO: Saudi drivers in 'sidewalk skiing' craze
      May 24, 2013 - 07:21:24 PM
      Motorists in Saudi Arabia have developed a new way of driving cars, which uses only two wheels.
    • Syria opposition ready to negotiate
      May 24, 2013 - 06:56:43 PM
      Syria's main opposition coalition says it is willing to attend an peace conference next month only if President Bashar al-Assad agrees to step down.
    • Iran election: Conservatives dominate narrow field
      May 24, 2013 - 04:27:49 PM
      Iran's voters have little choice as conservatives dominate
    • Chaos and suspicion in Cairo mortuary
      May 24, 2013 - 04:07:08 PM
      The mortuary that symbolises Egypt's post-revolutionary chaos
    • Why are so many Guantanamo inmates from Yemen?
      May 24, 2013 - 01:55:02 PM
      Could Guantanamo's Yemenis soon be released?
    • Thousands protest in Bahrain sit-in
      May 24, 2013 - 10:08:03 AM
      Tens of thousands of Bahrainis participated in a sit-in on Friday in protest at a raid on a senior Shia cleric's home.
    • 'Poor response' to Iraq abuse claims
      May 24, 2013 - 09:16:18 AM
      The UK government's response to claims that British troops abused and unlawfully killed civilians in Iraq is inadequate, the High Court rules, but it stops short of ordering a public inquiry.
    • 'Hard decisions' needed for peace
      May 24, 2013 - 05:46:30 AM
      US Secretary of State John Kerry says "hard decisions" will be needed for peace after two days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
    • Obama defends 'just' drones war
      May 24, 2013 - 04:44:44 AM
      President Obama defends the use of drones as a "just war" of self-defence against deadly militants, and a campaign that has made America safer.
    • VIDEO: Iran election campaign under way
      May 23, 2013 - 11:54:43 PM
      Election campaigning is under way in Iran after the Guardian Council approved eight candidates, all considered conservatives.
    • Iraq's reminder of the worst of times
      May 23, 2013 - 11:26:53 PM
      Iraq appears to be slipping back into mire of sectarian killings
    • VIDEO: 'Iraq affected by Syria crisis'
      May 23, 2013 - 04:32:01 PM
      Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warns his country is in danger of increased violence resulting from the ongoing crisis in Syria.
    • WHO urges sharing over coronavirus
      May 23, 2013 - 04:11:42 PM
      The WHO urges countries with possible cases of novel coronavirus to share information amid concern over patent rights held by commercial labs.
    • Europe's stance on Hezbollah hardens
      May 23, 2013 - 01:25:22 PM
      Hezbollah's support for Assad hardens European attitudes
    • Rafsanjani criticises Iran's leaders
      May 23, 2013 - 04:19:14 AM
      Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani accuses the country's leadership of ignorance after he is barred from running for office, say reports.
    • Refugees 'facing rising dangers'
      May 22, 2013 - 08:35:30 PM
      Amnesty International says the world has become an increasingly dangerous place for refugees and migrants in its annual report.
    • Kerry condemns Hezbollah over Syria
      May 22, 2013 - 03:55:02 PM
      US Secretary of State John Kerry says Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran are perpetuating President Bashar al-Assad's "campaign of terror" in Syria.
    • More centrifuges at Iran plant - UN
      May 22, 2013 - 10:01:54 AM
      The UN's nuclear watchdog says hundreds of advanced centrifuges have been fitted at Iran's Natanz nuclear plant.
    • Profiles: Iran election candidates
      May 22, 2013 - 06:52:24 AM
      Profiles of the eight candidates set to contest Iran's presidential poll
    • Gunmen kill 12 in Baghdad brothel
      May 22, 2013 - 06:47:57 AM
      Gunmen burst into a brothel in eastern Baghdad, killing seven women and five men, in the latest violence in a week of bloodshed in Iraq.
    • Egyptian hostages freed in Sinai
      May 22, 2013 - 05:51:31 AM
      Mohammed Morsi calls for the people of Sinai to give up their arms after seven members of the Egyptian security forces abducted in the region are freed.
    • Israeli court considers landmark property law cases
      May 21, 2013 - 07:40:10 PM
      Landmark ruling could halt Israel's seizure of Palestinian property
    • Tunisia profile
      May 21, 2013 - 03:57:27 AM
      Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Tunisia
    • Iraq country profile
      May 21, 2013 - 03:51:19 AM
      Provides an overview of Iraq, including key events and facts about the home of some of the earliest civilisations
    • Syria profile
      May 21, 2013 - 03:31:15 AM
      Provides an overview of Syria, including key events and facts about this influential Middle Eastern country.
    • Golan Heights profile
      May 21, 2013 - 03:15:29 AM
      Provides an overview of the Golan Heights, including key events and facts about this strategically important Syrian territory occupied by Israel.
    • VIDEO: Will Israel bomb Iran?
      May 20, 2013 - 04:28:31 PM
      Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen explores what might happen if Iran continues with its nuclear programme.
    • VIDEO: Iraqis 'helping fight Syrian holy war'
      May 20, 2013 - 02:38:07 AM
      The BBC has seen evidence that the Syrian regime is getting support from Shia fighters crossing into the country from Iraq.
    • Libya country profile
      May 14, 2013 - 07:59:40 AM
      Provides an overview of Libya, including key events and facts about this major oil producer which was ruled by Colonel Gaddafi for 42 years.
    • Bahrain country profile
      Apr 20, 2013 - 06:57:07 AM
      Provides an overview of Bahrain, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state which has become a financial services centre
    • Morocco country profile - Overview
      Apr 18, 2013 - 04:40:25 AM
      Provides an overview of Morocco, including key events and facts about this mountainous kingdom at the far end of the Maghreb
    • Lebanon profile
      Apr 11, 2013 - 03:31:51 AM
      Provides an overview of Lebanon, including key events and facts about a country which has often been at the centre of Middle Eastern conflicts
    • Iran country profile
      Apr 09, 2013 - 08:18:38 AM
      Provides an overview of Iran, including key events and facts about this country whose supreme leader is an Islamic cleric
    • Jordan profile
      Mar 31, 2013 - 09:38:10 AM
      Provides an overview of Jordan, including key events and facts about this small country in the Middle East.
    • Israel profile
      Mar 17, 2013 - 05:59:13 AM
      Provides an overview of Israel, including key events and facts about the world's only state with a majority Jewish population
    • Sudan country profile
      Mar 14, 2013 - 05:11:06 AM
      Provides an overview, basic information and key events for this African country
    • Palestinian territories profile
      Feb 28, 2013 - 05:22:46 AM
      Provides an overview of the Palestinian territories, including key events and facts
    • Saudi Arabia profile
      Feb 20, 2013 - 09:06:49 AM
      Provides an overview of Saudi Arabia, including key events and facts about the birthplace of Islam
    • United Arab Emirates profile
      Jan 31, 2013 - 05:37:50 AM
      Provides an overview of the United Arab Emirates - known as the UAE - including key events and facts about this federation of seven states.
    • Algeria profile
      Jan 17, 2013 - 01:20:21 AM
      Provides overview, key facts and events, timelines and leader profiles along with current news about Algeria
    • Egypt profile
      Jan 15, 2013 - 04:21:13 AM
      Provides an overview of Egypt, including key events and facts.
    • Kuwait profile
      Dec 11, 2012 - 08:48:29 AM
      Provides an overview of Kuwait, including key events and facts about this oil-rich state.
    • Mauritania country profile
      Nov 25, 2012 - 09:39:51 AM
      Provides an overview, basic information and key events for this oil-producing, mainly desert country in west Africa
    • Yemen profile
      Sep 12, 2012 - 02:43:02 AM
      Provides an overview of Yemen, including key events and facts about one of the poorest countries in the Middle East
    • Oman profile
      Sep 11, 2012 - 03:18:12 AM
      Provides an overview of Oman, including key events and facts about the oldest independent state in the Arab world
    • Qatar country profile
      Jun 14, 2012 - 03:41:17 AM
      Provides an overview of Qatar, including key events and facts about this small country which has become a major oil producer.
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