West Bank

An Israeli flag on the surrounding wall of the West Bank Jewish settlement of Migdalim near the Palestinian town of Nablus, Oct. 25, 2021.

US places rare visa travel restrictions on Israeli settlers implicated in West Bank violence

It's considered a rare punishment of Israelis by the US and comes as settler violence is on the rise. The World's Marco Werman spoke with Hadar Susskind, president and CEO of Americans for Peace Now, about the history of the settlers and their political influence with current government.

US places rare visa travel restrictions on Israeli settlers implicated in West Bank violence
A video still from an athletic center in Ramallah, in the West Bank, where hundreds of Palestinian workers from the Gaza Strip are stranded.

For Palestinians, the fear of displacement cuts deep

For Palestinians, the fear of displacement cuts deep
Palestinian protesters fly Palestinian flags and flags of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, DFLP, during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance the Jewish settlement of Beit El, background near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The politics of Ireland’s enduring support for Palestinians

The politics of Ireland’s enduring support for Palestinians
Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda speaks at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, in this this Aug. 28, 2018, file photo.

Israel has a stake in Biden administration's decision to lift ICC sanctions

Israel has a stake in Biden administration's decision to lift ICC sanctions
A view of Shuafat refugee camp is seen behind section of Israel's separation barrier in Jerusalem, June 19, 2020.

Why a leading Israeli rights group is calling Israel an 'apartheid' state

Why a leading Israeli rights group is calling Israel an 'apartheid' state
signing ceremony

Palestinians worry about the impact of the Abraham Accords. They say it's time to elect new leaders.

President Donald Trump hosted a signing ceremony on Tuesday with Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The new alliances have left some Palestinians wondering if it’s time for new leadership.

Palestinians worry about the impact of the Abraham Accords. They say it's time to elect new leaders.
Palestinian residents of the village of Fasayil in the Jordan Valley sit together for an afternoon tea break.

Israeli plans for annexation weigh heavily on Jordan Valley residents

Under a United States peace plan unveiled earlier this year, Israel had the US's green light to annex large parts of the West Bank. If that happens, life for the Palestinians and Israeli settlers who live there could get even more complicated.

Israeli plans for annexation weigh heavily on Jordan Valley residents
Mike Pompeo in a suit and face mask in front of a plane and the US and Israeli flags

Pompeo visits Israel; Europe wants a summer travel season; Lebanon counters second virus wave

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Israel, where Iran, China and the annexation of occupied Palestinian territories is on the agenda. Europe is optimistic about a summer travel season. But Lebanon, facing a potential resurgence of the novel coronavirus, has locked down. And Malaysia is applying lessons from its experience with the Nipah virus. In Shanghai, Disneyland is reopened — but pandemic precautions are making their mark on the magical place.

Pompeo visits Israel; Europe wants a summer travel season; Lebanon counters second virus wave
Two visitors are shown standing a one taking a cell phone photo of the Church of the Nativity with bright white light shining from the windows above.

Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace gets a makeover. But will it boost tourism? 

Palestinian officials are hoping that the nearly-completed restoration will boost tourism at a time when the West Bank remains under Israeli occupation, plagued by a political stalemate and hobbled by high unemployment.

Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace gets a makeover. But will it boost tourism? 
Children play with a wheelbarrow.

Legal recognition of West Bank settlements could 'kill off' hope of two-state solution, says former US ambassador

Former US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, spoke with Marco Werman about the US' decision to recognize Israeli settlements in the West Bank as legal. He explains the ramifications this decision could have for peace in the region.

Legal recognition of West Bank settlements could 'kill off' hope of two-state solution, says former US ambassador
A woman stands on the porch of a house

Is Airbnb’s no-profit return to the West Bank ‘whitewashing’ human rights violations?

Airbnb announced plans to delist rentals in the occupied West Bank in November, but was quickly engaged in lawsuits that alleged discrimination. The vacation website has reversed their decision, but is again fielding blowback.

Is Airbnb’s no-profit return to the West Bank ‘whitewashing’ human rights violations?
The white gated entrance to the Am'ari camp.

US cuts funds to Palestinian refugees, leaving many without essential services

“The abolition [of UNRWA] means erasing the existence of the refugee issue. We say to them that we insist on the existence of the agency as long as the issue of refugees is not resolved," says Taha al-Biss, leader of the al-Amari refugee camp in the West Bank.

US cuts funds to Palestinian refugees, leaving many without essential services
A woman is shown talking on the phone next to a red wall and a large sculpture of the Airbnb logo at the company's headquarters in San Francisco, California.

Airbnb to remove listings in Israel's West Bank settlements

Airbnb has announced it will remove listings in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move Israel called a "wretched capitulation" to boycotters and Palestinians hailed as a step toward peace.

Airbnb to remove listings in Israel's West Bank settlements
a bedouin village in israel

Protesters arrive at Bedouin village as Israeli demolition looms

Israel's Supreme Court rejected petitions to prevent the move, siding with the authorities which say the village was built without the required permits. Palestinians say such documents are impossible to obtain.

Protesters arrive at Bedouin village as Israeli demolition looms
A Palestinian woman sits next to bags of flour

UN agency chief says Palestinian refugees can't 'simply be wished away'

Washington's move against UNRWA was the latest in a series of US and Israeli policy decisions that have angered Palestinians and raised international concern.

UN agency chief says Palestinian refugees can't 'simply be wished away'