Palestinian civil war news stories on Newser

Al-Qaeda Is Losing Allies Over Muslim Bloodshed

Kevin Spak — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:36:12 CDT

The Muslim world is getting fed up with al-Qaeda, the Los Angeles Times reports, questioning its bloody tactics and ideology. Even former allies are criticizing the group for killing fellow Muslims, relying on suicide bombings, and its occasional hostility toward Palestinian groups. Second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri was concerned enough to attempt...

West Bank Billionaire Launches Third Party

Jonas Oransky — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:27:03 CST

A Palestinian billionaire has started a new party that he hopes will give voters a more pragmatic option to Fatah and Hamas. Minub al-Masri, friend of the late Yasir Arafat, says he launched the Palestine Forum to replace "inexperienced" politicians. But third parties are not unprecedented in Palestine, Newsweek reports—...

Fatah, Hamas Unite for Ramadan

Nick McMaster — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:12:25 CDT

Ramadan this year will mark a brief expression of unity for the rival Palestinian governments of Hamas, in Gaza, and Fatah, in the West Bank. The holy month begins today or tomorrow—and deciding the date can cause tension between factions across the Muslim world, the AP reports. And despite...

Olmert Gets Assist From Barak, Perez

Dustin Lushing — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 10:55:54 CDT

Ehud Olmer's year and a half in office have been a calamity for Israel—the election of Hamas in Palestine, the breakdown of the peace process, the botched war with Hezbollah, the Hamas takeover of Gaza. But the profoundly unpopular PM, whose approval rating sank to 3%, is actually in...

Hamas Brings Peace to Gaza —at Gunpoint

Sam Gale Rosen — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:44:36 CDT

Two weeks of Hamas rule have brought calm to Gaza—beaches are crowded, streets are choked with cars and donkey carts—but it is order delivered at the point of a gun. The Executive Force, Hamas's civil army, has seized control, bringing overwhelming force to bear on drug-dealers and clan...

Isolated Gaza Goes Hungry

Caroline Zimmerman — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:00:00 CDT

Fuel shortages have become familiar, and now food staples like flour and sugar are increasingly hard to come by in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Aid agencies are doing their best to forestall an impending humanitarian crisis, the Globe and Mail reports, but with the main commercial crossing from Israel closed...

Israel to Release 250 Fatah Prisoners

Caroline Zimmerman — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:58:55 CDT

Israel plans to free 250 Fatah members as part of an international push to shore up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Washington Post reports.The announcement came at the close of a summit at a Red Sea resort, where Mideast leaders gathered to talk about dealing with Hamas in the...

Israel Frees Up Palestinian Funds

Caroline Zimmerman — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 16:52:46 CDT

In a show of support for Mahmoud Abbas, Israel will release about half of the tax revenue withheld from the Palestinian government since 2006. The Israeli parliament authorized the unfreezing of some $350 million today, making the release of the rest of the funds contingent on the progress of the...

Egypt Will Host Mideast Summit

Caroline Zimmerman — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 18:21:00 CDT

Alarmed by the Hamas takeover in Gaza, Egypt will host a summit Monday, bringing together the Western-backed Palestinian president and the Israeli PM, along with Jordanian and Egyptian leaders, Reuters reports. The move is a show of support for the moderate Mamoud Abbas-led emergency government, and an effort to isolate...