Cities worldwide hold subdued Christmas Eve celebrations amid conflicts

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem marked another somber Christmas Eve on Tuesday in the traditional birthplace of Jesus under the shadow of war in Gaza. The cheer that typically descends on the West Bank during Christmas week were nowhere to be found. The festive lights and...

Middle East latest: Israeli raid and airstrikes in West Bank kill at least 8 Palestinians

At least eight people were killed by Israeli military operations in the northern West Bank around the city of Tulkarem on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, including three people it said were killed by Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military said it opened fire after...

Bethlehem plans another somber Christmas under the shadow of war in Gaza

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The Nativity Store in Manger Square has sold handmade olive wood carvings and religious items to people visiting the traditional birthplace of Jesus since 1927. But as Bethlehem prepares to mark its second Christmas under the shadow of the war in Gaza, there are almost...

Palestinian security forces launch a rare crackdown on militants in the West Bank

JENIN, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian security forces have launched a rare crackdown against local militant groups in the northern West Bank, sending in armored cars and engaging in fierce gunbattles that have killed at least two people in the volatile area. The raid marks an unusual...

US sanctions group that builds illegal West Bank settlements, with close ties to Israeli government

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Monday imposed sanctions on organizations and firms involved in illegal settlement development in the occupied West Bank, including a well-established decades-old group that has close ties with Israeli leadership. Treasury sanctioned Amana, the largest...

Israel's West Bank settlers hope Trump's return will pave the way for major settlement expansion

BEIT EL, West Bank (AP) — As Donald Trump’s victory became apparent in last week's U.S. elections, Jewish West Bank settlement advocates popped bottles of champagne and danced to the Bee Gees at a winery in the heart of the occupied territory, according to a post on Instagram. The winery said...

Relatives say a whole family was killed in Israel's deadliest West Bank strike since Oct. 7

TULKAREM, West Bank (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a West Bank cafe that the military said targeted Palestinian militants also killed a family of four, including two young children, relatives told The Associated Press on Friday. The strike slammed into a three-story building in the...

Palestinian Health Ministry says 14 people killed in an Israeli strike in refugee camp in West Bank

Palestinians in West Bank risk crossing Israel's separation barrier to flee failing economy

YATTA, West Bank (AP) — At dawn in mid-May, Sayyed Ayyed and dozens of other unemployed Palestinian men gathered at the foot of the towering wall of concrete and barbed wire dividing the occupied West Bank from Israel. A smuggler was there with a ladder and ropes. Each man handed...

US sanctions extremist West Bank settler group for violence against Palestinians

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on Hilltop Youth, a group of extremist settlers in the Israeli -occupied West Bank who attack Palestinians and their property. In addition, the State Department placed diplomatic sanctions on two men—Israeli settler Eitan...