Over the past month, the United States and Britain have introduced travel bans on extremist Israeli settlers who have been linked to attacks on Palestinians. VOA traveled the West Bank to speak with some of the settlers, who claim they have been the targets of biased media coverage.
From the massive protests against the judicial reform to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 and the Gaza War, the past year has been among the most momentous years in Israel’s history. Life will never be the same for many Israelis and Palestinians.
Growing poverty and hunger on a warming planet, together with new wars, are issues that the UN is powerless to fix. The future of the United Nations in a world where its impact is waning is looked at by VOA correspondent Margaret Besheer.
Christmas celebrations have been scaled back in Nazareth, the town where Christians believe Jesus lived much of his life, in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Business owners say trade has plummeted as tourists and pilgrims have stopped coming because of the war, while Christian leaders told VOA that it is impossible to feel celebratory right now.
Bethlehem usually experiences high season during Christmas and the days leading up to it. This year, however, the Israel-Hamas war forced the Palestinian city in the West Bank to cancel all of its festivities.
For war correspondents, loss and risk are part of the job. As the toll from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine rises, VOA’s Cristina Caicedo Smit talks with two veterans about their experiences and the why they continue to report despite the risks.
A Filipino caregiver and ex-hostage, who had been held captive for nearly seven weeks by Hamas militants in Gaza, arrived home to the Philippines on Monday to a tearful reunion with his family.
The West Bank’s economy is struggling as a result of the war between Israel and Hamas. Just two of the issues are that work licenses for Palestinians employed in Israel have been revoked and Palestinian Authority employees have not received the payment properly in weeks.
The war between Israel and Hamas has upended the lives of foreign health workers at medical facilities in Gaza, including Indonesians working at the Indonesian Hospital located in the northern part of the strip.
In response to allegations that Israel is holding prisoners inhumanely and without charge, Palestinian prisoners’ rights organizations are urging that the Red Cross be granted access to over 4,000 Palestinians who have been arrested since the Israel-Hamas war started on October 7.