Israeli Affairs Program News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

More than six months in, the war in Gaza seems to have no end in sight, even as conditions on the ground for Palestinian civilians have grown catastrophic. Tensions have steadily risen all across the region since Israel invaded the Gaza Strip following Hamas’ horrific Oct. 7 attack. The Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah exchange fire along the Israeli-Lebanese border on a near-daily basis, killing dozens of civilians and raising fears that a northern front could open at any time.

The Middle East Institute (MEI) hosted an on-the-record briefing on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, featuring MEI Senior Fellow and Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program director Khaled Elgindy, and Rula Jebreal, a Palestinian journalist and foreign policy analyst. The briefing delved into the political challenges facing the Palestinian leadership and the evolving public sentiment among Palestinians over who should engage in the post-war political process.

Mona Shtaya is the Campaigns and Partnerships Manager (MENA) and Corporate Engagement Lead at Digital Actions. She is also a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) focusing on surveillance and digital rights in the MENA region. Additionally, she’s a Non-Resident Scholar in the Middle East Institute’s Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program.

"The quest for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East has always enjoyed a lot of political support in Norway," Norwegian Nobel Institute Director Olav Njølstad told Newsweek.

Journalists and digital rights advocates have long drawn attention to the unequal access and experience of Palestinians and Palestinian narratives on social media platforms, with repeated reports of unjustified takedowns, account suspensions, and censorship of certain types of content online regularly reported. In the midst of a new wave of violence and conflict in Gaza and the Palestinian Occupied Territories this month, the topic of free speech online, and the role of social media in meditating the Israel-Palestine relationship, has begun to gain more international attention.