Israel has one of the largest populations of eligible U.S. voters abroad. Many are expected to vote for the incumbent. Palestinians disfavor Trump, but some Palestinian Americans have avoided voting.
Palestinian politician Saeb Erekat is in critical but stable condition in Hadassah Hospital, where he has been moved after reportedly testing positive for coronavirus earlier this month.
The Palestinian Authority has refused since May to register Palestinian births with Israel, so the infants are blocked from leaving the country, as one Palestinian American family recently learned.
Some religious Jewish settlers are mounting vocal opposition as the prime minister prepares to annex parts of the territory. The wider Israeli public is confused and unenthused by the prospect.
Palestinian leaders have stopped coordinating with Israel on matters of daily Palestinian life, from tax collection to policing and medical care. Some Palestinians see the move as self-defeating.
Violence hasn't ended, but it's barely registering headlines. "The corona doesn't care about religion," says Palestinian cartoonist Safaa Odah. "Doesn't care where you live."
The Trump Mideast plan would recognize Israeli sovereignty over land Palestinians want for a future state, but the administration urged Israel to hold off.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel B. Shapiro warns of "severe ramifications" from the plan. The major problems, he writes, "result from having talked to only one side in the conflict — Israel."
Even before President Trump's peace deal comes to light, an informal arrangement between Israeli and Hamas leaders eased some restrictions on travel and trade out of Gaza.
Lea Tsemel, 75, has lost case after case for decades and has received death threats as a Jew representing Arabs. Her notoriety in Israel has grown since last year's release of a documentary about her.
Evangelicals are emerging as the most reliable U.S. supporters of the Israeli government and as the fastest-growing segment of the Israeli tourism market.
Israel has begun using the technology at its West Bank checkpoints to verify Palestinians' identities as they cross into Israel. The new system means shorter wait times but is drawing criticism.
Gaza has been off-limits to tourists since Hamas took over in 2007. A veteran Palestinian tour guide leads NPR to see the sites, including a palace, a mosque and a bathhouse.
The protests were spurred by the closure of two Palestinian-owned businesses amid a larger government crackdown on Syrian refugees. Palestinians make up about 10% of Lebanon's population.
"We are aiming for a comprehensive solution," Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt tells NPR. "We're prepared to weather criticism from all sides."
The White House unveiled its economic peace proposal for Palestinians on Saturday: $50 billion for Palestinians and countries in the region. It isn't clear who would contribute the funding.
Under Trump administration orders, the U.S. Agency for International Development is readying to lay off most staff on Palestinian projects, according to U.S. government communications reviewed by NPR.
In one of his last campaign moves, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a far-right pledge: If re-elected, he would annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Aaron David Miller argues that the president's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over an area considered occupied territory by most states will undermine Trump's agenda.
Rather than using two separate diplomatic missions to deal with Israelis and Palestinians, the U.S. will now have one. The U.S. diplomatic presence in Jerusalem dates to 1844.
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem long served as a key diplomatic line to the Palestinian Authority. Now the U.S. is downgrading the mission and merging it with the Embassy to Israel.
