Palestinian health workers and medical professionals in Gaza are still struggling to get their hands on the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, after Israeli authorities reportedly blocked the entry of 2,000 doses into the besieged territory, according to Palestinian officials.

With the one year anniversary of the pandemic in Palestine fast approaching, and minuscule numbers of the population getting vaccinated, the COVID-19 situation in Palestine remains bleak, and will likely continue to grow in the coming months.

After weeks of mounting pressure from the international community, Israel announced that it will be giving 5,000 doses of its COVID-19 vaccine supplies to the Palestinian Authority (PA) — an amount so miniscule, that the PA said it “will not help us.”

Palestinian activists in Haifa are demanding the release of Muhannad Abu Ghosh who was taken into custody on Monday and is being denied access to an attorney.

On January 15th Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held this spring and summer, 15 years after he was first elected for what was supposed to be a four-year term. Yumna Patel talks to Palestinians about their thoughts on the vote and many share the same concern — will they be a true chance to make their voices heard, or is it just another facade of democracy on part of the PA?

2020 may have been a devastating year for Palestine, but a closer look would allow us to see it as an opportunity for a whole new Palestinian political discourse.

As part of our wrap-up of 2020 Yumna Patel spoke to Ramallah-based analyst Diana Buttu about one of the biggest stories of 2020 — normalization. Buttu discusses the impact of the normalization deals between Arab countries and Israel, the Palestine Authority’s strategy (or lack thereof) in confronting the threat, and the challenges that lie ahead in 2021.

Earlier this week residents of Hebron staged protests against the Palestinian Authority (PA) over renewed COVID-19 lockdowns across the West Bank, sparking clashes and confrontations between armed civilians and PA security forces.

Dr. Hanan Ashrawi resigned from the PLO, calling for reform within the Palestinian political system. Nada Elia says her call is already being met by the next generation of vibrant Palestinian leaders, but they are far outside the system Ashrawi is looking to revive.

The cash-strapped Palestinian Authority (PA) finally accepted over $1 billion in tax revenues, transferred by Israel on Tuesday. While Israel has refused to release the tax revenues in the past, the PA itself had been refusing to accept the money since May of this year, in protest of Israel’s annexation plans and US President Donald Trump’s “deal of the century.”