The Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party and its affiliates sweep council vote.

Local elections are one of the few ways for Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights.

But this weekend’s vote appears to have diluted that.

No ballots were cast in Ramallah and Nablus because there weren’t enough candidates.

Turnout was 25 percent in Deir el-Balah, the only area in Gaza where voting happened.

Most candidates were from the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah party and its affiliates.

The Palestinian Authority says the elections were for Palestinian unity. Will the vote achieve that aim?

And will it make any difference to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation and violence?

Jalal Abukhater – Policy manager at 7amleh: The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Xavier Abu Eid – Political analyst and former communications director for the Palestine Liberation Organization

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/inside-story/2026/4/27/will-vote-make-a-difference-to-palestinians-under-israeli-occupation?traffic_source=rss

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed democrats for promoting the rhetoric which fuels what she described as “cult of hatred” against US President Donald Trump following the shooting that took place at the correspondents’ dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/4/27/leavitt-blames-democrats-for-cult-of-hatred-against-trump?traffic_source=rss

Rights groups have described the move as a “blatant abuse of power”.

Bahrain has stripped dozens of people of their citizenship for allegedly supporting Iranian attacks on the country.

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that it had revoked the citizenship of 69 people, some of whom were related, after accusing them of sympathising with Iran and “colluding with foreign entities”. The move comes after Tehran carried out strikes on facilities in Bahrain as part of the war launched against Iran by Israel and the United States.

The directive, issued by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, stated that all 69 people were “of non-Bahraini origin”. Under Bahraini law, a person can be stripped of citizenship if they are deemed to have caused harm to the country or shown disloyalty.

The London-based Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy described the move as “dangerous” and a clear violation of international law.

The organisation said the individuals had not been publicly identified, and it remained unclear whether they had been arrested, whether they were inside or outside Bahrain, and whether they held another nationality.

Tehran began striking its Gulf neighbours on February 28, shortly after Israel and the United States began the war by launching attacks on Iran.

Tehran accused the targeted countries of allowing the US to conduct its strikes from their territory. Iran’s retaliatory attacks reportedly caused significant damage to US military sites across the region, including a Navy base in Bahrain, which was hit by missiles and drones.

Iran ceased its attacks on Gulf neighbours on April 9, following the introduction of a ceasefire brokered by Pakistan. Negotiations to permanently end the war are ongoing three weeks later.

Bahrain’s Shia population has long accused authorities of marginalising them. During the Arab Spring in 2011, mass protests against the country’s leadership broke out. The Bahraini government has long blamed Iran for fomenting unrest against it.

📰 மூல செய்தி (Source): https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/27/bahrain-strips-69-people-of-citizenship-over-iran-support?traffic_source=rss