Reuters reports on the expanding Palestinian security crackdown in the West Bank (2.) Inter Press Service examines the recent remarks by Israeli PM Olmert linking Israel's future existence with the need for a Palestinian state, in the context of preparing the Israeli public for withdrawing from the occupied Palestinian territories (4.) The Associated Press looks at Israel's refusal to include occupied East Jerusalem in its partial settlement freeze as evidenced by the announcement of new settlement construction there (5.) Der Speigel (Germany) analyzes how converting the current opportunity for Israeli-Palestinian peace may depend as much on the neighboring countries as it does on the protagonists themselves (8.) BBC (UK) Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen senses an opportunity for a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian settlement in 2008 despite the many obstacles to achieving one (9.) A Haaretz (Israel) editorial comes out in support of voluntary settler evacuation through the 'compensation for evacuation' Knesset bill (11.) A Jerusalem Post (Israel) opinion by Gershon Baskin examines the likely repercussions of a failure of the post-Annapolis process (12.) An Arab News (Saudi Arabia) opinion by John Whitbeck urges the Palestinians to capitalize on Israeli PM Olmert's statements regarding the necessity of a two-state solution to Israel's survival by attaching a deadline to pursuit of such a solution (14.)