Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad delivers a speech calling for unity, institution building, and an independent state within two years (1) (2). The Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament is released from an Israeli prison after serving the majority of his three year sentence (4). Israel authorizes the building of 300 new homes in an existing West Bank settlement (4) and reportedly is formulating plans to "legalize" 60 homes at a currently unauthorized West Bank outpost (5). The Italian foreign minister urges a halt to Israeli settlement expansion (7), as the U.S. State Department clarifies that a full settlement freeze must include Jerusalem (8). In an op-ed for The Daily Star ATFP Senior Fellow Hussein Ibish urges the creation of a real American coalition for Middle East Peace (10).
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