In addition to state building and diplomacy, the PA increasingly backs nonviolent protests against the occupation. David Ignatius says Pres. Obama is "seriously considering" issuing a US peace plan, and Rami Khoury says the US must clarify its position. Palestinians say US efforts to influence Israeli policy have met with a "dead end." A projectile fired by Gaza militants injures 5 Palestinians. The PA will license a third mobile provider. Israel seizes land for a checkpoint near a highway that will now be open to Palestinians. FM Lieberman warns Palestinians not to declare statehood. PM Fayyad says municipal elections will pave the way for presidential and legislative ones. Settlers push to evict more Palestinian families. Israel admits to illegally removing large amounts of money from the occupied territories. Due to a dispute with DM Barak, the IDF Chief of Staff will not be reappointed. A YNet commentary asks what Israel is doing to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and another says a deal on Jerusalem should be prioritized. David Newman says Israel should not link the restoration of the Hurva synagogue to broader ambitions in Jerusalem. Schmuley Boteach is appalled that Jewish Americans, especially in Congress, are siding with Pres. Obama. Palestinians say the recent shipment of clothes to Gaza has been ruined by storage.

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