A Palestinian human rights group says anyone who fires rockets at Israel is deliberately putting civilians in danger. Bernard Avishai says it’s time for an American plan for Mideast peace. Joe Klein looks at Palestinian nonviolence. Harold Meyerson says the Knesset investigation into left-wing NGOs is undemocratic. Israel fears the alternative to Pres. Assad in Syria. Fatah wins in Birzeit University elections. A kidnapped Gaza engineer appears in Israeli court, professes innocence. PM Netanyahu appears on YouTube. Israel arrests four Palestinians in Hebron. Pres. Abbas again threatens to resign. Ari Shavit says Israel must launch a diplomatic preemptive strike at the UN or face recognition of Palestine. Eldad Yaniv says FM Lieberman is a racist who must be stopped. A new poll shows Israeli youth moving further to the right and that 46% want to revoke the rights of Arab citizens. DM Barak says Israel’s new missile defense is “not perfect.” Palestinians arrested by Israel on false charges of rape say they were abused in custody. Colombia promises not to recognize Palestine. PM Fayyad says peaceful resistance is vital. UC Irvine students meet with Hamas leaders. Only 26 senators sign a letter to Sec. Clinton complaining about Palestinian “incitement.” Palestinian leaders lost hope in the US. George Hishmeh says the occupation condemns Israel to international isolation.

March 30th

Facebook removes a page calling for a new Palestinian intifada. Mohammed Dajani Daoudi and Robert Satloff say it’s important that Palestinians learn about the Holocaust. Critics say Israel is undermining its democracy. Neither Hamas nor Israel seem to want a new war. Deputy FM Ayalon says Israel welcomes Arab democracy. Palestinians commemorate land day, and burn photos of FM Lieberman. A Hamas court sentences man to death for treason. One Palestinian is killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza. Israel is considering building an artificial island off the coast of Gaza. An arrested Palestinian calls Israel’s charges against him “a farce.” PM Netanyahu sues some media for libel. Israel makes it clear it supports the continuation of Pres. Assad in power in Syria. Palestinians ask for UN recognition in September. Israeli forces and settlers clash at a West Bank outpost. Analysts say the future of the peace process is ambiguous. Aluf Benn says Netanyahu spends all his time making excuses and avoiding peace. UNSG Ban calls the occupation “morally, politically unsustainable.” Four Palestinians are released after a boy admits lying they raped him. Amos Oz says Israel must talk to Marwan Barghouti. Jews in Arab countries facing unrest decline offers to go to Israel. Hamas believes it’s making progress with Egypt. Newt Gingrich claims the US is run by an “anti-Israel elite.”

March 29th

Israel will decide whether to approve 1500 new settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is on the international back burner. West Bank villagers are subject to DNA tests regarding the murder of the settler family, and dozens are arrested in possible connection to the attack. The PLO is working on constitutional amendments. Israeli tanks accompany bulldozers into Gaza. Israel makes it easier to revoke citizenship from “terrorists.” Israel is considering annexing some West Bank settlements. Palestinian officials say they might give up US aid for national unity. Palestinian groups deny involvement in Syria unrest. Israel arrests 16 Palestinians in Hebron. Israel threatens unilateral actions if the UN recognizes Palestine. Akiva Eldar looks at how Israel can help change Muslim attitudes. Israel’s new security chief says it could have destroyed Hamas in Gaza. A new poll shows 46% of Israelis support settler violence. Gershon Baskin says Palestine is inevitable. David Horovitz says Palestinians can use the UN Gen. Assembly to advance statehood. Barry Rubin says another Israel-Hamas war is inevitable. Karma Nabulsi says Palestinians need new PNC elections. The Jordan Times says Israel is being intransigent. Yossi Alpher says in a period of unrest Israel has a stake in strengthening Palestinian moderates. Samir Abdullah says Arab democratic change is good for the Palestinians. Khaled Abu Toameh asks why Pres. Abbas is pursuing unity with Hamas.

March 28th

Michael Weiss looks at lessons Egypt can learn from PM Fayyad. Israel deploys an anti-rocket system. Pres. Abbas meets with Hamas officials in the West Bank. Jackson Diehl says PM Netanyahu is headed for a showdown with Pres. Obama. An Israeli Labor Party leader says the party may have deserved its fate. Israel is wary about getting into another Gaza war. Occupation forces continue to block off the West Bank town of Beit Ummar. Israel again bulldozes the Palestinian “freedom road” in “Area C.” Israel seeks clarifications from Argentina about a bombing in 1994. Impatient Palestinians look towards Arab change. The PLO executive committee pushes for drafting a constitution. Netanyahu seems popular among Israelis. Two Palestinians are killed in another Israeli air raid on Gaza. Akiva Eldar says Israel is missing an opportunity with the Arab Peace Initiative. Israel is attempting to quash Palestinian popular protests. Carlo Strenger says Israel’s problem is settlements, not J Street. The Israeli right continues to push legislation aimed at left-wing NGOs. A settler is jailed for assaulting a Palestinian minor. Hamas men attack women journalists. Jonathan Schachter and Yoram Schweitzer say the Jerusalem bus attack may not be directly connected to Gaza border violence. Jeff Barak says the last thing Israel needs is another Gaza war. Congress is divided over how to support Israel. Many Gazans think rocket attacks on Israel are way out for Hamas from pressure for national unity with Fatah. A Gaza family finds itself caught between Hamas and Israeli attacks. The Arab News says the plight of the Palestinians remains central to Arab consciousness. Uri Avnery says the Knesset has adopted two obnoxious and racist laws. European diplomats press for a new Middle East peace plan.

March 25th

PM Fayyad says a Palestinian state is in Israel’s interests. Defense Secretary Gates denounces attacks on Israel from Gaza. J Street stirs controversy. Israeli tank shells kill four Palestinians, including three children. The new film Miral narrates the Palestinian experience under occupation. Israel seems wary about another war in Gaza. Aaron David Miller says the Israel-Palestine issue is likely remain on the back burner. Pres. Abbas says Israel and Palestine should have peace, not war. The PA releases detained Islamic Jihad leaders. A new poll shows strong Palestinian support for Mideast changes. The US urges restraint. Analysts say the surge of violence is a result of internal conflict within Hamas. Rockets land deep into Israel. Dan Rather’s news crew is harassed by Israeli security. Israel again destroys a Palestinian-built road in “Area C.” PM Netanyahu says Israel’s response will be measured. Oudeh Basharat says that by Israel banning commemorations of the nakba, the Palestinian narrative has won. Ha’aretz says Israel has little to gain from an escalation with Hamas, but that it may be inevitable. Some Israeli leaders threaten a large-scale operation in Gaza. Egypt reiterates its commitment to the treaty with Israel. Israelis fear Palestinian moves for UN recognition. Gazans continue to live in fear of Israeli attacks. Seth Freedman says the Jerusalem bomb attack will only harm Palestinian interests.

March 24th

Hussein Ibish says Israel and Hamas are again drifting towards a potentially disastrous conflict. A bomb attack on a Jerusalem bus station raises fears of renewed violence. Another Palestinian is injured in Israeli air raids on Gaza. Islamic Jihad complains as Palestinian police arrest two of its operatives in connection to the attack. Pres. Abbas and PM Fayyad strongly condemn the Jerusalem attack. Amid the violence, Defense Secretary Gates calls for peace. PM Netanyahu promises an “aggressive” response. Analysts say the violence is a grave risk to negotiations. Hamas says it seeks calm and stability in Gaza. Abbas will visit Egypt soon. Palestinians hold funerals for eight killed in Israeli attacks. Ha’aretz says another war is not the answer, and that Hamas was probably not responsible for the Jerusalem bombing. Ari Shavit says the occupation is making peace impossible. Analysts say Hamas could not win another war with Israel. Most Israelis don’t see J Street as a threat. Letty Cottin Pogrebin says settlers practice arrogance and apartheid in Hebron. Ephraim Sneh says peace must be permanent, not provisional. The National says Palestinians desperately need national unity talks. Daoud Kuttab says both Israel and Hamas are responsible for the escalation.

Hussein Ibish says Israel and Hamas are again drifting towards a potentially disastrous conflict. A bomb attack on a Jerusalem bus station raises fears of renewed violence. Another Palestinian is injured in Israeli air raids on Gaza. Islamic Jihad complains as Palestinian police arrest two of its operatives in connection to the attack. Pres. Abbas and PM Fayyad strongly condemn the Jerusalem attack. Amid the violence, Defense Secretary Gates calls for peace. PM Netanyahu promises an “aggressive” response. Analysts say the violence is a grave risk to negotiations. Hamas says it seeks calm and stability in Gaza. Abbas will visit Egypt soon. Palestinians hold funerals for eight killed in Israeli attacks. Ha’aretz says another war is not the answer, and that Hamas was probably not responsible for the Jerusalem bombing. Ari Shavit says the occupation is making peace impossible. Analysts say Hamas could not win another war with Israel. Most Israelis don’t see J Street as a threat. Letty Cottin Pogrebin says settlers practice arrogance and apartheid in Hebron. Ephraim Sneh says peace must be permanent, not provisional. The National says Palestinians desperately need national unity talks. Daoud Kuttab says both Israel and Hamas are responsible for the escalation.

March 23rd

Rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel. Four Palestinian civilians and four militants are killed in Israeli airstrikes. PM Fayyad’s five-week period form a cabinet has expired, but he says the process is on hold pending a potential unity government. Hamas calls for a day of mourning and Pres. Abbas calls for a cease-fire. The UN and the Arab League condemn the killing of civilians in Gaza, and PM Netanyahu says he regrets the deaths. Ma'an provides a summary of Gaza border violence in March. Israel passes a law banning mourning its founding. Critics call the new law racist. Sefi Rachlevsky says Israel’s anti-democratic racism must end. Amira Hass says those firing rockets are playing with the lives of Palestinian children. Ha’aretz says a small war is already brewing in Gaza. Palestinians are pushing for new negotiations with Israel. Abbas urges Russia to help restrain Israel. The French FM says that a Palestinian state must be created in 2011. Aluf Benn says Israel is oblivious to the implications of Arab uprisings. The State Department praises the performance of Palestinian security services. Ghassan Khatib says the murder of a settler family was totally unacceptable but does not justify Israel’s policies. Yossi Alpher says the world’s attention is elsewhere and the peace process is even more unlikely to move forward.

March 22nd

Palestinians ask for international protection against Israeli settlers. A Palestinian kidnapped by Israel describes his ordeal. Sarah Palin visits Jerusalem, but not Bethlehem. 21 Palestinians, including at least seven children, are injured in Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Settlers open fire on a Palestinian funeral procession. Israeli forces reenter a Palestinian village in the West Bank. Israel evacuates a building in occupied East Jerusalem claimed by Russia. A UN official accuses Israel of “ethnic cleansing.” Hamas again objects to UN schools in Gaza teaching the Holocaust. Hamas vows to restore order in Gaza, and end attacks on Israel. The Israeli military is investigating left-wing NGOs. Ha’aretz says new legislation threatens both Arabs and Israeli democracy. Akiva Eldar says US actions in Libya make Palestinian statehood more likely. Gershon Baskin says that Pres. Abbas has once again proven he is a man of peace. The UN says both sides need to do more to comply with the Goldstone report. Jesse Rothman and Logan Bayroff explain why they support J Street. Gazans seek to join the “Arab Spring.” Israel begins a diplomatic offensive in Latin America.

March 21st

Mortars are fired from Gaza and shells from Israeli tanks on the border region. Settlers stab a Palestinian near Hebron. The UN says there has been a major increase in Palestinian home demolitions. PLO officials say they may seek UN recognition soon. Israel admits to having kidnapped a missing Palestinian engineer. Analysts say the Hamas attacks on Israel are a political statement. Pro-unity rallies continue in Gaza. Akiva Eldar says PM Netanyahu has provoked Hamas. The leader of J Street is in Israel to lobby against a Knesset investigation, as the military has been investigating left-wing NGOs. A Palestinian says he was stabbed 10 times by Israelis. Israel says Hamas is building more tunnels. Analysts say border clashes show Israel’s deterrence against Hamas is waning. Fabio Fiallo says Arab uprisings may be good for Israel and democracy. Hamas seems to pullback from its invitation to Pres. Abbas. Israel builds a wall around an occupied Lebanese village. A Palestinian youth denied entry into Israel dies in hospital. Abdulateef Al-Mulhim says it would have been better if the Arabs had recognized Israel in 1948.

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