April 5th

Prominent Israelis say they will propose a new peace plan. Israel charges a Palestinian engineer on multiple counts. Aaron David Miller suggests a way for the US to reinvigorate Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. A noted Palestinian-Israeli actor is murdered in Jenin and the PA has arrested a suspect. Richard Cohen says the Goldstone Report was always a rush to judgment, the CSM looks at its findings, the UN Human Rights council says it stands by it, and Kenneth Roth says Israel’s conduct in the war was still inexcusable. The LA Times says Goldstone’s explanations are unconvincing, but J Street welcomes them. Israeli troops kill a Palestinian man near the Gaza border. Fatah is investigating possible arms shipments to Libya. Fatah and Hamas members may have met secretly in Gaza last week. Merav Michaeli says Israel is confusing victimhood with foreign policy. Moshe Arens says more Mideast democracy will benefit Israel. DM Barak approves more West Bank settlement plans, but settlers are angry that Itamar is not included. The PLO says Israel is using international unrest to abandon the two-state solution. Israeli officials warn of more violence with Palestinians. Gershon Baskin says Israelis can and will support peace. Dennis Ross says unrest means Israel needs more security guarantees. Ghassan Khatib says the parties must go back to the international legal basics of peace. Yossi Alpher urges the Palestinians not to seek UN recognition of statehood before a deal with Israel.

April 4th

Israelis are concerned the UN may move to recognize Palestine this year. Hamas says it will seek revenge for the killing of three of its cadres in an Israeli airstrike. Judge Goldstone reconsiders his report on the Gaza war. Israel welcomes his statement, but Palestinians say he caved under pressure. An Israeli commander calls the death of Rachel Corrie “an accident.” The UN says the Israeli destruction of Palestinian homes continues to increase. The first woman leader of a Palestinian political party is elected. Israel tells its citizens to leave the Sinai. Israel launches a counter-cyber terrorism unit. Ha’aretz says another Gaza war is getting closer, and looks at PM Fayyad’s Land Day state-building activities. The Israeli government approves more West Bank settlement expansion. The Israeli military says it will have to do more real-time documenting of its activities. An Israeli university report says there is a danger of it turning into a religious state. Gaza militants declare their “truce” with Israel over. Aluf Benn says whatever his re-considerations, the Goldstone Report has changed Israel’s behavior. The National says Goldstone has not cleared Israel of civilian deaths. Tony Karon says Pres. Obama’s multilateral Libya policy has serious implications for Israel. Hussein Ibish says all parties stand to gain from normalization between the Arab states and Israel in the context of a two-state solution.

April 1st

A Gaza engineer says Israel has kidnapped him from the Ukraine, and the Palestinian ambassador urges intervention. Hamas says he is not a member of the organization. Uri Dromi says there's no need for Israel to outlaw commemorations of the Nakba. Shibley Telhami says he's hopeful for Israeli-Palestinian progress. Pres. Abbas reportedly helps free Al Jazeera journalists captured in Libya. Israel will allow more exports from Gaza. Abbas calls for a settlement freeze to allow for resumed negotiations. Israel repeats its threats to take unilateral actions in the event of UN or EU recognition of Palestine. Israel pressures Russia to help thwart European recognition of Palestine. Carlo Strenger says Israel's youth no longer values peace and freedom. Israel's Defense Ministry is ordered to release documents on its Gaza policies. A New York court says it has jurisdiction in cases filed against the PLO. Palestinians yearn for national unity. The Jerusalem Post says Israel is not a fascist state. The Israeli military prepares for multi-front conflicts. A poll suggests that 43% of Jewish Israelis are satisfied with PM Netanyahu's performance. Pres. Peres says Israel welcomes Arab uprisings. Gaza journalists accuse Hamas of harassment. Donald Rumsfeld opposes clemency for Jonathan Pollard. Yossi Alpher says the “Arab Spring” is a source of uncertainty. The National says Israel's new citizenship revocation law is a slide towards fascism. George Hishmeh says Netanyahu is digging his own political grave.

March 31st

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.

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017