NEWS: Germans appear to be becoming less reticent to criticize Israel. With international attention now focused on Iran, Israel is moving to expand settlements in the occupied West Bank. Pres. Abbas arrives in Japan on the first stop of an international tour. Palestinian and Israeli officials will meet next week to discuss water issues. Palestinian officials say they are ready to resume negotiations with Israel, but only with a clear frame of reference. In a letter to the New York Times, Israeli Amb. Oren denies that Israel interferes in US elections. The National profiles Sari Nusseibeh and his evolving views on future relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Lacking US leadership, the Israeli-Palestinian peace process appears at an impasse. The one-state agenda is gaining ground in Palestinian public opinion. Jordan may be considering revoking citizenship for some Palestinians, including some PLO and PA officials. COMMENTARY: ATFP praises the release of US aid to the Palestinian people and welcomes the latest statement by the Quartet. Gideon Levy says Israel has become paranoid about pro-Palestinian activists. Patrick Seale says Israel “ urgently needs a voice of reason" like new Kadima leader Mofaz. Sever Plocker says there is a growing gap in perceptions between Jewish Americans and Israel. Zvika Krieger says a two-state solution is still possible and that an evacuation of up to 100,000 settlers is politically possible. The Oman Tribune says it's pointless to try to pursue negotiations until after the next US presidential election. Allison Good looks at the future of Israeli-Lebanese naval cooperation. Michael Zigmond says a settlement boycott is in Israel's interests. Nabeel Shaath says Palestinians remain committed to the1967 borders. Paul Blumenthal looks at the political agenda being promoted in the United States and Israel by gambling billionaire Irving Moskowitz.

NEWS: The Quartet urges an immediate resumption of negotiations and the delivery of pledged aid to the Palestinians. The US will be releasing $147 million in aid to the Palestinians, overriding congressional opposition. Palestinians reiterate their demand for a settlement freeze. Israel says it plans to send its own letter to Pres. Abbas. Palestinians say 3 have been injured in an attack by settlers near Nablus. Another Palestinian prisoner held by Israel begins a hunger strike. MK Tibi threatens a lawsuit against Amb. Oren for suggesting he supports suicide bombing. The Media Line looks at the role of women in the Israeli military. Israel deports a Palestinian man to Gaza even though he faces possible execution there for “collaboration.” The PA blames Hamas for the Palestinian financial crisis. COMMENTARY: Former Pres. Carter says it is vital the world doesn't give up on Middle East peace. The LA Times says Israel declaring Gunter Grass persona non grata because of a poem is the kind of reaction one would have expected from Iran. Anshel Pfeffer says Egypt's major military deployment in Sinai hasn't changed much. Daniel Gordis defends “Jewish tribalism” in Israel. Uri Savir says Israel's go it alone attitude on security won't work anymore. George Hishmeh says a newly released letter by David Ben-Gurion shows he anticipated the need to drive out Palestinians long before the 1948 war. Arron David Miller says it's extremely unlikely a second-term Pres. Obama would choose to heavily pressure Israel. Hanan Ashrawi says Palestinians in Jerusalem need freedom, not Israeli permits. Jerome Segal says Palestinians should pursue the creation of a new UN Special Committee on Palestine. Hussein Ibish says just because he supports peace with Israel based on ending the occupation and creating a Palestinian state doesn't make him a “Zionist.”

NEWS: The Israeli government is scrambling to find ways to recognize "unauthorized" settlement outposts. The mayor of Bethlehem urges Israel not to humiliate vistors to the occupied Palestinian territories, as Israel is preparing to bar the entrance of hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists. Iran says it has arrested several "Israeli-linked mercenaries." Hamas accuses Egypt of blocking Qatari fuel bound for Gaza. An occupation soldier is accused of stealing gold from Palestinians during an Israeli raid in the West Bank. The Israeli military admits it has been barring Palestinian farmers from their lands in a West Bank village. Israel closes the center of the town of al-Ram in the occupied West Bank to traffic. Settlers clash with Israeli security forces. Expectations are low for an upcoming meeting of the MIddle East Quartet. Human rights groups call for a moratorium on executions by Hamas. COMMENTARY: Carl Perkal says Daniel Pipes has written an inexplicable and agressive attack against Palestinian citizens of Israel. Zvi Bar'el says the High Court and B'Tselem are crucial to Israeli democracy. Ha'aretz says Israel should stop public demands for the US to free convicted Israeli spy Pollard. Douglas Bloomfield says Republican candidates cannot reach most Jewish-American voters by grandstanding on Israel. Daniel Bettini says Israel's ban on Günter Grass is cynical and populist, but Daniel Goldhagen says Grass is the cynic. Osama Al Sharif says three letters now circulating sum up the present Palestinian dilema. Lara Friedman says the threats to Israeli democracy are all too real. Rashid Khalidi says plans by the Simon Weisenthal Center to build a "Museum of Tolerance" on the Muslim Mamilla cemetery are an effort to erase Palestinian history in Jerusalem. Benny Morris says the main obstacle to peace is "Palestinian rejectionism," not Israeli settlements.

NEWS: PM Fayyad praises Palestinian nonviolent resistance at a conference on “popular struggle.” Palestinians say Israel has been systematically undermining the two-state solution through settlement activity. Palestinians say a cabinet reshuffle is being delayed until Pres. Abbas completes some international trips. An Israeli court delays a verdict in a civil suit brought by the family of Rachel Corrie. The Knesset is considering a bill to allow itself to override rulings by the Supreme Court. Pres. Peres asks Pres. Obama to release convicted Israeli spy Pollard. Reports suggest the United States may have had a positive reaction to Abbas' letter to PM Netanyahu. Members of Congress say an award by the PA to Helen Thomas may damage US aid prospects. Newly released documents show intensive Canadian efforts to block Palestinian UN membership efforts last year. The New York Times profiles new Kadima leader Mofaz. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz slams the new bill allowing a simple Knesset majority to override Supreme Court decisions, but the Jerusalem Post likes it. Sefi Rachlevsky says the controversy reflects a willingness by the current government to undermine Israeli democracy for its own purposes. Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel say some Israeli officials see the conflict in Syria as boiling down to a struggle between Al Qaeda and Iran. Gershon Baskin says Israel has a strong interest in a robust Palestinian economy. Linda Heard says, rather than adapting to changing region, Israel is becoming more bellicose and intransigent. Khaled Elgindy says it's time for a careful and cautious dialogue between the US and Hamas. Smadar Perry says Israelis are suddenly left hoping Amr Moussa wins the Egyptian presidential election. Hamid Dabashi says by declaring Günter Grass persona non grata, Israel is criminalizing poetry, but Jeffrey Goldberg says Grass trivialized the Holocaust and distorted history.

NEWS: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal says the group intends to capture more Israeli soldiers to win the release of additional Palestinian prisoners. Israel bans German author Günter Grass from entering the country for criticizing its policies. Hamas executes three Palestinians in Gaza. Militants again attack Egypt's gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan. Pres. Abbas says he will seek non-member observer state status for Palestine at the UN if talks with Israel do not resume. PLO official Hanan Ashrawi says she is concerned at recent threats to free speech among Palestinians. A Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank accuses Israeli police of beating him and covering up the evidence. The JTA profiles the political rise and fall of former Kadima leader Tzipi Livni. The World Bank earmarks $55 million for Palestinian development this year. The Israeli military says it's ready for a major invasion of Lebanon in the case of any new conflict with Hezbollah. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood again promises not to tamper with the peace treaty with Israel. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Israel has reacted with hysteria over Günter Grass. Salman Masalha says letting Israeli ex-pats vote from abroad is political manipulation. Anshel Pfeffer looks at Israeli and American policies towards Iran. Harriet Sherwood says PM Netanyahu's relentless support for settlers bodes ill for the peace process. Robert O. Freedman says China is split over continuing its present Middle East policies. Talal Okal says Sinai has been out of control for a long time, and Yoram Meital says the area provides challenges and opportunities for Israel. Richard Stearns says this was another dark Easter for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.

NEWS: Gaza-based militants say they will adhere to the cease-fire as Israel closes borders in anticipation of holy days. Settlers evicted from a home they seized in occupied Hebron vow revenge against Israeli police. Egypt says there is no evidence of an attack on southern Israel from Sinai. Palestinian activists ask Pres. Abbas to investigate attacks on protesters on Land Day. Christians mark Good Friday in the Holy Land. PM Fayyad may be preparing a reshuffle in his cabinet. Israel says it will retaliate against Hamas after any attack from Gaza, and against Hezbollah after any attack from Lebanon, no matter who the perpetrators might be. Israeli security services say they have managed to reduce attacks by settlers against Palestinians. PM Netanyahu is trying to balance appealing to his right-wing supporters and preserving his law-and-order credibility. COMMENTARY: David Keyes says there is a double-standard on Palestinian censorship. James Kirchick says Israel doesn't engage in “pinkwashing.” Don Futterman says he doesn't support a settlement boycott, but he does think it's essential for Jewish Americans to oppose the occupation. Anshel Pfeffer says Iran has insured the survival of the Assad regime in Syria for the foreseeable future. Nathan Guttman says some Israelis fear that a new UN investigation into Israeli settlement activity could turn into another Goldstone Report. The National says apparent Palestinian concessions on the 1967 borders are a sign of desperation. Gideon Levy says the "extreme left" is everyone pushing for a one-state reality and those who enable them. Majed Kayyali says the PLO must be reconstructed to mend Palestinian national divisions. Ben Caspit says Israelis are wrong to rejoice in having marginalized the Palestinian issue. Frida Ghitis says Israel is making small but significant moves towards peace. Israeli Amb. Oren says Israel is a vibrant democracy. David Harris-Gershon says tribalism should play no role in Jewish-American debates on attitudes towards Israeli policies.

NEWS: A rocket fired from Sinai lands in southern Israel. Despite some settler evictions, Israel is pushing forward strongly with settlement expansion. Israel's mayor in Jerusalem sees vast potential for tourism. Palestinian officials condemn new Israeli settlement plans. Palestinian journalists say conditions are deteriorating for a woman being detained for insulting Pres. Abbas. German author Grass says Israel endangers world peace. Israel asks for another $700 million in US military aid. PM Netanyahu is seeking to recognize three additional “unauthorized” settlement outposts. Reports suggest that Khalid Mishal may be the sole candidate for the president of the Hamas political bureau in upcoming closed-door elections. The ICC chief prosecutor says a Palestinian non-member UN observer state could become a member of the Assembly of Parties. Palestinians say settlers are taking over more water sources in the occupied West Bank. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Netanyahu did the right thing in evicting Hebron settlers who seized a Palestinian home. Natasha Mozgovaya interviews Norman Finkelstein. Jonathan Rosen says Israel must decide what kind of country it wants to be irrespective of Palestinians or anybody else. Douglas Bloomfield says Netanyahu may be undercutting his own arguments on Iran by invoking the Holocaust. Noam Marans says churches should not divest from Israel. Yehudah Mirsky says Netanyahu governs by constant ambiguity. Omri Meniv says Kadima is in its death throes. Robert Wright says a two-state solution is quickly becoming impossible. Tom Segev says Grass' poem is more pathetic than anti-Semitic.

NEWS: PM Netanyahu says he really does want a two-state solution because he does not want the emergence of a binational state. Israeli forces are reportedly evicting settlers from a house they seized in occupied Hebron. Hamas is conducting leadership elections. The International Criminal Court rejects a Palestinian request to investigate Israel's actions in Gaza. Two men are shot dead in Gaza. Palestinians say they will be delivering an important letter to Netanyahu next week, but Netanyahu is reportedly preparing one of his own. Human Rights Watch says the PA has arrested a fourth person for negative comments on Facebook, and rights groups say such actions are undermining free speech. Sec.Clinton says a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran is not in anyone's interest. Netanyahu is moving to recognize three more “unauthorized” settlements. A new deal provides more Israeli fuel to Gaza. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are reportedly due to meet in Jordan today. Social issues and the economy ensure a resurgence of support for Pres. Obama among Jewish Americans. COMMENTARY: Tom Friedman says Palestinian nonviolent protests are a good idea but need to be accompanied with a reasonable peace proposal. John Bolton says Israel is not a threat to the US, but Iran is. Zvi Bar'el says Netanyahu is acting like an Iranian “supreme leader.” Ronen Shoval says any Israeli compromise on Jerusalem would mean the end of Zionism. Nathan Jeffay looks at efforts to make Israel's national anthem inclusive of its Arab citizens. Rami Khouri says the US approach to Iran and Israel is undermining its international credibility. Daniel Levy looks at pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel boycott efforts.

NEWS: Palestinian and Israeli officials have met secretly to explore the possibility of more talks. Pres. Abbas says he may file a complaint against Israeli policies, especially on settlements, with international agencies. PM Netanyahu delays the eviction of settlers from a house they seized in occupied Hebron. Occupation authorities are reportedly planning yet another settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Hamas complains that the PA detained 79 of its members in March. Three Palestinian children are killed in a fire started by a candle, and Hamas says Israel is to blame because of the fuel crisis. A Palestinian family loses a court battle over ownership of a historic home in occupied East Jerusalem that was declared "absentee property." The International Red Cross is delivering fuel supplies to Gaza hospitals. An Israeli "reality TV" show is the scene of a controversy about the occupation. Israel's military predicts it would suffer less than 300 casualties in a conflict with Iran. Poems by Mahmoud Darwish will be taught in Arab schools in Israel. COMMENTARY: Alana Newhouse reviews Peter Beinart's new book on Zionism. Moshe Arens says the victory of Shaul Mofaz as new Kadima leader means the era of land-for-peace is dead. Yitzhak Laor says Israel is addicted to settlement activity at its own peril. The Jerusalem Post says Palestinians are being hypocritical on press freedoms. Alick Isaacs says religious communities are crucial for peace. The National says hunger-striking prisoners are winning moral victories against Israel. Bernard Avishai recalls the hostile reaction to his 1985 book, "The Tragedy of Zionism." Aviad Kleinberg says it's surprising that FM Lieberman is so clearly against any attack on Iran. Hussein Ibish says Israeli security can only be ensured through the establishment of a Palestinian state.

NEWS: Israel frees and deports to Gaza a hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner. Land Day protests lead to clashes with Israeli forces, and the death of at least one Palestinian protester. Deputy FM Ayalon says Palestinian protests are “political terrorism,” and an extension of the PLO's “diplomatic terrorism.” Palestinian authorities reportedly detain a woman for criticizing Pres. Abbas on Facebook. A Palestinian man dies from wounds sustained during an Israeli raid on his village last week. PA officials deny that the recent detention of 3 journalists had political or security motivations. Arab states pledge to fund the PA if Israel withholds Palestinian tax revenues. Occupation authorities give Hebron settlers 24 hours to vacate a Palestinian house they seized. Israel arrests 13 Palestinians accused of planning attacks against Israelis. PM Fayyad meets with Quartet representative Blair. Palestinian Christians have difficulty accessing Jerusalem on holy days. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says the West must support universal values in Palestine and the rest of the Middle East. Dennis Ross and David Makovsky say the US and Israel can find a common policy on Iran. Ha'aretz says Israel must cleanse its soccer scene of racism. Akiva Eldar says Jerusalem must be the capital of both Israel and Palestine. Jay Michaelson says J Street and other liberals need to reach out to working-class Israelis. The Forward says neither AIPAC nor J Street speak for Israel. Abdullah Iskandar says Hamas has only one real policy: keeping power in Gaza. Barbara Slavin interviews Peter Beinart. Lara Friedman says Israel may be thriving, but it's status as a “Jewish and democratic” state is in grave peril. Amira Hass says it's outrageous that a Palestinian journalist would be jailed for writing about alleged corruption in the PLO mission in Paris. Nagham Issa looks at how the Syrian uprising is changing attitudes in Palestinian refugee camps. Peter Beinart says even if he wins a second term, Pres. Obama won't pressure Israel.