NEWS: Palestinians are seeking international support for renewed efforts at greater recognition at the UN. Egypt will reportedly reopen its border crossing with Gaza, as Palestinians are stranded waiting to return. Israel is engaged in an unprecedented debate about the prospect of war with Iran. DM Barak is delaying approval of full university status recognition for a school in an Israeli settlement. The Israeli Defense Ministry asks for several billion additional shekels for 2013. An Israeli human rights group calls on authorities to reopen investigations of police misconduct against Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel is moving forward with plans to evict 1500 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank to make way for a military firing range. Palestinians brace for power cuts as Israel's electricity company threatens to cut supplies due to unpaid debts. Palestine opens a consulate in the Dominican Republic. Pres. Morsy is reportedly considering asking for amendments to the peace treaty with Israel, particularly regarding Egyptian sovereignty in the Sinai Peninsula. A Palestinian male ballet dancer is challenging cultural expectations. Israeli diplomats say South Africa's boycott of settlement products, including those from occupied East Jerusalem, amounts to a boycott of Israel itself. Avi Dichter resigns from the Knesset to become Minister of Home Front Defense. Organizations in the United States launch a campaign to prevent Hezbollah and other designated foreign terrorist organizations from using social media such as YouTube and Twitter. Palestinian refugees who fled Syria to Lebanon are mired in a bureaucratic limbo. Palestinians are increasingly concerned about aggressive Israeli moves in “Area C." COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says Palestinian culture should be fairly evaluated. The New York Times says it's irresponsible for Israel to be talking about war with Iran when diplomacy is still viable and ongoing. Avi Issacharoff says Gazans are hoping that Egypt will ease its clampdown on smuggling tunnels. Alex Fishman says the shakeup at the top of the Egyptian military doesn't bode well for relations with Israel. J.J. Goldberg says Pres. Obama should welcome Palestinian moves for UN nonmember observer state status, but with certain conditions. Ben Caspit says Israeli leaders should stop chattering about attacking Iranian nuclear facilities and decide whether to do it or not. Gershom Gorenberg says few Israelis appreciate the true value of the effectiveness of Palestinian security forces in the West Bank. Mohamed Fadel Fahmy says no one really knows what happened in the Sinai attack against Egyptian forces. Aaron David Miller says Israel will continue to have its state but, under the current circumstances, Palestinians, other Arabs and Iran will not allow them to " completely enjoy it."

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