Fatah extends its party congress for at least another day, as rival factions remain divided over the issue of a new voting process. While several articles address the challenges facing Fatah's efforts to conciliate the 'old guard' of the party with the reform camp. The Christian Science Monitor looks at how control over East Jerusalem has evolved over time. A former Israeli military commander tells the BBC that Palestinian youths are routinely ill-treated by the IDF while in custody. Special Mideast Envoy George Mitchell reportedly asks the Israeli leadership for commitment to a one year freeze on settlement construction. Controversy continues over the recent evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. Columnists in Israeli and Arab newspapers exchange accusations that the Arab states and Israel respectively are not willing to take steps needed for movement on Middle East peace.
As Fatah convenes its first general congress in 20 years, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas calls for nonviolent resistance and continued commitment to peace negotiations. Thomas Friedman praises the new approach of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Mounting concern over the Israeli eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem leads the US to summon the Israeli ambassador to receive an official US government objection. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers cutting off foreign financial support for Israeli human rights organizations. The Palestinian Authority announces that it will stop sending funds to the Gaza Strip. Settlers in the West Bank claim that an effective settlement freeze has been in place since the beginning of Netanyahu’s government and that no actual construction has been taking place.