ATFP Board Member Daoud Kuttab explains the ongoing centrality of the occupation to Palestinian lives and thinking (1). Disputes emerge among Hamas leaders (2), while the PA contemplates elections in the West Bank only if Hamas blocks them in Gaza (7). Reports suggest economic growth in the West Bank (5) and growing distress in Gaza (6). A UN official compares the Israeli occupation to apartheid in South Africa (4), while Israeli soldiers are again caught on tape abusing Palestinian civilians (3).