U.S. Secretary of State Clinton pledges $300 million in aid for Gaza at the international donors conference being held today in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt (1) (2), while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warns the conference that reconstruction and aid funds alone are insufficient without a political solution (4) (5). In an op-ed for the Gulf News, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon pledges to pursue a lasting peace for Palestine and Israel (9). The Israeli NGO Peace Now reports that Israel is planning to build 73,300 new housing units for settlers in the West Bank (10), a move which would significantly expand the size of the settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories (14).