Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigns in hopes of paving the way for a national accord government (1) (7) (8). The New York Times reports on how excavation of West Bank land is threatening a peace deal (2). A confidential report by the European Union accuses Israel of illegally annexing East Jerusalem (3). According to an opinion poll released today, Hamas’ popularity among Palestinians has risen since the war in January (4). The Israeli government bans West Bank Palestinians from entering Israel during the three day Jewish holiday of Purim (5).