In his first official speech as Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman declares that Israel is not bound to the understandings reached at the 2007 Annapolis Conference (1). A Palestinian man wielding an ax kills an Israeli teenager in the West Bank (2). A series of articles discuss how the new Netanyahu-led Israeli government may handle the peace process (4) (5) (6). The new Israeli government is also warned that a refusal to continue with serious peace negotiations could result in the dissolution of the Palestinian Authority (8). Hamas pledges to continue weapons smuggling into Gaza (11).

Benjamin Netanyahu is sworn in as Israel’s new Prime Minister, (1) (6) along with his coalition government (10) (13), while Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urges international pressure on Netanyahu to continue negotiations towards a peace agreement and a Palestinian state (9). A study released by the United Nations Development Program shows that 70% of Palestinian youth oppose violence as a solution to the conflict with Israel (3). An op-ed in The National stresses the importance of Arab unity in moving peace talks forward (8). Israel’s Knesset heatedly debates alleged misconduct by IDF soldiers (11), while an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle accuses Israel of flouting international law (5).