In lengthy meetings with PM Netanyahu, Sec. Clinton is attempting to restart peace negotiations and may be offering security inducements. Former PM Sharon, still in a coma, is being moved home. Pres. Abbas tells Israelis peace is more important settlements. The Fatah official who has been conducting them says talks with Hamas are pointless. Palestinians commemorate the death of Pres. Arafat. A Palestinian man had been arrested in the West Bank for blasphemy. Ha'aretz says Netanyahu used his US trip to embarrass Pres. Obama, and that a split within Fatah further threatens Palestinian unity. Israeli bureaucracy causes chaos at checkpoints. Kadima leader Livni calls the Netanyahu Cabinet “schizophrenic.” A senior Republican expresses concern about aid to the Palestinians. David Horovitz says the settlement issue has trapped all parties. George Hishmeh says Obama can still achieve peace. Ezzedine Choukri Fishere says the Arab Peace Initiative is still important, Marwan Muasher calls it not only relevant but desirable, Amre Moussa says the Arab League is still committed to it and Nabeel Shaath looks at its genesis, development and present status.

The US continues to work on resuming peace negotiations and extends $150 million in new aid to the PA. The LA Times says Israeli settlement construction must stop. The CSM looks at why PM Netanyahu has restarted the settlement controversy. Time Magazine says Egyptian intelligence helped Israel assassinate a Palestinian extremist. Senator Kerry says Israel may extend the settlement freeze, but FM Lieberman says it won't. Palestinians in the West Bank commemorate the late Pres. Arafat, but Hamas bans and breaks up commemorations in Gaza. Despite a PA ban, Palestinians continue to work on building settlements. Sec. Clinton warns against unilateral steps. Fatah-Hamas dialogue ends without progress. Lieberman says there is no point in negotiating with Syria. Larry Derfner says Israel is wrong about religious sites in the West Bank. The UN says the easing of the blockade has not improved conditions in Gaza. With diplomatic deadlock, Palestinian citizens of Israel become more significant players. The Forward critiques PM Netanyahu's rhetoric on Jerusalem. The National says it's time for the US to show it's an honest broker. Elias Harfoush says Arab states that didn't respond to Pres. Obama's initiatives helped strengthen Netanyahu. The Arab News says Muslims want action on Palestine, not find words, from Obama.

The US and Israel spar over settlement expansion plans, which PM Netanyahu says are completely unrelated to peace, but Ha'aretz calls a pointless provocation. Robert Danin says Israel needs a vision for peace. Israel's easing of the blockade hurts some Gaza businesses. Occupation forces raid a Palestinian town. Palestinians say it's time to recognize their state. Artifacts keep the narrative of Pres. Arafat alive. Israel arrests a Hamas official in the West Bank. The Knesset is set to deny former MK Azmi Bishara's pension. An Israeli paper claims the PA has de facto control in Palestinian areas of occupied East Jerusalem. Kadima leader Tzipi Livni says a two-state solution is the only way to keep Israel Jewish and democratic. Another imam is arrested in Israel for incitement. Desperate Gazans seek work in the dangerous ³buffer zone.² Jonathan Cook says Israel's tactics are uniting Palestinians. Hussein Shobokshi decries the international double standard on Israel's nuclear weapons. Osama Al Sharif says Pres. Obama's midterm defeat is bad news for peace.

Israel plans 1,300 new settlement units in sensitive areas of occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, prompting US and Palestinian protests. Daniel Seidemann and Lara Friendman say PM Netanyahu must have approved the plans. Doyle McManus and Yossi Alpher both think Pres. Obama might now emphasize foreign policy goals. UNSG Ban calls for renewed peace efforts. The PA says Shin Bet officers met with Hamas officials. Israel continues to quarrel with the UN over religious sites in the occupied territories. Hamas bans a commemoration of the late Pres. Arafat in Gaza. Jesse Rosenfeld says extremist settlers are now targeting Israeli citizens. Linda Heard says Israel¹s intransigence is suicidal. Ghassan Khatib says Obama will continue to dictate US policy and Akiva Eldar says he should unveil bold new American peace proposals.

No resolution is imminent in the Rachel Corrie civil trial. Israelis show less interest in military service. Pres. Abbas says Palestinians will decide their future. Israeli police and Bedouins clash at a mosque demolition. The PA says Israel raided thousands of Palestinian homes in October. Stressed-out Gazans suffer from emotional trauma. Israeli artists boycott settlement theaters. Anger at Israel flares during Jordan's election campaign. PLO and Egyptian officials stress the need to end Israeli settlement activity. Israel's wanted list in the West Bank is down to almost zero. Thomas Friedman warns Israelis they are losing American support. VP Biden stresses US support for Israel and opposition to unilateral moves. A Nazareth imam is charged with incitement to terrorism. PLO officials say they will ask the US to recognize a Palestinian state if talks fail. An Israeli filmmaker discovers her Palestinian forebears. Raghida Dergham predicts Pres. Obama will now focus on domestic policies. The Arab News says Israeli officials should be subject to possible arrest in the UK and Rami Khouri says Israel is right to fear international scrutiny. The undertaker (“gravedigger”), an article about Jeffery Feltman, appeared in the Syrian Daily Tishreen.

Saudi Arabia says it will not cooperate with Israel until the occupation ends. PM Rabin¹s murder may have marked the death of the Israeli peace camp. Hamas and Fatah are due to resume unity talks but the rise of the Hamas military complicates the issue and Hamas says Pres. Abbas is uncooperative. Israeli occupation forces raid the homes of Palestinian nonviolent protest leaders. The PLO says settler violence is on the rise. Palestinians give the US more time on peace talks. Israel considers leaving settlers in a Palestinian state. A Ha¹aretz investigation shows the Israeli government has summarily given land in occupied East Jerusalem to settlers. Lara Friedman looks at the impact of the midterm elections on US Mideast policy. UN officials in Gaza are given weapons for protection. Settlers develop a new lexicon of abuse. Abbas says Israel is ³building ferociously² in Jerusalem. Orly Azoulay says Pres. Obama still wants peace. The PA cracks down on settlement goods. The UK FM says time is running out for a two-state solution. The National profiles the incoming head of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen.

Israel kills a leader of an Al Qaeda-inspired organization in Gaza, and hints the US approved the strike. Former Pres. Clinton remembers the late PM Rabin and says peace is still possible. The first settlement goods case comes before a Palestinian court. Pres. Abbas says the US is trying to restart peace talks and denounces Israel's "aggressive policies." A new poll says 56% of Palestinians oppose resuming talks in the face of ongoing settlement activity. Sec. Clinton plans to meet PM Netanyahu and says the US is working nonstop on peace. Israel says it will officially monitor Palestinian “incitement.” Israel cuts off special dialogue with Britain and cooperation with UNESCO. US midterm elections may impact Mideast policy. Israel may introduce civil marriage. Israel is blocking Palestinian officials from crossing the Allenby Bridge. Another poll shows a sharp drop in support for Hamas in Gaza. Britain's FM backs nonviolent Palestinian protests. George Hishmeh looks at tensions between Israel and the Vatican. Daoud Kuttab says education is a key to successful Palestinian statehood.

Defying Israeli restrictions, Palestinians renovate and rededicate schools in occupied East Jerusalem. Egypt¹s intelligence chief arrives in Israel. Israeli soldiers shoot a mentally disabled Palestinian in Gaza. PLO officials say dissolving the PA is an option. Jewish-Arab relations in Israel hit a new low. Xinhua interviews Nabil Shaath. Israeli tour guides once again are operating in Palestinian-controlled areas. Gaza children work to support their families. Ha¹aretz looks at how the GOP win in the House will impact Middle East policies, though the State Department insists there will be no change. Yossi Sarid says Israel has no answer to PM Fayyad¹s moderate policies. The UK Foreign Secretary will break protocol and meet Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem. An Israeli town moves to restrict home sales to Palestinians. DM Barak says negotiations will restart after the US elections. Yonatan Preminger says Israel does not want peace. Israel¹s outgoing military intelligence chief says its next wars will be more difficult. The Independent profiles FM Lieberman.

Israeli right-wingers create their own tea parties. There are more signs of revival in Nablus. Palestinians and Israeli human rights groups accuse Israel of abusing Palestinian prisoners. Israel bans PM Fayyad from Jerusalem ceremonies. Fateh and Hamas officials will meet soon in Damascus. Egypt is reportedly pressing Palestinians to present a comprehensive peace plan. Amir Oren says the US is subtlety linking settlements and Israel¹s nuclear arsenal for the first time. Deputy PM Meridor cancels a UK trip for fear of arrest. PM Netanyahu says the settlement issue is on hold. Israel pressures the PA to prosecute Palestinian suspects. Gaza businesses are suffering due to an export ban. The Forward looks at controversy over Ahava cosmetics manufactured in the occupied territories. Hassan Barari concludes that prospects for a peace agreement are bleak.

The New York Times says all parties must stop playing games and endorses Sec. Clinton's comments at the ATFP Gala. Israeli relations with Morocco are strained. Israeli police round up Palestinian children in occupied East Jerusalem. The CSM says Pres. Obama should allow Palestinians to seek UN recognition. Arab states may lead the way. The PA says settlement removal is a national priority. Shootings have become a daily routine at Gaza's borders. Israeli security officials worry about new technology. PM Netanyahu will visit the United States and meet with VP Biden. Israel condemns UNESCO's decision to recognize West Bank sites as holy to both Jews and Muslims, and the Arab news says Israel is trying to steal Palestinian heritage. France says it's indignant over Israeli withdrawal from a meeting including Pres. Abbas. The PA says it's unaware of any Israeli plans to attack Gaza. The US may be proposing Israel lease parts of the occupied territories from a Palestinian state. Gaza's donkey market collapses. A new hotel in Ramallah symbolizes revival. Kieron Monks says the PA should control parts of Area C. The Independent profiles a rabbi who helps Palestinians with the olive harvest.