Hamas executions highlight Palestinian political divisions. King Abdullah of Jordan tells the Chicago Tribune time is running out for peace. Israeli forces kill a Palestinian in Gaza. Palestinians see return of Israeli military rule in eviction order. Zeev Sternhell says Israeli policies are turning Jerusalem into a settlement. Israeli Amb. Oren meets the J Street leadership. Ha'aretz reports that unauthorized settler outposts slated for demolition are instead receiving significant state funding. Sec. Clinton says Israel must do more for peace. Students in occupied East Jerusalem get half the funding of those in West Jerusalem. Judge Goldstone is banned from his grandson's bar mitzvah. Vice PM Ya’alon says Israelis should be able to stay in "a Palestinian entity" but "under Israeli sovereignty." The JTA profiles tensions in occupied East Jerusalem. Rep. Robert Wexler's makes his public debut as President of the Center for Middle East Peace. UC Berkeley's student government tables a motion on divestment from Israel till next week. The cattle trade continues in Gaza tunnels.

A US representative to the UN strongly reaffirms US commitment to a two state solution and Pres. Obama declares this "a vital national security interest." Hamas denies closing Gaza tunnels and Egypt opens the Rafah crossing. Hamas executes two Palestinians. Israel is considering more settlement construction in occupied East Jerusalem. WJC President Lauder questions US commitment to Israel's security. Ha'aretz reports that Obama is skeptical about Netanyahu's willingness and ability on peace. Settlers uproot 300 olive trees. David Axelrod says a two state solution is in Israel's interests. Israel prepares soldiers for more settler violence. Palestinians increasingly adopt nonviolent protests. Carlo Strenger says any new US peace plan must deal with theological problems. George Hishmeh says Netanyahu's intransigence undermines Obama. Michael Jansen says Israel's new expulsion orders in the West Bank are another violation of international law. Daoud Kuttab describes how Palestinians are affected by Israeli military rule.

Israelis and Palestinians bicker over street names. Israeli soldiers kill two Palestinian militants in Gaza. Egypt closes the Rafah crossing as Israel warns all its citizens to leave the Sinai, and Hamas orders Gaza tunnels to shut down. Controversial new Israeli deportation orders come into effect. Israeli Pres. Peres says a Palestinian state is in Israel's interests. Special Envoy Mitchell will return to the region next week. Shaul Arieli says Israel must give up the idea of exclusive sovereignty in Jerusalem. The Israeli military complains Palestinian protests are not nonviolent. Senators urge Sec. Clinton to heal relations with Israel. Gen. Petraeus calls Israel a strategic ally. The Jerusalem Post confirms PM Netanyahu avoided the nuclear summit for bilateral reasons. A 43-nation plan for managing Mediterranean water resources collapses because Israel will not accept the term "occupied territories." UK advertising authorities warn Israeli tourism officials not to represent the occupied territories as part of Israel. Mahmoud Habboush despairs over Palestinian disunity. Omar al-Sharif says Jordan is changing its policy towards Israel. Rami Khouri says an international peace plan would be better than an American one.

The World Bank says the PA is on track with state building, but hampered by Israeli restrictions. Israel's new military order allowing for the potential eviction of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank draw heavy criticism. Richard Cohen praises a new film about Israel's West Bank separation barrier. Aluminum and wood will be allowed into Gaza for the first time in three years. Reports say the US is refusing entry to Israeli nuclear scientists. Israeli forces kill a Palestinian in Gaza. Bradley Burston says Middle East experts who claim time is on their side are lying. David Makovsky says there are few prospects for improved relations between Pres. Obama and PM Netanyahu, and Simon Tisdall says it could get worse. Israel's mayor in Jerusalem wants to resume Palestinian home demolitions. Israeli officials say they will reject US proposals for timelines and benchmarks in peace talks. Sacked Palestinian official Rafiq Husseini says he was set up. The Independent looks at the plight of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Human rights groups warn that a new Israeli military order could authorize the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank. Zbigniew Brzezinski and Stephen Solarz say Pres. Obama and Arab leaders should travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah with a specific peace plan. Aaron David Miller warns against US efforts at regime change in Israel. Islamic Jihad says Hamas has a secret cease-fire with Israel, and Hamas fighters arrest armed men. Israel threatens to shut off West Bank water. Hamas raises taxes in Gaza. Fatah vows unilateral steps on national reconciliation. Construction in Jerusalem is on hold. Jewish Americans continue to support Pres. Obama. An Israeli court dismisses a lawsuit against the separation barrier. Seth Freedman says the Israeli economy needs a peace deal. Abdullah Iskandar says PM Netanyahu's canceled trip to Washington is another slap in the face. Uri Avnery says all peace hopes now center on Palestinian state building. Stephen Walt replies to Robert Satloff. Hussein Ibish says a US peace plan should be formulated but only publicized at the right time.

PM Netanyahu cancels a trip to Washington. NSA Jones says "no decision" has been taken on drafting a US peace plan. Mathias Mossberg and Mark LeVine propose a "parallel state structure" for Israel and the Palestinians. Hamas calls for the seizing of more Israeli soldiers. Pres. Obama waives restrictions on fund transfers to the PA and PLO. Arnaud De Borchgrave analyzes the US and Israeli strategic positions. Rival Palestinian factions clash in Lebanon. Hamas prepares executions in Gaza. Palestinian FM Riak meets with IBSA leaders in Brazil. Refugees say they need more services from UNRWA. PLO officials say the US should pledge to recognize a Palestinian state. Ha'aretz says the replacement of the IDF Chief of Staff gives DM Barak a free hand. Adi Mintz and Uri Dromi both say Netanyahu needs a plan, not more ambiguity. U.S. Treasury officials praise PA efforts to crack down on Hamas funding. The PA says a Ramallah street was named after a Hamas bomb maker by local officials 12 years ago. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews PM Fayyad. Charles Cogan says Israel is not yet desperate enough to seek to break the impasse with Washington by attacking Iran. Robert Satloff defends Dennis Ross following criticisms from Stephen Walt.

IMF says Israeli restrictions, lack of donations imperil West Bank economic growth. Administration officials say there is no US peace proposal and no plan to draft one. USA Today says Israeli policies are making it difficult to be its friend. Israeli soldiers reportedly watch as settlers beat Palestinians. Israel lifts a gag order on a journalist charged with espionage. Turkish PM Erdogan says Israel is "the main threat" to Mideast peace. Bradley Burston says a proposed UC Berkeley divestment from Israel plays right into the hands of the occupation. Gideon Levy says Israel should stop fighting the world. Ari Shavit says a deal with Syria is achievable, but not the Palestinians. Larry Derfner says PM Netanyahu is not capable of making peace with Palestinians. The National says Palestinian talk of unilateral declarations of statehood gets Israel's attention. Tariq Alhomayed says a Saudi TV cleric's plan to visit Jerusalem was a media stunt. Daoud Kuttab looks at changes in US military attitudes towards Israel. Shlomo Ben-Ami says Netanyahu's policy on Jerusalem is unworkable. Elliott Abrams says the Obama administration, especially James Jones, is threatening Israel. Ghassan Khatib says that the moment is ripe for a peace agreement. The Nation profiles PM Fayyad.

In addition to state building and diplomacy, the PA increasingly backs nonviolent protests against the occupation. David Ignatius says Pres. Obama is "seriously considering" issuing a US peace plan, and Rami Khoury says the US must clarify its position. Palestinians say US efforts to influence Israeli policy have met with a "dead end." A projectile fired by Gaza militants injures 5 Palestinians. The PA will license a third mobile provider. Israel seizes land for a checkpoint near a highway that will now be open to Palestinians. FM Lieberman warns Palestinians not to declare statehood. PM Fayyad says municipal elections will pave the way for presidential and legislative ones. Settlers push to evict more Palestinian families. Israel admits to illegally removing large amounts of money from the occupied territories. Due to a dispute with DM Barak, the IDF Chief of Staff will not be reappointed. A YNet commentary asks what Israel is doing to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and another says a deal on Jerusalem should be prioritized. David Newman says Israel should not link the restoration of the Hurva synagogue to broader ambitions in Jerusalem. Schmuley Boteach is appalled that Jewish Americans, especially in Congress, are siding with Pres. Obama. Palestinians say the recent shipment of clothes to Gaza has been ruined by storage.

Israeli human rights groups say they're under siege. A Saudi cleric vows to visit Jerusalem. David Francis says the US can pressure Israel without cutting aid. An aide to Pres. Abbas is fired for misconduct, but cleared of corruption. Settlers attack protesters in occupied East Jerusalem. Two Israeli military investigations fault soldiers in Palestinian deaths. Gandhi's grandson criticizes settlements, praises nonviolent protests. The EU provides €21 million to the PA to pay salaries. The PLO says Israel planned 3,226 new settler housing units in Jerusalem in March, and PM Netanyahu vows to continue building. King Abdullah of Jordan says Israel's long-term future is threatened by the lack of a peace agreement. Gaza factions announce an end to rocket fire aimed at Israel. Israeli officials compare Turkish PM Erdogan to Gaddafi and Chavez. The Israeli military denies a Palestinian man died because he was held at a checkpoint. Israel is constructing another barrier along its Egyptian border to keep out African migrants. Some Jews and Arabs in Israel seek recognition of a non-ethnic "Israeli" nationality. Martin Indyk says an interim solution is needed for Jerusalem. Blogger Anne Selden Annab recounts a visit to ATFP's offices.

A Palestinian boy reportedly killed by Israeli soldiers emerges unharmed. Aaron Miller says successful US diplomacy requires fighting with Israel. The Buffalo News says two states are the only solution. PLO officials say Special Envoy Mitchell is avoiding the region due to US-Israel tensions, but that they are in daily contact with US officials. Islamic Jihad reverses a statement promising not to fire projectiles towards Israel. Tourism is up 50% in the West Bank. Tensions run high in Gaza in spite of a Hamas call for, and Egyptian efforts towards, calm. Hamas says it wants to try PM Fayyad in court for an interview with Ha'aretz. Zvi Bar'el says only another intifada can save Israel's international image. Gideon Levy says everyone knows what Palestinians want, but no one knows what Israeli aims are. A sickly Palestinian man dies after a long delay at an Israeli checkpoint. Giora Eiland says US-Israel tensions arise from American commitment to a two state solution. A senior White House official reaches out to Jewish American leaders. Adel Safty says Arab states should support the Quartet.