Israel prevents Noam Chomsky from entering the West Bank. The Washington Post looks at the PA settlement boycott. The Christian Science Monitor profiles the first planned Palestinian city. Some Israelis say the Gaza blockade has failed. Palestinian officials say negotiations are unlikely to succeed. The PA dissolves the ministries of sport and information. Israel shuts down the PA municipal office in Hebron. Israeli leftists rally against the occupation. Palestinians mark the 62nd commemoration of the Nakba. Hamas destroys dozens of Palestinian homes in Gaza. US Jewish leaders echo a European call to end settlement activity. Israeli troops kill an elderly Palestinian man in Gaza. Egypt reportedly ends all contact with Hamas. Extremist settlers blame the Israeli military for their own violence. West Bank highway 443 remains closed to Palestinians despite a court order. Adel Safty says archaic Israeli beliefs are threatening peace. Peter Beinart looks at changing Jewish American attitudes towards Israel.

Newsweek analyzes Israel's reaction to the PA settlement boycott. Israeli settlers kill a stone-throwing Palestinian child, and break a woman's nose in separate incidents. A senior PLO official says progress in talks is unlikely. Israeli ministers squabble over Jerusalem settlements, leaving analysts befuddled. Yoel Marcus says more American pressure on Israel is coming. Hagai El-Ad and Larry Derfner denounce the campaign against Judge Goldstone, as an effort is launched to bar him from the US. Following US pressure, Israel puts Palestinian home demolitions on hold. Human Rights Watch calls the destruction of Palestinian property in the Gaza war unlawful. The US will provide $200 million for an Israeli missile defense system. Omar Rahman says an imposed solution is required. Palestinian citizens of Israel say they're being targeted by the authorities. Hassan Haidar says Gazans should not pay the price for Hamas intransigence. Hussein Ibish looks at new Palestinian strategies for independence.

Limited construction materials enter Gaza. A Gaza man says Hamas tortured him for allegedly having affairs. Palestinian officials say Gaza's banking system is sound in spite of the closure of the Arab Bank branches. Israeli officials vow to keep up settlement activity and demolish Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem, but DM Barak warns against such "provocations" and Ha'aretz calls them "dangerous incitement." The PA accuses Israel of sabotaging peace talks. The US pledges $500 million in aid to the PA. US officials express concern about settler violence. Alan Dershowitz says Salam Fayyad is a real partner for peace. Jewish Jerusalem residents criticize Elie Wiesel's statement on the city. The GAO says Israeli restrictions, Palestinian limitations are hampering the development of new security forces. High school students object to an exam question identifying Edward Said as a Palestinian. The National highlights the difficulties of Palestinian life in Jerusalem. Elias Harfoush is not optimistic about new negotiations. George Hishmeh says Israel should be accountable to the US. Sasha Polakow-Suransky says Jewish critics of Judge Goldstone are ignoring the history of Israeli-South African relations.

The Jerusalem Old City Initiative releases new proposals, and former New York Mayor Ed Koch also has suggestions. Fatah accuses Israel of planning a large mall in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel is refusing to allow the relative of an assassinated Hamas operative to leave Gaza for urgent medical treatment. Pres. Obama and Pres. Abbas reportedly agree to begin talks with border and security issues. Former PM Olmert says Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem must belong to the Palestinians. The Arab Bank shuts down all its operations in Gaza. Pres. Obama reiterates his commitment to a Palestinian state and holding both sides accountable. Palestinians say Israel is withholding Jerusalem access for students who refuse to become informants. Ben White says Israel is trying to stifle dissent. Palfest promotes Palestinian writers. JJ Goldberg examines incitement. Mkhaimar Abusada says a failure of talks will create a period of volatility in Palestinian politics. Gilead Sher says the US must remain hands-on. Michael Sfard says the settlement movement may benefit from the partial moratorium. Eyal Press asks what the Israelis really think of Obama. Gilbert Achcar looks at Arab and especially Palestinian attitudes towards the Holocaust.

Two Palestinian citizens of Israel are arrested on charges of spying for Hezbollah, hundreds protest. The UN development says there is a lack of human security in the occupied territories. A fire at an Israeli warehouse causes heavy losses to Gaza merchants. Israeli settlers increase attacks on Palestinian mosques. Bradley Burston suggests Israel is starting to resemble a police state. Israel says it will demolish 46 settler structures for violating the partial moratorium. Gideon Levy describes Israel's campaign against pro-Palestinian foreign visitors. An Israeli NGO seeks to keep a West Bank highway closed to Palestinians. DM Barak says the occupation is eroding Israel's global status. Gershon Baskin urges optimism on proximity talks. Daoud Kuttab says peace must be pursued by all means. Uri Avnery says John Mearsheimer is wrong to think peace is impossible. Ghassan Khatib says settlements remain the make or break issue. Yossi Alpher says PM Netanyahu wants direct negotiations. Mkhaimar Abusada says any failure will produce a period of volatility in Palestinian politics. Sasha Polakow-Suransky summarizes Israel's deep relationship with apartheid South Africa in light of accusations against Judge Goldstone.

Proximity talks begin. PM Netanyahu appoints an Arabic-language spokesperson. Israel bombs two Gaza tunnels. Palestinian refugees say UN food aid is greatly reduced. Palestinians claim new settlement activity is the first violation of negotiation conditions. Kadima leader Livni hints at a possible coalition with Netanyahu. Israel is unanimously accepted into the OECD. Akiva Eldar says everyone should by Palestinian and not settlement products. Daoud Kuttab says Israeli maps obliterate Palestine. The US says Israel has agreed to delay the Ramat Shlomo project for at least two years. Israelis worry Americans support for their nuclear policy is eroding. Ha'aretz requests official documents on the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Pres. Abbas. The Jordan Times is skeptical about indirect initiations, but the Arab News says low expectations may be useful. Moshe Yaroni says Israeli democracy is threatened by the Kamm affair and the secret arrest of Palestinian-Israeli activist Ameer Makhoul, which Israeli media is banned from reporting.

Roger Cohen says Israelis are trapped between security and anxiety. The Washington Post profiles Israeli settlement activity in Jerusalem. In a new poll, 60% of Palestinians favor proximity talks, huge leads for Fatah over Hamas. The Arab Bank closes two out of three Gaza branches due to Hamas policies. Bethlehem prepares for the second Palestine Investment Conference. Special Envoy Mitchell meets PM Netanyahu. Hamas condemns Pres. Abbas for opposing violence. Ha'aretz analyzes the list of goods banned from Gaza by Israel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry is working closely with an ultra-right wing organization on Palestinian "incitement." Israel's Vice-Premier says talks are doomed to failure. Avi Shlaim and Simon Mohun say the OECD must put conditions on Israel's membership. An Israeli general is accused of a cover-up in the death of Rachel Corrie. Patrick Seale says the US extracted valuable concessions from Israel but Palestinians may squander them. Rami Khouri looks at the debate on the pro-Israel lobby. George Hishmeh says Walt and Mearsheimer disagree about the viability of a two-state solution. Daoud Kuttab says Arabs are pessimistic about Israel but see hope in the US. Alon Ben-Meir says Arab states should re-prioritize the Arab Peace Initiative.

The American Jewish community and its leadership are at odds on Israel. The Washington Post warns against "blunt pressure" on Israel. Israeli authorities say a fire at a West Bank mosque was deliberately set, bolstering Palestinian claims of settler arson. Settlers plan to disrupt negotiations, set to begin in days. PLO officials accuse Israel sabotaging talks, and say US credibility is at stake. Ha'aretz says time is not on the side of Israel as a Jewish, democratic state. President Abbas accuses Hamas of smuggling arms to the West Bank. Gideon Levy says with friends like Elie Wiesel, who only want to perpetuate the occupation, Israel does not need enemies. Settlers wish destruction on DM Barak's home. Judge Goldstone says his loyalty was to truth, justice, but Deputy FM Ayalon compares him to a Nazi. The National profiles the PA boycott of settlement products, which is also being taken up by Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the Jordan Times praises the boycott and says Arab states should work to extend it to Europe.

Mohammad Mustafa says the international community, and particularly the Quartet, must show more political will to promote Palestinian state building and development. Palestinians angrily accuse settlers of torching a West Bank mosque. As proximity talks are set to begin, Israel is highlighting Palestinian "incitement," but Yossi Alpher says this campaign is hypocritical. The PA says all Palestinian laborers must stop working in settlements by the end of 2011. Palestinian nonviolent protesters, including children, face Israeli prison terms. PLO factions struggle to form a united list for municipal elections. An Israeli court asks why an unauthorized outpost has not been dismantled. Amira Hass says ordinary Israelis are perpetuating the occupation. Israel says it's planning a new West Bank train network linked to Israeli railways. David Axelrod says Pres. Obama agrees negotiations should not start with Jerusalem. Giora Eiland says talks are bound to fail. Two Israeli soldiers are indicted for using a 10-year-old boy as a human shield during the Gaza war. Warm relations have apparently been restored between the White House and major Jewish groups. Rami Khouri lists 10 reasons why proximity talks should not be dismissed. Osama al-Sharif says the region cannot continue suspended between no war and no peace.

Proximity talks are set to begin, but Israeli intelligence says Pres. Abbas is preparing for their failure. Israelis harshly criticize a PA ban on settlement goods, but the PA insists on the legitimacy of the ban and the Palestinian Economy Minister defends the ban in the Jerusalem Post. PA security officers are arrested in Jerusalem by Israel. Israel considers expanding areas of Palestinian control in the occupied West Bank. Palestinians accuse settlers of setting fire to a mosque. Hamas fears an economic crisis could spark a revolt in Gaza. Settlers continue to expand unauthorized outposts. The UK has refused to accept the new Mossad representative after expelling its predecessor. Six Palestinian MKs who traveled to Libya are under heavy criticism after returning to Israel. Emile Hokayem says the one-state agenda is a romantic but dangerous fantasy. Adel Safty says PM Netanyahu's stated positions do not allow for any progress.