The Arab League approves proximity talks, which are expected to start soon. Dubai police call for the arrest of PM Netanyahu. Hamas bans men from women's hair salons. UN officials call for easing the Gaza blockade. Israel's High Court approves protests in occupied East Jerusalem. Pres. Peres says PM Netanyahu is being held back on peace by the right wing. The PA consults map experts. Settlers in Sheikh Jarrah sing songs of praise for Baruch Goldstein. Part two of a YNet commentary on prospects for another intifada. A Facebook posting stymies a planned israeli raid in the occupied West Bank. A new organization of Palestinians overseas is formed. Adam Ingram says Hamas must disarm before it can be a partner in peace. Support for Palestinians grows at the UN. Daoud Kuttab critiques Israel's "heritage sites" claim. Osama al-Sharif looks at challenges facing Pres. Abbas.

A UN official condemns the Gaza blockade. PM Netanyahu prevails on Israel's Jerusalem mayor to postpone plans that involve the demolition of Palestinian homes, US praises the move. PA ministries will be linked through electronic networking. A Palestinian accuses Israel of planning 30,000 new settlement units. Pres. Abbas urges Arab states to help protect Jerusalem and the PA denies any strained ties. Israeli forces kill an Islamic Jihad militant in the West Bank. PM Netanyahu says Israel will keep control of the Jordan Valley. Salman Masalha and Jesse Rosenfeld say Israel practices apartheid through both the occupation and within its own borders. Two Israeli commentaries speculate about a new intifada while another accuses PM Fayyad of incitement. Arab states support proximity talks. Israel upgrades the West Bank separation barrier. The Israeli government defends a law prohibiting Palestinians spouses of Israelis from entering Israel. VP Biden meets with Jewish-American leaders.

The assassination in Dubai complicates Israel's efforts at normalization with the Arab world. Richard Cohen says Israel should not be accused of apartheid. Tensions run high after Israel's claim on occupied holy sites, and the EU and the Palestinian Cabinet condemn the move. Sen. John Kerry urges Israel to ease the blockade of Gaza. Hamas faces growing challenges from more extreme Muslim radicals. PLO leaders say US clarifications are not yet sufficient for a resumption of talks. Because of the blockade, Gaza is now an importer of fish. A Hamas leader disowns his son who spied for Israel. Hamas says it is determined to introduce rockets into the West Bank, and says either Jordan or Egypt were responsible for the Dubai assassination. Akiva Eldar says Israel's High Court is abetting "illegal outposts." At the request of PM Netanyahu, Israel's mayor in Jerusalem suspends plans to demolish 20 Palestinian homes in the Silwan neighborhood. The US government condemns plans for new settlement activity in occupied East Jerusalem. Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar.

Dubai police say an assassinated Hamas operative was drugged and then killed. Two of the suspects may have traveled directly to the United States following the killing. Violence in the occupied territories spreads from Hebron to Jerusalem. Hamas may have been infiltrated by Israeli operatives. The Gaza Rafah border crossing is reopened. The EU says the PA is making "enormous progress" toward statehood. The Palestinian cabinet's weekly meeting is relocated to Hebron. Hamas seeks to extend the detention of a British journalist. Palestinians look for Arab support on proximity talks. Moshe Dayan's widow says Israel does not know how to make peace. Akiva Eldar says no one would accept PM Netanyahu's conditions. Amira Hass profiles Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank. The National and the Arab News denounce Israel's claims on holy sites. Articles in the American Interest look at the history and the legality of settlements, and the state of US-Israel relations.

Israel's mayor is attempting to relocate Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem as Israel is planning more settlement activity. Clashes continue in Hebron over Israel's claim on holy sites, PM Netanyahu seeks to defuse tension, and J.J. Goldberg says this is the last thing Israel needs. The UAE seeks justice in the Mabhouh assassination but has no leverage, as Israel faces a mounting international backlash. Some Palestinians in Gaza favor closing smuggling tunnels. The UN is not satisfied with either Israel's or Hamas' responses to the Goldstone report. The PA denies that proximity talks will begin next week. Hamas bars a Fatah delegation from visiting Gaza. A newspaper claims Special Envoy Mitchell sought to resign. PLO officials threaten to adopt a one-state policy. A poll suggests growing support for Israel in the United States. Henry Siegman says Israel's legitimacy and future as a Jewish state depends on a two-state agreement. The EU rules that settlement goods are not Israeli. Tariq Alhomayed says the Palestinian issue is a source of emotional blackmail. Palestinians in Lebanon form a new faction.

Coverage continues about the son of a Hamas founder who spied for Israel. Dubai names more suspects in the Mabhouh assassination. Israeli officials insist the botched killing hasn't harmed relations with Western intelligence services, but Australia says forging passports isn't the act of a "friend." Israel becomes an issue in a California Senate race. The PLO says Israel's claims on holy sites in Hebron invalidates peace talks, and the US adds its condemnation. Sec. Clinton is upbeat about resumed negotiations. Pres. Abbas expresses satisfaction with EU support for East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Ari Shavit says to save Zionism, Israel must end the occupation. Gideon Levy mocks Israeli propaganda. Palestinians in Hebron march to commemorate the Goldstein massacre. Larry Derfner comparison the Mabhouh hit with the 1997 attempted assassination of Khalid Mishaal. Ghassan Khatib says peace is the strongest Palestinian weapon. Nathan Jeffay examines the challenges to peace posed by settlements. Daoud Kuttab asks if serious negotiations are really about to start.

Jerome Segal says Palestinians should declare statehood. A new Israeli missile defense system sparks controversy. Mark LeVine says student protesters at UC Irvine should not face harsh punishment. Pres. Abbas says Israel's claims upon sites in the occupied territories could spark religious war, and Islamic Jihad says it may resume attacks against Israel. The Gaza fishing industry continues to struggle. With Mideast peace talks stalled, alternative scenarios proliferate. A Hamas leader suggests Israel may have infiltrated the organization. Israeli forces invade parts of Gaza. The son of one of Hamas' founders reportedly served as an Israeli agent for many years. Aluf Benn says Israel faces opposition from both settlers and Palestinians. Gabi Sheffer asks why Israel is so resistant to US peace efforts. Israel is moving olive trees to the east of the separation barrier. An aide to an assassinated Hamas operative is arrested in Damascus. The parents of killed US peace activist Rachel Corrie sue the Israeli military. US Jewish leaders press PM Fayyad on incitement. ATFP President Ziad Asali analyzes the Palestinian state and institution building project.

The LA Times outlines the history of Israeli assassinations, and its use of identity theft in Dubai. Israel seeks to use ordinary citizens to improve its image. Israel reimposes a ban on foreign nationals using a Bethlehem bus line. A report says Israel is planning another settlement in occupied East Jerusalem. Jordan adds it's condemnation of Israel's claim over two sites in Hebron, and the UN reiterates its concern. Accidents claim the lives of four Palestinians in Gaza. Akiva Eldar says PM Netanyahu's approach to Jewish heritage sites is dangerous. Yoel Marcus says the Dubai assassination doesn't mitigate the urgent need for progress with the Palestinians. The PA says it thwarted a suicide attack aimed at Israel. The UN General Assembly takes up the Goldstone report. President Sarkozy backs the goal of Palestinian statehood. Palestinians are accused of selling land to Israel. Tariq Alhomayed looks at the possibility that Hamas officials were involved in the Mabhouh assassination, and Linda Heard and Michael Glackin both say Israel miscalculated in the killing.

Israel's designation of two sites in Hebron, deep in the occupied West Bank, as National Heritage sites sparks EU, UN condemnation, clashes with Palestinians. More fallout from the Mabhouh assassination: EU condemns the killing; the UK offers help to identity theft victims; Dubai police say other Hamas officials played a crucial role and that Hamas must launch an internal probe; Hamas retracts accusations against the PA, rejects any internal probe and demands proof of Palestinian involvement; and the Times publishes a detailed account of the hit. PM Fayyad calls on the US to take urgent measures to stop Israeli raids, settlement activity. The PLO seeks further clarifications, assurances from the US on new talks, and Ghassan Khatib says clear terms of reference are essential. The EU is considering an initiative to recognize a Palestinian state in 18 months. Amira Hass says Israel is severing East Jerusalem from the West Bank. Ha'aretz interviews PM Netanyahu. Amir Oren says the US prefers to deal with Israeli military leaders rather than politicians. Donald Macintyre says better public relations won't improve Israel's image.

Fallout from the al-Mabhouh assassination continues to dominate coverage: reports increasingly focus on the botched nature of the operation; Hamas retracts accusations against the PA; criticism in the Israeli press extends to cartoonists; Israeli officials say they expect a manageable backlash; the AP reviews the history of Mossad assassinations and Ha'aretz profiles its Kidon unit; the BBC asks why al-Mabhouh went to Dubai and The Independent interviews his brother; Israel's UK embassy issues a provocative tweet apparently boasting about the murder. Palestinian officials say their state and institution building plans extend into Area C and US officials suggest the Quartet will support this. Ha'aretz says Palestinians have agreed to begin proximity talks next week. A YNet commentary asks why Israel is so opposed to Palestinian nonviolence. PM Fayyad tells US Jewish leaders Israeli incursions undermine the PA. A new survey in the occupied territories shows Hamas would lose new elections and Fatah enjoys a 33% advantage in popularity.