Roger Cohen says a settlement freeze is a test of Israel's character. A majority of Palestinians support peace talks. Pres. Obama tells the UN Palestine can be a new member state, Arab governments should support the PA and Israel should extend the settlement moratorium. The Israeli delegation is not present. Jordan's King Abdullah warns about the dangers of not achieving a peace agreement. Parts of Jerusalem are closed in anticipation of protests. Pres. Abbas speaks to Palestinian Americans in New York. The Israeli Navy kills a Gaza fisherman. Settlers say they are ready for a burst of construction, but the Israeli government says it will be restrained. Israelis condemn remarks by Bill Clinton about Russian immigrants. Ha'aretz says the Israeli government should stop funding zealots in Jerusalem. Libby Lenkinski Friedlander praises Palestinian nonviolent protests. Former PM Olmert urges international trusteeship for holy places in Jerusalem. A Likud minister says Israel should give the PA control of more of the West Bank. The Independent interviews Gideon Levy. The National says now is the time for peace.

Roger Cohen says a settlement freeze is a test of Israel's character. A majority of Palestinians support peace talks. Pres. Obama tells the UN Palestine can be a new member state, Arab governments should support the PA and Israel should extend the settlement moratorium. The Israeli delegation is not present. Jordan's King Abdullah warns about the dangers of not achieving a peace agreement. Parts of Jerusalem are closed in anticipation of protests. Pres. Abbas speaks to Palestinian Americans in New York. The Israeli Navy kills a Gaza fisherman. Settlers say they are ready for a burst of construction, but the Israeli government says it will be restrained. Israelis condemn remarks by Bill Clinton about Russian immigrants. Ha'aretz says the Israeli government should stop funding zealots in Jerusalem. Libby Lenkinski Friedlander praises Palestinian nonviolent protests. Former PM Olmert urges international trusteeship for holy places in Jerusalem. A Likud minister says Israel should give the PA control of more of the West Bank. The Independent interviews Gideon Levy. The National says now is the time for peace.

The UN says both Israel's and Hamas' accounts of the Gaza war are unacceptable. Sec. Clinton pressures Arab states to aid the PA. Controversy surrounds the assassination of a Hamas operative by Israel in the West Bank. At least one Palestinian is killed by Israelis in the Silwan area of occupied East Jerusalem. The PA announces a boycott against Israeli shops selling settlement goods. Israel's flotilla inquiry is wrapping up. Hamas' hunt for collaborators spreads panic in Gaza. Pres. Abbas hints at a compromise on settlements. Palestinians continue to work on Israeli settlement construction. A meeting between PM Fayyad and Deputy FM Ayalon reportedly ends badly. Aluf Benn says PM Netanyahu should freeze settlements. Settlers complain about the moratorium. The Israeli government is preparing for the aftermath of failed talks. Omar Rahman says it's unreasonable to ask Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Ali Ibrahim says Hamas has no credibility. Rami Khouri says the Palestinians need to regroup. Hussein Ibish analyzes Netanyahu's demand Palestinians recognize Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people.” Hussein Ibish analyzes Netanyahu's demand Palestinians recognize Israel as “the nation-state of the Jewish people,” and rejects both optimism and pessimism about the negotiations.

The Israeli NGO Peace Now highlights settlements with West Bank flights and its American affiliate APN issues an iPhone settlements app. Israeli officials reportedly offer to exchange a settlement freeze for Jonathan Pollard. John Hughes says Syria may be the key to peace. Pres. Abbas meets with Pres. Peres. The EU contributes €3.5 million to Gaza reconstruction. PM Netanyahu says Israel wants to keep troops on the eastern border of a Palestinian state. A Palestinian citizen of Israel accused of espionage accepts a plea agreement. The Quartet urges Israel to extend its partial settlement moratorium. US officials are concerned talks may collapse over the issue. Hanan Ashrawi says Hamas is trying to replace the PLO. Interior Minister Yishai calls negotiations “completely pointless.” Israeli and Palestinian chief negotiators will meet soon. Abbas says Israel is free to define itself. The controversy over a book authorizing the killing of non-Jews continues. A Gaza water park temporarily shut by Hamas is torched. Linda Heard says Arabs must get involved in the negotiations.

Sec. Clinton leads US Middle East peace efforts. Palestinian youth campaign for good governance. Israel allows the importation of 20 cars into Gaza. FM Lieberman again proposes stripping Israeli citizenship from some Palestinians. Former PM Olmert describes peace offers he claims to have made. A senior Hamas official is arrested in Egypt, and others arrested by the PA. A PA court suggests Palestinians who sell land to Israelis may face the death penalty, and Hamas imposes it on drug dealers. Hamas says it told the US it would accept a state on the 1967 borders. Ha'aretz describes the Palestinian plight in the face of settler violence and the occupation. Manuel Hassassian and Edward Edy Kaufman say Israeli-Palestinian peace may be a key to dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions. Jacqueline Rose reviews a new book by David Grossman. The Netherlands cancels a visit by Israeli mayors because some are settlement leaders. Adel Safty says peace must do justice to the Palestinians. Joel Beinin looks at the struggle over Silwan. Nathan Thrall looks at Palestinian state building and the new security forces.

NPR profiles the new Palestinian security services. Sec. Clinton wraps up the latest round of negotiations and Pres. Abbas says talks will continue. There is no indication of an agreement on settlements. Jackson Diehl says the Middle East is not Northern Ireland. The CSM asks what happens next without a deal on settlements and whether Syria can help contain Hamas. Jon Haber says boycotts against Israel are ineffective and unhelpful. Israeli troops assassinate a Hamas leader in the West Bank. The PA may be seeking to gain control of a Gaza crossing. Settlers continue to try to seize a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem. The World Bank says Palestinians are well positioned to establish a state, but need foreign investment. UNRWA asks for more aid from Arab states. DM Barak may use legal loopholes to restrict settlement activity. Yoel Marcus says the settlement issue is up to the United States. Ehud Yaari says peace talks have exposed divisions within Hamas. Israeli and Palestinian women illegally visit the beach together. Jacob Savage compares the Israeli occupation with French rule in Algeria. Michael Weiss says analogies between the Middle East and Northern Ireland, and especially between Hamas and Sinn Fein, are deeply flawed.

Negotiations proceed despite violence but have not made any obvious progress. Special Envoy Mitchell says the parties are tackling tough issues, that the goal is full normalization in the region and that the US is actively pursuing Israeli-Syrian negotiations. The struggle over Silwan highlights tensions in Jerusalem. Israel bombs targets in Gaza. Pres. Abbas meets with Sec. Clinton and says there is no alternative to the talks. Ari Shavit says division of the land may precede a final status agreement. The US reportedly wants borders set in three months. PM Netanyahu reportedly tells Abbas his policy on settlements is unchanged. Yaakov Katz says Hamas is trapped between wanting to disrupt the negotiations but avoid major Israeli retaliation. Jeremy Bowen warns against excessive optimism. Jewish Americans are divided over Israeli artists' boycott of settlements. Zuheir Kseibati takes a dim view of negotiations. The Jordan Times says settlement building may kill the talks. John Whitbeck proposes an alternative model for two states. Ghaith Al-Omari explains his reasons for hopefulness.

No compromise is reportedly reached on settlements. Israeli Amb. Michael Oren says Israelis want peace. The CSM looks at Israeli settlements and why Egypt seeks a major role in negotiations. P. Edward Haley offers four reasons not to be cynical. Sec. Clinton endorses Pres. Abbas, PM Netanyahu. Projectiles are launched against southern Israel from Gaza. Ha'aretz says the settlement freeze issue is a test for Netanyahu. Amira Hass says Palestinians have faced 40 years of building freeze. Some Palestinians say their leadership will have to continue with the talks no matter what happens with settlements. Israel is reportedly considering a prisoner release and expanded PA powers in the West Bank. Special Envoy Mitchell says the settlement freeze must be extended. Calev Ben-Dor says negotiations can be structured differently for better results. Gilead Sher says time is running out for a two state solution. The JTA says the Jewish American right is muted in the face of a potential extension of the freeze. Aaron David Miller says Netanyahu is the key to peace. Robert Danin provides an assessment of Palestinian state building efforts.

Sec. Clinton says a deal on settlements is possible and stresses the importance of negotiations. The Israeli government purchases the @israel twitter identity from a Spanish pornographer. Roger Cohen says most Israelis are uninterested in the peace talks. Residents of a West Bank settlement worry about their future. Israelis are not sure what to expect from their own leadership. The CSM says there is no Israeli consensus on settlements. Palestinians deny there is a crisis in the talks and say they will focus on land, borders and security. A new report says peace is the key to Palestinian economic revival. Israelis complain that a Palestinian “all or nothing” attitude is hampering talks. Israeli authorities in Jerusalem are considering more than 1,000 new settler housing units. A new report says settlers receive 22% more budgetary allocations than other Israelis. Another report says Israeli soldiers are rarely accountable for Palestinian civilian deaths. Nahum Barnea says PM Netanyahu has retreated to a zero-sum mentality. The Israeli military confirms that two Gazans killed in shelling on Sunday were “not terrorists.” Gershon Baskin says a creative deal on settlements is possible. Osama Al Sharif says there is grave danger for the region in not achieving a peace agreement.

PM Netanyahu signals flexibility on settlement building, and says Palestinians must recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.” Pres. Obama says negotiations may first focus on borders. Jackson Diehl asks which leader is bluffing. Ron Grossman urges giving peace a chance. Three Palestinians are killed by Israeli shelling in northern Gaza. Israel is allowing car parts into Gaza. Palestinian negotiators deny infighting. Peace Now says over 2,000 new settlement units will be built when the partial moratorium expires on Sept. 26. Ha'aretz looks at the plight of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. Settlers vow to keep building no matter what and threaten to topple the Netanyahu government. A Bedouin village in southern Israel is raised for the fifth time in a few weeks. The end of Ramadan shows unmistakable signs of prosperity in the West Bank. The Palestinian labor group launches international campaign to boycott settlement products. The Arab News says Palestinians cannot continue negotiating with settlement construction ongoing.