Palestinians seek new paths to statehood. An Israeli investigation finds no crime was committed in the assassination of a Hamas leader in 2002 that caused many civilian casualties. Two Gaza men and a baby are wounded in Israeli attacks. Fouad Ajami says the Arabs have turned their shame into liberty. Israel builds a light railway along a venerable road in Jerusalem. Fatah sets new standards for cabinet appointments. Settlers clash with Israeli police. Hamas suppresses a pro-unity rally. DM Barak says Israel must look past its anxieties and towards peace. Israeli police arrest eight settlers. Jordan’s FM says Palestinian statehood is nonnegotiable. The PLO also opposes power-sharing with Hamas. Akiva Eldar says PM Netanyahu is exploiting Israeli anxieties to forestall peace, and the PM says he is wary about new international initiatives on negotiations. Neri Livneh says Jewish fundamentalists are as dangerous as Muslim ones. Palestinians use technology to avoid long lines at Israeli checkpoints. Few Israeli politicians are attending the J Street conference. Rabbi Eric Yoffie says Jews and Muslims should work together for peace and democracy. Abdel Monem Said says the US veto of UN resolution on settlements was “shameful.”

Young Palestinians seek to bridge national divisions, and call for protests on March 15. Deputy FM Ayalon denounces the concept of “linkage.” Palestinians are injured by an Israeli attack on Gaza. Palestinians in Ramallah rally for change. Settlers vandalize Palestinian villages. Secularists are hounded by Hamas in Gaza. The Quartet launches a new peace bid. Luxembourg’s FM visits Gaza, calls for ending the Israeli blockade. Yoel Marcus says peace is the only way forward for Israel. Chancellor Merkel chides PM Netanyahu for not making “a single step to advance peace.” Ian McEwan donates his Jerusalem Prize money to an Israeli-Palestinian peace group. Israel allowed $13.5 million into Gaza. A spike is reported in interest in “Israel Birthright” trips. J street plans 2,000 people at this weekend’s conference. Noted Journalist Jerold Kessel passes away. Palestinians are worried Qaddafi will attack them in Libya. The Forward profiles Palestinian entrepreneur Bashar Masri. Rami Khouri says the US has a new chance to amend its Middle East policies. ATFP President Ziad Asali says stability cannot come at the price of injustice.

ATFP President Ziad Asali says Arab protests are about government accountability. Kadima leader Livni urges a democratic code for the Middle East. Fareed Zakaria says that Middle East protests represent a seismic shift in the region. Hamas claims Israel is more receptive to a prisoner exchange. Israel bombs Gaza. PM Fayyad tours a refugee camp. A projectile fired from Gaza hits an Israeli city, and Israel anticipates more. Israel allows 300 Palestinians to return to the West Bank from Libya. Hamas may be gaining strength. A judge dismisses a defamation lawsuit against AIPAC by a former employee. Umberto Eco criticizes cultural boycotts of Israel. Palestinians say any unity government will be headed by Fayyad, and Hamas must renounce terrorism. Four Israeli teenagers are suspected of stabbing two Palestinian men. Larry Derfner says Palestinian "people power" will end the occupation. Douglas Bloomfield says neither side seems to want to negotiate. Dr. Asali joins others in praising Dan Shapiro’s appointment as new US ambassador to Israel. George Hishmeh says the US veto at the UN shows nothing has changed. Michael Jansen says Palestinian unity is important.

Pete McCloskey says the US veto of a UN resolution on settlements was “cowardly;” the Jerusalem Post claims the PA is using it to bolster its image; the JTA says it shows the US is not ready to pressure Israel at the UN; Palestinians in Lebanon protest. PM Fayyad uses social media to seek popular input on ministerial appointments. 11 Palestinians are injured by Israeli shelling in Gaza. Israel blocks red cross aid to homeless Bedouins. Palestinian Amb. Areikat says a two-state solution is still possible. A Palestinian home is surround by settlement units. Gazans hope Egypt will end the blockade. Aluf Benn says DM Barak is PM Netanyahu’s best friend and worst enemy. Dan Shapiro will be the next US ambassador to Israel. Israel’s foreign ministry will insist that all new recruits are taken to Hebron. FM Malki says Palestinians hope for statehood by September. Raed Salah is arrested for arson. Kenneth Bandler says plans to push Arabs out of Israel are unacceptable. Pres. Peres says peace talks are urgently needed. The BBC asks if Arab protests will spread to Palestine.

Israeli concerns about relations with Egypt grow. Israel destroys a Bedouin village. Hamas dismisses calls for Palestinian national unity. PM Fayyad says the US veto of a UN resolution on settlement is a complicating factor, while the Jordan Times calls it "shameful" and Gideon Levy says it brings Pres. Obama too close to the Likud. Israel and the US test a new missile. Hamas expels male stylists from women's hair salons. Shlomo Shamir says the UN may act on Palestinian independence. The PA is expanding its activities in occupied East Jerusalem. A settler gets a nominal sentence for weapons theft. Plans to expand a key settlement in Jerusalem are rejected. PM Netanyahu acknowledges the Palestinian aspiration to statehood. Gershon Baskin says the Knesset is a bastion of xenophobia. Jonathan Cook says the Israeli and Egyptian militaries will become more influential. Linda Heard says Israel increasingly needs peace based on a Palestinian state. Ian McEwan accepts the Jerusalem prize for literature but condemns Israeli policies. Ghassan Khatib says Palestinian leaders are serious about plan for elections. Hussein Ibish says the dream that began in Tunis and Cairo is turning into a nightmare in Libya.

Israeli Amb. Oren says Egypt must hold the treaty with Israel. Palestinians protest the US veto of a UN resolution on settlements though Pres. Abbas says Palestinians will not downgrade ties to the US. Daoud Kuttab says the vote was on the wrong side of history. Pres. Obama reportedly tried to convince Palestinians to withdraw the resolution. Aaron David Miller says US Mideast policy has become deeply complicated. Palestinians discuss a possible unity government. Netanyahu adviser Uzi Arad resigns. British novelist Ian McEwan criticizes Israeli settlement policy. Israel’s Attorney General says a probe into left-wing groups could violate human rights. The UN says settlements complicate Palestinian state-building. A Knesset committee is looking into a bill to thwart future settlement freezes. Ha’aretz says the US veto is a warning to PM Netanyahu. A tear-gas launcher hits a home in Silwan. The Media Line interview FM al-Malki. Palestinians in Nablus wonder if Egypt-style protests are possible.

Pres. Obama telephones Pres. Abbas. Hamas seeks to capitalize on Egyptian unrest. Walter Rogers looks at Israeli anxieties but analysts say they may see benefits as well. Abbas says Palestinian elections must include Gaza. Palestinians say the US has new ideas for peace talks. The US is still expected to veto a UN resolution on settlements, and The National says it will be a test of American rhetoric on the issue. The Israeli Supreme Court rules that Jews cannot reclaim land lost in Hebron after 1948. Gideon Levy says Israeli school trips to Hebron resemble visits to Auschwitz. Israeli-Jordanian relations are seen as solid. Israeli leaders continue to warn against a rapid spread of Arab democracy. An important Picaso painting will be displayed in the West Bank. Mara Rudman and Marc Grossman are named to senior administration posts. Jewish American organizations scramble to react to a changing Arab world. Genocide scholars argue about Israel's conduct in 1948. Matti Steinberg looks at how the Arab Peace Initiative deals with the refugee issue.

Israeli troops kill three Palestinians near the Gaza border. Palestinians seek international recognition. Israel organizes field trips for students to the West Bank. A Fatah official warns that Israel is exploiting international focus on Egypt to build settlements in occupied East Jerusalem, and Pres. Abbas says the Armenian quarter will be part of Palestine. An Israeli human rights group says Israel is not restraining settler violence. Jordan says a murderer of Israelis will serve a life term. PLO officials say elections can go ahead without Hamas. Jordan calls for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks. PM Netanyahu faces international criticism. The US urges Palestinians to drop a UN resolution on settlements, and may be proposing a statement instead. Larry Derfner says Israel must reach out to the Arab world. Palestinians are largely quiet as unrest grips the Arab world. The Arab News says Israel fears change.

Israel closes four international missions. Saeb Erekat explains his resignation. The Washington Post denounces the prosecution of UC Irvine students. Janessa Gans Wilder says Israel cannot ignore nonviolent Palestinian protests. The EU says it supports Palestinian statehood by September. An emboldened Palestinian delegation pushes for a UN resolution on settlements. Pres. Abbas says Israel has no vision for peace. Abbas disbands the NSU following leaks. The PLO and PA settle a lawsuit. The Knesset moves forward with a law punishing Israeli citizens who promote boycotts. Ha'aretz says unrest in the Arab world should spur Israeli peace efforts. Gazans participate in a conference in Sderot. The Israeli military dismantles an unauthorized outpost. Meir Margalit says conditions in occupied East Jerusalem will lead to a popular uprising. PM Fayyad says the PA will try to wean itself off foreign aid by 2013. A British TV show looks at the plight of children in Gaza. Following unrest in Egypt, Israelis eye the prospect of a multi-front war. ATFP President Ziad J. Asali urges international support for Palestinian state-building. The National says the Palestinian leadership is right to call new elections. Basma Kodmani says the leak of the "Palestine papers" was "malevolent" and "manipulative."

Bilal Saab says the upheaval in Egypt should set the stage for Israeli-Syrian negotiations. Hamas calls the PA cabinet reshuffle "superficial." Israel announces more settler housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. The UN says the Gaza unemployment rate is now at 45%. Xinhua looks at prospects for Palestinian elections. Israel's defense ministry is keeping settlement construction laws secret. Susan Lourenco says removing checkpoints does not remove the occupation. Avirama Golan says the rule of law in Israel is threatened by recent legislation. The Israeli military plans a training complex in a Palestinian neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel's PM and FM spar over diplomatic appointments. The Knesset passes the "Bishara Bill." Gershon Baskin says Palestinian nonviolent protests are the key to peace. Yasser Abed Rabbo says Pres. Abbas may not stand in planned elections. A new play highlights the 1994 massacre in Hebron. Israeli forces continue to demolish a Bedouin village. Dennis Ross will address the upcoming J St. convention. PM Fayyad is reappointed to his position. ATFP President Ziad Asali looks at the successes of Palestinian Authority state and institution building. Hussein Ibish says the Palestinian leadership must follow through on election plans.