NEWS: PLO officials say they are working on a possible meeting between Pres. Abbas and PM Netanyahu, and say they will demand the release of pre-Oslo prisoners. Israeli settlers in the "Ulpana” outpost say they'll have to be forced to leave. Israel begins fortifying schools near the Gaza border. Israel reportedly arrests a former soldier, now living in Bethlehem and seeking Palestinian citizenship. Israel releases transcripts related to the murder of a settler family. MK Michaeli Is embroiled in a controversy over her stridently homophobic remarks. According to a new poll, most Israelis think Mitt Romney would be a friendlier president to Israel than Barack Obama. A UNESCO committee advises Palestinians not to go forward with an effort to register the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem as a World Heritage site in Palestine. Palestinians hope to benefit from a visit by Pres. Putin. Palestinians pressure UEFA over Israel's scheduled hosting of the upcoming European Under-21 soccer championship. The Middle East Quartet meets in Brussels amid Palestinian criticism it has become ineffective. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Israel must end discrimination against Palestinian college graduates. Dan Sagir says Israel needs a minister for peace. Herb Keinon says the new Israeli Comptroller report on the flotilla incident illustrates a slapdash decision-making process. Alon Ben-Meir outlines the speech he thinks Netanyahu ought to give. A new book looks back on life in Palestine under the British mandate. George Hishmeh says Pres. Obama is dithering on Israeli-Palestinian peace, and that's likely to continue. Emily Hauser says Israel's image problem stems from the fact that it's legitimate to doubt that its government really wants peace. Rafael Frankel says that "modified unilateralism” by Israel might be the only way forward towards peace. Sahar Segal says it's ridiculous for some Palestinians to urge a boycott of Palestinian citizens of Israel who have integrated into Israeli society.

NEWS: A former Israeli soldier is seeking Palestinian citizenship. An informant for Israel on Hamas is on a speaking tour in Israel. Aid groups and UN agencies urge Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza. The Israeli group Gisha says the Gaza blockade threatens a two-state solution. A Palestinian sniper in Gaza shoots at an Israeli farmer across the border. Hamas' de facto interior minister in Gaza says the organization will never make peace with secularism. PM Netanyahu vows to expand an Israeli settlement. An Israeli court acquits Palestinian youths accused of a firebomb attack in occupied East Jerusalem. Pres. Obama awards Pres. Peres the Medal of Freedom. A former aide to the late Pres. Arafat says Pres. Abbas has $100 million in assets. A new report says water in Gaza is unsafe to drink. The IOC warns that a refusal to compete against Israeli athletes would violate the rules of the Olympic Games. Hamas' popularity is continuing to plummet despite the Arab uprisings. COMMENTARY: Nathan Brown reviews five years of Hamas rule in Gaza. Michael Sfard says Zionism's revival of Hebrew as a spoken language has turned into an insidious instrument of repression. Gideon Levy says some Israeli MKs serve as an “affable face of evil.” Israel Harel says the world should not support UNRWA. Tal Harris and Jonathan Lyndon both separately say Israel must choose between settlements and democracy. Jonathan Rosen says the Israeli government's program to promote employment among Palestinian citizens is only a first step towards equality. Hanan Greenberg says Israel's challenges lie much closer to home than Iran. Dimitris Bouris and Stuart Reigeluth say EU leaders need to move quickly to save a two-state solution in their own interests.

NEWS: The Vatican denies it is considering changing its stance on occupied East Jerusalem. The Israeli military suspends a soldier videotaped throwing stones and shooting at Palestinians. Palestinian laborers protest at an Israeli checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. An Israeli government report harshly criticizes PM Netanyahu's and DM Barak's decision-making regarding the deadly flotilla incident ywo years ago. Israeli occupation forces plan to demolish an entire village near Hebron. FIFA urges the Israeli FA to take up the issue of a hunger striking Palestinian soccer player. A Fatah official says Israeli settlement expansion may push the Palestinians back towards the UN. Israel is seeking to block the PA from registering the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem under Palestine at an upcoming World Heritage Committee meeting. A bipartisan letter by US House members seeks the release of convicted Israeli spy Pollard. Jordanian Muslim Brothers lead a humanitarian aid delegation to Gaza. The uproar over the Ulpana settlement outpost was the result of Palestinian legal action in Israeli courts. Jordan presses the US to reengage the Israeli-Palestinian issue before the November elections. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says, in order for Palestinians and Israelis to honor their tragic histories, they must work for peace. Xinhua interviews Chief Palestinian negotiator Erekat. Amira Hass says it's not Netanyahu who needs warnings from experts about a possible third intifada, but the Israeli public. Gershon Baskin says Israelis should understand what it means for Palestinians to still be committed to peace. Howard Brenton says it's time for all parties to stop harassment and detention of members of Jenin's Freedom theatre. Kathleen Paratis says, with negotiations at an impasse, unilateralism may be the only way forward. Micah Stein makes the case for Israel deporting African migrants. Tablet interviews Norman Finkelstein.

NEWS: Israel admits that it has revoked the residency rights of more than 250,000 Palestinians during the course of the occupation. Israel's Holocaust memorial is vandalized and officials suspect ultra-Orthodox Jewish culprits. Israel begins rounding up African migrants. Occupation authorities demolish an agricultural complex in East Jerusalem. The PA says it will continue to borrow money from banks if necessary. Palestinians are concerned that a new Israel-Vatican accord would indirectly recognize Israel's control of occupied East Jerusalem. A key Israeli MK and AIPAC are reportedly responsible for the drive to get the US to reclassify most Palestinian refugees. Officials say US-Israel military cooperation is “stronger than ever.” The border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is refurbished. The UK pledges $155 million for Palestinian refugees. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says more than a quarter of all Palestinians in the occupied territories live in poverty. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Israel has been duly warned about the consequences of settlement activity and the prospects of a third intifada. Adam Gonn says Pres. Abbas is looking for ways to break the diplomatic deadlock with Israel. Leila Sansour says Palestinians in Bethlehem are being isolated by a wall and settlements. Ghanem Nuseibeh and Eli Epstein say Israel should provide humanitarian support to the Syrian people. Dov Waxman says Israel should not recognize the "university" in the West Bank settlement of Ariel. Bernard Avishai says Mitt Romney is growing closer to the Israeli far right. APN interviews Yossi Alpher on recent developments in Israel, especially settlement activity. Rabbi John Rosove says there is a one-state reality emerging between Israel and the occupied territories and the United States will have to act quickly after the elections to help or prevent it from becoming permanent. Amir Nizar Zuabi says Shakespeare has much to say about the Palestinian condition.

NEWS: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet to explore the possibility of resuming talks. Israel's military says it fears that Syrian chemical weapons might be targeted at Israel. Israeli officials will soon decide whether to recognize the "Ariel University Center of Samaria," a school set up by settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories, as an official Israeli “university.” Suspected pro-settlement extremists vandalize Palestinian-owned cars in occupied East Jerusalem. Israelis, including Pres. Peres, are pushing for the release of convicted spy Pollard. A senior Palestinian official says Palestinian-Israeli security coordination has been declining over the past two years. Hamas leaders say Israel could be isolated by the results of the upcoming Egyptian presidential election. The head of the Palestine Monetary Authority says the PA has reached its maximum level of borrowing from Palestinian banks. Israeli experts warn that settlement expansion could lead to a third intifada. Pres. Abbas says he "would accept” nonmember state status at the UN. Bedouins in Israel are struggling against government plans to relocate tens of thousands of them. Rear Adm. Paul Bushong is will serve as the new U. security coordinator for Israel-Palestinian Authority. COMMENTARY: Oudeh Basharat says military defeat in 1967 was an important wake-up call to the Arab world, but Hanan Ashrawi says it was a disaster for Israelis and Arabs alike. Hannan Hever says Israel needs to recognize it bears a heavy responsibility for the Palestinian Nakba. Dor Glick says the world should help Israel by boycotting settlement products. Yaron Friedman says Jewish Israelis should study Arabic. Donald McIntyre looks at conditions in Gaza, five years after Hamas took over. The National says Palestinian resistance to occupation must be characterized by nonviolence. Uri Avnery remembers Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982 as a “war of lies.” Hussein Ibish says it's incorrect to think Abbas is politically weak and incapable of acting. Amal Daraghmeh Masri says the Palestinian economy is ready for independence. Elliott Abrams says few Middle East actors really want Israeli-Palestinian peace. Dan Ephron says PM Netanyahu now has to political clout to take on the settler movement, but he won't.

NEWS: Israel says it's investigating anti-Arab hate graffiti in a “peace village.” Israel's interior minister again vows to expel all African migrants, as an Israeli court rejects a human rights appeal by migrants. The UK and France join the US in condemning new Israeli settlement plans. The UN reiterates that all settlement activity contravenes international law. A former aide to the late Pres. Arafat says his recent corruption conviction in absentia was purely political. A new survey suggests Palestinian citizens of Israel are simultaneously becoming both increasingly pragmatic and alienated. COMMENTARY: Sarah Marusek says the West must recognize the importance of the Palestinian nonviolent protest movement. Gidi Weitz looks at possible indictments facing FM Lieberman. Ha'aretz says the clamor for war with Iran shows many Israelis are addicted to the use of force. Yoel Marcus says Israelis who are celebrating the anniversary of the 1967 war are deeply misguided. Sima Kadmon says PM Netanyahu has shown settlers the limitations of their power. Jay Bushinsky says Israelis need to understand the US interest is in ending the occupation. Hirsh Goodman says the controversy over the tiny Ulpana outpost shows Israeli society has lost a sense of proportion. Amira Hass says the blockade has made it easier for Israelis to demonize and target Palestinians in Gaza. Brad Rothschild says Jewish Americans should shun racist Israeli MKs. Ashraf Khalil says the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty may be revised no matter who wins Egypt's presidential election. Yael Paz-Melamed says Peace Now and its Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer are the only ones in Israel still taking a meaningful stance against the settlements. PLO chief of mission to the US Areikat says now is the time for Palestinian statehood, in the interests of all parties, including Israel.

NEWS: Current and former US officials are reportedly assuring Israel that the United States is prepared to use force against Iran if necessary. Israel announces 850 more new settler housing units in the occupied West Bank, and plans to "legalize" 13 outposts it says were not built on privately-owned Palestinian land. The US says the new settlement plans "undermine peace efforts.” Fatah and Hamas officials reportedly agree on the makeup of the new Palestinian government. Palestinian officials say the White House has denied press reports that Pres. Obama expressed doubts about Palestinian intentions regarding peace. Doctors say a hunger striking Palestinian prisoner is near death, as Israel releases another hunger striker. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israelis attack an elderly Palestinian in Jerusalem. Palestinian Monetary Authority Chairman Al-Wazir warns about an escalation in the PA financial crisis. Denmark joins South Africa in banning the label “made in Israel” on settlement products. A Palestinian court has sentenced a former aide to the late Pres. Arafat to 15 years in prison on corruption charges. COMMENTARY: Adam Gonn and Dave Bender say PM Netanyahu is stronger than ever after the defeat of a bill on settlement outposts. Ghassan Olayan asks if the world has room for the threatened village of Battir in the occupied West Bank. Ha'aretz says, in spite of his settlement bill victory, Netanyahu is still basically "bowing and scraping" to settlers through a raft of other measures. Muhammad Shtayyeh says Israel and the Palestinians are facing a last-chance moment to prevent "an apartheid future." Donniel Hartman says settlers are trying to train other Israelis to believe that settlement evacuation is impossible. Rachel Shabi looks at growing similarities and alliances between the extreme right in Israel and Europe. Rubik Rosenthal says Israel's wars in Lebanon backfired. Wray Herbert describes a new study looking at rage and opinion related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. David Margolick profiles Netanyahu.

NEWS: Amnesty International says Israel should end “administrative detention” without trial. PM Netanyahu is seeking to relocate an “unauthorized” settlement outpost. The PA says Israeli prison guards attacked and beat Palestinian prisoners. Israel arrests three Gaza fishermen. Palestinians create a new electoral system for the PNC. Two Palestinians are wounded in new Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The Knesset rejects a bill that would “legalize” “unauthorized” Israeli settlements built on privately-owned Palestinian land. Netanyahu says he will personally head a new ministerial committee on settlement affairs. Pres. Obama reportedly says he's concerned about the PA's interest in peace. Pres. Abbas urges Israelis not to turn their backs on peace. Submarine sales to Israel are controversial in Germany. A judo athlete from occupied East Jerusalem will be the first Palestinian to officially compete in the Olympics. COMMENTARY: ATFP Pres. Ziad J. Asali contemplates the lessons of the Nakba. The New York Times welcomes Netanyahu's decision to abide by the Supreme Court ruling on the Ulpana settlement and says Israel should cease all settlement activity. Miko Peled says his father believed Israel lost a golden opportunity for peace in 1967. Carlo Strenger says Netanyahu's government relies on stereotypes of Arabs. Allison Good says Americans should invest in Palestine.

NEWS: PM Netanyahu vows to take a hard line against African migrants. FM Lieberman condemns attacks on migrants. Refugee advocates say draconian Israeli measures won't stop African migrants coming to the country. Israel is searching the email accounts of vistors, mainly of Arab or Muslim heritage. Palestinians say a new US bill on Palestinian refugees could harm peace efforts. The PA is conducting a law-and-order crackdown in the Jenin area. No men are allowed at a women-only coffee shop in Ramallah. The owner of a destroyed dairy factory in Gaza says he will sue Israel. A Palestinian man is shot after stabbing an Israeli soldier. Fatah and Hamas say they will hold talks soon on who should serve as PM in a possible new government. Pres. Obama once again invokes the waiver against moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Palestinians mark Naksa Day, mourning the defeat in the 1967 war. Pres. Abbas says Palestinians don't want a state without its capital in Jerusalem. COMMENTARY: Moshe Arens says Israeli military figures turned politicians are too quick to resort to unilateralism. Amira Hass says Palestinian villagers live in fear of armed settlers. Daniel Levy says European diplomacy on Israel and Palestine has been intensified in three crucial ways. David Newman looks at property rights and land ownership for Bedouins in the Negev. Gershon Baskin says a Palestinian state must be prepared to treat Jewish citizens equally. Ben Sales asks if DM Barak's talk of Israeli "unilateral actions" in the occupied Palestinian territories was a trial balloon. The National says Khaled Meshaal seems to have consolidated power within Hamas. Elisheva Goldberg says the ideology of Kahanism dominated a recent pro-Israel rally New York. Jeffrey Goldberg says Israel can defeat itself by pursuing aggressive settlement policies or secure the gains of the 1967 war by beginning to remove outlying settlements unilaterally. Crispian Balmer says both Netanyahu and Abbas would like to see Ahmed Shafiq win the Egyptian presidential election.

NEWS: PM Netanyahu reportedly vows that if the settlement housing units at the “Ulpana" outpost are dismantled, they will "be rebuilt tenfold elsewhere,” and says “our policy is to bolster the settlements.” The US says Israel is supportive of its policy of pursuing more sanctions against Iran. Israel enacts a new law allowing for the detention of migrants for up to 3 years, with Int. Min. Yishai saying many migrants “think the country doesn't belong to us, the white man." Two more Palestinians are injured in another Israeli airstrike on Gaza, as another dies of wounds sustained in a previous attack on Friday. PM Fayyad meets with the South African envoy and encourages a global boycott of settlement products. Arab states reportedly pledge $100 million per month in aid to the PA if Israel withholds Palestinian tax revenues. Israel's Navy continues to harass Gaza fishermen, even within the 3-mile limit in which they are supposedly allowed to operate. Der Spiegel reports that Dolphin submarines being purchased by Israel from Germany will be equipped with Popeye missiles that can carry nuclear warheads. An Israeli military investigation finds that settlers tied up and beat a captured Palestinian. Khaled Mishaal reportedly withdraws his pledge not to run and will stand for another term as head of Hamas' politburo. Palestinians in the notorious Lebanese Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp are optimistic for a better future. COMMENTARY: Ha'aretz says Netanyahu's approach to the Ulpana outpost is "adding insult to injury." Yossi Verter says Netanyahu seems to be on a collision course with extremists in his coalition over some settlements. Nirit Anderman contrasts films made about water by Israelis and Palestinians. Nahum Barnea says with Netanyahu's newfound power, Israel is becoming a monarchy in the Middle Eastern tradition, not a democracy. Barry Rubin asks why it seems that large amounts of international aid to the Palestinians is missing. Susan Hattis Rolef says Israelis only seem interested in those aspects of history that affected the Jewish people. Jonathan Owen says Israel is becoming the new South Africa as calls for cultural boycotts increase. Leonard Fein says, since Israel is already a Jewish state it doesn't matter if Palestinians formally acknowledge that. Adel Safty says the biggest problem facing the peace process is that there is no Palestinian leverage or international enforcement mechanism over Israel. Alan Dershowitz says Israel should offer Palestinians a settlement freeze conditional on the resumption of negotiations focusing on borders.