Secretary of State Clinton insists that the US position on an Israeli settlement freeze has not changed after a firestorm of criticism from Palestinian and Arab officials and media regarding her comments earlier this week in Israel. The Christian Science Monitor interviews and This Week in Palestine profiles Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who complains Israel is being allowed to set the agenda for peace. Jewish settlers seize control of a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli military officials claim Hamas rockets could reach Tel Aviv. The BBC explains that the occupation has forced Palestinian artists in Jerusalem "underground." Fatah co-founder Sakher Habash dies at 70. The PLO is considering all factions running on the united ticket against Hamas in Palestinian elections announced for January.
Israeli police arrest an American-born Jewish terrorist accused of killing both Palestinians and Jewish Israelis, while a commentary in Ha'aretz says that if he had confined his attacks simply to Arabs he would not have been caught. Secretary of State Clinton seemingly softens the US stance on an Israeli settlement freeze, while Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas insists this is a precondition for resumption of negotiations. Reuters analyzes his options, and The National looks at a future without Abbas. The Washington Post says the Jordan Valley could be a sticking point in any future talks. James Wolfensohn, former head of The World Bank, says that the PA's two-year state building plan is "a very smart move." Raghida Dergham lays out a strategy for Palestinians to advance the Goldstone report through the UN General Assembly rather than getting buried in the Security Council. In the Guardian, Hussein Ibish argues that the PA state and institution building plan complements Palestinian diplomacy and constitutes an effective program of practical resistance to the occupation.
Scott MacLeod defends Human Rights Watch against criticism that it's been unduly critical of Israel. A Reuters analysis argues that President Abbas is seeking to use Palestinian elections to reunite the West Bank and Gaza, and the President warns that Israel's measures are leading to potential violence and that Prime Minister Netanyahu "hasn't changed" since his first term in the 1990s. Special Envoy George Mitchell and Secretary of State Clinton are set to meet with Palestinian and Israeli leaders. Rabbi Eric Yoffie argues in Ha'aretz that settlements are antithetical to peace. The Independent highlights the exemplary plight of a student expelled by Israel from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip just before graduation. The National argues that Hamas opposition to Palestinian elections exposes its motivations and Daoud Kuttab says that elections are essential to the Palestinian people.
The New York Times looks at how Palestinian women's soccer teams are fighting for both gender equality and national independence. The Boston Globe calls on Israel to stop provocative excavations in Jerusalem. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the city must serve as a capital for both states and calls for reconstruction in Gaza. Numerous articles examine the significance of the first annual conference of the new pro-peace, pro-Israel organization J Street. Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya'alon says he will avoid visiting Europe for fear of arrest, and Israel's ambassador to the UN says the Goldstone report will remain a problem even if an internal investigation is launched. Seth Freeman argues that greater cooperation between the IDF and extremist settlers shows the growth of
religious-nationalist politics in Israel.
Hamas announces it will ban elections in Gaza, as NPR highlights the group's declining popularity and the New York Times profiles the threat to its rule from more extreme Islamic groups. A number of articles and commentaries consider the implications of the first J Street conference. The 2009 State Department International Religious Freedom Report says Israel continues to discriminate against religious minorities. Ha'aretz reports that the US is considering "indirect" Israeli-Palestinian talks as the next phase of the peace process, but other reports suggest that Arab states are urging the Palestinians to reenter negotiations without preconditions. In The Guardian, Ahmad Khalidi argues that the PA plan for institution building focuses too much on the West Bank and might weaken the Palestinian hand in negotiations with Israel.