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NEWS: The New York Times looks at the use of TV in Israel's election. Right-wing parties appear to have a commanding lead in the polls, but PM Netanyahu might try to form a coalition with political centrists. Some Palestinians despair over the prospect of another Netanyahu victory. Netanyahu pledges that if he is elected, no settlements in the occupied West Bank will be dismantled. The rise of extremist politician Naftali Bennett may have little to do with his annexation plans. A joint Jewish-Arab party in Israel is trying to make headway. Some analysts believe the economy, not peace issues, will dominate the agenda of the next Israeli government. Officials from Hamas and Fatah say they have agreed on a timetable for implementing reconciliation agreements. The Palestinian Election Commission says it still waiting for permission to resume operating in Gaza. 12 Palestinian refugees are killed in Syria. PM Fayyad says the PA's fiscal crisis is gradually improving. Contradicting some other security officials, senior occupation officers say they don't think another intifada is brewing. Israel may be quietly backing away from highly controversial settlement expansion plans. COMMENTARY: The Jerusalem Post interviews Netanyahu. Noam Sheizaf looks at the fragmentation of the Israeli left. Jonathan Tepperman profiles DM Barak. Roger Cohen says historically there is no right of return for refugees. Dov Waxman says Jewish Americans aren't going to abandon Israel. Yossi Sarid says there is a culture of lying in the Israeli military that no politicians have succeeded, and few have tried, to rectify. Hassan Barari thinks Pres. Obama will be too focused on domestic issues to confront Netanyahu on peace. Dalia Hatuqa says, despite constant criticism of settlement activity, trade with Europe actually sustains settlements. Daniel Birnbaum complains about the treatment of Palestinians at Pres. Peres' house. Hussein Ibish says columnist Jeffrey Goldberg has been subjected to unfair attacks by both the extreme left and right.
NEWS: The apathy of Arab voters in Israel is a growing concern. PM Netanyahu rebuffs concerns about Israel's settlement policies attributed to Pres. Obama. An Israeli court convicts an American immigrant settler for killing two Palestinians in 1997. Polls continue to suggest hardline parties will do well in the coming Israeli election. Pres. Morsi claims his 2010 remarks about Israelis have been taken "out of context." An Israeli court approves, and occupation forces complete, the evacuation of a Palestinian protest structure in the crucial E1 area slated for increased settlement. Palestinian officials call for international intervention to save the peace process with Israel. The PA says Saudi Arabia has pledged to grant it $100 million. The gulf between Israeli women political leaders highlight the country's deepening divisions. Israel's high court says the military should stop evicting Palestinians from a south Hebron area designated as a "firing zone." Former PM Olmert accuses the Israeli government of rejecting peace. Israel offers tenders for another 198 settlement housing units. Palestinians accuse Israeli troops of provoking a Palestinian boy before shooting him in the back. COMMENTARY: Eric Yoffie says Jewish Americans are fed up with feeling undervalued by Israel. Ha'aretz says Israeli forces must stop routinely killing Palestinians in the occupied territories. George Hishmeh looks forward to the Hagel confirmation hearings. Reuven Pedatzur says Israeli security services think a third Palestinian intifada is only a matter of time. Rana Baker says the occupation is undermining Palestinian identity. Shai Feldman says Netanyahu's choice of coalition partners will determine the impact of Israel's election. Raja Shehadeh calls the Palestinian E1 protest a "countersettlement." David Frum looks at why Israel is turning so far to the right. Leon Hadar says the Arab-Israeli conflict has a secular past, but maybe a religious future. Ronen Bergman says it's unfair to equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. AP interviews Israeli political newcomer Yair Lapid.
NEWS: An Israeli NGO says PM Netanyahu settlement policies are clearly aimed at thwarting the creation of a Palestinian state, as approval for new settlement units increased 300% in 2012. Israel's separation barrier is spurring wildcat construction projects in Palestinian areas beyond its route. Left-wing parties in Israel are hoping to regain popularity by focusing on economic issues. If he wins the election, Netanyahu's choice of coalition partners will be a major factor in shaping Israel's foreign policy. Palestinian activists attempt to return to their protest site in the area of the highly controversial E1 settlement project. Hamas and Fatah officials will meet again in Cairo to discuss national reconciliation. Remarks attributed to Pres. Obama about Netanyahu raise controversy in Israel. An Israeli military investigation finds that 80 bullets were fired without justification in the killing of a Palestinian by occupation forces. Palestinian activists launch a new reading campaign during long taxi rides. Palestinians say a youth killed by occupation forces in the famed protest village of Budrus was shot in the back while fleeing. A pro-Palestinian activist is suing Air France for denying her passage on a flight to Israel. COMMENTARY: Anshel Pfeffer takes issue with some of David Remnick's portrayal of extremist Israeli politician Naftali Bennett. Chemi Shalev says it's not Obama who is intervening in Israel's elections, it's reality. Ha'aretz says Israel should listen to Obama's warnings. Orly Azoulay says Obama is settling scores with a hostile Israeli leadership. Amnon Be'eri-Sulitzeanu says moderate parties in Israel can't form a powerful coalition without Israel's Palestinian citizens. The Jerusalem Post says Palestinian citizens of Israel should vote for more pragmatic leaders. Barry Rubin says both Israelis and Palestinians are now likely to be mainly spectators in the transformation of the broader Middle East. Two prominent Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders say they have a responsibility to change mindsets. Ben Caspit says Obama intends to revive the peace process and deal with the Iranian nuclear file. Hazem Balousha thinks recent statements by Hamas leaders show more flexibility towards Israel. Daniel Levy says the Israeli election lacks any defining issue.
NEWS: Israel is focusing "national investment" in nine sites in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinians accuse occupation forces of killing a farmer near the Gaza border, but Israel denies any responsibility. Palestinians also say occupation forces killed a teenager in the West Bank. A new manuscript details Jewish life in 11th-century Persia. Centrist parties in Israel are hoping a last-ditch voter drive movement will help alter what looks like a sure victory for PM Netanyahu. Settlers, however, appear confident of a strong right-wing victory. The UN Human Rights Council says Israel seems to be resisting a routine review of its rights record. Palestinians say Israeli forces arrest the former mayor of Al-Bireh village in the occupied West Bank. Teachers and other civil servants are on strike this week in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu says "preconditions" from Pres. Abbas are making negotiations impossible. A group of Israeli academics predict that a Netanyahu victory in the coming Israeli election will mean the end of the peace process. Winter storms intensify the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. COMMENTARY: Jeffrey Goldberg says Pres. Obama wants Netanyahu to act in Israel's best interests by withholding settlement activity and pursuing peace. Bradley Burston expresses admiration for the Palestinian E1 tent city protest. Uzi Benziman says Netanyahu is widely perceived as someone addicted to deceit. Yoel Meltzer says Israeli ultranationalists, torn between Likud and the Jewish Home parties, may soon merge into one large extremist group. David Bernstein says Israeli politics are cyclical, not stuck on the far-right. Hassan Barari says it's tragic that peace is not an issue in the Israeli election, but blames regional trends as well. Shalom Yerushalmi says Israel's settlements cannot actually be evacuated. Gideon Rachman says Netanyahu is a "tactical genius" but a "strategic idiot."
NEWS: Israeli occupation forces evict Palestinian protesters from the site of the controversial E1 settlement expansion, and PM Netanyahu vows to complete the project. Some Palestinian activists see such nonviolent protests as the wave of the future. Palestinian factions may be moving closer to a unity agreement, and Egypt says they have agreed to implement previous agreements. An American couple of Jewish origins are taken aback by aggressive security measures by Israel's airline. The EU details its planned drive for revivified peace talks in 2013. Jordan's King urges renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Aid groups in "Area C" must strictly follow Israeli occupation rules or risk having their projects destroyed. Palestinian officials, including PM Fayyad, call on Arab states to rescue the PA from its financial crisis. Palestinian refugees are reportedly starting to return to a beleaguered camp near Damascus. An Israeli soldier is charged with assaulting a Palestinian citizen of Israel at a checkpoint. The JTA profiles Yair Shamir, a possible successor to the indicted FM Lieberman as head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party. COMMENTARY: Dan Fleshler looks at threats facing Israeli-Palestinian security coordination. Shlomo Avineri says constructive unilateral steps by Israel and the Palestinians are now the only way forward. AP looks at tensions between Pres. Obama and Netanyahu. Amira Hass says the E1 protest marks a change of tactics for Palestinian activists. Karl Vick says Palestinians are adopting settler tactics. Aeyal Gross says it's the Israeli governments settlement policies, not Palestinian protesters, that are violating the law. Oudeh Basharat says Arab citizens in Israel must vote. Aluf Benn looks at the new film "The Gatekeepers." Alon Ben-Meir says lack of trust is a key reason for the impasse between Israel and the Palestinians. Uri Savir proposes a national emergency cabinet for the next Israeli government. Rajab Abu-Sariyyah says the Egyptian initiative for Palestinian national reconciliation is a failure. Larry Derfner profiles MK Zoabi, "the most hated woman in Israel." David Remnick profiles extremist Israeli politician Naftali Bennett.
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