Five more Palestinians are detained in an Israeli raid on a West Bank village. The UN says Palestinian progress is sufficient for statehood. The complete blockade of Gaza reaches its seventh day, and farmers are suffering greatly from the closure. Israeli soldiers will now be equipped with cameras. Hamas denies Syria is sponsoring Palestinian reconciliation negotiations. PM Netanyahu is reportedly considering a partial pullback in the West Bank, prompting settler panic, but Palestinian leaders question the idea. Netanyahu meets with a Canadian teenage pop star. The Quartet postpones a meeting on negotiations. Amir Peretz seeks the leadership of the Labor Party. A new poll shows 51% of Americans oppose a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. FM Lieberman gives an unusual radio interview. Gershon Baskin says another war in Gaza is a trap for Israel. E. Kontorovich says Israel will not face a “diplomatic tsunami” in September. Palestinians rename Jerusalem streets. Rachel Shabi eulogizes Juliano Mer-Khamis. Proposed US legislation would call on the UN to rescind the Goldstone Report. Mel Frykberg says a new war in Gaza is still
possible. Rami Khouri says the “Israeli Peace Initiative” is worth careful consideration, and Hussein Ibish says it reminds us negotiations are both possible and indispensable.
Israel and Hamas are considering a cease-fire, but divisions in Hamas
are complicating factor. The CSM says time is no longer on the side of
Israel or PM Netanyahu. FM Lieberman says Israel should topple Hamas
rule in Gaza and a cease-fire is not in Israel’s interests. The PA
says it will be ready for statehood in September. Israel is accused of
targeting water facilities in Gaza. The Arab League may call for a
no-fly zone over Gaza. Israel holds back on final approval for new
settlement housing in occupied East Jerusalem. A new Israeli
anti-rocket system, which the US is helping to fund, is having an
impact, but Netanyahu says it cannot protect every house. Analysts
predict a short-term cease-fire but long-term instability in Gaza.
Israel closes a West Bank village and arrests 23 Palestinians. Israeli
authorities predict a breakthrough in the investigation of the murder
of a settler family. Niva Lanir predicts September will be a
diplomatic disaster for Israel. Akiva Eldar says Israel must start
evacuating West Bank settlements. David Horovitz says Netanyahu has no
strategy and should consider recognizing Palestinian statehood. Both
Israeli and Palestinian youth show signs of becoming politically
apathetic. Raghida Dergham says the US must deal with the Palestinian
issue to address broader Arab unrest. Uri Avnery says he feels sorry
for Judge Goldstone. Hussein Ibish says most Arabs yearn for peace.
Israel warns against UN recognition of Palestine. Germany pushes Israel to be more forthcoming on peace. Roger Cohen says Judge Goldstone has created confusion, Oudeh Basharat says he caved under emotional pressure, and lawsuits are filed against him. Up to 10 Palestinians are killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza and several Israelis injured in a Hamas attack on a school bus. Israeli officials
call their attack on Hamas members in Sudan “a policy of prevention.” Palestinian Christians demand freedom of access to Jerusalem during Easter. Olympic medalists help to promote sport in the West Bank. Pres. Abbas urges the West to stop Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The Israeli military claims an anti-missile system successfully intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza. A new flotilla of up to 20 ships
is expected for Gaza. Israel officials say Hamas is trying to establish a “balance of terror.” Ha’aretz says leaked documents show Israeli leaders saying different things in public and private. A new poll suggests 78% of Likud members oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. The US may be working to have the Goldstone Report withdrawn. George Hishmeh says Goldstone’s reconsideration’s don’t
change the political situation. IPS says Israel is focusing on “soft targets.” Madawi al-Rasheed says tensions in Saudi Arabia, and Nathalie Tocci says the “Arab spring” in general, mean the Arab Peace
Initiative is on hold for the moment.
Sudan accuses Israel of bombing it, killing two. Jenin mourns a lost theatrical hero. The IMF says Palestine is ready for statehood. The World Bank praises Palestinian state-building efforts but says the occupation is the main obstacle. Israelis and Palestinians bicker over the future of a pre-1948 village. Occupation forces detain 100 Palestinian women in the West Bank. Pres. Abbas visits Cairo. Israel destroys Palestinian homes and roads in the Jordan Valley. Israel charges five Palestinians in a Jerusalem bomb plot. Hamas members are arrested for allegedly plotting to abduct Israeli soldiers. Jordan's FM says settlement building is a threat to peace. Leaked cables suggest Peace Now urged the US to press for evacuations of unauthorized settler outputs. A new poll suggests most Egyptians support maintaining the treaty with Israel. The authors of a new Israeli peace plan say PM Netanyahu must take the lead. Larry Derfner says the Goldstone Report was not the problem, the Gaza war was.
Palestinian human rights groups issue an open letter to Goldstone. The Ford Foundation will no longer fund Israeli NGOs. Osman Mirghani says Israel is trying to thwart Arab democracy. Daoud Kuttab says Goldstone’s reconsideration’s are not good for anybody.
Human Rights Watch accuses Palestinian security forces of intimidating
journalists. Jessica Montell says Judge Goldstone has not absolved
Israel of civilian deaths; Goldstone will visit Israel but won’t seek
the nullification of his report; Shlomo Avineri says Israel was wrong
to boycott his investigation; Ron Kampeas and Marcy Oster ask what
comes next; the Guardian looks at remaining unanswered questions. Café
culture is booming in Ramallah. Four Palestinians are wounded in
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza. The IMF says Palestinian institutions are
ready for independence. Jenin is in shock over the murder of a theater
director. Pres. Obama says Mideast unrest emphasizes the need for
Israeli-Palestinian peace, and Pres. Peres urges him to stick with
peace efforts. Israelis rally to the defense of a Palestinian
bookseller threatened with deportation from Jerusalem. Israel is
lobbying Germany not to recognize Palestine. The EU denounces Israeli
settlement expansion in occupied East Jerusalem. A new poll shows
large majorities of Palestinians oppose the murder of settlers,
support nonviolent protests. The first Palestinian venture fund is up
and running. The Media Line looks at tensions in the Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. The BBC asks if Syrian unrest
could spread to Israel. Fatah is investigating reports that Mohammed
Dahlan was involved in arms shipments to Qaddafi’s forces in Libya.