Washington is now considering the possibility of launching "proximity talks" between Israel and the Palestinians, as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas continues to object to direct talks.
The Israel Defense Forces launched a series of air strikes overnight Thursday against targets in the Gaza Strip, hours after a Qassam rocket fired from the Strip hit southern Israel.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has harmed university education and academic freedom in the West Bank, Gaza and Israel, a Canadian-authored study alleges.
US Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell called on Israel and the Palestinians to resume negotiations, in comments made to a US television station Wednesday night.
The Goldstone Report included a threat to Israel that had been overlooked so far but could lead to voluntary, far-reaching economic sanctions against Israel by UN members, a US Jewish organization, the American Jewish International Relations Institute (AJIRI), warned on Wednesday.
A senior Palestinian Authority official on Wednesday accused Hamas of serving Iran's interests in the region at the expense of the Palestinians and Arabs.
In an echo of the fevered speculation that surrounded Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's initially secret visit to Russia in September, rumors are flying about a purported mystery trip Defense Minister Ehud Barak may have made during an otherwise unaccounted-for two days on Sunday and Monday.
Medical aid and 518 activists entered Gaza Wednesday night after protests against the Egyptian government refusal to admit 400 of the group lead to clashes along the divided border town.
