Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign relations chief Catherine Ashton will be allowed to visit Gaza

The interests of both the Palestinians and the Israeli people, if everyone would just step back and take a deep breath, are actually very much more in line than they are in opposition," US Vice President Joe Biden said after a meeting with President Shimon Peres on Tuesday morning.

U.S. special Middle East envoy George Mitchell announced the start of proximity talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
Mitchell will broker the indirect talks, which over the next few weeks will have him shuttling between the Palestinian territories and Israel.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he will change legislation enabling Palestinian organizations to obtain arrest warrants against Israeli political leaders on suspicion of war crimes.

A key Jewish lawmaker urged passage of a resolution recognizing the Ottoman genocide against Armenians.

Fiercely backed by allied Iran, Syria on Thursday denied hiding nuclear activities from the world and said Israel was the source of suspicious uranium particles found at a Syrian desert complex, allegedly bombed two years ago by IAF jets.

The United States government has committed to playing a role in indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and promised that if the talks were to fail, the U.S. will assign blame and take action, according to a document sent by the U.S. to the Palestinian Authority, which Haaretz obtained on Friday.

UN humanitarian coordinator says Israel stymied Palestinian nat'l aspiration.

Days before US Vice President Joe Biden starts his first trip to Israel as vice president on Monday, senators and expert witnesses criticized the Obama administration for missteps on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during a hearing Thursday.

Indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority may begin as early as Sunday.