Israeli officials would not reveal on Wednesday whether the government would respond positively to a US demand for a four-month halt to construction in east Jerusalem, in exchange for the Palestinians agreeing to direct talks with Israel during this period. Read the full story

The European Union’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, has criticized Israel for endangering the fragile Middle East peace process by announcing plans to expand “illegal settlements.” Read the full story

The democratically-elected Palestinian Prime Minister says that the Arab League decision to back the US-sponsored talks with Israel accelerated Tel Aviv’s settlement drive in Jerusalem (Al-Quds). Read the full story

The European Court of Justice has ruled that Israeli goods made in Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank cannot be considered Israeli. Read the full story

The democratically elected Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has called for uprisings in the occupied West Bank over a controversial Israeli plan to confiscate two holy sites in the territory as “national heritage.” Read the full story