US peace activist Tristan Anderson, of Oakland, Calif., was critically wounded when he was struck in the head by a tear-gas cannister launched by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank village of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah, March 13. Four Palestinians were also shot with rubber-coated bullets in the incident. Anderson remains in life-threatening condition after undergoing surgery overnight at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv.

Israel accelerated its "illegal annexation" of East Jerusalem last year through municipal and security policies that discriminate against Palestinian residents, according to an internal report by European Union diplomats, dated Dec. 15, 2008, which was obtained by Reuters. The 20-page report acknowledged Israel's security needs but said its "actions in and around Jerusalem constitute one of the most acute challenges to Israeli-Palestinian peace-making."

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Court will seek Interpol arrest warrants for more than 100 Israelis on war crimes charges stemming from the conflict in Gaza, prosecutors in Tehran said March 5. Iran announced in December that it would establish a court to try Gaza war crimes suspects in absentia.

From Amnesty International, Feb. 20:

Foreign-supplied weapons used against civilians by Israel and Hamas
Both Israel and Hamas used foreign-supplied weapons to attack civilians according to fresh evidence released by Amnesty International. Munitions from the USA, Israel’s main foreign arms supplier, were used by Israel forces during three-week conflict in Gaza and southern Israel. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups fired hundreds of rockets that had been smuggled in or made of components from abroad at civilian areas in Israel.

Israel shelled southern Lebanon Feb. 21 after a rocket hit its territory, injuring three people near the town of Maalot in the western Galilee region. "The Israeli army considers this a serious incident and believes it is the responsibility of the Lebanese government and the army to prevent this rocket fire," an Israeli army spokesman said. Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora denounced the violence, which caused panic on both sides of the border, while Hezbollah denied any involvement. "The Israeli shelling is an unacceptable and unjustified violation of Lebanese sovereignty," Siniora said in a statement. But he added: "The rockets launched from Lebanon threaten the country's security and stability and constitute a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

From the New York Times, Feb. 11:

The Palestinian Authority is pressing the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate accusations of war crimes committed by Israeli commanders during the recent war in Gaza.

Several Israeli military vehicles overran the Qalqiliya-area village of Jayyous the night of Feb. 11 and imposed a curfew on the area. The troops blasted into the area amid gunfire and sound bombs, announcing a curfew to residents, witnesses reported. As the soldiers entered the village Palestinian youths showered the vehicles with stones and empty bottles, sparking brief clashes. Locals host weekly demonstrations against the building of the separation wall on village land, and have reported an increase in Israeli military activity since the popular campaign started. (Ma'an News Agency, Feb. 11)

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and hawkish ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu are locked in a battle for power after a tight election that could send peace talks into limbo. Livni's Kadima party won 28 seats in the 120-member Knesset, just one ahead of Netanyahu's Likud party, leaving the country facing perhaps weeks of political uncertainty. An overall lurch to the right makes it more likely Netanyahu will return to the nation's most powerful post, but Livni immediately started coalition talks, meeting with Avigdor Lieberman of the ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu—who observers say has emerged as king-maker.