Mohammad Dahlan served as Gaza’s security boss until Fatah’s violent rift with Hamas in 2007, when he was discredited for failing to prevent the Islamist group’s rapid takeover. Now he is making an apparent political comeback in his native territory in a campaign fuelled by generous charitable handouts and a strong base of vocal backers, despite the fact that he lives between Cairo and the United Arab Emirates.

“This is the fundamental issue in an election that appears to be about Netanyahu but is in fact about something far more serious: whether Israel can return to the Zionism of the founders of the modern state and seek in good faith a two-state outcome, whatever the myriad failings and errors of the Palestinians,” writes Roger Cohen. “These failings must be factored into negotiations rather than used as a pretext for the politics of kicking the can down the road.”

Israeli consuls general in the United States have warned the Foreign Ministry to expect fierce negative reactions to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned March 3 speech to Congress, including from U.S. Jewish communities and Israel allies.

“Growing up in a refugee camp among many children whose fathers weren’t around to care for them made me aware at a very early age that I did have my father,” writes Ghada Ageel. “Some fathers were locked up in Israeli jails with a very limited number of visits, where children briefly talked to their fathers behind bars and were not allowed to be with them in person. Other fathers worked in Israel for most of the week, meaning they left the camp at dawn and returned at night when children were already in bed. The fathers of some children were even more distant, having travelled to the Gulf to provide for their families. And, of course, the fathers of some children had been killed by the Israeli military. Some children grew up, got married, and even had their own children while their fathers were behind bars.”

“Whether or not Israel faces consequences for his diplomatic strong-arming, the Israeli prime minister will have accomplished the only two things that matter to him: trying one last time to kill an Iran nuclear deal and convincing Israeli voters that he is the only one who knows how to ensure their survival,” writes Michael Omer-Man.

Why do people continue to vote for parties that work against their interests and persistently disappoint? What are the voting patterns in the Israeli public? A street survey of voters and a conversation with sociologist Jessica Nevo.

Likud wins 26 seats in latest Walla! poll, three over the Labor-Hatnua party, making chances of a right-wing government likely.

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahhar said Wednesday that the Islamic movement would not make a new prisoner swap deal unless all freed prisoners from the Shalit deal who were re-arrested are released. The hardline Hamas leader’s remarks follow months of speculation that Hamas’ armed wing has in its possession remains of at least one soldier killed during fighting in Gaza last year.

Israel has begun increasing its activity with Palestinians in Gaza, particularly with new investments and renovations to border crossings, Israeli media outlet Walla! News reported Thursday morning.

Hamas is working to open and operate its Gaza seaport, especially since countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Greece apparently have agreed to send and receive ships from Gaza.