The army has pointed to the month of April as a critical moment for security in the West Bank. In April, the Palestinian Authority’s money is expected to run out, it is slated to formally join the ICC and immediately ask to investigate Israel, and the new government in Israel will take power. Tensions surrounding all these events, including the anger caused in the Palestinian street if the current political leadership is re-elected to office, may lead to a deterioration in the security situation.

“The ‘Zionist Camp’ needs the Arab parties in order to form a government,” writes Michael Omer-Man. “Its decision to vote for disqualifying Zoabi makes that support less and less likely.”

Preelection polls published by Hebrew media ahead of the weekend showed the ruling Likud party and the left-of-center Zionist Union neck and neck with little over a month remaining before the vote.

The rightwing Bayit Yehudi party blasted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a top insider saying that Netanyahu “is trying to destroy the party and lay the groundwork for a coalition with the Zionist Camp” – a center-left political bloc currently hoping to oust Netanyahu from government.

“The destruction of Hanaa’ al-Naqib’s home in Lydd this week is a reminder that Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians hasn’t changed since 1948 — it has simply taken on new forms,” writes Rami Younis.

After 44 days in an Israeli prison, 14-year-old Malak al-Khatib has returned to her family. Family members waited for al-Khatib Friday morning at the Jabara checkpoint in Tulkarem.

Following a number of European parliaments’ recognition of Palestinian statehood, a number of public figures in Israel have launched a petition addressed to the UN Security Council, calling on it to set a date for ending the occupation. Former Israeli Ambassador Alon Liel explains why such a UN resolution could be a game-changer. Read the full petition here.

“Half a year after devastating hostilities, life in the region seems worse than ever,” writes William Booth. “Thousands remain displaced, internal violence is increasing – and Hamas is preparing for battle.”

Photojournalist Nicole Crowder documents the lives of some of the survivors of last year’s Gaza war.

The youngest to die was a 4-day-old girl, the oldest a 92-year-old man. They were among at least 844 Palestinians killed as a result of airstrikes on homes during Israel’s summer war with the Islamic militant group, Hamas.

“Although officials say relations between former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan and Hamas are limited to aid provided by Dahlan to the Palestinians in Gaza, the shared enmity toward President Mahmoud Abbas shows otherwise,” writes Hazem Balousha.