Daybreak: 10-Month Settlement Freeze

• Israel has begun the fraught process of implementing a 10-month settlement freeze in the West Bank. [Haaretz]
• Israel announced plans to release 980 prisoners in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit by Hamas; the statement declared that this is not “part of a gesture and/or diplomatic agreement” but rather “an incident of bargaining, which can be seen as an ongoing terror attack.” [Ynet]
• Iran is moving forward with a “dramatic expansion” of its nuclear program “in defiance of U.N. demands,” as the AP puts it. [AP]
• The trial of John Demjanjuk for World War II war crimes begins today in Germany; the Times of London says he “was not a Nazi, or even a German…. He is now stateless and regards himself as a victim of the 20th century.” [Times]