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Daybreak: Palestinian Votes, Off and On

Plus a horrific crackdown in Bahrain, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
February 18, 2011
President Abbas last month.(Omar Rashidi/PPO via Getty Images)
President Abbas last month.(Omar Rashidi/PPO via Getty Images)

• The Palestinian elections in September President Abbas announced over the weekend? Yeah, they probably won’t happen, says President Abbas. [NYT]

• A more likely vote is at the U.N. Security Council over the Palestinian-backed resolution calling Israeli settlements illegal. Abbas has not yet decided whether to grant President Obama’s request to withdraw it. [NYT]

• After a couple days of us not being sure, we now know Iran has requested passage for two of its ships through the Suez Canal. [AP/NYT]

• The events in Egypt will likely be something for Hamas in Gaza. It’s just not clear yet whether that something is good or bad for Hamas. [LAT]

• In a blow to Hebron’s burgeoning settlement community, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that pre-1948 owners of Hebron property were entitled neither to that property nor to compensation. [Haaretz]

• Really bad stuff is going down in Bahrain, with a massive government crackdown against largely peaceful protesters. [WP]

This video, from Times columnist Nick Kristof, is harrowing.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.