Palestinian Territories

(Newser) - President-elect Barack Obama is prepared to break with Bush administration policy and open lines of communication with Hamas, sources close to the transition team tell the Guardian . Advisors believe that ostracizing Hamas isn't working and support a move by Obama to quietly contact Hamas, perhaps through intelligence agencies—the same way earlier administrations engaged the PLO without Israel's knowledge, according to the sources. More »

(Newser) - The UN Security Council tonight passed a resolution—with the US abstaining—calling for "an immediate and durable" cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the BBC reports. The vote was 14-0. It's unclear how much of an effect it will have on the ground, and Israel appeared to be resuming its airstrikes. About 750 Palestinians and 12 Israelis have been killed in 13 days of fighting. More »

(Newser) - The destruction being visited upon Gaza could easily have been avoided, Jimmy Carter writes in the Washington Post . The former president, during visits last year, saw both the effects of Hamas rockets on Israeli communities, and the misery and malnutrition caused by the Gaza blockade. He details his own efforts, and observes that improved living conditions in Gaza would make peace infinitely more likely. More »

(Newser) - Israel slammed a Vatican official today for calling Gaza “a big concentration camp,” Reuters reports. Israel denounced the comparison by Cardinal Renato Martino as “the vocabulary of Hamas propaganda.” “We are astounded to hear from a spiritual dignitary words that are so far removed from truth and dignity,” said a spokesman for the country’s foreign ministry. More »

(AP) - The United Nations today halted all aid deliveries to the besieged Gaza Strip, citing a series of Israeli attacks on UN staff and installations. The announcement came shortly after the driver of a UN truck was killed by tank fire as he was headed to an Israeli border crossing to pick up an aid shipment. The UN said the delivery had been coordinated with Israel. The Israeli army has not commented. More »