Government officials still have not declared the recession officially over, but the GDP report marks the second quarter of expansion after a record four quarters of decline.

VOA: standard.2010.01.29

A senior Middle East analyst with the International Crisis Group in Jerusalem,Rob Blecher, says frustration over continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the general lack of progress toward achieving a Palestinian state,has prompted the Palestinian leadership to look for new strategies.

VOA: standard.2010.05.03