Abbas says that Israel has offered nothing new in talks in Jordan, but that 2 more mtgs. are planned in hopes that the sides can agree on baselines for resuming negotiations before the Quartet’s 1/26/12 target date. (NYT 1/13)
Israel’s High Court upholds (6-5) a controversial law that bans most Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens fr. obtaining citizenship on the ground this would pose a security threat. IDF troops on the c. Gaza border fire 2 artillery shells at a group of armed Palestinians nr. the border e. of al-Bureij r.c., moderately wounding 2. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Ramallah and 2 nr. Tulkarm (synchronized) in the morning; in 2 villages nr. Jenin (firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing youths in 1 instance), 2 nr. Jericho, and 1 nr. Salfit in the afternoon; and in Birzeit late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nabi Saleh. (WP 1/13; PCHR 1/19; OCHA 1/20)