In Israel and the Occupied Territories, rival Palestinian factions have delayed a proposed unity agreement for at least several weeks. The West Bank-based Fatah and the Gaza-based Hamas had been expected to sign an Egyptian-brokered deal to cooperate on rebuilding Gaza and hold new elections. But Fatah leader and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas drew widespread Palestinian opposition after agreeing to postpone a UN Human Rights Council vote on the Goldstone investigation into Israel’s assault on Gaza. The move reportedly came after heavy American and Israeli pressure. Hamas says it postponed the unity agreement in protest of Abbas’s stance.