Palestinians were shocked at the news on October 2 that the much awaited Goldstone report into Israel's war on Gaza, slated for a UN Human Rights Council vote on the same day, has been postponed until the Council's 13th session in March. The report, had its recommendations received a majority of votes from the Council members, would have been referred to the UN Security Council in New York and most likely to the International Criminal Court for charges of war crimes, mostly committed by Israel.

Israel did not cooperate with the investigation at the time, saying it was slanted and did not take into consideration Israel's right to defend itself. Since the report's publication last month, Israel has been waging a verbal and diplomatic war against it, lobbying its allies to block its move to the Security Council.

Israel got its way on October 1. Initial reports pointed the accusatory finger towards the Palestinian Authority, after Geneva's Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim Khreisheh said on October 1, "We decided to defer the matter" to the March session. On October 2, Khreisheh continued his justification by saying the Palestinians wanted to "gather a consensus" for the report's findings" denying that they had caved to US pressure.

On October 2, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat also denied that the Palestinians played any role in postponing the vote on the report, insisting that their position had remained unchanged.

Apparently, following the backlash from fellow Palestinians, President Mahmoud Abbas also felt compelled to deny any involvement. Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said on October 2 that the Palestinian Authority had not dropped its support for the Goldstone report.

In a statement, Abu Rudeina said the postponement came after a request from Russia, the United States, and Europe, in a move that was welcomed by others in the UNHRC. Speculators are opining rather, that the PA came under pressure from the United States, a newcomer to the Human Rights Council on Israel's behalf so the report would not find its way to the Security Council, at least not yet. The US already opposed a draft resolution endorsing the Goldstone recommendations, which it has called one-sided.

While this newest development is disconcerting, it is not surprising. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been slashing the report since its release. On October 1, he threatened to "end the peace process" if the Human Rights Council votes in support of the report. "Forwarding the decision of what is known as the Goldstone report, would strike a fatal blow to the peace process," Netanyahu said. "Israel will no longer be able to take additional steps and take risks for peace if its right to self-defense is denied."

"Anyone who desires peace must stop this report right now," he said. Israel also told the Palestinians they would not grant approval for the Watanyia Mobile Company if they did not withdraw their request to vote on the report.

Apparently, Israel was worried up until yesterday that the report's recommendations would be endorsed by the Council. Israel's UN ambassador in Geneva even admitted on September 30 that "they would never get the numbers" to stop the decision in any Council vote. Khreisheh confirmed this as well on the same day telling the Israeli daily The Jerusalem Post, "We have enough votes already."

Unfortunately, the report will now have to wait until March until it is voted on, which means Israel will have more time to drum up support for its opposition.

In other developments, 19 Palestinian women prisoners were released from Israeli prisons on October 2 in exchange for the first video of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit since he was taken hostage in Gaza in 2006. The initial agreement was to release 20 prisoners but only 19 were released when it became apparent that one of the women had already been released two days earlier. The women were released to the West Bank and met by President Abbas at his Ramallah compound. In his welcome speech, Abbas said efforts would continue to "release every prisoner who has spent decades in Israeli jails," insisting that "the Palestinian leadership has not forgotten the 11,000 prisoners who remain in prison.”

Ismail Haniyeh, de facto prime minister of the Hamas leadership in Gaza, which was responsible for the exchange, said on October 2 that the release of the women prisoners "was a victory for the resistance."

The video of Shalit showed the Israeli soldier in good health, reading an Arabic language newspaper named "Palestine." The newspaper was dated September 14. Shalit is shown saying he is healthy and is being treated well by his captors.

Meanwhile, Hamas and Fateh are scheduled to travel again to Cairo to try and finally reach an agreement on national conciliation. According to an Egyptian diplomatic source, Palestinian factions are to meet in Cairo on October 19 and hopefully sign and seal a unity deal by the 22nd.

On the ground, Palestinians and Israeli police and border guards clashed in and around the grounds of Al Aqsa Mosque Compound on September 27, which left several people injured. According to Palestinian sources, a group of extremist Jews tried to break into the compound but were stopped by Palestinian protestors. Several men were arrested including Aqsa Imam, Sheikh Ikrima Sabri on September 29, who was questioned at the Russian Compound (Al Maskoubiyya). On Friday, October 2, the Old City was virtually closed to anyone living outside of it and only men over 50 were allowed into the mosque for noon prayers.

Israel has imposed a 10-day closure on the West Bank starting from midnight October 1 during the Sukkot holiday. During this period, Palestinians are banned from entering Israel even with Israeli-issued permits.

Also in Jerusalem, on September 30, Israeli authorities announced a plan to build 14,000 housing units in the east Jerusalem outskirt of Al Walajeh. The settlement, to be named Givat Yael, will be one of the largest in the eastern sector, with an expected 40,000 inhabitants over 3,000 dunams of land.

In the Old City of Jerusalem, the extremist settler group Ateret Cohanim distributed leaflets to its supporters on September 27, advertising six homes in the Muslim Quarter for sale to Jews. The homes, which they said could house 40 families, are part of a plan to eventually take over as much Palestinian territory as possible.

Finally, three Gaza men were killed in two separate incidents on September 27 and 30 when the smuggling tunnels they were in collapsed over them. Several others were injured. In Jenin, an Israeli army jeep ran over a high school student on September 30. According to witnesses, 17-year old Foad Turkman, was standing with his friends outside the Izz Ad-Din Al-Qassam School when an Israeli jeep ran him over twice. He was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.