The wall juts about wildly in the West Bank and would separate Palestine into walled in statelets, with transport between them entire under the control of the Israeli government. The PLO, as expected, rejected the plan.

So why was it even proposed? Israeli analysts believe the offer was made because Palestinians often complain about the Israeli government’s refusal to discuss borders. Though a ridiculous one, the West Bank wall would technically be a border, so Israel can insist they did present something border-related.

The talks were never expected to go anywhere, and the only reason that Israel and the PLO even met was because the Mideast Quartet gave them an “ultimatum” and neither side wanted to be blamed for not meeting. As has so often been the case, both sides seem to have positioned the talks to creating talking points for why they failed, as opposed to trying to reach an actual deal.

With five settlers charged over their group’s tracking the military’s operations against illegal outposts, Likud MP Ze’ev Elkin was revealed to be among the list of “sources” used by the settlers in their operations. Elkin insisted his involvement began and ended with texting one of the settler figures that one of the illegal settlements wasn’t going to be evacuated despite rumors to the contrary.

Shortly after Elkin’s role became a public issue, another MP, National Union’s Uri Ariel was revealed to have repeatedly testified during a committee meeting that he was providing information to settlers about military operations.

“If a person who transfers information about IDF movements is a spy, then I am a spy,” insisted Ariel, adding “if others were arrested, I should be arrested as well.” Ariel’s comments were made before the settlers were charged over this, but if it becomes a legal precedent they might amount to a confession.

No peace talks have taken place between the two sides since Israel cancelled the last settlement freeze in September 2010, and Israeli diplomats often make a big show of insisting that it is only the “Palestinian refusal” preventing such talks.

But officials say that the PA was willing to abandon the freeze demand if Israel made a show of good will by releasing 100 long-held prisoners. The offer came as a Quartet “deadline” nears for restarting talks, and Israeli officials are insisting that they don’t believe the offer was a sincere one.

The PA has denied predicating the talks on the release of the prisoners, saying they had “no preconditions” for such talks. Israeli officials are reportedly outraged that the Palestinians termed the effort aimed at “renewal” of the talks, and are demanding they call it a “resumption of negotiations” for some reason.

The move was announced as part of a larger collection of construction approvals throughout Israel, but included homes in occupied south Jerusalem as well as the West Bank settlements of Betal Illit and Givat Ze’ev. Construction is to start within a year.

The announcement is just the latest in a number of massive expansions of the settlements by the far-right coalition government in Israel since the expiration of a partial building freeze in September of 2010.

Officials insisted for the most part that the construction was just “normal growth” and not a concerted effort to expand deeper into Palestinian territory on the eve of a potential deal on statehood. Since the UNESCO decision the settlements have been discussed mostly in terms of “punishment” for the PA accepting such recognition.

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Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemned the settlers involved in the attacks as “weeds that must be uprooted,” while Defense Minister Ehud Barak likened them to terrorists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to avoid too much controversy himself, insisting that he would not allow the settler movement responsible for the attack to ever be labeled a “terror group.”

The difference is a semantic one, however, as Netanyahu did say he was approving recommendations for the military to treat the settlers involved in the same way they traditionally treat terror groups (or indeed Palestinian civilians involved in peaceful protests), with summary detentions in military custody and no access to civilian courts.

Information about yesterday’s attack continues to trickle out, with reports that it was launched because of rumors that the Israeli military was going to tear down a settlement illegally constructed without regime permission. The government insists this was not true, and recently has moved to retroactively legalize such settlements.

Announcing that the attack “crossed all the lines,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised retaliation in a big way, saying he would “fight with all my power as the prime minister” and saying that he has asked Shin Bet and the Defense Ministry to draft a plan to “take care of the rioters.”

The “price tag” attack movement started as a way of protesting the Israeli government’s halfhearted efforts to negotiate with the Palestinians, as the settler movement opposes Palestinian statehood. Even though no talks have been held in over a year the attacks have escalated, and gone beyond the usual tactics of burning mosques or chopping down olive trees and escalated into attacking the Israeli military itself.

The escalation is something Israeli intelligence officials have been warning the military about for quite some time, but while vandalizing a Christian cemetery was worth a bit of public criticism, it is only now that the military seems to be getting seriously and directly effected that the Netanyahu government seems serious about tackling the issue.

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Click here for Al-Jazeera’s Photo Feature on the incident

Residents say that the words “Hero of Ariel” were written on the walls, and that flaming tires had been thrown at the mosque entrance. The fire damaged the entrance but did not extend beyond it.

‘Price tag’ attacks have been carried out by settlers against Palestinian targets as well as military targets to protest the peace negotiations that were at one point going on between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority. Though no talks have taken place in over a year, the attacks continue.

Mayor Akrima Samara said that this wasn’t the first time that his village has had problems with settler attacks, and which he expressed hope that the matter would eventually calm down he said he expects more such attacks in the future.

Among those arrested was a “known West Bank activist” soldier who was already under investigation for forgery. Now, he’s being accused of having played a role in sabotaging military vehicles at the base he was serving in as part of a settler attack on the facility.

The arrests were not exclusive to the military, as a number of settlers were also reportedly arrested on charges of “vandalizing army property.” Though attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank are nothing new, the recent trend toward moves against the IDF has the Israeli government convinced of its need to act.

Such incidents have also expanded beyond the West Bank, with attacks against Christian and Muslim targets inside Israel itself. The “price tag” attacks are supposed to protest against the concept of Palestinian statehood.