• Defense Secretary Ehud Barak, visiting Washington, D.C., criticized Jerusalem authorities for okaying the razing of 22 Palestinian homes. [NYT]
• Prime Minister Netanyahu’s national security adviser told a group of mostly American Jews that Israel’s endorsement of Palestinian statehood has decreased its own international standing. He also held out the possibility of preemptive military action against Iran. [WP]
• President Shimon Peres said the Gaza blockade is a necessary defense against terrorism. [LAT]
• Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak said Israel is shifting blockade maintenance. [Ynet]
• The IDF has altered strategy to dictate a slower move into Gaza, to make time for complete evacuations, should a future incursion be necessary. [JPost]
• Israel launched a new spy satellite. [NYT]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.