Hamas: No deal on Oct. 25

It's official: Hamas will not sign a reconciliation deal with Fatah on October 25, as originally planned. The group has asked for a delay of "several weeks" because of Mahmoud Abbas' decision to delay the Goldstone Report.

Speaking of Abbas, he's slowly returning to the public eye. He gave a speech in Ramallah today -- his first since the Goldstone fiasco began on Oct. 2 -- in which he defended his decision to delay the report. He also said that the best way to reconcile Hamas-Fatah tensions is "through the ballot box."

Easier said than done, of course, since Hamas and Fatah have to agree on a framework before the elections can take place. In other words, reconciliation -- albeit in a limited form -- is a prerequisite for elections.