October 1st

News:

Pres. Abbas vows not to withdraw from peace talks with Israel. (Xinhua)

Pres. Obama urges PM Netanyahu to speed up peace talks with the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

VP Biden tells the J Street conference regional instability presents opportunities for peace. (JTA)

Obama and Netanyahu express unity on Iran and other issues. (New York Times)

Netanyahu urges the continuation of sanctions against Iran. (Los Angeles Times)

Iran's FM calls Netanyahu "a liar." (AP)

Iranians are caught between dueling narratives about their overtures to the United States. (New York Times)

Gulf states are carefully watching the development of Iran-related issues. (The Media Line)

Palestinians say Israeli soldiers killed a man near the Gaza border area. (AP/Xinhua)

Israel's military confirms the man it killed was unarmed. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinians are going to petition Israel's High Court to reclaim Jordan Valley land from settlers. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli police say there has been a surge of "price tag" hate crime vandalism in Jerusalem. (Xinhua)

GDP at constant prices in Palestine increased during the 2nd quarter of 2013 compared to last year's parallel quarter. (PNN)

Following a month-long student strike over tuition hikes, Birzeit University will commence classes. (PNN)


Commentary:

Barak Ravid says, despite deep differences, Netanyahu got what he wanted from Obama. (Ha'aretz)

Hassan Barari says Iranian reconciliation with the West and its neighbors will take more than just a moderate leader. (Jordan Times)

Peter Galbraith says Obama may prove a triple-winner on Iran, Syria and Russia. (The Daily Star)

Ha'aretz urges Netanyahu to stop "sowing fear" diplomatically. (Ha'aretz)

Hagai Segal says Netanyahu has no choice but to be a "constant nagger" about the threat of Iran. (YNet)

Kevin Connolly questions whether Israel will be able to keep the West skeptical about Iran. (BBC)

Alon Pinkas says Netanyahu is making a big mistake by turning Iran into "Israel's issue." (Ha'aretz)

Doyle McManus asks how long Iran's charm offensive can be effective. (Los Angeles Times)

Russell Sticklor suggests ways of dealing with what he thinks is an upcoming Middle East region-wide water crisis. (Christian Science Monitor)

Amira Hass says the Middle East Quartet needs to push Israel to lift restrictions on Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

Paul Gross says the US is indispensable to the Middle East. (Jerusalem Post)

David Newman says right-wing extremist groups are hijacking Zionism. (Jerusalem Post)

Neve Gordon says Israelis and Palestinians could consider "consociational government" as another model to the traditional two-state solution. (Los Angeles Times)

Shmuel Rosner complains European diplomats keep provoking Israeli soldiers in the occupied territories. (Al Monitor)

Naela Khalil explains how a Hamas leader is embroiled in a scandal over an "honor killing" in the West Bank. (Al Monitor)

Anna Lekas Miller says Congress should not be facilitating Israeli discrimination against Americans. (The Nation)

Sandy Tolan remembers Edward Said. (PNN)


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