The UAE will host a GCC defense think tank for the study of common security threats. (The National)
Commentary:
Elias Groll thinks the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer a top US priority. (Foreign Policy)
Gershon Baskin says he suspects more progress is being made in peace talks and most people think. (Jerusalem Post)
Brent Budowsky says he's not optimistic but Kerry is waging a valiant one-man battle for "common interests and common sense." (The Hill)
Emily Hauser sees many flaws in the recent Israel-PA-Jordan water agreement. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
Nathan Jeffay asks if imprisoned Fatah leader Barghouti could prove the "Mandela of the Palestinians." (The Forward)
Chemi Shalev says Israel is inching closer to an international South Africa-style boycott regime. (Ha'aretz)
Israel's new opposition leader Herzog calls PM Netanyahu "an enigma." (AP)
Israel Harel says pro-Israel loyalists should support Netanyahu. (Ha'aretz)
George Hishmeh says Israeli leaders avoided Mandela's funeral fearing "a trial and oral whiplashing." (Gulf News)
Ari Shavit says, after missing its top leaders avoided Mandela's funeral, Israel must restore its international moral credibility. (Ha'aretz)
Osama Al Sharif says Mandela's Middle East legacy may be realized when Israel is ready for peace in Palestine. (Arab News)
Chaim Levinson points out that in the occupied West Bank home construction rules are changed depending on whether the owners are Arabs or Jews. (Ha'aretz)
Monika Halkort looks at the rebuilding of the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. (Open Democracy)
Andy Bachman says censorship at campus Hillel organizations goes against Jewish traditions. (The Forward)
David Ignatius says Pres. Obama's realistic, pragmatic foreign policy recalls the days of Kissinger and Baker. (Washington Post)
Nicola Nasser says, with friends like Kerry, the Palestinians need no enemies. (Arab News)
El Hassan bin Talal says between violence, kidnappings and a harsh winter facing refugees, the brutality of the Syrian conflict is laid bare. (Jordan Times)
The National says aid for Syrian refugees will be a test of Iran's intentions. (The National)
Rym Ghazal looks at life in the Zaatari refugee camp on the Jordan and Syria borders. (The National)
Yaron Friedman says, despite shared interests, there is little chance of Israeli-Saudi normalization. (YNet)
Jacky Hugi agrees there will be no formal, or even informal, Israeli-Saudi alliance against Iran. (Al Monitor)
Francis Matthews says Gulf states are extremely concerned at the drift in American policies. (Gulf News)
Joseph Kechichian looks of the evolving structure of the GCC. (Gulf News)
Mustafa Akyol says the Erdogan-Gulen rift should make Turkey stronger. (New York Times)
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