NEWS:

The Arab League welcomes Sec. Kerry's proposals for restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, raising prospects for resumed talks. (New York Times/AP)

Some Israeli officials reportedly say they are open to a formula for talks based on the 1967 borders, but PM Netanyahu's office denies this. (YNet/Jerusalem Post/Reuters)

Kerry extends his trip for more consultations, but there is no planned meeting with Netanyahu yet. (AFP)

Kerry says he believes he is "getting closer" to facilitating resumed negotiations. (AFP/Washington Post)

Pres. Abbas consults with Palestinian leaders after the Arab League announcement about resuming negotiations with Israel. (Reuters)

Netanyahu formally asks the EU to reconsider its ban on further cooperation with Israel's occupation, but Palestinians praise it. (AP/Xinhua)

Pres. Peres asks the EU to delay implementing and reconsider the new guidelines about noncooperation with Israel's occupation, and suggests they could be an impediment to new peace talks. (AFP/AP/Ha'aretz)

The new EU measures are likely to increase Israel's growing international isolation. (AFP)

Some Israeli analysts think the EU measures will make it harder for Netanyahu to control right-wing elements in his government. (Times of Israel)

The UK reportedly wanted much tougher guidelines that would have applied to every Israeli in the occupied Palestinian territories. (Ha'aretz)

The US refuses to criticize the EU decision. (Jerusalem Post)

Western officials reportedly say Palestinians are seeking to build an airport in Ramallah. (YNet)

Israel may be preparing to dismantle several checkpoints in the occupied West Bank and other "goodwill gestures." (Jerusalem Post/AFP)

Hamas rejects a suggested Fatah "deadline" for a national unity government of August 14. (Ma'an)

Gaza's hospitals are the latest to be hit by the financial and supplies crisis in the Strip. (Al Monitor)

Hamas asks Egypt to provide alternatives now that most Gaza smuggling tunnels have been closed down. (Ahram Online)

Palestinians launch a "morality campaign" urging people to voluntarily pay for electricity. (The Media Line)

IKEA is considering opening a branch in Ramallah. (The Guardian)

Militants kill three Egyptian policeman in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP)

Some Israelis are taking advantage of cheap land near the Egyptian border, but at some risk. (Christian Science Monitor)

Protesting Palestinian refugees shut down an UNRWA office at a refugee camp in Lebanon. (Ma'an)

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, in a rare rebuke, calls on Israeli officials to cooperate in a terrorism lawsuit against the Bank of China. (JTA)

A student exchange program in central Pennsylvania is trying to assist a stigmatized Palestinian student enroll in a local high school. (Patriot News)

COMMENTARY:

Abdullah Iskandar says the whole Arab world is wondering what, exactly, Kerry has in mind. (Al Hayat)

Gershon Baskin says both parties need to take advantage of the opportunity Kerry is providing. (Jerusalem Post)

Marty Peretz says Kerry's "heroic efforts" are pretty much all that is left of Pres. Obama's Middle East policies, and Palestinians should accept whatever Israel offers them. (Daily Beast)

Neve Gordon says Israel's response to the new EU guidelines shows it has no intention of ending the occupation. (Ha'aretz)

Gideon Levy says Israel should thank the EU for making it confront its fundamental realities. (Ha'aretz)

John Whitbeck says the EU has a major role to play in brokering Israeli-Palestinian peace. (Al Jazeera)

Carlo Strenger says the Israeli right seems incapable of understanding the implications of the EU guidelines. (Ha'aretz)

Rachel Shabi says the EU decision has hit Israel like a bucket of cold water to the face. (The Guardian)

The National says the guidelines mark a new phase in Israeli-EU relations. (The National)

Chemi Shalev says the Israeli right now faces a choice between Kerry's proposals and more measures like the EU guidelines. (Ha'aretz)

Cnaan Liphshiz wonders how effective the EU guidelines will actually be. (JTA)

Jan Sokolovsy and Ari Briggs say the right response to the EU is for Israel to curtail cooperation with the PA. (Jerusalem Post)

Ephraim Sneh says the EU guidelines show there's an economic price, as well as isolation, for the occupation. (YNet)

Ha'aretz says Netanyahu is in denial and is leading Israel to the brink of an abyss. (Ha'aretz)

The Israeli NGO B'Tselem says law enforcement against settlers in the occupied West Bank is "enslaved" to the occupation project. (B'Tselem)

Rashad Hussain says Ramadan is a good time to combat anti-Semitism among Muslims. (JTA)

Roy Isacowitz says Israel doesn't have to look exactly like the former South Africa in order to actually be practicing apartheid. (Ha'aretz)

Robert Danin proposes a formula for ending Gaza's isolation. (Council on Foreign Relations)

Maysoon Zayid looks at the growing interest in skating among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Asmaa al Ghoul looks at the campaign of hatred and incitement against Palestinians in some of the Egyptian media. (Al Monitor)

Hassan Tahsin says Sinai security and Egyptian-Palestinian relations, especially with Hamas, were stained by former Pres. Morsi's legacy. (Al Arabiya)

Hazem Saghieh asks if the Muslim Brotherhood is at all capable of self-criticism. (Al Hayat)

NEWS:

Palestinian-American NFL player Oday Aboushi of the New York Jets is subjected to bigoted attacks based on his Palestinian heritage. (The Nation)

Sec. Kerry is due to make his next visit to the region for more peace efforts next week, depending on his wife's health condition. (Jerusalem Post)

Egyptian prosecutors plan to investigate whether Hamas was involved in a 2011 prison break that freed former Pres. Morsi, among others. (AP)

Egypt closes the border crossing with Gaza for Friday, but says it will reopen it on Saturday. (Ma'an)

Egyptian officials reportedly feel the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula is spiraling out of control. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Hamas denies 32 of its operatives were killed in a recent Egyptian offensive in Sinai. (Jerusalem Post)

Fatah officials urge Hamas to abandon the regional Muslim Brotherhood and focus on Palestinian national unity instead. (Al Monitor)

Israeli soldiers who arrested a five-year-old Palestinian child for throwing stones in the occupied West Bank are cleared of wrongdoing by their superiors. (New York Times)

The arrest of the young Palestinian child is heavily criticized by Israeli human rights groups. (AP)

PA officials warn that Israeli policies are undermining the raison d'être of the Authority and weakening moderates. (Jerusalem Post)

Pres. Abbas comes under unprecedented, scathing attack as a "tyrant" in an article by Sufian Abu Zaida, a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli officials reportedly believe the threat of widespread European boycotts against Israel is real. (Ha'aretz)

A computer model finds a two-state solution is the best prospect for peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

Israel's military is beefing up its presence on its northern border. (AP)

Israel is planning a Red Sea marine barrier along the coast with Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. (YNet)

Israel's military is cutting its size, but not its capabilities. (Xinhua)

Around 75,000 worshipers pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the first Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. (Ma'an)

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs and ATFP hold joint meetings with officials in Washington urging support for a two-state solution. (JTA)

Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel says Israel is ready to, and should, build 10,000 new settler housing units in and around occupied East Jerusalem. (AFP)

Israel's High Court delays the evacuation of an "unauthorized" settlement outpost. (Jerusalem Post)

A new poll suggests one third of Jewish Israelis support the building of a "Third Temple." (Ha'aretz)

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says the Palestinian population in the occupied territories has reached 4.4 2 million. (PNN)

The Red Crescent Society of the United Arab Emirates is donating $2.1 Million to UNRWA for an East Jerusalem Health Centre. (PNN)

COMMENTARY:

Avraham Burg says the changing strategic landscape in the Middle East opens many possibilities for Israel on peace. (Ha'aretz)

Yoel Marcus says Israel's refusal to change its policies in a rapidly transforming regional environment is extremely dangerous. (Ha'aretz)

Michael Gerson says a two-state solution is in everyone's interest, but Kerry has an uphill task in trying to make progress towards one. (Washington Post)

Ehud Yaari looks at the security crisis in Sinai. (WINEP)

Alan Elsner says Israeli ambassador-designate Dermer will have to overcome his reputation as a "conservative ideologue." (Ha'aretz)

Avi Issacharoff looks at the possibility of a flareup in Gaza following the ouster of Morsi. (Times of Israel)

Ari Remez says it's appropriate for Israelis to host and attend a play about Rachel Corrie. (Jerusalem Post)

Asmaa al-Ghoul says while Hamas and Fatah bicker, a Tamarod social media movement is gathering steam in Palestine. (Al Monitor)

NEWS:

Reports suggest scores of people, including many Hamas members, were killed by Egyptian security forces in Sinai recently. (YNet)

Egypt's Sinai offensive may have been launched in consultation with Israel. (Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Hundreds of Palestinians have been arrested in the West Bank by Israeli occupation forces in the past two weeks. (Times of Israel)

Israeli Cabinet ministers call for increased settlement construction to offset the prospects of Palestinian independence. (Jerusalem Post)

International experts are said to be making significant progress on a plan for Palestinian economic revival. (AFP)

The ouster of former Pres. Morsi has created an unprecedented crisis for Hamas. (Jerusalem Post/Al Jazeera)

Smuggling into Gaza is reported to have ground to a virtual standstill. (Times of Israel)

Palestinians in Gaza say they feel "held hostage" to upheavals in Egypt. (The National)

Some Fatah officials suggest Palestinians in Gaza overthrow Hamas as Egyptians ousted Morsi. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli military officials report a steep decline in anti-Israeli attacks in the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)

Confrontations erupt between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinians at a refugee camp south of Hebron. (PNN)

Israel is expecting an influx of Palestinians from the West Bank in the occupied East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan, but many are frustrated due to various restrictions. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)

Israel confirms it is holding a Palestinian man who disappeared in Egypt. (Los Angeles Times)

Israel is deploying a new army unit along the frontier with Syria. (Xinhua)

Smugglers shoot and kill an Egyptian security officer near the Sinai border with Israel. (Ma'an)

Israel is streamlining its military due to budget cuts. (Ha'aretz)

Ilan Halevi, a Jewish member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, dies in Paris. (Ha'aretz)

Outgoing Israeli Amb. Oren praises Pres. Obama as "a true friend of Israel." (Ha'aretz)

COMMENTARY:

Mohammed Suliman says Hamas is pretending to be optimistic in spite of the upheaval in Egypt, but it sees the disaster coming. (Al Monitor)

Abeer Ayyoub says Hamas may be in crisis over Morsi's ouster, but Islamic Jihad is unfazed. (Al Monitor)

Avirama Golan says a Jewish extremism in Israel comparable to Islamism in the Arab world is running wild. (Ha'aretz)

Eldad Beck says Israelis should welcome the dramatic changes in Egypt. (YNet)

Ha'aretz says the Israeli extreme right is again attacking legitimate NGOs they don't like. (Ha'aretz)

Ilan Baruch says PM Netanyahu can learn from the fall of apartheid in South Africa, but only once he accepts occupation is unsustainable. (Ha'aretz)

Douglas Bloomfield says Israel's diplomacy is dysfunctional and its foreign service demoralized. (Jerusalem Post)

Paul Scham says former Pres. Morsi's ouster could have a big impact on internal Palestinian politics. (Middle East Institute)

Gideon Levy says the IDF is wrong to encourage young people to join the military in order to become snipers and assassins. (Ha'aretz)

Alex Fishman says Israel's military is restructuring itself in preparation for future wars. (YNet)

Gershon Baskin says Ramadan is a good time for Israelis and Palestinians to seek understanding and reconciliation. (Jerusalem Post)

J.J. Goldberg says there is growing resistance to the candidacy of a noted anti-Arab racist for Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. (The Forward)

Zack Parker asks why the Israeli government has reinstated funding for an extremist settlement yeshiva. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Shlomi Eldar interviews Egyptian activist Hiba Hamdi Abu Sayyaf, who specializes in dialogue with Israelis. (Al Monitor)

NEWS:

Sec. Kerry's planned Middle East trip is in doubt because of his wife's illness. (AFP)

An Israeli court orders a new investigation into the wounding of an American by Israeli occupation forces during a 2009 West Bank protest. (Ha'aretz)

The trial of two Palestinian nonviolent women protesters is considered politically charged on all sides. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt opens the Gaza border allowing stranded Palestinians to cross at last, for at least two days. (Reuters/Xinhua/Ma'an)

Unrest in Egypt is causing significant hardships in Gaza. (The Media Line)

Hamas calls PLO accusations it interferes with Egyptian domestic affairs "incitement." (Ma'an)

Mossad agents reportedly detain a Palestinian man in Sinai. (Ma'an)

Israel confirms it is holding a Palestinian man who disappeared in Egypt for “security crimes.” (AP)

Israel denies any involvement in a deadly explosion in Beirut yesterday. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu appoints Ron Dermer Ambassador-designate to the United States. (New York Times/JTA)

Netanyahu also appoints a new set of senior aides. (Times of Israel)

Israeli doctors give American officials tips on force-feeding hunger striking prisoners. (Ha'aretz)

Protesting Palestinian youths smash holes in Israel's West Bank separation barrier. (Ma'an)

Tourism has surged in Israel following the rapprochement with Turkey. (Xinhua)

Israel is offering military aid and other inducements to African states to accept returning migrants. (Xinhua)

Israeli extremists enter the sensitive Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

A leading candidate for new Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel has a history of supporting "Temple Mount" activism. (Al Monitor)

Another Palestinian is killed in fighting in a refugee camp in Syria. (Ma'an)

Israel is reportedly considering a deal that would allow Russian troops to join UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights. (Jerusalem Post)

Up to 1 million Palestinians are expected to visit occupied East Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan. (YNet)

FIFA says Mohamed Assaf could sing together with Shakira in the opening ceremony of the World Cup in Brazil next year. ( Al Arabiya)

COMMENTARY:

Udo Kock and Christoph Duenwald say saving the Palestinian economy must be a priority for everyone. (Ha'aretz)

David Pollock says Ramallah has emerged the winner over Gaza from the changes in Egypt. (WINEP)

Ben Caspit says Israel is concerned by American "hesitancy" over Egypt. (Al Monitor)

Ha'aretz says the new government's obsession with legally defining Israel as a "Jewish state" is a sign of deep insecurity. (Ha'aretz)

Alan Baker says the parties need a "code of conduct" to create conditions conducive to resume negotiations and peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Daniel Tauber says Netanyahu has actually put forward a very coherent vision of peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Ben Sales profiles Jewish Israeli extremists planning to rebuild a "Third Temple." (JTA)

Jonathan Cook says Israel's treatment of Palestinians, including its own citizens, deserves to be named "apartheid." (The National)

Kadri Gursel says efforts by Turkish officials to blame unrest on "the Jewish Diaspora" are undermining rapprochement with Israel. (Al Monitor)

Gershom Gorenberg says Israeli annexationists keep trying to distort Jewish and Arab demographics, but to no avail. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Elisheva Goldberg adds Israeli annexationists are attached to implausible ideas of mass Jewish immigration to Israel. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

NEWS:

Three Palestinians and a Syrian are killed in clashes at the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. (Ma'an)

Some American officials are reportedly urging Sec. Kerry to craft a set of "American principles" for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian officials say they have held direct talks with PM Netanyahu about resuming negotiations, but Netanyahu denies this. (Xinhua/Times of Israel/Ma'an)

Israeli political figures meet with Palestinian officials in Ramallah. (YNet)

An Israeli court ruling will allow settlers to access the Palestinian Land Registry for ownership details for the first time since the occupation began. (PNN)

The PA says it's going to overhaul many of its policies regarding children's rights. (Ma'an)

Israeli officials urge Pres. Obama not to repeat his "naïve" approach to Egypt. (Jerusalem Post/Reuters)

Hamas condemns the deadly government crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood protesters and rioters in Egypt. (AP/Xinhua)

Gaza's fuel crisis is intensified after the border closure by Egypt. (Al Monitor)

Israeli officials say they fear Arab citizens of Israel may be targeted by extremists in Sinai. (YNet)

Masked demonstrators in Ramallah calling themselves "Tamarod" demand a third intifada against Israeli occupation. (Ma'an)

A Palestinian citizen of Israel is sentenced to 30 months in prison for joining rebels in Syria. (AP)

A play about Rachel Corrie is being performed in Israel and in Hebrew. (AP)

Israeli officials say they're going to have a secret meeting about a secret prisoner. (AP/Xinhua)

The ICC is considering launching an investigation into the deadly 2010 Gaza flotilla incident. (Ha'aretz)

Israel launches a new "cyber war room." (Xinhua)

Israel is going to launch a controversial ID program featuring biometric data. (Los Angeles Times)

Israeli officials say they're going to ease travel restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank during Ramadan. (PNN)

The World Bank says Kuwait is donating $50 million for Palestinian development. (PNN)

Israelis carve a giant peace sign in the occupied Golan Heights near the frontier with war-torn Syria. (Christian Science Monitor)

Israeli journalism students are studying the occupied West Bank. (The Media Line)

COMMENTARY:

J.J. Goldberg says if Netanyahu could make up his mind about peace, Kerry might stand a chance of success. (The Forward)

Ben Birnbaum says Netanyahu's political future may depend on acting to save the two-state solution. (The New Republic)

David Rubin says Israel should annex the West Bank and offer citizenship to its Palestinian residents. (Jerusalem Post)

Moshe Arens says a two-state solution is not a win-win scenario, but a net loss for Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Mira Sucharov says there are some key questions Salon didn't ask Israeli annexationist leader Dayan. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

The BBC looks at the impact of the upheaval in Egypt on Israel and Hamas. (BBC)

Akiva Eldar says the upheaval in Egypt gives Israel a chance to make peace with the Egyptian people. (Al Monitor)

Bradley Burston continues to explore why it can be difficult to tell the difference between Likud and Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

Mazal Mualem interviews MK Calderon, who says the biggest threat in Israel now is the "messianic-temple movement." (Al Monitor)

Yaron London says there's no major difference between Israel's ultra-Orthodox parties and the Muslim Brotherhood. (YNet)

Heribert Adam says Israeli and Palestinian leaders should emulate Nelson Mandela. (Ha'aretz)

Dana Evan Kaplan says Mandela often made Jewish South Africans quite uncomfortable. (The Forward)

Tania Hary looks at the challenges facing Palestinian musicians, especially in Gaza. (Ha'aretz)