News:

Buzzfeed sees growing divisions in Arab-American opinion on Palestine as exemplified in the relationship between Hussein Ibish and Ali Abunimah. (Buzzfeed)

EU envoy to Israel Faaborg-Andersen rejects PM Netanyahu’s charge of anti-Israel bias. (The Jerusalem Post)

The EU warns Israel and the Palestinians about the high price they will pay if peace talks fail. (Reuters)

Germany wants to extend restrictions on settlement funding to bilateral and private sector agreements with Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Pres. Abbas says he is ready to meet with Netanyahu if he is ready to achieve peace. (PNN)

Netanyahu will focus on economics at the Davos conference. (Ynet)

Israel moves forward with plans for 261 new settlement homes. (AFP)

The PA condemns an Israeli raid on the Al-Quds university campus. (Ma’an)

Israel will reduce the number of years of mandatory Arabic study in schools. (Times of Israel)

The UN is searching for common ground between Pres. Assad and the Syrian opposition. (AP/Reuters/New York Times)

Pres. Rouhani says the best solution to the Syrian crisis is to organize free and fair elections. (AP/The New York Times)

The State Department was reportedly aware of the torture photos in Syria since November. (The New York Times)

Pres. Obama and Iraq’s parliamentary speaker discuss integrating Sunni tribal militias into Iraqi government forces. (AP)

Iraq executes 11 more terror convicts. (Xinhua)

Egypt is not invited to the US-Africa summit. (AP)

PM el-Beblawi backs Gen. Sissi for Egypt’s president. (Reuters)

Egypt’s pro-Morsi alliance calls for 18 days of protests. (Xinhua)

Five policemen are killed by gunmen in Egypt. (AP)

Iran shows the international media its natural gas facilities. (AP)

Commentary:

Ha’aretz condemns comments by some MKs that Arab MKs should go to Syria as “shameful and intolerable.” (Ha’aretz)

Khaled Diab says Egypt’s policies towards Hamas are unprecedented and aligned with Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar says Israeli “propaganda” about alleged Palestinian “incitement” is a red-herring. (Al-Monitor)

Israel Harel says academic boycotts of Israel are ineffective, and the other boycott campaigns are faltering too. (Ha’aretz)

Barak Ravid says PM Harper proved himself a friend of Netanyahu, but not of Israel. (Ha’aretz)

The Forward says Israel should not focus on banning Nazi symbolism but on supporting Holocaust survivors. (The Forward)

Aaron Miller praises Obama’s Middle East policies but asks him to articulate them better. (Foreign Policy)

Nasouh Majali says the Geneva II talks should focus on the sectarian conflicts in the region rather than the fighting in Syria. (The Jordan Times)

Joyce Karam says the Geneva II talks miss the hard lessons learned from the Lebanese civil war. (Al Arabiya)

Joseph Kechichian says Saudi Arabia is neither promoting sectarianism in the region nor is it engaging in a proxy war with Iran in Syria. (The Gulf News)

Eyad Abu Shakra says Hezbollah seeks hegemony, not resistance. (Asharq Al-awsat)

Michael Young says the UN was not serious in investigating late PM Hariri’s assassination and that the Tribunal will fail to put an end to the climate of impunity. (The National)

Amal Mousa says the new Tunisian constitution must criminalize “takfirism.” (Asharq Al-awsat)

Assia Alaoui says Morocco is poised to play a major role in promoting peace in the region. (The Gulf News)

Gideon Rachman says many countries in the Middle East are worried by the apparent American disengagement. (The Gulf News)

Michael Jansen says the upcoming parliamentary elections in Egypt might see the return of many pro-Mubarak and Muslim Brotherhood candidates. (The Jordan Times)

Kori Schake says the US should develop a full-blown pro-Jordanian strategy and make it the major beneficiary of any Palestinian-Israeli peace deal. (Foreign Policy)

Joseph Nye says wars are never inevitable. (The Daily star)


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