October 6th

News:

The Palestinian unity government will hold its first Cabinet meeting in Gaza this week. (AP/Ma’an/Jerusalem Post)
 
The Palestinian unity government releases its $4 billion reconstruction plan for Gaza. (PNN)
 
PM Netanyahu says White House criticism of Israeli settlements is “un-American.” (AP/JTA/Ha’aretz)
 
Palestinians in Gaza make a rare visit to Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque for Eid al-Adha. (AFP/JTA/The National)
 
Israel’s Foreign Ministry protests to the Swedish government over its decision to recognize the Palestinian state. (Ha’aretz/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)
 
PLO official Ashrawi criticizes Israeli reaction to Sweden’s decision to recognize Palestine as a state. (Ma’an/PNN)
 
An Israeli court says the PA must compensate victims of a terrorist attack in 2001. (Ha’aretz)
 
Extremist jewish settlers uproot dozens of olive trees in the occupied West Bank. (Ynet)
 
Kurdish forces defend a Syrian town from ISIS near the Turkish border. (AP/Reuters/The National)
 
Former Pentagon Chief Panetta says fight against ISIS will be difficult and could last decades due to decisions made by Pres. Obama. (AFP)
 
Hezbollah kills 16 militants from the Al-Nusra Front. (Reuters/New York Times)
 
ISIS’ ammunition is shown to have origins in US and China. (New York Times)
 
VP Biden calls the crown prince of the UAE to clarify that he did not mean to imply that the Gulf ally was supporting al-Qaeda fighters in Syria. (AP/Reuters/Washington Post) 
 
The US is trying to counter ISIS’ efforts to lure alienated young American Muslims. (New York Times)
 
Qatar comes under further attack for allegedly funding extremists. (Washington Post)
 
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah says religious extremism is a perversion which must be eradicated. (Times of Israel)
 
IMF Chief Lagarde will attend Egypt’s investors conference. (AP)
 
Commentary:
 
Hussein Ibish says the US must ensure that Israel does not follow through on the plans for a game-changing new settlement. (The National)
 
Tala Haikal says the anti-ISIS coalition must emphasize rescuing women and girls. (The Hill)
 
Ali Jarbawi looks at Pres. Abbas UNGA speech. (New York Times)
 
Haviv Rettig Gur asks if this is the beginning of the end of the Abbas era. (Times of Israel)
 
Roger Cohen says slaughter in the Middle East cannot be an alibi for Israel to avoid self-scrutiny. (New York Times)
 
The National says “choking” ISIS funding is a vital strategy. (The National)
 
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Biden is echoing the statements of Iran and the Assad regime on ISIS. (Al Arabiya)
 
Tariq Alhomayed says Saudi Arabia and the UAE are acting in the interest of regional stability. (Asharq al-Awsat)
 
Khaled Almaeena says the Muslim world must protect its youth from ISIS and other extremist ideologies. (Al Arabiya)
 
Rami Khouri assesses the fragmentation of Arab states. (Daily Star)
 
Fayez Sara says international aid for the Syrian people is “too little and too late.”(Asharq al-Awsat)

October 3rd

News:
 
Sweden will recognize the State of Palestine. (Reuters) 
 
The British parliament will vote on whether to recognize the State of Palestine on October 13. (Ha’aretz)
 
The EU says new settlement plans in occupied East Jerusalem pose a threat to peace and its relations with Israel. (Reuters/AFP)
 
Sec. Kerry will meet with Pres. Abbas in Cairo later this month. (Ha’aretz)
 
PM Netanyahu says a Palestinian push to try Israeli officials for war crimes at a UN tribunal would end any chance of reaching a peace deal. (JTA)
 
Abbas will ask donor countries for $4 billion for Gaza reconstruction. (AP/AFP)
 
Palestine’s UN Amb. Mansour says if UN does not an impose a deadline to end the occupation, Palestine will join the ICC. (Ha’aretz)
 
Palestinian officials call on the US to pressure Israel. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli police are on high alert to avert possible clashes as Jews and Muslims prepare to observe their major holidays. (AP/AFP/Times of Israel)
 
Workers in all hospitals in Gaza launch a partial strike in protest against failure to pay salaries for the last five months. (Ma’an) 
 
Israeli occupation forces detain six Palestinians, including three children in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)
 
The Global AgeWatch Index says the occupied West Bank and Gaza is the third worst place to grow old. (Times of Israel) 
 
Ayatollah al-Sistani calls upon PM al-Abadi to create a national security force that doesn't promote sectarianism. (AP)
 
Kurdish fighters defending a Syrian border town warn of a likely massacre by ISIS extremists. (Reuters)
 
Australia authorizes special forces troops to go to Iraq. (Reuters)
 
VP Biden says the US-led coalition against ISIS will face a “long fight.” (Reuters)
 
ISIS presses offensives in Syria and Iraq. (Washington Post)
 
A poll indicates two out of three Americans back US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. (AP) 
 
Protests erupt in Homs over a bombing that killed dozens of Syrian children in a school. (New York Times)
 
Yazidis in Iraq hope to return to their homes. (AP)
 
King Abdullah of Jordan says Russia is vital in dealing with regional challenges. (Jordan Times)
 
Commentary:
 
Former Palestinian PM Fayyad proposes structural changes to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. (Foreign Affairs)
 
The National says Palestinians need to the win the “PR war” against Israel. (The National)
 
The New York Times says Netanyahu’s commitment to the two-state solution is hard to square with the pursuit of further settlements. (New York Times)
 
Barak Ravid looks at Netanyahu’s recent trip to the US. (Ha’aretz)
 
Ron Kampeas looks at Netanyahu’s relationship with Peace Now. (JTA)
 
Elhanan Miller looks at changes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan. (Times of Israel)
 
Ami Ayalon says Israel should create a Marshall plan for Gaza. (Al-Monitor)
 
Yossi Sarid says Israel is “killing” Palestinian culture. (Ha’aretz)
 
The New York Times says ISIS stands alone in its deliberate, systematic and public savagery. (New York Times)
 
Colum Lynch says women and children are for sale under ISIS. (Foreign Policy)
 
Alan Philps says Iraq’s army needs leadership. (The National)
 
David Ignatius says foreign nations are treating Syria as a “playground.”(Washington Post)
 
Ahmed al-Attar says the success of the anti-ISIS coalition will rest on the ability to motivate local populations into turning away from ISIS. (The National)

October 2nd

News:
 
Israel approves the construction of 2,500 settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
 
The White House says Israel’s new settlement activity would “poison the atmosphere” and distance Israel from “even its closest allies.” (JTA/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)
 
The Palestinians may ask the UNSC to set a deadline of November 2016 for an Israeliwithdrawal from all occupied territories. (AP/Reuters/JTA/Times of Israel)
 
PM Netanyahu tells Pres. Obama a new Arab alliance could resuscitate Israel’s peace talks with the Palestinians. (New York Times/Washington Post/AFP/Ha’aretz)
 
Economy Minister Bennett criticizes Netanyahu for his commitment to the 2-state solution. (Ynet)
 
Sec. Kerry is reportedly planning new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks under the auspices of regional Arab powers. (Times of Israel)
 
Netanyahu clashes with UNSG Ban about postponing probe into shelling of UN facilities in Gaza. (Ha’aretz)
 
IDF Chief Gantz says long-term calm in Gaza requires economic incentives. (Times of Israel)
 
The first cabinet meeting of the Palestinian unity government will be held in Gaza afterEid al-Adha. (Ma’an)
 
Israel has agreed to allow Palestinians to export vegetables and fish from Gaza to the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)
 
Egypt will close the Rafah crossing for Eid al-Adha. (Ma’an)
 
Palestinian landlords in Gaza refuse to rent to families targeted by Israel in the recent war. (Al-Monitor)
 
A Palestinian-born candidate, Raed Salah, is running for Berlin mayor. (AP)
 
Turkey’s parliament is considering giving the government power to launch military incursions into Syria and Iraq. (AP/Washington Post) 
 
Kurdish fighters say ISIS is closing in on the town of Kobani along the Syria-Turkey border. (AP/Reuters)
 
A UN report says ISIS extremists are committing “staggering crimes” in Iraq. (Reuters)
 
Egypt seizes a private newspaper to censor an article. (New York Times) \
 
The GCC demands the restoration of government authority in Yemen. (The National)
 
Commentary:
 
The Jordan Times says Netanyahu refuses to see that only peace with the Palestinians can bring about reconciliation with the rest of the Arab world. (Jordan Times)
 
Dana Milbank looks at the recent Obama-Netanyahu meeting. (Washington Post)
 
Ha’aretz asks how can Netanyahu speak of regional peace and at the same time expand Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. (Ha’aretz)
 
Raphael Ahren says Netanyahu would never actually agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Times of Israel)
 
Michael Young says Obama’s reference to his administration’s “underestimation” of the ISIS threat was embarrassing. (The National)
 
Hassan Hassan says the US-led coalition against ISIS risks losing support if it does not clarify its aims. (The National)
 
The National welcomes the alliance between Sunni and Kurds against ISIS on both sides of the Syria-Iraq border. (The National)
 
Roger Cohen says Obama’s war against ISIS makes war with Iran even more unthinkable. (New York Times)
 
Faisal Abbas explains how the world can win the ideological war against ISIS. (Al Arabiya)
 
Nicholas Kristof says extremists like ISIS recognize that their greatest strategic threat comes not from a drone but from a girl with a book. (New York Times)
 
Joyce Karam looks at how losing the Senate could affect Obama’s foreign policy in the Middle East. (Al Arabiya)
 

October 1st

News:
Pres. Obama will meet with PM Netanyahu in Washington. (AP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

An Israeli official says Netanyahu would still meet with Pres. Abbas, despite UNGAspeech. (Times of Israel)

An Israeli official allegedly holds “secret talks” with PM Hamdallah. (Ynet)

Abbas is threatening to reevaluate the PA’s security ties with Israel. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Hamas criticizes Netanyahu’s recent speech at the UNGA. (Xinhua) 

Israel will grant 500 Palestinians from Gaza three-day permits to visit Jerusalem over the Eid al-Adha holiday. (Ma’an)

Displaced Palestinians from Gaza receive 100 mobile homes. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces arrest 21 Palestinians in the West Bank. (Ma’an/PNN)

A survey indicates 24 percent of Jewish-Israeli consumers are boycotting Arab businesses in the wake of the summer’s Gaza conflict. (JTA/Jerusalem Post)

Three Israeli soldiers who fought in the recent Gaza war have committed suicide. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israel’s population authority left Muhammad off the annual “Top 10” list of baby names, even though it was number one. (New York Times)

ISIS says it will expand into southern Syria within days. (The National)

US-led forces launch airstrikes on ISIS extremists who are besieging a Syrian Kurdish town near the Turkish border. (Reuters)

Turkey may send troops into Syria and Iraq and let allies use Turkish bases to fight ISIS. (Reuters/Washington Post)

Syrian Kurds continue their exodus to Turkey. (Washington Post)

PM Abbott says Australian aircraft will join the US-led coalition in air strikes against ISIS in Iraq. (Reuters)  

A Syrian official says 17 people, including 10 children, have been killed in explosions near a school in Homs. (AP)

The UN says at least 1119 Iraqis have been killed in September. (AP) 

Egypt is offering to train pro-government forces battling rival armed groups in Libya. (Reuters)

The Kuwaiti government is fighting dissent by revoking citizenships. (New York Times)

King Abdullah of Jordan will meet with Pres. Putin in Moscow to discuss terrorism. (Jordan Times)

Jordan and the US sign four grant agreements worth $633 million. (Jordan Times)

AP looks at Mecca’s transformation. (AP)

Commentary:

Thomas Friedman says Israel is adopting a strategy of containment toward Gaza. (New York Times)

Rami Khouri says Netanyahu’s UNGA speech signals how out of touch he is with the rest of the world. (Daily Star)

The National says Israel has the primary role in ending the occupation. (The National)

Amira Hass explains why Abbas was distressed at the UNGA. (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says Netanyahu is wrong to conflate the Palestinian issue with “militant Islam.” (Ha’aretz)

Ben Caspit says Netanyahu’s UNGA speech did not identify opportunities or make any historic decisions. (Al-Monitor)

Nathan Brown looks at Netanyahu’s lies about ISIS and Hamas. (Jewish Daily Forward)

Avi Issacharoff says Jordan and Israel enjoy close security and political cooperation. (Times of Israel)

Smadar Perry asks if Egypt will suspend Israeli-Palestinian talks after UNGA accusations. (Ynet)

David Ignatius says unifying the moderate Syrian opposition is the biggest challenge in Syria. (Washington Post)

Andrew Thompson and Jeremy Suri say ISIS extremists are neither new nor unfamiliar to the US. (New York Times)

The Daily Star says FM al-Moallem’s speech at UNGA smacked of “delusion and detachment” from reality. (Daily Star)

Aaron David Miller says the US is facing a conundrum in Syria. (Foreign Policy)

Tariq Alhomayed asks if US intelligence truly underestimated the ISIS threat. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Diana Moukalled says the Lebanese army is committing abuses against Syrian refugees with impunity. (Al Arabiya)

Elizabeth Dickinson looks at  which groups Qatar funds and how that complicates its relationship with the US. (Foreign Policy)

Ziauddin Sardar says Saudi Arabia has bulldozed centuries of beauty and diversity in Mecca. (New York Times)

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