Date

News:

FM al-Maliki says the PLO has postponed submitting a draft resolution to the UNSC demanding an end to Israel's occupation. (Ma’an/JTA/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)
 
Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erekat says Palestinians have not yet delayed a UNSC bid. (Ha’aretz)
 
AP looks at Israel’s policy of demolishing Palestinian homes. (AP)
 
The Israeli Cabinet approves a bill to legally define the country as the “nation-state of the Jewish people.” (AP/New York Times/AFP/PNN/JTA)
 
Israel’s Justice Minister Livni says PM Netanyahu’s nationality law could break up thegovernment. (AP/PNN/Times of Israel)
 
Finance Minister Lapid says he will not support the “Jewish nation-state bill.” (Ha’aretz/Ynet)
 
Pres. Sisi says Egypt is willing to send forces to secure a Palestinian state. (AFP)
 
Europe is reportedly taking stronger measures to condemn Israeli policies. (New York Times/Ynet)
 
A former Israeli attorney general Michael Ben Yair urges the EU Parliament to recognize the State of Palestine. (Times of Israel)
 
Tensions at holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem threaten Jordanian-Israeli ties. (Washington Post)
 
An Israeli policeman is charged with manslaughter for killing a Palestinian teenager in May. (AFP/Ha’aretz)
 
Three Jewish Israelis attack a Palestinian teengaer in Jerusalem. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz/AP)
 
Ashkelon mayor reversed his ban on Palestinian workers. (JTA/Ynet)
 
Palestinian workers fear for their jobs in Israel. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli occupation forces detain 11 Palestinians in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
 
The Middle East Studies Association will vote on a proposal to support an academic boycott and end cooperation with Israeli academic institutions. (Ha’aretz)
 
Iran and the P5+1 will meet again next month after missing a deadline to clinch a final deal. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)
 
British Foreign Sec. Hammond says negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 will be extended until June 30, 2015. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
 
Chinese FM Yi says Iran and the P5+6 will "eventually reach" a deal, even if talks may have to be postponed. (Reuters) 
 
Pres. Rouhani will address the Iranian people later today. (Reuters)
 
Reuters looks at Iran’s “plan B” if nuclear talks fail. (Reuters)
 
Iran grants bail to a woman from Britain held for five months. (New York Times/The National)
 
Iraqi government forces retake two towns north of Baghdad from ISIS extremists. (Reuters/AP)
 
The New York Times looks at the corruption plaguing Iraq’s army. (New York Times)
 
ISIS extremists recruit and exploit children. (AP)
 
Sen. Rand Paul calls for a formal declaration of war against ISIS. (New York Times)
 
VP Biden announces new aid for Syrian refugees. (AP)
 
Egypt will host a major economic conference in March. (AP)
 
Commentary:
 
Hussein Ibish says some Israeli leaders are trying to turn Pres. Abbas into the new “Arafat.” (The National)
 
Ori Nir says “violence, incitement and racist hatred” plague Israeli and Palestinian societies. (Ha’aretz)
 
Faisal Al Yafai says Israel’s “nation-state” bill will end Israel’s already “flawed democracy.” (The National)
 
Aeyal Gross says Netanyahu's “nation-state” bill undermines the notion that Palestinian citizens of Israel are entitled to collective rights. (Ha’aretz)
 
Lara Friedman says the crisis in Jerusalem, like the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is not grounded in religion. (Jewish Daily Forward)
 
Rami Khouri says violence will not achieve anything in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Daily Star)
 
Dalia Hatuqa says sadness, mistrust, and house demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem  gave birth to two terrorists. (Foreign Policy)
 
Eetta Prince Gibson says Jerusalem needs a common urban infrastructure that allows people and goods to flow freely. (New York Times)
 
Amira Hass says access to the Al-Aqsa mosque is only one reason for unrest in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ha’aretz)
 
The Jordan Times says Israel’s collective punishment measures against Palestinians must be stopped. (Jordan Times)
 
The New York Times says ISIS continues to exercise an almost surreal appeal to fighters with non-Muslim backgrounds. (New York Times)
 
Jackson Diehl says the Kurds have been abandoned in their fight against ISIS. (Washington Post)
 
The Daily Star says an extension of the P5+1 negotiations will not be an encouraging sign for the future. (Daily Star)
 
Tariq Alhomayed says the GCC should invite Sisi to their next summit in Doha. (Asharq al-Awsat) 
 
H.A. Hellyer says Tunisia stands at a very good chance of proving that Islamists and non-Islamists can work together. (Al Arabiya)

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