NEWS:
 
Israeli occupation authorities approve 600 new settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. (AP/Ha'aretz/Jerusalem Post)
 
Israeli occupation authorities demolish several Palestinian homes in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
 
Israeli occupation forces injure two in a raid on a Palestinian camp in the West Bank. (Xinhua/Ma’an)
 
A new document exposes divisions and disagreements within Hamas. (YNet)
 
The PA approves a $4 billion annual budget. (Xinhua)
 
Israel rejects a US-Palestinian proposal to revive a committee to monitor incitement. (Ha'aretz)

Jordan is worried about the fallout from Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (AP/Xinhua)
 
Israel is considering a bill annexing all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories. (Ha'aretz)
 
Israel security chief says Palestinian extremism is born primarily from economic hardship. (Xinhua)
 
Israel arrests a Palestinian man accused of links to Al Qaeda and possessing biological weapons. (Ha'aretz)
 
Israeli authorities say they have thwarted a planned terrorist attack on a wedding by Palestinian extremists. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Three Israeli settlers are indicted for "price tag attacks" against Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Red Cross is going to stop providing tents to homeless Palestinians in the Jordan Valley. (YNet)
 
Israel's chief negotiator Livni blasts condemnation of Sec. Kerry by her cabinet colleagues. (AP)
 
Extremist Israeli rabbis say Kerry has "declared war on God."
(Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)
 
Israelis and Palestinians are feeling increasing pressure from Kerry's initiative. (Xinhua)
 
Jewish-American groups are keeping a low profile on Kerry's initiative. (JTA)
 
Some settlement company CEOs are not losing any sleep over potential boycotts. (JTA)
 
An anti-boycott bill that passed the New York State Senate is stalled in the Assembly. (JTA)
 
Israel's central bank chief is optimistic about the integration of the "Arab sector" into the country's economy. (Ha'aretz)

Syrian unrest is spilling into Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. (Ma’an)
 
Pres. Abbas sponsors the wedding of 100 couples in Gaza. (Xinhua)
 
Gaza farmers are turning to growing herbs for a living. (AP)
 
A UN report details the abuse of children during Syrian war. (New York Times)
 
Syrian forces bomb a mosque, killing 11 people. (AP)
 
Large numbers of Syrian refugees are stuck on the Turkish border. (Reuters)
 
US intelligence chief Clapper says Pres. Assad has strengthened his grip on power. (New York Times)
 
US representative to the Syrian opposition Ford is retiring. (New York Times)
 
Bombings in central Baghdad killed 22 people. (AP)
 
Oil shipments from Iraq to Jordan are halted due to security concerns. (Reuters)
 
Eight are killed in a shootout between Tunisian security forces and extremists. (AP)
 
Libya says all its chemical weapons have been destroyed. (AP)
 
12 are injured in an attack on an elementary school in Libya. (Xinhua)
 
Bahrain increases the penalties for insulting the king. (Reuters)
 
Egypt summons representatives from Qatar and Bosnia due to pro-Morsi statements. (Xinhua)
 
Former Pres. Morsi's trial resumes. (Xinhua)
 
King Abdullah of Jordan embarks on a trip to the US and Mexico. (Xinhua)
 
Kerry has completed a first whirlwind year as Secretary of State. (AP/AFP)

COMMENTARY:
 
Peter Beinart questions the actual commitment of mainstream pro-Israel American groups to a two-state solution. (Ha’aretz)

Thomas Friedman says a third intifada is already underway in the form of nonviolent resistance and boycotts. (The New York Times)

Ali Ibrahim says the ongoing peace talks represent the last chance for the
Palestinians and Israel to end this conflict. (Asharq Alawsat)
 
Carter Eskew says his sources tell him that Obama appreciates Kerry’s drive and initiative. (The Washington Post)
 
David Gardner says the ongoing Israeli settlements are killing any idea of establishing a viable Palestinian state. (The Gulf News)
 
The Gulf News says the Palestinians should rely on a UN force as a buffer between Israel and a future Palestinian state. (The Gulf News)
 
David Horovitz says the newly launched Arabic site of “The Times of Israel” will illuminate “Israel’s democracy.” (The Times of Israel)

Ben Caspit says Israeli security officials recognize “historic” changes in Iran. (Al-Monitor)
 
The Jordan Times says the US should start talking to the Syrian regime to end the war. (The Jordan Times) 

Peter Millett says Assad has to leave power. (The Jordan Times)
 
Madawi Al-Rasheed questions the effectiveness of the new Saudi anti-terror law intended to prevent Saudis from joining the war in Syria and elsewhere. (Al-Monitor)
 
The Washington Post says the US must demand the release of detained journalists in Egypt. (The Washington Post)
 
Wael Nawara says the American “Working Group on Egypt” offered the wrong advice. (Al-Monitor)

News:

Pres. Abbas seeks a temporary NATO peacekeeping force in a future Palestinian state. (The New York Times/Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu dismisses Sec. Kerry’s warnings over intensified boycotts if peace talks fail. (AP/The New York Times)

The State Department defends Kerry’s boycott statement. (Ynet)

FM Judeh says Jordan would reject any agreement that does not uphold its interest. (Xinhua/ The Jordan Times)

Israel dismantles a symbolic anti-settlement protest camp in the Jordan River Valley. (Xinhua)

DM Ya’alon claims settlements are not an obstacle to peace. (Ynet)

Extremist settlers uproot 1700 olive seedlings in two villages in the occupied West Bank. (The Times of Israel/AP)

UNRWA distributes additional 715 food parcels in Yarmouk camp. (Ma’an)

Israel offers Turkey $20 million for the flotilla incident victims. (Xinhua)

Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies to their families. (AP)

The PA seeks to increase electricity production to reduce dependence on Israel. (The Media Line)

The Israeli settlement-based SodaStream company accuses Oxfam of funding the boycott movement. (The Jerusalem Post)

Rock star Roger Waters criticises actress Scarlett Johansson over her support of Israeli settlements. (The Jerusalem Post)

Al-Qaeda reportedly again breaks ties with ISIS. (AP/Reuters)

The Syrian regime kills 36 people in Aleppo. (AP)

A car bombing in Iraq kills 10 people. (AP)

A car bomb kills three people in a Lebanese Shiite town. (AP)

The World Food Programme cannot meet the needs of the Syrian people. (AP)

Pres. Obama will face major issues when visiting Saudi Arabia. (The National)

The UAE summons the Qatari Ambassador to protest comments by cleric Qaradawi. (Xinhua)

Hillary Clinton warns Congress that new Iran sanctions could upend talks. (AP)

FM Zarif says a nuclear deal is possible within six months. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Thomas Friedman says there will be no deal between Israelis and Palestinians if Israel insists on a lengthy stay in the West Bank. (The New York Times)

S. Daniel Abraham says it’s time for Netanyahu to put together a strategy to implement peace if Kerry’s plan succeeds. (Ha’aretz)

Moshe Arens says there is “little chance” for the Palestinians and Israel to reach an agreement. (Ha’aretz)

Gideon Levy says Israel is already a bi-national state. (Ha’aretz)

Emily Hauser says Israel must raise the alarm about settler violence. (Ha’aretz)

Steven Rosen says refugees would be a major destabilizing factor to a future Palestinian state. (Foreign Policy)

The National says Obama will hear tough talk from the Saudis when he visits Riyadh next month. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says Pres. Assad has no plans to leave power. (Asharq Alawsat)

The Jordan Times blames world powers for the failure of the Geneva II peace talks. (The Jordan Times)

Amer Al Sabaileh warns that the resumption of US support to the Syrian opposition will be a source of tension between Amman and Damascus. (The Jordanian Times)

Amal Mousa elucidates the reasons behind the latest triumph of modern values over the Islamist principles in Tunisia. (Asharq Alawsat)

The Gulf News calls on all Lebanese to step back from the deadly violence that is engulfing their country. (The Gulf News)

Fareed Zakaria thinks that Pres. Rouhani and Zarif are “moderates who seek greater integration of Iran with the world.” (The Daily Star)

Abdullah Al Shayji expresses dismay at the way Obama handled Arab countries in his State of the Union speech. (The Gulf News)

Joschka Fischer says the Middle East is disintegrating because of the “partial withdrawal of the US.” (The Daily Star)

Sawsan Al-Abtah says the prevalence of violence in the Arab world emanates from the “fragility of the Arab identity.” (Asharq Alawsat)