News:

Pres. Abbas says Israel must clarify what its borders are, and blasts Hamas for maintaining a "parallel" government in Gaza. (Ma’an/Jerusalem Post)

Hamas leader Meshaal says Hamas will go back to war against Israel if the upcoming long-term ceasefire talks fail. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

The US is reportedly planning to present a comprehensive proposal for the demilitarization of Gaza to the UNSC. (Times of Israel)

Palestinians in Gaza are slowly returning to their normal routines. (Ma’an/The Guardian)

Palestinian fishermen in Gaza say they are already seeing the benefits of an extended fishing zone. (Ma’an)

Many children in Gaza are left orphaned by the conflict. (Ma’an)

Israel’s attacks on Gaza caused $40.4 million worth of damage just to religious sites and cemeteries. (Ma’an)

The new school year in Gaza will start on September 14th. (Ma’an)

Islamic Jihad says 121 of its fighters were killed in Gaza. (Times of Israel)

Many Israelis used an app to track the Gaza conflict during the latest round of hostilities. (New York Times) 

Israel approves plans to build another Yeshiva in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

Israeli police say they have found the body of a 23-year-old American student who went missing inJerusalem. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/JTA)

PM Netanyahu meets with members of Congress. (JTA)

A poll indicates that Americans sympathize with Israel more than with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

An armed group detains 43 UN peacekeepers, and another 81 are trapped, during fighting in Syria. (AP/Reuters)

Pres. Obama downplays the prospect of imminent US military action in Syria. (AP) 

The UN says the war in Syria has driven a record 3 million people out of the country. (AP/Reuters/New York Times)

A video shows IS fighters executing Syrian soldiers. (Reuters/New York Times/The National)

The Wall Street Journal looks at IS’ extensive criminal finances and racketeering. (Wall Street Journals)

A captured IS laptop includes lessons for making bubonic plague bombs and missives on using weapons of mass destruction. (Foreign Policy)

The US has delivered a shipment of weapons to Lebanon. (AP)

A powerful Islamist militia in Tripoli says it agrees with a UN call for a Libyan ceasefire. (AP)

FM Zarif expresses optimism on nuclear talks. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Asmaa Al Ghoul says Israel gained the upper hand in the final days of the Gaza war. (Al-Monitor)

Naomi Shihab Nye desrcibes growing up in Ferguson and Palestine. (Washington Post)

Peter Millett says UNRWA will have to rebuild “shattered lives” in Gaza. (Al Arabiya)

The CSM says Israel should seek a lasting peace with the Palestinians, not merely prolonged quiet. (Christian Science Monitor)

Lara Friedman says Israeli settlement activity would greatly strengthen Hamas. (Jewish Daily Forward)

Neri Zilber says Hamas did not win the Gaza war. (Politico)

Zvi Bar’el says the Gaza war was a distraction from the main issue in the Middle East today: IS. (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says Palestinians are invisible to many Jewish Americans. (Ha’aretz)

David Ignatius asks if Saudi Arabia can help fight IS. (Washington Post)

Steven Cook, Jacob Stokes and Alexander Brock say Obama's attempt to disengage from Middle East’s conflict has intensified regional rivalries. (Foreign Policy)

Winston Harris asks if Kurds can achieve independence. (Small Wars Journal)

The National says Gulf states must not forget Pres. Assad’s brutality. (The National)

The Daily Star says world leaders must take “meaningful action” against the Syrian regime. (Daily Star)

Abdallah Schleifer says Egypt is preparing for a worst-case scenario in Libya. (Al Arabiya)

News:

Israel seizes 1,000 acres of West Bank land for a Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem. (NewYork Times/PNN/The National)

The US urges Israel to reverse its latest land expropriation. (AFP/JTA)

UNSG Ban is alarmed by Israel’s decision to seize the land. (New York Times/Xinhua/PNN)

FM Lieberman says Israel stands behind its decision to appropriate the land. (Ha’aretz)

Finance Minister Lapid warns Israel is eroding its international support through such expropriations. (AFP/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Pres. Abbas will present a plan to the Arab League for determining borders with Israel and ending the occupation of the West Bank within three years. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post/The National)

A poll suggests a significant rise in the popularity of Hamas among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. (Reuters/AP/Times of Israel)

A high-level Egyptian delegation arrives in Ramallah to address Fatah-Hamas tensions. (Times of Israel)

Egypt says it will open the Rafah crossing only if PA troops guard it. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli warships open fire at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Rafah. (Ma’an/PNN)

Palestinians schools educate students to avoid Israeli products. (The Media Line)

Israeli children return to school after the Gaza war. (AP)

The murder of the Palestinian teenager Mohamed Abu Khdeir shakes his school’s faith in coexistence. (Ha’aretz)

A bombing in Sinai kills 11 police officers. (AP)

The World Food Program says 4.1 million people in Syria received food rations in August. (Reuters/AP )

The Al-Nusra Front issue a set of demands for the release of 45 UN peacekeepers. (AP/JTA/The National)

The US carries out airstrikes against IS fighters near the formerly besieged Shi’ite town of Amerli. (Reuters)

Iranians play a key role in breaking the IS seige of Amerli. (Reuters/Washington Post)

Chancellor Merkel says arming the Kurds in Iraq is in Germany’s interest. (AP)

The New York Times looks at why Kurdish fighters failed initially against IS militants. (New York Times) 

Former PM Maliki pledges to turn Iraq into “a big grave” for IS militants. (AP)

IS extremists are reportedly using cluster bombs. (New York Times)

The UN Human Rights Council will send a team to Iraq to investigate possible war crimes by IS extremists. (New York Times)

Amnesty International accuses IS extremists of committing war crimes in Iraq. (AP)

HH Prince Zeid assumes his position as UN Human Rights Commissioner. (Jordan Times) 

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Palestinians should redefine the concept of martyrdom to promote effective non-violent resistance to occupation. (The National)

The National says Israel should be “held accountable for its land grab.” (The National)

The Daily Star says Israel’s latest land expropriation is a “war crime.” (Daily Star)

Ha’aretz says Netanyahu’s government is not serious about peace with the Palestinians.  (Ha’aretz)

Nabila Ramdani says Israel’s actions in Gaza must not be forgotten. (The National)

Khairallah Khairallah says Hamas has perfected the art of celebrating defeat. (Al Arabiya)

Akiva Eldar says Netanyahu will accept a major PA role in Gaza only if the unity government is dissolved. (Al-Monitor)

Uri Savir says an economic federation between Israel, Palestine and Jordan might facilitate the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Al-Monitor)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if Gulf countries are coming together out of fear of ISIS. (Al Arabiya)

Hassan Barari says PM-designate Abadi’s task of forming an inclusive government is far from easy. (Jordan Times)

Diana Moukalled says everyone should feel sympathy for ordinary Syrian soldiers who are the victims of ISIS. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Andrew Hammond says the UAE’s airstrikes in Libya represent a new and dangerous phase in its struggle with Qatar. (Foreign Policy)

News:

The US and the EU call on Israel to reverse its appropriation of West Bank land. (JTA)

Sec. Kerry calls PM Netanyahu to protest land appropriation. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Peace Now says Israel’s land appropriation is intended to consolidate control over the occupied West Bank. (Ha’aretz)

Kerry willl meet with Palestinian negotiators. (AFP)

A delegation from the Arab League will visit Gaza. (Ma’an)

An Egyptian official says no date has been set for renewed Gaza ceasefire talks. (Ma’an)

Palestinians are considering new international initiatives. (New York Times)

Pres. Abbas reportedly accused Hamas leader Meshaal of scheming to overthrow him in a meeting in Qatar. (Ha’aretz)

The New York Times looks at the significance of the Erez crossing. (New York Times)

Palestinians in Gaza demand the right of passage to the West Bank. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli navy detains two Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces demolish a house and a water well in Hebron. (Ma’an)

The Washington Post looks at what happened this summer to the Abu Khdeir’s  Palestinian-American family. (Washington Post)

John Edwin Mroz, an American official negotiating with the PLO, dies at 66. (New York Times)

Israel signs a 15-year natural gas deal with Jordan. (Ha’aretz)

Pres. Obama has ordered an increase of 350 troops in Baghdad to protect the US embassy. (Reuters/AP)

Australian PM Abbott does not rule out sending combat troops in Iraq. (Reuters)

Human Right Watch says IS militants killed 770 Iraqi troops in June. (AP)

A Yazidi girl tells the story of her escape from IS kidnappers. (Reuters)

Pope Francis tells Iraqi Christians that they are the "heart" of the church. (AP)

IS extremists release a video purportedly showing the beheading of a second American journalist,Steven Sotloff. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

Syrian government forces escalate their assault on a rebel-held district in Damascus. (Reuters/The National)

Commentary:

Rami Khouri looks at Abbas’ new international initiative. (Daily Star)

Osama Al Sharif says Hamas and Abbas are already fighting. (Jordan Times)

Shlomi Eldar says Abbas needs Hamas. (Al-Monitor)

Ron Kampeas says the Obama administration is retreating from Middle East peace endeavors. (JTA)

David Horovitz says there are no “quick fixes” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Times of Israel)

Eric Yoffie says Israel’s land appropriation is “foolish, ill-timed and self-destructive.” (Ha’aretz)

Hussein Ibish says IS is trying to raise a loyal generation of citizens of its “caliphate” through endoctrination and brainwashing. (Now)

Thomas Friedman says to defeat ISIS you have to address the context out of which it emerged. (New York Times)

Shane Harris and Kate Brannen say Sotloff’s murder proves that IS isn’t interested in negotiating. (Foreign Policy)

Amos Yadlin says IS is not an existential threat to Israel. (Ynet)

Mshari Al-Zaydi says Egypt is now free to play its natural role as the leading Arab country once more. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi says the government priorities of the Arab world should shift toward a development-based agenda. (Al Arabiya)