December 30th

News:

PM Netanyahu’s office said it never approved plans to build thousands of new houses in Jewish settlements in a particularly controversial part of the West Bank.  (JTA)

The US National Security Agency's foreign eavesdropping included phone conversations between top Israeli officials and US lawmakers and American-Jewish groups, the Wall Street Journal reported. (Reuters\Times of Israel\Ha'aretz)

An Israeli man has died of wounds sustained in an early December stabbing in the West Bank city of Hebron. (AP\Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu opened a cabinet meeting by vowing that Jews would “remain forever” in Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs. (Times of Israel)

Clashes break out in Abu Dis following a funeral held for a Palestinian killed earlier this month, whose body was held by Israeli authorities for 26 days. (Ma'an)

Israeli forces tore down a building under construction in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Bahir. (Ma'an)

Artists in the Gaza Strip used graffiti and sand sculpture to bring color to the besieged enclave in the lead up to the new year. (Ma'an)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769567

Days after ISIS issues statement warning Israel, Shin Bet voices concerns at growing influence of group's propaganda on Negev Bedouin, Israeli Arabs. (Ha'aretz)

U.S.-led forces have killed 10 ISIS leaders in air strikes, including individuals linked to the Paris attacks, a U.S. spokesman said, dealing a double blow to the militant group after Iraqi forces ousted it from the city of Ramadi. (Reuters\AP)

France has asked the EU to improve the detection of fake Syrian passports used by people trying to get into Europe after two of the suicide bombers in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks were found carrying such passports. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia denounced the killing of a prominent Syrian rebel leader, saying his death in a Russian air strike last week did not serve the cause of peace in Syria. (Reuters)

An annual tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that at least 69 were killed in the line of duty, and that Islamic militants were responsible for 40 percent of the deaths. (New York Times)

Iranian Revolutionary Guards launch rockets near the U.S. aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they were entering the Gulf, giving only brief notice in a "highly provocative" act. (Reuters)

A Bahraini F-16 jet taking part in a mostly Gulf Arab military campaign in Yemen crashed in southern Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Commentary:

David Kenner profiles two young, charismatic leaders in Israel and Turkey who are taking on right-wing governments and trying to transform their countries' politics. (Foreign Policy)

Peter Beinart says the new 'war on terror' has made the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a sideshow. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass says Israel is giving the Palestinians a chance to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the lone-wolf stabbers and transition to a popular uprising - but it won't work. (Ha'aretz)

Naomi Paiss says the bill requiring Israeli NGOs that receive foreign government funding to identify themselves is purely a political maneuver. (JTA)

Robert Swift asks if Israel’s NGO bill safeguards transparency or is an attack on freedom of speech. (The Media Line)

Raphael Ahren says Israel’s standing in the world is both fantastic and awful. (Times of Israel)

Akiva Eldar says PM Netanyahu has managed to appoint loyal officials to Israel's most sensitive legal positions, leaving him free to endanger Israel with his policies. (Al-Monitor)

David Ignatius says even after the nuclear deal, hard-liners sabotage economic “infiltration” from outsiders. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says the Post’s Jason Rezaian is one of many members of the media who has been persecuted by governments. (Washington Post)

June 29th

News:

Israel's security cabinet approves extending the fortified fence along its Egyptian border into a section of the frontier with neighboring Jordan. (Reuters/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Israel blocks a boat leading a four-vessel protest flotilla of foreign activists from reaching Gazaand forced the vessel to sail to an Israeli port. (Reuters/AP/Washington Post/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian official says Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan jailed by Israel has agreed to end a 56- day hunger strike in exchange for a pledge that he would go free next month. (Reuters/AP/Ma’an/PNN/Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian woman stabs a female Israeli soldier at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem. (Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades plans to invite PM Netanyahu and Pres. Abbas to speak before EU leaders. (Ha’aretz)

Senior Egyptian and Israeli officials meet in Cairo for the first time since 2011. (Times of Israel/Reuters)

Hamas orders the closing of the main office of Jawwal, the only cellular telephone company operating in Gaza, and demands that it pay taxes to the Gaza government. (Ha’aretz)

PM Hamdallah meets with a UN official to discuss reconstruction in Gaza, where thousands remain homeless. (Ma’an)

Qatar is to create work opportunities for up to 20,000 Palestinians. (Ma’an)

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, is one of the few coexistence initiatives to weather the hatred and violence that have erupted on both sides over the past year. (New York Times)

DM Ya'alon says Israel has been forced recently to deal with preventing retaliation against Syrian Druze. (Ha’aretz)

Kuwait identifies the suicide bomber behind its worst militant attack as a young Saudi Arabian man. (Reuters/New York Times/AP/Washington Post/The National)

Crucial questions remain as Iran nuclear talks approach the deadline. (New York Times)

Analysts and officials say a final deal to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute could heighten domestic political tensions with two major elections looming in Iran. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Pres. Abbas  must reverse the travesty over Salam Fayyad’s organisation if he wants to protect his legacy. (The National)

Adnan Abu Amer says the many currents within Fatah are at war as to whom should lead the movement and succeed Pres. Abbas. (Al-Monitor)

Ira Stup looks at why students are turning to BDS. (The Forward)

Elhanan Miller looks at Israel’s Druze dilemma. (Times of Israel)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at the deadlock in Yemen. (Asharq al Awsat)

Ray Takeyh looks at Iran’s payoff after a nuclear deal with the P5+1. (Washington Post)

June 19th

News:

UNSG Ban urges Israel to protect the lives of Palestinian children. (AFP/JTA/Reuters)

PM Netanyahu accuses UNSG Ban of hypocrisy after he criticized Israel for the death and suffering of Palestinian children. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post) 

Palestinian leaders plan to submit their first file against Israel to the International Criminal Courtnext week. (JTA/AFP/Jerusalem Post)

PM Hamdallah says the fate of the Palestinian government will be decided on Monday. (PNN)

Israeli police detain and release 16 young Jewish settlers after an overnight arson attack damaged a revered shrine in northern Israel. (AFP/JTA)

The Join List calls for the dismissal of the israeli police chief after the church torching. (Ha’aretz)

Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat issues a 56-page report on Palestinian-Israeli relations, calling for a comprehensive review of the current status quo. (Ma’an/Times of Israel/Ynet)

Two people are killed in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon in a clash between hardline Islamists and members of Fatah. (AP)

Druze in the Israeli-held Golan fear for their Syrian brethren. (Reuters)

The Pentagon says the US effort to build a moderate Syrian opposition force that can stand up to ISIS is moving more slowly than expected. (Reuters)

ISIS-imposed fuel embargo is threatening Syria’s medical centers. (New York Times)

Al-Qaeda denies that jihadist leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar had been killed in an American airstrike in Libya this week. (New York Times)

The Tunisian government says consular staff kidnapped in Libya have returned home. (Reuters/The National)

Former Pres. Morsi will appeal against a conviction for violence, kidnapping and torture imposed by a court. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Alan Philps says as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues, there are some things that can be done as a priority. (The National)

The National says the long arm of Israel’s military occupation prevents Palestinian self-government. (The National)

Ahmad Melhem says Palestinians see no reason to negotiate as Israeli settlements continue. (Al-Monitor)

Efraim Halevy says Hamas has become Israel’s frenemy. (Ynet)

Barak Ravid looks at how former Amb. Oren sold out US-Israel ties to “sell a few more books.” (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar says former Amb. Oren’s memoir drama hurts israel. (Al-Monitor)

J.J. Goldberg looks at why Amb. Oren’s blame game on Israel is so wrongheaded. (The Forward)

Ha’aretz says Israel must help Syria’s Druze. (Ha’aretz)

Raed Omari asks if Pres. Assad’s downfall is imminent. (Al Arabiya)

Charles Krauthammer looks at a new strategy for Syria and Iraq. (Washington Post)

Ali Ibrahim looks at why the West misread Egypt. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Koert Debeuf and Ayman Abdelmeguid say the generation that launched the Tahrir Square revolution in 2011 is changing Egypt again. (Foreign Policy)

June 17th

News:

Hamas rejects any unilateral dissolution of the Palestinian unity government. (Ma’an/AFP) 

Hamas leader says he expects that it will soon be possible to extend the temporary truce with Israel to a period of 5 years. (PNN/AFP)

FM Fabius will meet with PM Netanyahu to discuss plans to push UNSC resolution on Palestinian statehood.(Jerusalem Post)

US Amb. to Israel Shapiro says Amb. Oren’s claims about Pres. Obama “don’t reflect the truth.” (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli civil rights group has called on the Coca Cola company to sever its ties with its Palestinian subsidiary over calls by its head to boycott Israel. (JTA)

The PA hasn’t applied for full membership to the UN’s World Tourism Organization and is still an observer member, says UNWTO Sec. Talab al-Rifai. (Ma’an)

The Knesset extends for another year the law that allows the government to avoid granting Israeli citizenship or residency status to Palestinians married to Israelis. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli government has frozen funding for an Arab theater over controversial play. (JTA)

Israel’s High Court rules that a room in the home of a Palestinian family residing in the al-Thuri neighborhood of Jerusalem must be sealed. (Ma’an)

Amb. Power assures Congress that Washington was committed to combating efforts to “delegitimize” Israel. (Times of Israel)

Sec. Kerry says he discussed Syria's use of chemical weapons with Russia and the international community's patience with Pres. Assad's behavior is wearing thin. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels announce a major offensive to capture remaining positions held by the Syrian military in Quneitra province. (Reuters)

Yemen's warring parties have agreed at UN-sponsored peace talks on the need for a ceasefirebut the details remain under discussion. (Reuters)

Iran and the P5+1 are reportedly still apart on all main elements of a nuclear deal and will likely have to extend their negotiations. (AP)

Def. Sec. Carten and Gen. Dempsey will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Middle East.(AP)

Commentary:

Yossi Mekelberg says the recent “born in Israel” ruling by the Supreme Court is in many ways a lifeline to Obama. (Al Arabiya)

Raphael Ahren interviews Jordanian Amb. to Israel Walid Obeidat. (Times of Israel)

Ron Kampeas asks if former Amb. Oren’s call for no surprises in US-Israel ties possible. (JTA)

Akiva Eldar says Netanyahu must prove “good faith” to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. (Al-Monitor)

The Daily Star looks at the new “Geneva blockbuster” on the Yemen peace talks.  (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if all secrets regarding the P5+1 talks with Iran have been exposed. (Al Arabiya)

Caleb Lauer looks at power politics in Turkey after the country's recent parliamentary elections. (The National)

June 15th

News:

During his visit to South Africa, Pres. Abbas urges African countries to boycott goods produced by Israeli-owned companies in the occupied West Bank. (PNN)

According to a new report Israel says it was “justified under international law” for launching its operation in Gaza last summer. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Ynet)

PM Netanyahu says reading the UN Human Rights Council's report on Israel's alleged war crimes during last summer's war in Gaza was a "waste of time." (Ha’aretz/Reuters/Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli army jeep strikes and kills a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, with the military and locals giving conflicting accounts of the circumstances. (Reuters/Ma’an/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/The National)

Israeli ministers approve a bill that would allow prisoners on hunger strike to be force fed if their life is in danger. (AFP/PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Reuters)

The Israeli army says soldiers seen on video beating an unarmed Palestinian receive punishment ranging from confinement to base to a verbal rebuke. (AFP/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Egypt opens the Rafah crossing in both directions, and is expected to keep the crossing open for the next three days. (Ma’an)

$35 billion Norwegian insurance firm has excluded two cement companies from its investment portfolio over their business in the occupied West Bank. (JTA)

An organization of former Israeli soldiers, Breaking the Silence, is coming increasingly under fire.(AP)

17 people were killed in Iraq in clashes between ISIS militants and pro-government forces in a town close to the biggest refinery. (Reuters)

Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition bomb Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa overnight as the country's warring factions prepared for talks. (Reuters)

UNSG Ban calls for a two-week truce in Yemen to allow humanitarian aid. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Iran's deputy FM will discuss Yemen's conflict at a meeting of a pan-Islamic body hosted by its regional rival Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

The US military says it launched weekend airstrikes targeting and likely killing an al-Qaeda linked militant leader in eastern Libya. (AP/New York Times/AP/The National)

Pres. Rouhani says that he expected relief from economic sanctions within a “couple of months” after an agreement with the P5+1  was signed. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Jerusalem is a final status issue to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians. (The National)

Gideon Levy says the IDF should have been the first to press for a true investigation of the death of three boys shelled on Gaza's coast - instead it blamed Hamas. (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s Supreme Court is sponsoring anti-Palestinian discrimination. (Ha’aretz)

Haviv Rettig-Gur looks at Lapid’s recent trip to Washington. (Times of Israel)

Mohammed Othman says professional Palestinian soccer players, especially those in Gaza, are bound by restrictive contracts and low pay. (Al-Monitor)

Brian Klaas and Jason Pack say Western diplomacy is mistakenly focused on who we want to have in power rather than who actually wields it. (New York Times)

Jeffrey Lewis says Fareed Zakaria is wrong and Saudi Arabia can build a bomb whenever it wants. (Foreign Policy)

Salman Al Ansari asks if a nuclear Saudi Arabia is inevitable if Iran acquires the bomb. (Al Arabiya)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says criticizing Shiite militias does not express Sunni sectarianism as long as we hold both sides to the same moral standards. (Al Arabiya)

Sharif Nashashibi says the Lebanese people should not be held hostage to the rivalry between Israel and Iran. (Al Arabiya)

 

June 12th

News:

Pres. Abbas calls for reviewing political, economic, and security agreements with Israel. (Ma’an/Jerusalem Post)

The ICC is planning to send a delegation to Israel to examine whether war crimes have been committed in the occupied Palestinian territories. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Hamas accuses the PA of instigating unrest in Gaza after a suspect attempting to allegedly set off a bomb was arrested. (Ma’an/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

A poll indicates more than half of Jewish-Israelis support having separate Jewish and Palestinian buses in the occupied West Bank (JTA/Times of Israel)

Israel barrs a Palestinian photographer allegedly shot in the eye by Israeli forces from entering occupied East Jerusalem for specialist treatment. (AFP)

Pres. Rivlin tells the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff at a Jerusalem meeting, “I was born in Jerusalem and I am Israeli.” (JTA/Times of Israel)

Orange S.A. CEO Stephane Richard is expected to visit Israel at the end of the week to clear up the “misunderstanding” over his remarks. (Reuters)

The Israeli Embassy in Germany succeedes in cancelling the Breaking the Silence exhibition in Cologne. (Ynet)

Israeli forces detain four Palestinians from the town of Beit Ummar northwest of Hebron. (Ma’an)

Pres. Obama orders the deployment of 450 more US troops to Iraq's Sunni heartland to advise and assist Iraqi forces. (Reuters/.New York Times/AP/The National)

After 11 weeks of airstrikes that have failed to change the balance of power in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is running out of options to restore Pres. Hadi's exiled government to Sanaa. (Reuters)

Bahrain's FM summons the Iraqi ambassador to hand him an official letter of protest over a banned Shi'ite group that the kingdom said received training in Iraq. (Reuters)

The Al-Nusra Front kills at least 20 Syrian Druze after a confrontation in the northwestern Idlib province. (AP)

The conflicts in Syria and the region are taking a toll on Jordan’s tourism. (New York Times)

Israel denies any link to reported cyber attack on P5+1 talks with Iran. (Reuters/JTA/Ha’aretz/AP)

An Israeli delegation headed by NSA Cohen will arrive in Washington on Monday for a final round of talks with senior US officials over nuclear deal unfolding between P5+1 and Iran. (Ha’aretz)

PM Davutoglu says history has shown that Turkey is ill suited to coalition governments but the ruling AK Party is open to all options. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Gideon Levy interviews Arab-Israeli actor Norman Issa. (Ha’aretz)

Ari Shavit says in the little time left before Iran deal is signed, the air between Israel and American Jews and Pres. Obama  must be cleared. (Ha’aretz)

David Horovitz interviews forms FM Lieberman. (Times of Israel)

Ben Caspit says Netanyahu wants to reduce international pressure during the last 18 months of Obama's term. (Al-Monitor)

Aaron David Miller asks how Israel is the 11th happiest nation in the world. (Foreign Policy)

Michael Young says federalism can calm sectarian differences in the Arab world. (The National)

Rashmee Roshan Lall says the G7 should get its priorities in line and look at ways of defeating ISIS. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says killing 10000 ISIS fighters does not mean victory. (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says a new Shiite-Maronite pact cannot work in Lebanon. (Daily Star)

Joyce Karam says with the threat of terrorism rising in Egypt, and Cairo remaining a cornerstone of stability in the Middle East, this is no time for US and Egyptian officials to be engaged in trivial minutia. (Al Arabiya)

The New York Times says a depraved sentence of 1,000 lashes for Saudi blogger Raif Badawi  is a huge disgrace for Saudi rulers.  (New York Times)

Samuel Berger says a growing roster of global crises is putting strains on the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide aid and the US needs to step up and lead. (Foreign Policy)

News:

The Israeli military issues an update on its internal inquiries, saying neither Israeli nor international laws were broken in several deadly clashes during last summer’s war in Gaza.(New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The relatives of one of four Palestinian children killed on a Gaza beach during last summer’s war are outraged that the investigation into their deaths has been closed.(AP/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu will meet with the chief executive of French telecom giant Orange SA to discuss the CEO's recent comments on pulling out of Israel. (AP/AFP/JTA/Times of Israel)

Palestinians in Gaza fire a rocket toward southern Israel but it lands inside the Palestinian territory. (AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Pres. Abbas inaugurates the headquarters of the Palestinian embassy in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. (Ma’an/PNN)

Israel’s Supreme Court dismisses a petition that seeks to give Palestinians local planning rights in the occupied West Bank. (JTA/Times of Israel)

The Washington Post asks whether Israel can stop international boycotts. (Washington Post)

Gen. Dempsey says the US is considering building more military bases in Iraq. (Reuters/New York Times/AP)

The Syrian government says it has faced worse times and is confident its army can hit back with the help of its allies. (Reuters)

Syrian Druze are reportedly reconsidering their alliances after a deadly attack. (New York Times)

UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed will hold separate "proximity" talks with Yemen's two main warring parties in Geneva on Sunday. (Reuters)

Tourist sites are on alert as militants go for Egypt’s economic lifeline.(Reuters/AP)

Commentary:

Akiva Eldar explains why Israelis should pay attention to the recent US Supreme Court decision. (Al-Monitor)

Robert Swift says photography seeks to show the good and the bad in Gazan children’s daily lives. (The Media Line)

Shmuel Rosner says Pres. Rivlin is a great conciliator, but he’s been a miserable failure when it comes to relations with non-Orthodox Jews. (New York Times)

Ron Kampeas says a speech at a Washington synagogue and other Jewish outreach efforts have done little to boost Pres. Obama’s approval ratings among Jewish-Americans. (JTA)

Zack Gold says Egypt will not declare Hamas a terror group and looks at what does that mean for Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz interviews opposition leader Herzog. (Ha’aretz)

David Horovitz and Raphal Ahren interview former FM Lieberman. (Times of Israel)

David Ignatius asks who has a tougher plan for Iraq. (Washington Post)

Alan Philps says the US's policy on combating ISIS seems geared more at helping fellow Democrats in US elections rather than the citizens of Iraq and Syria. (The National)

The New York Times says deploying American troops in Anbar Province may accomplish little in the long run, if past is prologue. (New York Times)

Fareed Zakaria looks at why Saudi Arabia will not get atomic weapons, (Washington Post)

Daniel Sobelman says Hezbollah’s friends in Yemen are trying to lure the Saudis into a ground war. (Foreign Policy)

Osman Mirghani says Libya must not be left to ISIS. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Abdallah Schleifer says this week’s terrorist attack in Egypt may herald the beginning of a more murderous phase of Islamist warfare against both the Egyptian state and society.



June 3rd

News:

Pres. Obama says Israel risks losing credibility over PM Netanyahu's stance on the creation of aPalestinian state. (Reuters/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israeli intelligence officials predict Pres. Abbas will escalate the PA’s anti-Israel activity in international forums. (Ha’aretz)

UNSG Ban says UNRWA was never meant to exist for 65 years, but “it exists because of political failure.” (Times of Israel/AP/Jerusalem Post)

The PA condemns Hamas for killing an Islamist rival in Gaza. (Reuters)

British-based Palestinian NGO threatens Israel's UN mission with legal action after Israelaccused it of having ties to Hamas.(Reuters/Times of Israel)

Israel urges Switzerland to stop funding an exhibition by the left-leaning NGO Breaking the Silence. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Palestinian football chief Rajoub defends his FIFA move. (AFP)

Abbas visits Prince Ali Ibn al-Hussein, the president of the Jordan Football Association, at his house in Amman. (Ma’an/Jordan Times) 

Israeli forces detain 4 Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza. (Ma’an)

Israeli authorities are investigating the purchase of a West Bank church compound by an American businessman who reportedly hopes to turn it into a new Jewish settlement. (Ha’aretz/The Media Line)

The UK’s National Union of Students passes a motion to join worldwide efforts to boycott Israel.(Times of Israel/Ynet)

THe US-led anti-ISIS coalition makes little progress at a Paris meeting. (New York Times/AP/Washington Post/The National)

The Syrian army battles ISIS in northeast Syria. (Reuters)

The US says a senior American diplomat met with representatives of Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Oman. (Reuters/New York Times)

The Saudi-led coalition kills at least 16 of its own allies, including three senior leaders, according to a fighter who was near the site of the bombing. (New York Times)

Pres. Sisi is in Berlin for meetings with Chancellor Merkel and other German leaders. (AP)

Commentary:

Zvi Bar’el looks at the recent FIFA move to set up a committee to monitor incitement against Palestinian citizens of Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Ron Kampeas looks at where the Obama-Netanyahu relationship went wrong. (JTA)

Hazem Balousha says the cutting off of economic support from Iran and the closing of smuggling tunnels to Egypt have left the Islamic Jihad unable to pay the salaries of its personnel. (Al-Monitor)

Lally Weymouth interviews DM Ya’alon. (Washington Post)

Ben Caspit says Israel fears the breakup of Syria. (Al-Monitor)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says the Syrian conflict had been a matter of calm disagreement between Riyadh and Cairo until FM Jubeir’s recent statement. (Al Arabiya)

Aaron Balshan looks at how Hezbollah is undermining the Lebanese army -- and why that’s bad for Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Mohamed Fahmy explains how Qatar “uses and abuses” its Al Jazeera journalists. (New York Times)

Emily Crane and Nicholas Linn say Pres. Sisi is taking control of Egypt’s mosques - and risks driving his enemies underground. (Foreign Policy)

June 1st

News:

PM Netanyahu says lsrael faces an "international campaign to blacken its name" aimed at delegitimizing its very existence regardless to its policies. (AP/New York Times/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israel’s cabinet approves legislation aimed at imposing tougher penalties on stone-throwers.(Reuters/AFP)

The PA will submit files on 145 Israeli settlements in the West Bank to the ICC this month. (Times of Israel)

Germany’s FM Steinmeier says he will visit Gaza. (AP/Times of Israel/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Indian PM Modi is planning to visit Israel, the PA and Jordan. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Venezuela will boost its diplomatic representation in Palestine to full embassy status. (PNN)

Qatari official announces the launch of a number of new Gaza reconstruction projects. (Ha’aretz) 

A PA lawyer says Palestinian children are being beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers during interrogations. (Ma’an)

The head of the Palestine Football Association Rajoub comes under fire for withdrawing a request to suspend Israel from FIFA. (JTA)

PFLP slams decision to drop bid to suspend Israel from FIFA. (Ma’an)

Israel will open the Qalqiliya checkpoint which has been closed for 10 years. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 4 Palestinians in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

ISIS fighters advance against rival insurgents in northern Syria. (Reuters/New York Times)

Aircraft from a Saudi-led coalition bomb Houthi outposts throughout Yemen, while the government in exile says the militia was in talks with the US in Oman.(Reuters)

The war in Yemen is pushing health care facilities to the brink of collapse. (Washington Post)

France is trying to authenticate a video purporting to show a French woman taken hostage in Yemen. (Reuters)

Egypt begins demolishing the building that had housed the headquarters of former Pres. Mubarak's political party.(Reuters/AP)

The P5+1 agree on a way to restore UN sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal. (Reuters)

Saudi officials hope a massive project to rebuild Diriyah, featuring parks, restaurants, and museums about traditional Saudi life, will link citizens to their past. (New York Times)

Commentary:

The Washington Post interviews PM Hamdallah. (Washington Post)

Asmaa al-Ghoul asks what peace means for Gazans. (Al-Monitor)

Uri Savir asks if the US is disengaging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Al-Monitor)

Hagai El-Ad says under occupation, Palestinians have had no meaningful vote for nearly 50 years. (New York Times)

Roy Isacowitz says France should recognize the state of Palestine now instead of “wasting time at the UN.” (Ha’aretz)

Debra Kamin says an Israeli TV series finds audiences among Israelis and Palestinians alike with its brutal honesty about the ugliness of war. (Foreign Policy)

Aziza Nofal says drug trafficking, dealing and consumption have quickly spread in the West Bank, where security is loose. (Al-Monitor)

Amos Harel asks how Israel’s new security cabinet will handle a war. (Ha’aretz)

The New York Times says given the weakness of Iraqi forces, Americans should be training and giving weapons directly to Sunni tribal fighters in Anbar Province. (New York Times)

Fred Hiatt looks at how US policies fueled turmoil and violence in Iraq. (Washington Post)

Hussein Ibish says ISIS's cynicism is on full display in the group's two suicide bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia. (The National)

Colum Lynch says, according to the UN, a military defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq could scatter extremists around the globe. (Foreign Policy)

Sharif Nashashibi says the “sectarian mask” of the battle for Ramadi has come off. (Al Arabiya)

Raghida Dergham says Iran is America’s de-facto ally in the war against ISIS. (Al Arabiya)



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May 29th

News:

Recent arrests overshadow the Palestinians’ bid to oust Israel from FIFA. (New York Times/.Times of Israel)

Palestinian human rights organizations address an open letter to FIFA Pres. Blatter in support of the Palestinian Football Association's bid to have Israel suspended. (Ma’an)

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt the 65th FIFA Congresshours before the body is set to vote on Israel's ejection from world soccer. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

PM Netanyahu says the anti-Israel push at FIFA shows Palestinians oppose Israel’s right to exist. (Times of Israel/Ynet)

Pres. Rivlin says the BDS campaigns in universities and the FIFA bid are strategic threats to Israel. (PNN/Times of Israel)

A proposal is currently being made to add the Israeli military to the blacklist of the UN council for Children and Armed Conflict but UNSG Ban will likely oppose it. (PNN/Times of Israel/Ynet)

The Joint List proposes Knesset bills to create a new Arab city in the North and an Arab university. (Jerusalem Post)

Egyptian authorities close the Rafah crossing after it was open for three days. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain five Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

US defense aid to Israel is likely to increase after 2017 due to Iran deal fears.(Reuters)

Syrian rebels capture the last town in the Idlib province. (Reuters)

The UN’s humanitarian chief Amos paints a harrowing portrait of savagery in Syria's civil war and urges the UNSC to take collective action. (Reuters)

ISIS militants have alternated between terrorizing residents and courting them in their takeover of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. (New York Times)

Pentagon leaders are trying to "fine tune" US strategy for ousting ISIS from Iraq, in light of the Ramadi debacle. (AP)

The IAEA says Iran has provided some information about one of two open items in a UN nuclear watchdog investigation into whether it may have researched an atomic bomb. (Reuters/AP)

Pres. Blatter says scandal-plagued FIFA may have avoided its current problems if Russia and Qatar had not been chosen as hosts of the next two World Cups. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Iyad Abu Gharqoud recounts his experiences as a Palestinian soccer player living in the occupied West Bank. (|New York Times)

Anshel Pfeffer gives six reasons why it won’t be a bad thing if FIFA boots Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Raphael Ahren says Netanyahu backs the “general idea” behind the Arab Peace Initiative. (Times of Israel)

Hana Salah says Hamas is struggling with the emerging Islamist parties in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Carolina Landsmann says Israel must not use Judaism to justify the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Aaron David Miller explains why Pres. Obama’s recent outreach to the American Jewish community isn’t going to amount to much of anything at all. (Foreign Policy)

Fareed Zakaria says nobody is willing to fight for Iraq’s survival. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says the US can do more to help Iraq fight ISIS. (Washington Post)

Amir Taheri says the Khomeinist regime can no longer play the role of both a responsible nation and an adventurous revolution. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Mohamed Chebarro says Nasrallah’s latest attacks on friends and foes show a schism, not a fracture in his leadership in Hezbollah, (Al Arabiya)

George Hishmeh looks at new “Obama image.” (Jordan Times)

The Daily Star says Qatar must speak up on the recent FIFA scandals. (Daily Star)


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