Date

News:

Belgium upgrades Palestine's diplomatic status. (AFP)

The PLO says it is seeking a comprehensive deal with Israel, not an interim agreement. (Ma'an)

Palestinians say no agreement is better than a bad one. (YNet)

PM Netanyahu says Israel is "waiting for a Palestinian Ben-Gurion" to achieve Middle East peace. (Jerusalem Post)

PA police are increasingly active on the outskirts of Jerusalem. (The Media Line)

Israel issues orders for more Palestinian home demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces detain seven Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Tamarod movement in Gaza gears up to challenge Hamas rule. (BBC)

Gaza continues to suffer from prolonged blackouts due to internal Palestinian disputes. (Xinhua)

Major protests are scheduled for November 30 against Israel's mass relocation plan for Bedouin citizens. (Ma'an)

Fatah says Hamas has banned them from commemorating in Gaza the seventh anniversary of the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (YNet/Times of Israel)

Palestinian artists resist the occupation with paintings. (Christian Science Monitor)

Pres. Abbas meets Pres. Mansour and Gen. Sisi in Cairo. (Ma'an)

Netanyahu accuses the world being "soft" on the Palestinians. (AP)

crisis in Israeli-American relations is said to be brewing over Iran. (AP)

Israel's cabinet approves the return of Lieberman as FM. (Xinhua)

Israel is repositioning itself as a trade gateway to the Middle East. (Xinhua)

Palestinian refugees accuse Jordanian police of abuses. (Al Monitor)

Western diplomats say Iran balked at a Western nuclear proposal over a few details, especially inspections. (New York Times/AP)

Sec. Kerry denies big splits within the P5+1 negotiating with Iran. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels recapture the airport near Aleppo. (New York Times)

Syrians on both sides of the conflict see Pres. Assad as likely to stay in office for some time. (New York Times)

Jordan confirms its eagerness to take the UN Security Council seat vacated by Saudi Arabia. (AP)

Kerry is visiting the UAE for an update on Iran talks. (The National)

Two Egyptian soldiers are killed in a drive-by shooting in Sinai. (AP)

 

Commentary:

Rana Askoul asks if the question of Palestine is still relevant today. (The National)

The Jerusalem Post interviews chief Israeli negotiator Livni. (Jerusalem Post)

Chemi Shalev says Israel should not find itself in an unwinnable diplomatic confrontation with Washington. (Ha'aretz)

Jackson Diehl says Kerry seems to be living in a Middle Eastern dreamworld. (Washington Post)

Alex Fishman cautions Kerry to stop warning about another intifada since expectations about negotiations are so low on all sides. (YNet)

Amira Hass says the occupation is plainly the main reason for the weakness of the Palestinian economy. (Ha'aretz)

Oudeh Basharat says Israel fears the prospect of real "truth and reconciliation." (Ha'aretz)

Avi Issacharoff looks at the difficult challenges facing the planned Palestinian city Rawabi. (Times of Israel)

Raphael Ahren asks why France took such a tough line in the Iran negotiations. (Times of Israel)

Hussein Ibish says some Western Middle East allies don't share any eagerness for a deal with Iran. (The National)

Kevin Connolly says Kurds in northern Iraq are aiming to change the outcome of World War I by achieving independence. (BBC)

Alaa Al Aswany says most Egyptian support the new government's war against terrorism, but that doesn't help promote democracy. (New York Times)

Abdullah Iskandar says the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood can no longer link its cause to that of freedom and democracy. (Al Hayat)

Abdullah Al Shayji says the US must delay growing fears of its GCC allies. (Gulf News)

Osama Al Sharif says Kerry is making progress in mending fences with Arab allies but much more work remains. (Gulf News)

Mostafa Zein evaluates the new structure of American Middle East policy, including working with rivals and enemies. (Al Hayat)

Hussein Ibish joins a panel on TV Ontario to discuss anti-Semitism on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. (TVO)


American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017