Date

 

NEWS:
 
Pres. Obama includes achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace as a core element of US counterterrorism strategy. (JTA)
 
Sec. Kerry meets separately with Israeli and Palestinian officials. (New York Times)
 
Kerry is focused on peace talks, not settlements. (AP)
 
Kerry insists peace is possible. (Washington Post)
 
Kerry's persistence is defying skeptics. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Analysts don't expect much from Kerry's trip, while officials react with praise and reservationsand don't seem to expect much. (Xinhua/Los Angeles Times/CNN)
 
Palestinians are vocally pessimistic about Kerry's efforts. (The National)
 
Gen. John Allen is appointed US security envoy in the peace process. (Ha'aretz)
 
FM Hague says Israel is losing support in Britain because of settlements, and that prospects for a two-state solution are slipping away. (YNet/The Guardian)
 
Kerry makes an unscheduled stop at a shawarma shop in West Bank. (The Guardian)
 
A new report shows the EU is not meeting its own standards for ensuring Israel improves Palestinian living conditions. (The Australian)
 
Former PM Olmert describes what he says were his peace proposals to the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Olmert criticizes Pres. Abbas for not accepting his peace offer. (Times of Israel)
 
Olmert also says Israel's West Bank policies are responsible for its bad international press. (Jerusalem Post) 
 
Settlers demand Israeli occupation forces make more use of live fire against Palestinian demonstrators. (Ha'aretz)
 
Islamic Jihad complains Hamas and Fatah are not ready for national reconciliation. (Ma'an)
 
Companies operating in an Israeli settlement challenge a fee imposed on them for employing Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Joel Braunold, ATFP Executive Director Ghaith al-Omari and Danielle Spiegel Feld say Kerry's main task is overcoming skepticism. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
The Daily Star says Palestinians a right to be skeptical about Kerry's Middle East peace initiative. (The Daily Star)
 
Anshel Pfeffer says Israel is going to lose the second battle over Mohammed al-Dura, just like the first. (Ha'aretz)
 
Shlomi Eldar says the two-state idea is "bankrupt" but he has no idea what will replace it. (Al Monitor)
 
Shaul Magid looks at a new book on the history of US peace engagement by Rashid Khalidi. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Yaakov Katz says what Israel really wants in Syria is a clear ruler of a united, stable country. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Gideon Levy and Alex Levac describe how Israeli settlers are re-colonizing an evacuated West Bank settlement. (Ha'aretz)
 
Amira Hass says the Independent Commission for Human Rights plays a vital role in uniting the West Bank and Gaza by monitoring human rights in both areas. (Ha'aretz)
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