News:

Palestinians are being starved and murdered by pro-Assad forces at the Yarmouk refugee camp. (AP/The Media Line)

PLO officials say efforts to ease the siege at Yarmouk and deliver aid have failed. (Ma'an)

8 more Palestinians are killed in Yarmouk and Khan al-Sheik in Syria. (Ma'an)

Palestinian Labor Minister Ahmad Majdalani accuses Syrian rebels of attacking the refugee camp. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu meets with VP Biden. (Xinhua)

Sec. Kerry again voices optimism on Middle East peace. (AP)

Many former Israeli generals say Israel can safely afford to leave the Jordan Valley. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel's defense minister reportedly calls Kerry "messianic and obsessive." (Reuters/YNet/AFP)

Israel's Economy Minister Bennett yet again calls for annexation in the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians condemn Israeli "incitement" against Abbas. (Xinhua)

Germany's FM says Israeli settlement activity is hindering US peace efforts. (Xinhua)

The PLO says it's preparing contingency plans to join more UN agencies in response to Israel's settlement activities. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)

Netanyahu says Abbas' recent statements show he's not ready for peace. (PNN)

Former Defense Secretary Gates' new book is highly critical of Netanyahu. (Ha'aretz)

Hamas says it wants guarantees from Fatah regarding elections. (Xinhua)

Twitter suspends the account of Hamas' military wing. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli settlers and occupation forces stop PM Hamdallah's motorcade near Ramallah. (Ma'an/PNN)

Qatar says it will grant 20,000 work permits to Palestinians. (Ma'an)

Egypt is becoming increasingly hostile to Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)

Egyptians begin voting on a new constitution, amid a climate of fear. (New York Times/AP)

The Egyptian vote is seen as a referendum on the performance of the interim government. (Christian Science Monitor/Los Angeles Times)

Syrian government forces advance amid rebel infightingkilling 62 rebels. (Reuters/Xinhua)

US presses the Syrian opposition to join upcoming peace talks. (New York Times)

26 more people are killed in Iraq during the visit of UNSG Ban. (AP)

Iraq is struggling to re-secure control of its border with Syria as Al Qaeda is resurgent. (Reuters)

Pres. Obama opposes Congressional efforts to add new sanctions against Iran. (New York Times)

Hard-liners in Iran cautiously praise the interim nuclear agreement with the West. (New York Times)

An Al Qaeda-linked group in Lebanon vows to strike Iran. (AP)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Palestinians are being deliberately starved to death in Syria. (NOW)

Gustavo Gonzalez says the private sector must get involved in Syrian refugee relief efforts. (Jordan Times)

Hassan Barari says Jordan has no reason to trust Abbas. (Jordan Times)

Hassan Barari says Kerry's mission will be futile without dealing with Jerusalem. (Arab News)

Richard Cohen says Israel is becoming more isolated. (Washington Post)

The Jerusalem Post says Israeli unilateralism remains a good option. (Jerusalem Post)

Al Jazeera America compiles a list of short assessments of Sharon's legacy. (Al Jazeera America)

Henry Kissinger says former PM Sharon made a journey towards peace. (Washington Post)

Akiva Eldar says Sharon did everything he could to hinder a peace agreement with the Palestinians. (Al Monitor)

Rashid Khalidi says Sharon was a war criminal, not a peacemaker. (Foreign Policy)

Eric Yoffie says Sharon was a hero for saying no to settlers. (Ha'aretz)

Smadar Perry says Sharon was a respected enemy in the Arab world. (YNet)

Rami Simani says the Israeli far right must "forgive" Sharon. (YNet)

Emily Hauser says Sharon is one of the main reasons she can no longer live in Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Gideon Levy says Sharon's funeral was long on symbolism but short on emotion. (Ha'aretz)

Nathan Jeffay asks what would happen if Sharon had died eight years ago. (The Forward)

Seth Siegel says there is no apartheid in Israel and condemns boycotts. (Los Angeles Times)

Paul Moss remembers the late Palestinian physician and activist Dr. Eyad Sarraj. (The Guardian)

The Washington Post says the US shouldn't be supporting Egypt's "bogus democracy." (Washington Post)

Avi Issacharoff asks what's at stake in Egypt's constitutional referendum. (Times of Israel)

Robert Zaretsky says the world hasn't paid enough attention to Tunisia's constitutional progress. (The Forward)

The National says the UAE PM is right to offer Israel and Iran better trade links in exchange for better policies. (The National)

M. E. Bowman says convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard should stay in prison. (New York Times)

Fawaz Gerges says PM Al-Maliki's policies have created an opportunity for Al Qaeda in Iraq. (Gulf News)

Nadim Mansouri and  Abdelnabi Abdel-Sattar debate whether social media helps or hurts radical Islamists. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hussein Ibish, Jonathan Schanzer and Rami Khouri talk with CNN's Jim Clancy about the Syrian refugee crisis. (CNN)


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