News:
Palestinian negotiators reportedly offer to resign [1] over planned new Israeli settlement activity, but Pres. Abbas is unlikely to accept [2]. (New York Times/Ma'an)
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denies offering to resign [3]. (YNet)
Sec. Kerry will meet with Abbas [4] in Bethlehem next week. (Jerusalem Post)
An Israeli attack [5] on a Gaza smuggling tunnel [6] reportedly kills four Hamas militants [7]. (AP/Reuters/Xinhua)
Five Israeli soldiers [8] are injured in Gaza [9]. (YNet/Times of Israel)
Palestinians say Israel is preparing to destroy the homes of 15,000 [10] Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
Israeli occupation officials are trying to control pollution [11] in the West Bank. (Christian Science Monitor)
Settlers destroy 300 newly planted olive trees [12] in Qalqiliya in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)
The Israeli military withdraws [13] from 13 communities near the Gaza border. (Xinhua)
The main Gaza power plant once again stops functioning [14] due to lack of fuel supplies. (Xinhua)
Israel reportedly attacks [15] a shipment of Russian missiles inside Syria [16], that were perhaps bound for Hezbollah [17]. (AP/YNet/Ha'aretz)
The US announces that Israel will be the first foreign country [18] to receive the new V-22 Osprey [19] military aircraft. (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)
Economic and military ties between Israel and India [20] are expanding. (The Media Line)
PM al-Maliki [21] is in Washington seeking support [22] amid a growing security crisis [23]. (New York Times/AP/Christian Science Monitor)
Sec. Kerry is visiting Saudi Arabia [24] and other countries in an effort to smooth relations [25]. (New York Times/AP)
Syrian troops recapture a key town [26] in the north from rebels. (AP)
Syria may be seeking to retain control [27] of a small number of chemical weapons factories. (Foreign Policy)
Egypt declares a state of emergency [28] before the trial of former Pres. Morsi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Commentary:
Yuval Diskin [29] says to prevent another Palestinian intifada, Israel must encourage hope and prisoner releases part of that. (YNet)
Yossi Verter [30] questions whether PM Netanyahu's coalition can survive infighting over a Palestinian deal. (Ha'aretz)
Yoel Marcus [31] says, in order to make peace, Netanyahu must purge his cabinet of extremists. (Ha'aretz)
Elisheva Goldberg [32] is sure that there was a deal between Netanyahu and Bennett trading prisoner release for more settlements. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
The Jerusalem Post [33] dismisses the idea that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace. (Jerusalem Post)
Shaul Arieli [34] says Israel's founders knew partition is necessary for it to be Jewish, but the Greater Israel movement threatens this. (Ha'aretz)
The Economist [35] doubts an interim agreement will really advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. (The Economist)
Hillel Halkin [36] says there's nothing wrong with Jewish Americans putting Israel first. (The Forward)
Yaakov Lappin [37] says Israel faces daily dilemmas about what to do regarding Syria and Hezbollah's arms supplies. (Jerusalem Post)
Zvi Bar'el [38] says as the US is moving away from Egypt, Russia is moving in. (Ha'aretz)
Rye Druzin [39] says the rift between the US and Gulf states is expanding. (The Media Line)
Marwan Kabalan [40] says US Gulf allies need reassurances. (Gulf News)
Aaron David Miller [41] asks if the US really has a special relationship with Saudi Arabia, and if so, is it worth keeping. (Foreign Policy)
Paul Danahar [42] says the US left Iraq a broken mess. (BBC)
Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Egyptian FM Fahmi [43]. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Manuel Almeida [44] says PM Erdoğan is his own worst enemy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Andrew Parasiliti interviews Ali Al-Moussawi, a top advisor to PM Al-Maliki [45]. (Al Monitor)
Palash Ghosh [46] profiles the large Palestinian community in Chile. (IB Times)
Uri Avnery [47] says as he turns 90 he still advocates Palestinian statehood and believes it can happen in his lifetime. (The Independent)