News:
Israel, Jordan and the PA sign a historic agreement [1] on water cooperation [2]. (Washington Post/Los Angeles Times)
Sec. Kerry is again headed to the Middle East [3] and Asia, as both parties warn of possible "failure." [4](AP/AFP)
The US' Israeli-Palestinian security proposal reportedly allows Israel a 10 year military presence in the Jordan Valley [5]. (Ha'aretz)
Both sides have voiced doubts [6] about the proposal. (Jerusalem Post)
A new poll shows a majority of both Israelis and Palestinians favor a two-state solution [7] if the other side does too. (USIP)
PM Netanyahu and Pres. Peres are both mistakenly listed [8] as in attendance at Nelson Mandela's funeral. (Times of Israel)
Jewish Israeli extremists [9] conduct a "price tag" attack [10] against Palestinians inside northern Israel. [11](Xinhua/Ma'an/YNet)
Israeli settlers attack [12] a Palestinian park near Nablus. (Ma'an)
Israeli occupation forces destroy a Palestinian home [13] and several other structures near Nablus. (Ma'an)
Israel army recruits tour the al-Aqsa mosque [14] compound in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
The New York Times prepare a map of Bedouin villages [15] in Israel facing forced relocation. (New York Times)
Israel will allow building materials into Gaza [16], but only for UN projects. (New York Times)
PM Hamdallah says the PA is working on an access to information law [17]. (PNN)
Some Palestinians seem to embrace Mandela more as a fighter [18] than a peacemaker, at least for now. (Christian Science Monitor)
Hamas leader Zahar [19] says his organization renewed ties with Iran [20] following Pres. Rouhani's election. (AFP/Jerusalem Post)
The Gaza energy crisis [21] has electricity operating for a quarter of every day. (The Media Line)
Al Jazeera reportedly fired a journalist for questioning its murder theory [22] about the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (Washington Free Beacon)
Israel is now a leading manufacturer of drone aircraft. [23] (The Media Line)
Swarthmore's Hillel, in defiance of the broader organization [24], rejects prohibiting BDS and other controversial speech. (JTA)
PM Netanyahu explains what Israel seeks [25] in a broader international agreement with Iran. (Xinhua)
The Syrian army is attacking rebels [26] in mountains near Lebanon. (AP)
A Spanish daily says to its journalists [27] have been kidnapped in Syria [28]. (AP/BBC)
Iraqi forces clash with militias [29] near the Syrian border. (New York Times)
Urban inflation in Egypt is soaring [30], adding to risks of social unrest. (Reuters)
A US drone strike kills three Al Qaeda [31] operatives in Yemen. (AP)
Saudi Arabia urges the GCC to stick together [32] for security reasons. (AFP)
Iran and the UAE are reportedly close to deal [33] on the Hormuz Islands. (Defense News)
Commentary:
Jeffrey Goldberg [34] says, if Israelis don't think they have a Palestinian peace partner, they have nothing to lose by making the most forthcoming peace offer possible. (Bloomberg)
Nahum Barnea [35] says the American security proposal has robbed Netanyahu of his most cherished excuses against peace. (YNet)
Ha'aretz [36] says Israel's opposition to Kerry's security proposal is based purely on ideology. (Ha'aretz)
The Daily Star [37] calls the American security proposal "a bad deal" for the Palestinians. (The Daily Star)
Shlomi Eldar [38] thinks Kerry has a reason for his often-repeated optimism on Israeli-Palestinian peace. (Al Monitor)
Aeyal Gross [39] says Israel's closing of the investigation into the death of a Palestinian protester shows its disregard for human rights. (Ha'aretz)
Khaled Diab [40] says it would take more than a leader of Mandela's character to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Ha'aretz)
Bradley Burston [41] says Netanyahu has shown what kind of person he is by declining to attend Mandela's funeral. (Ha'aretz)
Sima Kadmon [42] says Netanyahu's excuse that traveling to South Africa would cost too much is an insult to the intelligence. (YNet)
Zvi Bar'el [43] says Netanyahu is just using Iran to put off peace with the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)
Mazal Mualem [44] says Netanyahu has left himself few diplomatic options. (Al Monitor)
Victor Kotsev [45] says the walls are closing in on Hamas. (The Daily Star)
Naela Khalil [46] says the concern about Al Qaeda sympathizers in the West Bank is more about the future than the present. (Al Monitor)
Debra Kamin [47] asks if Israel and Qatar can learn to be friends again. (Times of Israel)
Ari Briggs [48] says Israel is just trying to enforce law and order on Bedouins. (Jerusalem Post)
AP interviews the head of the Egyptian Constitution-drafting committee, Amr Mousa [49]. (AP)
Ahmet Uzumcu [50], head of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), urges Israel and others to join the chemical weapons treaty. (Reuters)
Richard Cohen [51] looks at Ari Shavit’s new book about Israel, good and bad. (Washington Post)
Doyle McManus [52] says Kerry is emerging as the unexpected star of the second term Obama White House. (Los Angeles Times)
Douglas Brinkley [53] says Kerry has a simple doctrine: go big or go home. (Foreign Policy)
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed [54] says the focus of the Damascus dictatorship and its allies has been and remains to crush the Free Syrian Army. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Leon Panetta [55] says he regrets the lack of a US strike on Syrian targets, among other misgivings. (Foreign Policy)
Elliott Higgins [56] completely dismisses Seymour Hersh's recent article alleging chemical weapons used by Syrian rebels. (Foreign Policy)
Frank Kane interviews prominent Qatari royal Sheikh Mohamed bin Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani [57]. (The National)
Madawi Al-Rasheed [58] says Omani rejection of the proposed GCC union adds insult to injury for Saudi Arabia. (Al Monitor)
Mohammed Fahad Al-Harthi [59] says the peoples of the Gulf should unite to face an uncertain future. (Arab News)
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla [60] says it's become impossible for the Gulf states to trust the US to way they used to. (Gulf News)
Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Libya's PM Zeidan [61] (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Maxim Suchkov [62] asks if Russia is preparing to exploit Kurdish issues for its own purposes. (Al Monitor)
Faisal Al Yafai [63] says political lobbying by Arabs in the West must start of the grassroots. (The National)
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