News:
Sec. Kerry is back in the region [1] pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace talks [2] and more. (Reuters/AFP)
Pres. Abbas is reportedly under pressure to accept the new US security proposal [3]. (Xinhua)
Palestinians confirm they will complete the established negotiation [4] timeframe despite frustrations. (Xinhua)
Palestinian sources reportedly say Kerry is dooming the peace talks [5] by siding with Israel. (Ha'aretz)
The EU's Court of Auditors says aid to the PA needs to an "overhaul" [6] and some major changes. (AFP)
The PA says it is still sending Palestinian patients for treatment overseas [7] despite heavy costs. (Ma’an)
The UN condemns Israel's destruction [8] of 30 Palestinian properties in the occupied territories. (AFP)
Israel's chief negotiator Livni says settlement construction [9] outside the large blocs harm Israel's security. (Ha'aretz)
Israel slams a Dutch water company [10] for cutting ties to Israel over settlement activity [11]. (AP/Xinhua)
The Dutch move is only part of a growing trend in Europe to isolate settlements [12] and occupation. (The Media Line)
British NGOs complain about UK participation [13] in the development of a new Israeli drone. (The Guardian)
Palestinians draw parallels [14] between their own fight for independence and Mandela's anti-apartheid struggle. (The Guardian)
The PLO criticizes the President of Guatemala [15] for visiting Israeli institutions in occupied East Jerusalem. (PNN)
10 years after a bloody siege [16], the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is undergoing a facelift [17]. (New York Times/AP)
A blood collection crew [18] in Israel's parliament refuses a donation from an Ethiopian-born MK [19]. (Reuters/AFP)
Jerusalem experiences [20] its heaviest snows [21] in many years [22]. (Xinhua/Washington Post/Ha'aretz)
International news organizations [23] call on Syrian factions to stop kidnapping journalists [24]. (New York Times/AP)
The UK joins the US in halting all nonlethal aid [25] to northern Syria. (AP)
Extremist rebels reportedly storm a suburb of Damascus [26] killing many people. (Xinhua)
Detained at sea, many Syrian refugees [27] now find themselves stranded in an Egyptian limbo. (Christian Science Monitor)
Israeli artists take a new approach [28] to depicting Pres. Assad. (Christian Science Monitor)
A key White House adviser says the growth of extremism in Syria may actually be a key to ending the conflict [29]. (Foreign Policy)
Sec. Hagel's visit to a huge US military base [30] in Qatar reveals much. (New York Times)
Bickering continues [31] between political and military and paramilitary leaders in Iran. (New York Times)
Egyptian riot police [32] use water cannons and tear gas against protesters. (Reuters)
More Egyptian judges recuse themselves [33] in trials of Muslim Brotherhood leaders. (AP)
Tunisia says it plans to hold elections [34] before the end of 2014. (Asharq Al Awsat)
The UAE will host a GCC defense think tank [35] for the study of common security threats. (The National)
Commentary:
Elias Groll [36] thinks the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer a top US priority. (Foreign Policy)
Gershon Baskin [37] says he suspects more progress is being made in peace talks and most people think. (Jerusalem Post)
Brent Budowsky [38] says he's not optimistic but Kerry is waging a valiant one-man battle for "common interests and common sense." (The Hill)
Emily Hauser [39] sees many flaws in the recent Israel-PA-Jordan water agreement. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
Nathan Jeffay [40] asks if imprisoned Fatah leader Barghouti could prove the "Mandela of the Palestinians." (The Forward)
Chemi Shalev [41] says Israel is inching closer to an international South Africa-style boycott regime. (Ha'aretz)
Israel's new opposition leader Herzog [42] calls PM Netanyahu "an enigma." (AP)
Israel Harel [43] says pro-Israel loyalists should support Netanyahu. (Ha'aretz)
George Hishmeh [44] says Israeli leaders avoided Mandela's funeral fearing "a trial and oral whiplashing." (Gulf News)
Ari Shavit [45] says, after missing its top leaders avoided Mandela's funeral, Israel must restore its international moral credibility. (Ha'aretz)
Osama Al Sharif [46] says Mandela's Middle East legacy may be realized when Israel is ready for peace in Palestine. (Arab News)
Chaim Levinson [47] points out that in the occupied West Bank home construction rules are changed depending on whether the owners are Arabs or Jews. (Ha'aretz)
Monika Halkort [48] looks at the rebuilding of the Nahr el Bared Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. (Open Democracy)
Andy Bachman [49] says censorship at campus Hillel organizations goes against Jewish traditions. (The Forward)
David Ignatius [50] says Pres. Obama's realistic, pragmatic foreign policy recalls the days of Kissinger and Baker. (Washington Post)
Nicola Nasser [51] says, with friends like Kerry, the Palestinians need no enemies. (Arab News)
El Hassan bin Talal [52] says between violence, kidnappings and a harsh winter facing refugees, the brutality of the Syrian conflict is laid bare. (Jordan Times)
The National [53] says aid for Syrian refugees will be a test of Iran's intentions. (The National)
Rym Ghazal [54] looks at life in the Zaatari refugee camp on the Jordan and Syria borders. (The National)
Yaron Friedman [55] says, despite shared interests, there is little chance of Israeli-Saudi normalization. (YNet)
Jacky Hugi [56] agrees there will be no formal, or even informal, Israeli-Saudi alliance against Iran. (Al Monitor)
Francis Matthews [57] says Gulf states are extremely concerned at the drift in American policies. (Gulf News)
Joseph Kechichian [58] looks of the evolving structure of the GCC. (Gulf News)
Mustafa Akyol [59] says the Erdogan-Gulen rift should make Turkey stronger. (New York Times)