News:
Sec. Kerry cites "some progress" [1] in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but warns of the prospect of failure [2]. (AP/Washington Post)
Kerry ends his trip [3] without yet securing a framework agreement. (AFP)
FM Lieberman says [4] Kerry's offer is "the best Israel is going to get." [5] (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)
Kerry seeks and gets Saudi endorsement [6] for his peace efforts [7]. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)
Kerry thanks the Saudi King [8] for his "enthusiastic support" [9] of the peace process. (State Department/The Guardian)
Former Mossad chief Dagan says Israel doesn't need to keep the Jordan Valley [10]. (Times of Israel)
Israel issues demolition orders [11] for a large group of Palestinian buildings in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
The Jordan Valley continues to be a key sticking point [12] between Israelis and Palestinians. (New York Times)
Palestinian citizens of Israel reject Lieberman's proposal [13] to include many of their towns in a land swap. (Jerusalem Post)
Pope Francis will visit [14] the "holy land" in May. (BBC)
Israeli rights groups accuse authorities of continuing to torture Palestinians [15] despite a court order. (Jerusalem Post)
Israeli settlers attack [16] a school and a reservoir near Nablus. (Ma'an)
Palestinian farmers clash with attacking settlers [17] near Hebron. (Ma'an)
Human Rights Watch says a Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli soldiers "posed no threat." [18] (Ma'an)
12 weapons found at the Palestinian mission in Prague were "legal." [19] (Ap)
The Palestine Power Generation Company [20] signs a 20-year-deal [21] with Israeli and American natural gas companies. (Ma'an/Xinhua)
Israel denies it killed [22] all those responsible in a 1994 bombing in Argentina. (JTA)
Former PM Sharon's health [23] continues to rapidly decline [24]. (Reuters/AP)
A new "post-US" Middle East [25] seems to be emerging in which militants thrive. (New York Times)
The NYT profiles the life and death of a key Hezbollah operative [26]. (New York Times)
Almost all other Sunni rebel groups attack [27] the extremist ISIS militia [28]. (ISW/Financial Times)
Fighting between Syrian rebels spreads through the east [29] of the country. (AP)
Kerry says Iran may have a role [30] in upcoming Syrian peace talks. (New York Times)
The US Embassy issues a warning to Americans in Lebanon [31]. (AP)
Iraqi soldiers and tribesmen are making progress [32] in pushing back Al Qaeda in key Western cities. (New York Times)
17 are killed [33] in more bomb attacks in Baghdad. (Xinhua)
The Muslim Brotherhood is fighting to survive [34] in Egypt. (New York Times)
Two prominent secular activists in Egypt get one-year suspended sentences [35] for arson. (Ahram Online)
Egypt summons the Qatari ambassador [36] in Cairo, after Doha issues a pro-Muslim Brotherhood statement [37]. (AP/Xinhua)
Commentary:
Looking at Israel's "Jewish character," Bernard Avishai [38] says it is the only country that "does not recognize itself." (The New Yorker)
Leonard Fein [39] says supporters of a two-state solution should boycott the Israeli settlement of Ariel. (The Forward)
The Jerusalem Post [40] praises Kerry's efforts. (Jerusalem Post)
Oudeh Basharat [41] says Kerry is part of the problem, not the solution. (Ha'aretz)
Hassan Barari [42] says many Jordanians are deeply concerned an Israeli-Palestinian deal would be at their expense. (Arab News)
Avi Issacharoff [43] says Israeli and Palestinian red lines make a Kerry-brokered deal unlikely. (Times of Israel)
Ha'aretz [44] says Lieberman has once again thrown a wrench in the works by trying to push Palestinian towns in Israel into a Palestinian state. (Ha'aretz)
Ami Ayalon [45] says it's time for Jordan Valley settlers to come home to Israel. (YNet)
Anat Matar [46] says, unlike Palestinians, Israeli soldiers and settlers with blood on their hands almost never serve time in prison. (Ha'aretz)
Yitzhak Laor [47] says, for Israel, Palestinian blood is cheap. (Ha'aretz)
Haviv Rettig Gur [48] looks at how Netanyahu runs the Israeli government. (Times of Israel)
Christa Case Bryant [49] says Israelis are still struggling to define the legacy of Sharon. (Christian Science Monitor)
Marit Danon [50] says she turned from an ardent Sharon critic to a devoted fan. (YNet)
Ben Caspit [51] says Sharon's decisions crucially shaped contemporary Israel. (Al Monitor)
Hussein Ibish [52] calls the Israeli-Palestinian squabble over Jesus "ridiculous." (The National)
Seth Lipsky [53] says Sharon had an uncanny ability to connect with people who instinctively didn't like him. (Ha'aretz)
Vali Nasr [54] asks if Turkey is emerging as Iran's latest ally. (New York Times)
Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon [55] say Egypt's interim government has gone too far in suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood and may create a new form of extremism. (New York Times)
Omer Aziz [56] says the world must hold Qatar to account for treatment of laborers, especially in connection with the World Cup. (New York Times)
The Daily Star [57] says the uprising against Al Qaeda in Syria must not be allowed to be another missed opportunity. (The Daily Star)
Nicholas Blanford [58] says the Assad regime may survive. (Christian Science Monitor)
Michael Weiss [59] describes how the US Syria policy "fell apart." (Politico)
Faeq Muneef [60] says a deadlier strain than ever of Al Qaeda has emerged in Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bruce Riedel [61] looks at the continuing evolution of Al Qaeda "3.0." (Al Monitor)
Patricio Asfura-Heim and Christopher Steinitz [62] ask if anyone can stop Lebanon's descent into chaos. (Foreign Policy)
The National [63] accuses PM Al-Maliki of "sectarian politics" in Iraq. (The National)
Sinan Ulgen [64] thinks Turkey can help bridge some Middle Eastern divisions. (The Daily Star)
Mustafa Akyol [65] explains Turkey's AKP-Gulen conflict. (Al Monitor)
Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Bahrain's public security chief Maj. Gen. Tarek Al Hasan [66]. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Abdullah Al Shayji [67] says Gulf states and other Arabs were shocked by the US "flippant" attitude in 2013. (Gulf News)
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