News:
Palestinian sources claim Sec. Kerry is proposing the return of 80,000 Palestinian refugees [1] to Israel. (Xinhua)
Reports suggest the US may be trying to add language about a "Jewish state" [2] to the Arab Peace Initiative. (Times of Israel)
Israeli officials doubt [3] an agreement can be reached within nine months. (Reuters)
Israeli cabinet minister Bennett dismisses all notions of a land swap [4] with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian citizens of Israel call FM Lieberman's land swap proposals "delusional." [5] (Ha'aretz)
Jordanian officials say PM Netanyahu is ready for a land swap [6] with Palestinians. (YNet)
Israeli settlers voice their objections [7] to Kerry's peace efforts. (Christian Science Monitor)
Hebron settlers say Netanyahu "may meet a worse fate" [8] then former PM Sharon. (JTA)
Israeli extremists mock Kerry [9]'s peace efforts. (BBC)
Israel approves 272 new settlement homes [10] in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
Jewish vandals [11] damage Palestinian cars and spray graffiti in Jaffa. (Ma'an)
A rocket fired from Gaza [12] lands in southern Israel without causing any injuries or damage. (Xinhua)
A Palestinian man is crushed to death [13] due to overcrowding at an Israeli West Bank checkpoint. (Ma'an)
Israeli officials complain about incitement [14] by Palestinians. (New York Times)
Israeli forces arrest three Palestinians [15] in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)
Egyptian forces shoot and wound [16] two Palestinian youths exiting a Gaza smuggling tunnel. (Ma'an)
Czech officials demand an explanation [17] for weapons discovered [18] at the Palestinian mission in Prague. (New York Times/AFP)
Palestinian villagers capture and briefly detain [19] a group of Israeli settlers they say attacked them in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times)
Hamas holds another military training program [20] for Gaza youth. (Xinhua)
Hamas says [21] it is making "goodwill gestures" to Fatah [22]. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)
Saudi Arabia says it is donating $40 million [23] to the Palestinian budget. (PNN)
The US and Iran are increasingly seen by some as facing common enemies [24] in the Middle East. (New York Times)
Egypt summons Iran's charge d'affaires [25] over recent statements criticizing Egyptian policies. (Xinhua)
Saudi Arabia's military aid package to Lebanon is seen by some as a message to the US [26]. (New York Times)
Syrian extremists are accused of mass executions [27] of rival rebels. (Los Angeles Times)
A Sunni revolt in Iraq [28] could spiral into a new war in the country. (Washington Post)
Kuwait swears in a new cabinet [29] with seven new members [30]. (AP/Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Turkish government fires 350 police [31] officers. (AP)
Commentary:
The LA Times [32] says Kerry's framework agreement provides a glimmer of hope for Middle East peace. (Los Angeles Times)
The CSM [33] says Kerry and Pope Francis make a formidable peace team. (Christian Science Monitor)
The Washington Post [34] says Israelis and Palestinians have to prove themselves willing to engage Kerry's peace efforts. (Washington Post)
Asharq Al-Awsat interviews chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat [35]. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Munib al Masri [36] says all Palestinians want is their freedom. (Ha'aretz)
Vincent Fean [37] says the Palestinian leadership is right to engage in peace talks with Israel. (Ma'an)
Nahum Barnea [38] says, instead of whining about Palestinian incitement, Israeli leaders should do something about Israeli incitement. (YNet)
Jonathan Cook [39] says Israel's educational system is filled with incitement of its own. (The National)
Moshe Arens [40] strongly disapproves of his interpretation of Kerry's proposals. (Ha'aretz)
David Newman [41] says the Jordan Valley has lost most of its strategic significance for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Akiva Eldar [42] says Israel's relationship with Jordan is much more important to it than the Jordan Valley. (Al Monitor)
Hazem Balousha [43] says what Palestinians in Gaza want most in 2014 is electricity. (Al Monitor)
Neri Zilber [44] looks at the problems facing a Jordanian Muslim named Yitzhak Rabin. (The Atlantic)
The LA Times [45] says the Obama administration should "stop coddling" the Egyptian government. (Los Angeles Times)
Nervana Mahmoud [46] says the Al-Noor party in Egypt should be carefully watched. (Al Monitor)
Hassan Hassan [47] says PM Al-Maliki's war against Al Qaeda is tainted by sectarian politics. (The National)
Huda Al-Saleh [48] looks at women members of Al Qaeda. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid [49] says he thinks Iran is secretly running Al Qaeda. (Arab News)
Sobhi Ghandour [50] stresses the importance of Arab Christian communities to the region. (Gulf News)
Peter Beinart [51] says there is a "moral case" for ending the US "cold war" with Iran. (Ha'aretz)
Hussein Ibish [52] says the emerging Tunisian Constitution is extremely promising. (NOW)
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