News:
PM Netanyahu [1] says Israel is not obliged [2] to agree to all of the terms of Sec. Kerry’s framework. (PNN/Ynet)
Israeli newspapers [3] speculate on the soon-to-be-unveiled “Kerry plan.” [4] (Ha’aretz/The Jerusalem Post)
A Palestinian official says Israelis are welcome to apply [5] for immigration to the future Palestinian state. (The Media Line)
Fatah [6] says Hamas has not yet replied to its reconciliation proposal. (Ma’an)
Israeli occupation forces [7] kill a Palestinian man in the West Bank [8]. (AP/Reuters)
Israeli occupation forces detain [9] eight Palestinians in overnight raids across the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Israeli Economy Minister Bennett [10] might lose his job over personal attacks [11] against Netanyahu. (Xinhua/Ha’aretz)
Netanyahu postpones [12] a ministerial meeting on the growing threat of boycotts and sanctions against Israel. (Ha’aretz)
Netanyahu expresses concern [13] over alleged continuing anti-Israel incitement in the Palestinian press. (Ha’aretz)
FM Zarif [14] accuses Israel of using the nuclear issue to distract [15] from its “crimes” against the Palestinians. (Times of Israel/Ynet)
Negotiators resume Syrian peace talks [16] amid declining expectations [17]. (AP/The New York Times)
Pres. Obama promises [18] more support for the Syrian opposition. (AP)
The Al-Qaeda [19] inspired ISIS group in Syria is selling oil to the Assad regime. (The New York Times)
15 are killed in Iraq [20] as clashes continue in Anbar province. (Xinhua)
Obama [21] threatens to veto new economic sanctions [22] against Iran in his State of the Union address. (AP/JTA)
PM Erdogan [23] visits Iran [24]in an effort to mend ties. (Reuters/AP)
Tunisia’s parliament approves [25] a caretaker government. (The National)
Libya’s interior minister Karim [26] escapes an assassination attempt in Tripoli. (AFP)
Egypt [27]refers 20 journalists from the Al Jazeera network to trial. (AP)
Commentary:
ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali [28]says Israel’s future requires a peace agreement and a state of Palestine. (Huffington Post)
Thomas Friedman [29] says Kerry would have to declare the end of the negotiated two-state solution if his plan fails. (The New York Times)
Herb Keinon [30] says agreeing to the framework deal with the Palestinians will not bring down Netanyahu’s coalition. (The Jerusalem Post)
Debra DeLee [31] says her love for Israel inspires her opposition to generalize boycotts against the country but staunch opposition to settlements and their products. (Forward)
Kara Bue [32] says Kerry’s focus on Mideast peace is coming at the expense of other US strategic interests. (The Christian Science Monitor)
Peter Beinart [33] says the Obama administration should stay away from this year’s AIPAC Conference. (Ha’aretz)
Yaron Friedman [34] says cutting Arabic studies in Israel will harm both Israeli intelligence services and the chances of dialogue with Arabs. (Ynet)
Rime Allaf [35] says drawn out talks in Geneva will only benefit the Assad regime. (Gulf News)
The Jordan Times [36] says the Geneva II talks are destined for failure and the fighting in Syria will continue without direct intervention. (Jordan Times)
Hassan Hassan [37] condemns controversial fatwas by noted cleric Qaradawi that encourage violence. (The National)
Alasdair Soussi [38] says car bombs continue to be influential instruments of terror in the Middle East. (The National)
Horacio Falcao [39] says American-Iranian negotiations will be a long process but has begun well. (Gulf News)
Michael Young [40] says by implementing Iran’s strategy in Lebanon, Hezbollah is provoking a civil war. (The National)
Diana Moukalled [41] says the Hariri Special Tribunal is improving the judicial standards in the region. (Asharq Alawsat)
The National [42] says political developments in Tunisia and elsewhere show strong ongoing support for secular ideals in the Arab world. (The National)
Max Strasser [43] asks whether Gen. Sissi is “turning back the clock to the Nasser era in Egypt.” (Foreign Policy)