News:
Pres. Abbas seeks [1] a temporary NATO peacekeeping force [2] in a future Palestinian state. (The New York Times/Ma’an)
PM Netanyahu dismisses [3] Sec. Kerry’s warnings over intensified boycotts [4] if peace talks fail. (AP/The New York Times)
The State Department defends [5] Kerry’s boycott statement. (Ynet)
FM Judeh says [6] Jordan would reject any agreement that does not uphold its interest [7]. (Xinhua/ The Jordan Times)
Israel dismantles a symbolic anti-settlement protest camp [8] in the Jordan River Valley. (Xinhua)
DM Ya’alon claims settlements [9] are not an obstacle to peace. (Ynet)
Extremist settlers uproot [10] 1700 olive seedlings [11] in two villages in the occupied West Bank. (The Times of Israel/AP)
UNRWA distributes additional 715 food parcels in Yarmouk [12]camp. (Ma’an)
Israel offers Turkey $20 million [13] for the flotilla incident victims. (Xinhua)
Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies [14] to their families. (AP)
The PA seeks to increase electricity production [15] to reduce dependence on Israel. (The Media Line)
The Israeli settlement-based SodaStream company accuses Oxfam [16]of funding the boycott movement. (The Jerusalem Post)
Rock star Roger Waters criticises actress Scarlett Johansson [17] over her support of Israeli settlements. (The Jerusalem Post)
Al-Qaeda [18] reportedly again breaks ties with ISIS [19]. (AP/Reuters)
The Syrian regime kills 36 people [20] in Aleppo. (AP)
A car bombing in Iraq [21] kills 10 people. (AP)
A car bomb kills three [22] people in a Lebanese Shiite town. (AP)
The World Food Programme [23] cannot meet the needs of the Syrian people. (AP)
Pres. Obama will face [24] major issues when visiting Saudi Arabia. (The National)
The UAE summons the Qatari Ambassador [25] to protest comments by cleric Qaradawi. (Xinhua)
Hillary Clinton warns [26] Congress that new Iran sanctions could upend talks. (AP)
FM Zarif says a nuclear deal is possible [27] within six months. (Reuters)
Commentary:
Thomas Friedman [28] says there will be no deal between Israelis and Palestinians if Israel insists on a lengthy stay in the West Bank. (The New York Times)
S. Daniel Abraham [29] says it’s time for Netanyahu to put together a strategy to implement peace if Kerry’s plan succeeds. (Ha’aretz)
Moshe Arens [30] says there is “little chance” for the Palestinians and Israel to reach an agreement. (Ha’aretz)
Gideon Levy [31] says Israel is already a bi-national state. (Ha’aretz)
Emily Hauser [32] says Israel must raise the alarm about settler violence. (Ha’aretz)
Steven Rosen [33] says refugees would be a major destabilizing factor to a future Palestinian state. (Foreign Policy)
The National [34] says Obama will hear tough talk from the Saudis when he visits Riyadh next month. (The National)
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed [35] says Pres. Assad has no plans to leave power. (Asharq Alawsat)
The Jordan Times [36] blames world powers for the failure of the Geneva II peace talks. (The Jordan Times)
Amer Al Sabaileh [37] warns that the resumption of US support to the Syrian opposition will be a source of tension between Amman and Damascus. (The Jordanian Times)
Amal Mousa [38] elucidates the reasons behind the latest triumph of modern values over the Islamist principles in Tunisia. (Asharq Alawsat)
The Gulf News [39] calls on all Lebanese to step back from the deadly violence that is engulfing their country. (The Gulf News)
Fareed Zakaria [40] thinks that Pres. Rouhani and Zarif are “moderates who seek greater integration of Iran with the world.” (The Daily Star)
Abdullah Al Shayji [41] expresses dismay at the way Obama handled Arab countries in his State of the Union speech. (The Gulf News)
Joschka Fischer [42] says the Middle East is disintegrating because of the “partial withdrawal of the US.” (The Daily Star)
Sawsan Al-Abtah [43] says the prevalence of violence in the Arab world emanates from the “fragility of the Arab identity.” (Asharq Alawsat)
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