NEWS:
PLO chief negotiator Erekat says no progress [1]has been made in talks yet. (Ma'an)
Pres. Perez praises [2] Sec. Kerry's peace efforts. (AFP)
NSA Rice complains about "unfounded and unacceptable [3]" criticism of Kerry by Israeli officials. (YNet)
Palestinian refugees [4] are fleeing the Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria. (AFP)
Palestinian diplomat Nasser al-Kidwa, deputy head of the international team running the Syria peace talks, is dismissed at the demand of the Syrian government [5]. (Reuters)
The EU envoy to Israel warns of greater isolation [6] if settlement activities continue. (AP)
An Israeli court orders the state to explain why an extension to the separation barrier [7] is dividing Palestinian towns. (Ha'aretz)
Hamas rejects [8] Pres. Abbas' efforts to achieve peace with Israel. (Xinhua)
Hamas redeploys its forces [9] along the border with Israel. (Ma'an)
Islamic Jihad threatens to sabotage [10] any peace agreement. (Times of Israel)
Palestinians accuse Israeli settlers of attacking farms [11]. (AP)
Palestinians are planning to centralize their electricity sector [12]. (The Media Line)
FIFA says [13] Israel is finally helping to facilitate Palestinian soccer. (Ha'aretz)
An Israeli officer is killed near the Gaza border by "friendly fire [14]." (Xinhua)
Middle East scholar Barry Rubin [15] dies at 64. (YNet)
AIPAC's push for new sanctions against Iran appears to be blunted [16]. (New York Times)
Kerry [17]reportedly tells Congress [18] US Syria policy is failing [19]. (Daily Beast/Washington Post/Bloomberg)
Russia says Syria is preparing to ship out some of its chemical weapons [20]. (Reuters)
Syrian government forces bomb a mosque [21], killing five people. (AP)
Video of the arrest of journalists in Egypt [22] is seen as a new threat to the media in that country. (New York Times)
Bombings around Baghdad [23]kill seven people. (AP)
The Iraqi government is giving away millions in food aid [24]. (New York Times)
Two are killed in an attack on a military bus in Yemen [25]. (AP)
Rebels and local tribesmen agree to a cease-fire [26] in northern Yemen. (Reuters)
Seven militants and a policeman are killed in a raid in Tunisia [27]. (Reuters)
A new suicide bombing in Beirut makes Hezbollah and Lebanese security forces seem impotent [28]. (Christian Science Monitor)
Pres. Obama will visit Saudi Arabia next month [29], where he will face significant diplomatic [30]challenges. (AP/AFP)
Saudi Arabia [31] makes it illegal for citizens to fight in foreign conflicts. (AP)
Commentary:
Ha’aretz [32]rebukes PM Netanyahu for disputing Kerry’s statement on the prospect of intensifying boycotts if peace talks fail. (Ha’aretz)
Akiva Eldar [33] says settlers are growing increasingly nervous Netanyahu may plan to evacuate some of them. (Al Monitor)
Caroline Glick [34] calls Kerry’s statement on boycotts “anti-Semitic.”
(The Jerusalem Post)
The National [35]says the boycott campaign against Israeli settlements is gaining momentum. (The National)
Shaul Arieli [36] says Netanyahu should agree to Kerry’s plan to further the “realistic goals of Zionism.” (Ha’aretz)
Hassan Barari [37] says resigning could be Abbas' only option if he wants to avoid accepting or rejecting Kerry’s plan. (The Jordan Times)
Elhanan Miller [38] says Abbas is trapped between all kinds of difficult pressures. (Times of Israel)
David Landau [39] says Israel’s left must speak out in support of Kerry’s plan. (Ha’aretz)
Shlomo Avineri [40] says settlers must vacate Palestinian land and relocate to the Israeli sovereignty. (The Jerusalem Post)
Roger Cohen [41] expresses optimism on the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks. (The New York Times)
Peter Beaumont [42] says Netanyahu might ultimately agree to Kerry’s plan because of his narrowed room of maneuverability. (The Gulf News)
Jonathan Schanzer [43] says the balance of power in the Middle East is getting increasingly difficult to determine. (Foreign Policy)
Faisal Al Yafai [44] says Pres. Obama is focused on disengaging from the Middle East. (The National)
Hassan Hassan [45] says the Muslim Brotherhood was never "moderate," even though many Western academics claimed they were. (The National)
Nervana Mahmoud [46] says Gen. Sisi must focus on stabilizing the country if he becomes the next president. (Al-Monitor)
Mshari Al-Zaydi [47] criticizes former Pres. Morsi for the contempt of court that he showed in his trial. (Asharq Alawsat)
Gareth Smyth [48] says Iran’s own reality is a major obstacle to realizing its economic goals. (The Daily Star)
The Gulf News [49] says Qatar must restrain cleric Qaradawi. (The Gulf News)
The Gulf News [50] says the US should consider the interests of the other parties in its deal with Iran. (The Gulf News)
The Wall Street Journal [51] says the US should help the “good Arab model” in Tunisia. (The Wall Street Journal)
Hussein Ibish [52] asks if Libya's recent soccer victory could help reunite the country. (NOW)