News:
A Palestinian injures two [1] Israeli police officers [2] in occupied East Jerusalem. (New York Times/AP)
Israeli soldiers shoot [3] a Palestinian man trying to cross the Gaza border. (Ma'an)
An Israeli girl [4] and her father are wounded [5] in a fire bomb [6] attack in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times/AP/Ma'an)
A 15-year-old Palestinian boy dies [7] from injuries sustained in the summer's Gaza war. (Ma'an)
A Palestinian is injured [8] by PA police in a raid in Nablus. (Ma'an)
Israeli forces seize guns [9] and pipe bombs, and arrest Palestinians [10] in the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post/YNet)
Israeli naval boats open fire [11] on Palestinian fishermen in Gaza. (Ma'an)
Hamas may be rebuilding [12] its military positions in Gaza. (YNet)
Qatar may be preparing to temporarily halt [13] financial assistance to Hamas. (YNet)
Corruption [14] is hampering Gaza reconstruction efforts. (The Guardian)
Israel's Supreme Court orders a West Bank settlement outpost [15] to be demolished [16]. (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)
Israel is halting gas mask [17] production due to a perceived decline in the threat of chemical weapons. (Ha'aretz)
Israeli Amb. to the US Dermer reportedly "flouts regulations [18]" by endorsing PM Netanyahu. (Ha'aretz)
High-tech businesses [19] are thriving in Nazareth. (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)
Thousands gather in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve [20] celebrations. (Ma'an)
Christians flock to Bethlehem [21] for Christmas celebrations. (AP)
Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem find hope in Christmas [22]. (Christian Science Monitor)
In Iraq, some Christmas traditions [23] are only memories. (New York Times)
ISIS is trying to recruit entire families [24] to build its new society. (Washington Post)
ISIS is apparently failing [25] in its efforts to create a viable state in the areas under its rule. (Washington Post)
Serious differences [26] are emerging within the ranks of ISIS. (Ha'aretz)
Fighters from other Syrian opposition groups are increasingly joining ISIS [27]. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Kurdish fighters recapture villages [28] from ISIS. (AP)
Human Rights Watch reiterates that the Syrian government is targeting civilians [29]. (AP)
The Syrian war seems more fragmented [30] than ever. (Reuters)
Syrian peace talks [31] may start in Moscow next month. (AP)
The US says a Jordanian warplane crashed over Syria, and was not shot down [32] by ISIS militants. (BBC)
The father [33] of the Jordanian pilot captured by ISIS pleads for his release. (AP)
Jordan warns ISIS [34] against harming the pilot. (New York Times)
New, independent publishing houses [35] are springing up in Egypt. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Two women arrested for driving in Saudi Arabia are set to be tried in a terrorism court [36]. (BBC)
Commentary:
Alan Phillips [37] says Israeli policies are going to turn Bethlehem into a museum. (The National)
Amira Hass [38] says Hamas knows the people of Gaza don't want another war with Israel. (Ha'aretz)
Ha'aretz [39] says it's time to end the blockade of Gaza. (Ha'aretz)
Rana Askoul [40] says Palestinians need to break free from the brutalizing pursuit of vengeance. (The National)
Roger Cohen [41] thinks Tzipi Livni can explain why Israeli-Palestinian peace has failed. (New York Times)
Kai Bird [42] says Israeli should focus on a national Israeli identity, rather than Jewish identity. (New York Times)
Akiva Eldar [43] asks if an independent Palestinian state is the only way to stop Hamas. (Al Monitor)
Amos Harel [44] says Egypt is strangling Gaza, but Israel gets the blame. (Ha'aretz)
Nir Hasson [45] says Netanyahu is already reconciled to a divided Jerusalem. (Ha'aretz)
David Ignatius [46] says the US has been slow to support Iraqi tribes in the fight against ISIS. (Washington Post)
Michael Jansen [47] says the Iraqi government, too, must back Sunni tribesmen against ISIS. (Jordan Times)
Mshari Al-Zaydi [48] sees interesting similarities in the situations in Egypt and Tunisia. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Avi Issacharoff [49] says Tunisia's election was another defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood. (Times of Israel)
The New York Times [50] says Tunisia's latest successful election means the country has won again. (New York Times)
Abdulrahman Al-Rashed [51] asks if Tunisia's Islamists have "learned their lesson." (Asharq Al Awsat)
H. A. Hellyer [52] asks if Egypt's opposition can learn to get along with each other. (Foreign Policy)
The Guardian [53] condemns the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority states. (The Guardian)
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