News:
Israel issues [1] new tenders [2] to build 430 settlement [3] housing units [4] in the occupied West Bank [5]. (AP/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)
Former Israeli Amb. Oren criticizes [6] the new settlement tenders. (Ha’aretz)
Pres. Abbas will visit [7] Stockholm next month. (AFP)
The IMF says the Gaza war has pushed the Palestinian economy [8] into a recession. (AFP)
Many US senators pledge not to support assistance to the PA [9] until the Obama administration reviews Palestine’s efforts to the ICC. (JTA)
A delegation of parliamentarians [10] from EU states welcomes Palestine’s efforts to join the ICC. (PNN)
With tensions rising the UN is reviewing [11]its operations in Gaza. (Ha’aretz)
Unknown assailants [12] throw a grenade into the home of a Fatah official in Gaza. (Ma’an)
15,000 young [13] Palestinians graduate [14] from Hamas’ training camps [15]. (Times of Israel/Al-Monitor/Jerusalem Post)
PM Netanyahu [16] is reportedly seeking Democratic support [17] in trying to ease criticism [18] over his coming address to Congress. (New York Times/Ha’aretz/Ynet)
Israel continues to search for Hezbollah tunnels [19]. (New York Times)
Pres. Sisi cuts short [20] his visit to Ethiopia after ISIS's Egyptian wing [21] claims that it killed at least 32 security personnel in Sinai [22]. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)
Hamas’ militia imposes “strict security measures [23]” along the border with Egypt. (Ma’an)
ISIS is silent [24] as the deadline [25] for a prisoner [26] swap [27] with Jordan [28] expires [29]. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/The National/Jordan Times)
ISIS kills a senior Kurdish commander [30] in Iraq. (AP)
KRG leader Barzani [31] says the anti-ISIS coalition will not be able to retake Mosul before the fall. (Reuters)
Clashes between Al-Nusra and Western-backed rebels [32] spread from Aleppo province into neighboring Idlib. (Reuters)
King Salman abolishes [33] government bodies, changes ministers [34], dismisses the chief of intelligence and further consolidates his own authority. (New York Times/Al Arabiya)
Saudi Arabia postpones the flogging of blogger Raif Badawi [35] for a third week in a row. (AFP)
Commentary:
Zeev Sternhell [36] says even an Israeli centrist government will not end the occupation. (Ha’aretz)
Eugene Robinson [37] says inviting Netanyahu to speak before Congress was a “mistake” by Speaker Boehner. (Washington Post)
Robert Kagan [38] outlines five reasons why Netanyahu should not address Congress. (Washington Post)
Nathan Guttman [39] asks if Amb. Dermer’s Republican ties are “too tight” for Israel’s good. (The Forward)
Jeffrey Goldberg [40] interviews Dermer. (The Atlantic)
Nahum Barnea [41] says Hezbollah’s “revenge” for Israel’s Quneitra strike is not over yet. (Ynet)
Ben Caspit [42] says Hezbollah is opening another front against Israel in the Golan Heights, where it can blame other organizations for possible escalations. (Al-Monitor)
David Brooks [43] says the US should stop trying “to play chess” in the Middle East and simply keep its promises. (New York Times)
The Daily Star [44] says the Russian peace initiative on Syria is a “waste of time.” (Daily Star)
Amir Taheri [45] says Saudi Arabia’s greatest asset is its stability. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Kenneth Roth [46] says Western inattention to human rights abuses in the Middle East has given rise to a culture of violence and impunity. (Foreign Policy)
David Rothkopf [47] says Pres. Obama’s main foreign policy legacy is likely to be seen as empowering Iran. (Foreign Policy)
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