News:
Quartet Peace Envoy [1] Blair says [2] any peace deal must lead [3] to improved living conditions [4]for Palestinians. (Reuters/AP/AFP/Ha’aretz)
DM Ya’alon accuses [5] the PA of bailing out on a plan to ease the Gaza blockade. (Times of Israel)
Former US Special Envoy Indyk says [6] if the new Israeli government opposes a Palestinian state, Israel faces the prospect of a UNSC resolution designed to “lay out the principles of a two state solution.” (Jerusalem Post)
Fatah and Hamas warn [7] PM Netanyahu that a visit to Hebron [8] will raise tensions. (Jerusalem Post/Ynet)
In Gaza, a Fatah official’s car is torched [9] and gunmen open fire on another Fatah official [10]. (Ma’an)
Egyptian border guards [11] discover a smuggling tunnel from Gaza [12] which ran at least 2.5 kilometers underground. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)
Israeli forces raid [13] the "Jerusalem Gate [14]" protest camp near Abu Dis. (Ma’an/PNN)
Palestinian rappers threaten [15] legal action against Likud party [16] for using their song. (AFP/Ha’aretz)
Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot [17] assumes the position [18] of the 21st chief of staff [19]of the Israel Defense Forces. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Ynet)
Speaker Boehner [20]says he kept PM Netanyahu’s [21] forthcoming Congressional speech [22] a secret to stop the White House [23] from interfering. (AP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
Netanyahu calls [24] for massive immigration [25] of European Jews to Israel [26] following a deadly shooting near Copenhagen's [27] main synagogue. (AP/New York Times/PNN/Ynet)
Former Pres. Peres [28] says Jews should immigrate to Israel out of desire [29], not fear. (JTA/Times of Israel)
World leaders condemn the Denmark attack [30] as an assault on freedom of speech. (AP)
ISIS releases a video [31] that shows the beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya [32] andPres. Sisi warns his country will respond [33]. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)
Pope Francis [34] and the White House [35] both decry the beheadings. (Reuters/AP)
Egyptian warplanes [36] stage a second wave [37] of airstrikes against ISIS [38] positions in Libya [39]. (AP/Washington Post/New York Times/The National)
The UAE says it backs a strong Egyptian response [40] to the Libya beheadings. (AFP)
ISIS is establishing militant affiliates [41] in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Libya. (New York Times)
Westerners are joining an Iraqi Christian militia [42] called Dwekh Nawsha to fight against ISIS. (Reuters)
Human Rights Watch says [43] Shiite militias allied with Iraqi security forces have escalated a campaign of abuse against Sunni residents. (AP)
Sunni lawmakers will boycott [44] the Iraqi parliament over abuses committed by Shiite militias. [45] (New York Times/Washington Post)
The UNSC demands Houthi withdrawal [46] from government institutions and an end to the violence in Yemen. [47](Reuters/The National)
Jordan jails [48] a Muslim Brotherhood leader [49] for criticizing the UAE [50]. (New York Times/The National/Jordan Times)
Chinese FM Yi [51] pushes for an Iranian nuclear deal. (Reuters)
The US is reportedly limiting [52] the information it shares with Israel [53] on Iranian nuclear talks. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
Iran bans a conservative weekly [54] newspaper for criticizing government [55] concessions in P5+1 talks. (Reuters/The National)
Commentary:
Uri Savir [56] says Palestinians are preparing a “diplomatic Intifada.” (Al-Monitor)
Adnan Abu Amer [57] asks if Hamas is planning a strike on Israel from Lebanon's refugee camps. (Al-Monitor)
Ha’aretz [58] says Israel’s right-wing leaders must stop cultivating anti-left and anti-Arab propaganda. (Ha’aretz)
Moshe Arens [59] says the strategic relationship between the US and Israel has weathered rough spells before, and it will survive the current discord. (Ha’aretz)
Faisal Al Yafai [60] asks why Europe is exporting jihadis to the Middle East. (The National)
Roger Cohen [61] says history will not judge Pres. Obama kindly for having failed to foster the great liberation movement that rose up in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria and elsewhere. (New York Times)
Gilles Kepel [62] says in Copenhagen and Paris, a new wave of terrorists is trying to outdo its predecessors but is just as likely to fail. (New York Times)
Taylor Luck [63] says rehabilitating citizens who fought for extremist groups like ISIL would be a smarter strategy than hardline responses. (The National)
Theodore Karasik [64] says ISIS is opening a second, major front in Libya that seeks to engulf all of northern Africa and threaten Europe.(Al Arabiya)
The National [65] says the GCC’s response to regional extremism must be coordinated, long term and flexible. (The National)
The Jordan Times [66] says Yemen is a failed state. (Jordan Times)
The Daily Star [67] says Lebanon must elect a president and keep itself out of the larger regional conflagration. (Daily Star)
Raghida Dergham [68] looks at probable outcomes of nuclear negotiations with Iran. (Al Arabiya)
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