Daily News Issue Date: 
December 4, 2013
News: 

News:

Sec. Kerry will arrive in Israel today for more talks on negotiations with the Palestinians. (Xinhua)

Kerry will reportedly present Israel with a plan for security arrangements with a future Palestinian state. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators hold another round of talks before Kerry's visit. (Xinhua)

A resigned Palestinian negotiator says a deal with Israel under present circumstances is"impossible." (AP)

The EU says it may consider ending all aid to the PA if peace talks fail. (Ha'aretz)

The EU says half it states support clearly labeling Israeli settlement products. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel reportedly clears West Bank land for new settlement housing units. (PNN)

Reports suggest Israel is planning to transfer a parcel of land to the PA from "Area C." (Ma'an)

The Israeli government says it won't be able to enforce Israeli labor laws for Palestinian workers in spite of a court order. (Jerusalem Post)

French scientists say they don't see any evidence the late Pres. Arafat was poisoned. (New York Times/CNN/AP/Los Angeles times)

Palestinians say they haven't yet received the French report on Arafat's death. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

Hezbollah leader is assassinated in southern Beirut, and the group blames Israel which denies all responsibility. (New York Times/AP/AFP/Xinhua)

Hezbollah blames Saudi Arabia for the recent bombing of its embassy in Beirut. (AP)

One person is killed and four injured in a blast at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. (Xinhua)

Poverty exacerbates challenges faced by disabled Palestinians in Gaza. (Xinhua)

Palestinian teachers say they will continue a strike despite a court ruling it is illegal. (Ma'an)

Jordan is set to import more coal from Israel due to the closure of its border with Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Western counterterrorism officials are afraid that Al Qaeda may take advantage of chaos in Syria and other Middle Eastern states to establish bases that could threaten the West and its interests. (New York Times)

Hezbollah fighters may be gaining valuable experience in combat in Syria. (Christian Science Monitor)

The UN says the Syrian humanitarian crisis is intensifying. (New York Times)

Israel says it is providing humanitarian aid for Syrians. (Xinhua)

Iran's top diplomat holds talks with senior UAE officials. (AP)

Iraq's Prime Minister is visiting Iran to discuss Syria. (AP)

A US court orders Iran to pay $9 million to victims of a 1997 bombing in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

The Libyan government is enforcing a ban on militias in Benghazi. (Xinhua)

Libya expects to be back at full oil production within two weeks. (Reuters)

Egypt says it is expecting more Gulf aid. (Reuters)
 

Commentary:

ATFP Executive Director Ghaith Al-Omari looks at questions arising from the Iran nuclear deal. (The Forward)

Thomas Friedman says PM Netanyahu and Pres. Obama have a counterintuitive moment of opportunity to achieve great things. (New York Times)

Yehuda Ben-Meir says right-wing Israeli opposition to the Iran nuclear deal is "unfair and foolish." (Ha'aretz)

Jeffrey Goldberg lists six reasons to be worried about the Iran agreement. (Bloomberg)

Noam Neusner says Democrats in Congress are strangely silent about the Iranian agreement. (The Forward)

The National says apartheid-like conditions in the Galilee show how silly utopian dreams of a one-state solution really are. (The National)

Maysoon Zayid says it's time for Pres. Abbas to retire. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Avi Issacharoff asks who had most to gain from the assassination of Hezbollah's military chief. (Times of Israel)

Elie Friedman says Netanyahu demands Palestinian recognition of Jewish rights but doesn't recognize the Palestinian people. (YNet)

Barak Ravid says Israel's ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, is being met with "smiles and suspicion." (Ha'aretz)

Ben Caspit interviews newly reinstated Israeli FM Lieberman on many issues. (Al Monitor)

Boaz Okon says non-Jews in Israel often face discrimination on false grounds of "security." (YNet)

Rawia Aburabia demands to know if Bedouins and other non-Jews are citizens of Israel or not. (Jerusalem Post)

Rafique Ganga profiles the Gypsy population in occupied East Jerusalem. (Gulf News)

Rye Druzin says Mount Scopus in occupied East Jerusalem is starting to look like a battlefield. (The Media Line)

Hassan Hassan says the formation of the "Islamic Front" in Syria is bad news for Al Qaeda. (The National)

Osama Al Sharif says the outcome of Geneva II peace talks will be decided on Syria's battlefields. (Jordan Times)

Sahar Aziz and Shahira Abouelleil say the right to protest Egypt is indispensable. (New York Times)

Orla Guerin says police brutality in Egypt is continuing "unchecked." (BBC)


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