Daily News Issue Date: 
December 18, 2013
News: 

News:

Jordan reportedly closes its doors to Hamas, as do most Arab capitals, in solidarity with Egypt. (Jerusalem Post)

The PA and Hamas are reportedly in talks about the possibility of forming a national unity government. (PNN)

Palestinians accuse Sec. Kerry of unfairly siding with Israel. (Ha'aretz/UPI)

Palestinians say a US security proposal keeps Israeli troops stationed 3 miles from the Jordan border after the establishment of a Palestinian state. (Times of Israel)

The noted Palestinian psychiatrist and human rights activist Dr. Eyad al-Sarraj dies at 70. (AP/PNN)

Jordan complains to Israel about surveillance cameras at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem. (Xinhua/AFP)

Some religious Jews are intensifying demands for access to at what are now Muslim holy places in occupied East Jerusalem. (AP)

Israeli occupation forces arrest 17 Palestinians in West Bank raids. (Ma'an)

A Palestinian media group complains about "worrying" new restrictions in both the West Bank and Gaza. (Ma'an)

Palestinians prepare to welcome the Chinese FM. (Xinhua)

Israel says Lebanon has promise to punish a sniper who killed an Israeli soldier last week. (AP/Ha'aretz)

An American family again accuses Israel of protecting China by refusing to allow testimony in an antiterrorism case. (AP/Ha'aretz/Jerusalem Post)

A new award-winning comedy film, "Peace After Marriage," looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (New York Times)

Political quarrels have led to a crisis in the Israeli cabinet. (Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Jordan is experiencing an intensified water crisis with a flood of Syrian refugees. (Reuters)

The plan is finalized for destroying Syria's chemical weapons. (AP)

Regime aircraft pound Aleppo for a fourth day in the Syrian conflict, including hitting an elementary school. (AP/Jerusalem Post)

Three Iranian Revolutionary Guards are reportedly killed by a roadside bomb. (Reuters/BBC)

A well-connected Iranian businessman is wanted by the US for arms smuggling. (Reuters)

Iran's FM is visiting Saudi Arabia. (Xinhua)

Egypt and Qatar are trying to rebuild their strained relationship. (Xinhua)

With over 150 police officers killed since August, morale in the Egyptian force is starting to fray. (New York Times)

The UAE adjourns the trial of 30 suspected Muslim Brotherhood members. (Xinhua)

$4.5 million in cash is seized by anticorruption police from the home of a bank CEO close to PM Erdogan. (AP/Christian Science Monitor)

Rights groups say migrant workers in Qatar are so mistreated they are even running low on food. (AP)

Commentary:

Nadia Darwazeh says a new commercial arbitration center is a breakthrough for Israel and the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Ben Caspit says Israel is benefiting from Hamas' meltdown and fears of being overthrown. (Al Monitor)

MK Ahmad Tibi says Israel's "Jim Crow" treatment of Palestinians continues. (The Hill)

Jonathan Cook says the US security proposal would make a Palestinian state non-viable. (The National)

Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the UK says his country may act without relying on the West anymore. (New York Times)

Tom Friedman says, even though his tasks regarding Iran and Palestinian-Israeli peace seem daunting, one has to respect Kerry's daring. (New York Times)

David Ignatius describes how Iranian hardliners are opposing a nuclear deal with the West. (Washington Post)

Amir Taheri thinks the nuclear deal with Iran has already "quietly collapsed." (New York Post)

Alex Fishman says if another Lebanese soldier kills an Israeli soldier, Israel will not see it as a random incident. (YNet)

David Rosenberg says the BDS movement is still losing the battle, but only for now. (Ha'aretz)

Bradley Burston says PM Netanyahu is boycotting the world, so BDS is superfluous. (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post calls for anti-boycott grassroots activism to combat BDS activism. (Jerusalem Post)

Nathan Guttman says BDS activists will move on from the ASA to a much bigger target, the MLA. (The Forward)

Peter Beinart says the ASA boycott resolution misguidedly targets Israel rather than the occupation. (Daily Beast)

Gerald Steinberg says a new law cracking down on foreign funding of liberal Israeli NGOs is misguided. (Ha'aretz)

Daniel Sokatch says the new anti-NGO law is the first step toward silencing dissent in Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Mshari Al-Zaydi says a new Saudi law restricting speech is a weapon against terrorism. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Haviv Rettig Gur says Netanyahu has successfully beaten back a challenge from Likud hard-liners. (Times of Israel)

Osama Al Sharif says foreign meddling will ensure that fighting in Syria continues. (Jordan Times)

Itamar Rabinovich says the tide in Syria is turning in favor of the Assad regime. (INSS)

The Daily Star says the US would be wise to reach out to the newly created Islamic Front in Syria. (The Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says the creation of jobs for women must be a Saudi priority. (Asharq Al Awsat)


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