News:

Sec. Kerry cites "some progress" in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but warns of the prospect of failure. (AP/Washington Post)

Kerry ends his trip without yet securing a framework agreement. (AFP)

FM Lieberman says Kerry's offer is "the best Israel is going to get." (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

Kerry seeks and gets Saudi endorsement for his peace efforts. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)

Kerry thanks the Saudi King for his "enthusiastic support" of the peace process. (State Department/The Guardian)

Former Mossad chief Dagan says Israel doesn't need to keep the Jordan Valley. (Times of Israel)

Israel issues demolition orders for a large group of Palestinian buildings in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

The Jordan Valley continues to be a key sticking point between Israelis and Palestinians. (New York Times)

Palestinian citizens of Israel reject Lieberman's proposal to include many of their towns in a land swap. (Jerusalem Post)

Pope Francis will visit the "holy land" in May. (BBC)

Israeli rights groups accuse authorities of continuing to torture Palestinians despite a court order. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli settlers attack a school and a reservoir near Nablus. (Ma'an)

Palestinian farmers clash with attacking settlers near Hebron. (Ma'an)

Human Rights Watch says a Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli soldiers "posed no threat." (Ma'an)

12 weapons found at the Palestinian mission in Prague were "legal." (Ap)

The Palestine Power Generation Company signs a 20-year-deal with Israeli and American natural gas companies. (Ma'an/Xinhua)

Israel denies it killed all those responsible in a 1994 bombing in Argentina. (JTA)

Former PM Sharon's health continues to rapidly decline. (Reuters/AP)

A new "post-US" Middle East seems to be emerging in which militants thrive. (New York Times)

The NYT profiles the life and death of a key Hezbollah operative. (New York Times)

Almost all other Sunni rebel groups attack the extremist ISIS militia. (ISW/Financial Times)

Fighting between Syrian rebels spreads through the east of the country. (AP)

Kerry says Iran may have a role in upcoming Syrian peace talks. (New York Times)

The US Embassy issues a warning to Americans in Lebanon. (AP)

Iraqi soldiers and tribesmen are making progress in pushing back Al Qaeda in key Western cities. (New York Times)

17 are killed in more bomb attacks in Baghdad. (Xinhua)

The Muslim Brotherhood is fighting to survive in Egypt. (New York Times)

Two prominent secular activists in Egypt get one-year suspended sentences for arson. (Ahram Online)

Egypt summons the Qatari ambassador in Cairo, after Doha issues a pro-Muslim Brotherhood statement. (AP/Xinhua)

Commentary:

Looking at Israel's "Jewish character," Bernard Avishai says it is the only country that "does not recognize itself." (The New Yorker)

Leonard Fein says supporters of a two-state solution should boycott the Israeli settlement of Ariel. (The Forward)

The Jerusalem Post praises Kerry's efforts. (Jerusalem Post)

Oudeh Basharat says Kerry is part of the problem, not the solution. (Ha'aretz)

Hassan Barari says many Jordanians are deeply concerned an Israeli-Palestinian deal would be at their expense. (Arab News)

Avi Issacharoff says Israeli and Palestinian red lines make a Kerry-brokered deal unlikely. (Times of Israel)

Ha'aretz says Lieberman has once again thrown a wrench in the works by trying to push Palestinian towns in Israel into a Palestinian state. (Ha'aretz)

Ami Ayalon says it's time for Jordan Valley settlers to come home to Israel. (YNet)

Anat Matar says, unlike Palestinians, Israeli soldiers and settlers with blood on their hands almost never serve time in prison. (Ha'aretz)

Yitzhak Laor says, for Israel, Palestinian blood is cheap. (Ha'aretz)

Haviv Rettig Gur looks at how Netanyahu runs the Israeli government. (Times of Israel)

Christa Case Bryant says Israelis are still struggling to define the legacy of Sharon. (Christian Science Monitor)

Marit Danon says she turned from an ardent Sharon critic to a devoted fan. (YNet)

Ben Caspit says Sharon's decisions crucially shaped contemporary Israel. (Al Monitor)

Hussein Ibish calls the Israeli-Palestinian squabble over Jesus "ridiculous." (The National)

Seth Lipsky says Sharon had an uncanny ability to connect with people who instinctively didn't like him. (Ha'aretz)

Vali Nasr asks if Turkey is emerging as Iran's latest ally. (New York Times)

Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon say Egypt's interim government has gone too far in suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood and may create a new form of extremism. (New York Times)

Omer Aziz says the world must hold Qatar to account for treatment of laborers, especially in connection with the World Cup. (New York Times)

The Daily Star says the uprising against Al Qaeda in Syria must not be allowed to be another missed opportunity. (The Daily Star)

Nicholas Blanford says the Assad regime may survive. (Christian Science Monitor)

Michael Weiss describes how the US Syria policy "fell apart." (Politico)

Faeq Muneef says a deadlier strain than ever of Al Qaeda has emerged in Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bruce Riedel looks at the continuing evolution of Al Qaeda "3.0." (Al Monitor)

Patricio Asfura-Heim and Christopher Steinitz ask if anyone can stop Lebanon's descent into chaos. (Foreign Policy)

The National accuses PM Al-Maliki of "sectarian politics" in Iraq. (The National)

Sinan Ulgen thinks Turkey can help bridge some Middle Eastern divisions. (The Daily Star)

Mustafa Akyol explains Turkey's AKP-Gulen conflict. (Al Monitor)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Bahrain's public security chief Maj. Gen. Tarek Al Hasan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Abdullah Al Shayji says Gulf states and other Arabs were shocked by the US "flippant" attitude in 2013. (Gulf News)