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News:

The UN warns of another potential conflict in Gaza, urging Israel to lift its blockade and Palestinian political parties to end in-fighting. (AFP)

Palestinian Finance Minister Bishara says Israel's freeze on Palestinian tax revenues is costing the PA 70 percent of its budget. (Ma’an)

Pres. Abbas and former Pres. Peres reportedly were on the verge of signing a peace agreement in 2011. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)

A 14-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl jailed by Israel will be released from prison custody on Friday. (Ma’an)

A Fatah official says a PLO delegation will head to Gaza soon in order to work on the reconstruction crisis. (Ma’an)

An EU official denies there will be new sanctions against Israel. (JTA)

Israel’s Interior Ministry unlawfully transferred $16 million to settlements. (Ha’aretz) 

Israel says it has intercepted a boat carrying weapons-making materials en route to Gaza from Sinai. (AP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The former head of the Gaza inquiry, William Schabas, says he faced pressure and threats. (New York Times)

Israel disqualifies controversial Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running in upcoming election. (AP/PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

A poll indicates Americans disapprove of PM Netanyahu’s invitation, but want Pres. Obama to meet with him anyway. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Former Sec. Albright accuses Netanyahu of interfering in American internal affairs. (Ha’aretz)

An Egyptian court orders the release of two Al Jazeera journalists. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/The National)

An Egyptian prosecutor imposes a media gag order on the case of the death of a female protester killed during a peaceful demonstration. (AP)

An ISIS magazine claims to interview Hayat Boumediene who was involved in the Paris attacks. (Washington Post)

The US-led anti-ISIS coalition has 60 minutes to save a pilot behind enemy lines. (The National/Jordan Times)

Al-Qaeda-linked fighters seize an army base in Yemen after the UN warns that the country is on the brink of civil war. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

King Salman is changing and shaping Saudi Arabia’s contours of power. (Reuters)

The EU is expected to reimpose sanctions on an Iranian oil tanker firm. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Gershon Baskin says Israeli candidates must present their parties vision regarding the future of relations with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Ari Shavit says with Obama and Netanyahu “lost,” opposition leader Herzog must lead. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar asks what it means to be a modern Zionist. (Al-Monitor)

Haviv Rettig Gur profiles former Amb. Oren. (Times of Israel)

Brian Schaefer says Jon Stewart made it okay to be ambivalent about Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Joyce Karam says militias are “winning the Arab Spring.” (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says Arab countries have made the campaign against ISIS a priority, undermining the primacy of the struggle against the Syrian dicatorship. (Daily Star)

Hussein Shobokshi compares Pres. Assad to Saddam Hussein. (Asharq al-Awsat)

David Ignatius says the Kurds need weapons now because the fight in northern Iraq is not finished. (Washington Post)

The New York Times says Obama’s war authorization should trigger debate about the goals and scope of the military intervention against ISIS. (New York Times)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if Assad would still commit the crime of assassinating former Lebanese PM Hariri if he were to go back in time. (Al Arabiya)

Alan Philps says Russia is forging new alliances in the Middle East in order to diversify its foreign policy. (The National)

Roger Cohen warns not to expect more from a nuclear deal with Iran than is reasonable. (New York Times)

 

News:

Pres. Abbas says he will work to revive peace talks with Israel. (AP)

Abbas inaugurates the new Palestinian embassy in Sweden. (Ma’an/Times of Israel/Reuters)

The upcoming Israeli election is not demonstrating much interest in the Palestinian issue. (AP)

The EU is reportedly preparing new sanctions against settlements which are to be enacted following the Israeli election. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israel earmarks 500 acres of private Palestinian land for annexation in Hebron. (Ma’an)

Egypt has reportedly killed a Hamas commander in Sinai. (Times of Israel)

Israeli forces raid the Abu Dis protest camp for the fifth time. (Ma’an/PNN)

PA security forces are continuing to arrest wanted fugitives currently hiding in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. (Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu says it is his duty to give his upcoming speech to Congress. (New York Times/Times of Israel)

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy and Congressional Black Caucus members will skip Netanyahu’s speech. (AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A poll indicates Israelis are seeing a deterioration in ties with the US under Netanyahu. (Ha’aretz)

An Israeli film gives voice to soldiers’ self-doubts after the 1967 war. (Reuters)

An American official says the number of foreign fighters traveling to join ISIS or rival militant groups in Syria is continuing to grow. (Reuters/The National)

ISIS, which had held Kayla Mueller captive since August 2013, sends her parents at least three photographs of her corpse as proof of death. (New York Times)

Thousands of Yemenis protest against the Houthi takeover after the US, Britain and France close their embassies over security fears. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

Reuters looks at how the Houthis were able to drive Yemen into a political vacuum. (Reuters)

The Washington Post profiles a key player in Yemen’s political crisis, former Pres. Saleh. (Washington Post)

A group of Al-Qaeda supporters in Yemen pledge allegiance to ISIS. (Reuters)

Pres. Putin says Russia will help Egypt build its first nuclear power plant. (AP)

Commentary:

Yossi Mekelberg says by now Palestinians in Gaza have little trust in anyone, not even UNWRA. (Al Arabiya)

Danny Yatom says the Arab and Israeli peace initiatives are the only way forward. (Ynet)

Peter Beinart says Netanyahu’s is destroying the traditional American Jewish establishment and building a new one in its place. (Ha’aretz)

Ben Sales looks at V15’s “ground game” to unseat Netanyahu in the next election. (JTA)

Salman Masalha says Israel’s Palestinian citizens and liberals are not great leftists. (Ha’aretz)

Osama Al Sharif says King Abdullah’s call for an Arab-Muslim coalition to fight extremism must be acknowledged by leaders, clerics and academics. (Jordan Times)

Rami Khouri says the collapse of Yemen is an example of the structural weaknesses that plague many countries in the Arab world. (Daily Star)

Michael Young asks if a P5+1 deal would lead to America’s acceptance of a dominant role for Iran in the Middle East. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says poor education is “the mother of all problems” in the region. (Al Arabiya)

 

News:

Pres. Abbas will meet with Swedish PM Lofven today. (Reuters/AFP/Jerusalem Post)

The PA will ban the entry of products by six major Israeli companies. (Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Rivlin launches a project to help integrate Palestinian citizens of Israel into the workforce. (JTA)

Five Fatah members from occupied East Jerusalem are indicted on terrorism charges. (JTA/Times of Israel)

Israeli forces demolish the home of a Palestinian family in Lod. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces demolish a home in occupied East Jerusalem, displacing 14 Palestinians. (Ma’an)

Suicide rates are on the rise in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Two smugglers are killed in a exchange of fire on the Israeli-Egyptian border. (Ha’aretz/Ma’an/Times of Israel)

Israeli officials are reportedly considering changing the format of PM Netanyahu’s speech before Congress. (Reuters/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Obama and Netanyahu clash from afar over the Congressional speech. (New York Times/PNN)

Obama will send his new ISIS war powers request to Congress. (AP)

The UAE resumes airstrikes against ISIS. (New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

Pres. Assad says third parties, including Iraq, are conveying information to Damascus about the US-led campaign against ISIS. (Reuters/The National)

The EU launches a program to disrupt networks of “jihadis” going to the Middle East. (AP)

Pres. Putin meets with Pres. Sisi as Russia seeks to boost its ties with Egypt. (AFP)

Islamist militants set off five bombs in Alexandria following which 15 suspected extremists are killed by air raids in Sinai. (Reuters)

Egypt suspends its major soccer league following the recent stadium tragedy. (Reuters/New York Times)

Sisi calls Arab Gulf leaders to assure them that audio recordings that purportedly show him and a top aide mocking them are fake. (AP)

Jordan and Bahrain agree to cooperate in air defence. (Jordan Times)

Obama says its time for Iran to decide if it wants a nuclear deal with the P5+1. (Reuters/AP/JTA)

Commentary:

Amos Harel says a weak and desperate Hamas is trying to rebuild itself. (Ha’aretz)

Neri Zilber says Gaza reconstruction is stalled because of the Fatah-Hamas deadlock. (WINEP)

Nadav Tamir says Europe is not hostile to Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Shmuel Rosner says Netanyahu should abandon his speech before Congress. (New York Times)

Hassan Hassan says as long as the foreign intervention in Syria lacks focus, the fight against ISIS will continue to be futile. (The National)

Zvi Bar’el says the US-led coalition is fighting ISIS with no clear goal. (Ha’aretz)

Tariq Alhomayed says Arabs boots on the ground are needed to defeat ISIS. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Diana Moukalled urges a boycott of ISIS videos. (Asharq al-Awsat)

James Traub says the US can do very little to alter the course of events in the Middle East right now. (Foreign Policy)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Egypt’s stability is vital to the security of the entire Arab world. (Al Arabiya)

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor says the GCC was slow to realize how dangerous the situation in Yemen has become. (Al Arabiya)

Ryan Crocker, Robert Ford, James Jeffrey and Ronald Neumann say the US needs to keep its ambassador in Yemen. (The Hill)

David Ignatius says the US must proceed with caution on Iranian diplomacy. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says Jason Rezaian is being used as a human pawn by the Iranian regime. (Washington Post)

News:

Pres. Abbas orders the formation of a committee to oversee initiatives aimed at the ICC. (AFP)

The Middle East Quartet calls for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (JTA/Ynet) 

Pres. Putin says both Israel and the Palestinians need to make concessions to each other. (Jerusalem Post)

Fatah official al-Ahmed will meet with Hamas official Abu Marzouq in Cairo. (Ma’an)

The PA will pay civil servants a portion of January’s salary. (Ma’an)

The Israeli military completes the demolition of a Gaza tunnel discovered duringlast summer’s war. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israel is preparing major expansions in four West Bank settlements. (Ha’aretz)

Israel publishes tenders for 580 new hotel rooms in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

Israeli forces open fire on a march east of Gaza City to protest delays of reconstruction. (Ma’an) 

The inability to travel freely between Gaza and the occupied West Bank affects thousands of Palestinians. (New York Times)

An extremist Jewish settler is sentenced to three years in prison for a “price tag” attack. (JTA/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu says he will go to Congress like he went to Paris and “speak for all Jews.” (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israeli parties are seeking to obtain the ethnic-Russian vote in the upcoming elections. (Reuters)

Netanyahu accuses the publisher of the influential newspaper Yediot Ahronot of carrying out a smear campaign against him. (AP)

Jordan says its airstrikes are targeting ISIS leadership in Syria. (Washington Post/Jordan Times)

A squadron of UAE airforce F-16 fighter jets arrive in Jordan. (Jordan Times)

Gen. Allen says Iraqi troops will launch an extensive ground offensive against ISIS  “in the weeks ahead.” (The National/ABC News)

Sec. Kerry says the US-led coalition is “on the road” to defeat ISIS. (Politico)

An Iraqi commander, Hadi al-Amiri, defends Shi'ite paramilitary groups from accusations of mass executions and burning homes. (Reuters)

The end of Baghdad’s curfew brings hope and fear to its residents. (New York Times)

25 people are killed outside an Egyptian soccer stadium when security forces triedto block fans. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

Egypt sets a retrial date for two jailed Al Jazeera journalists. (Reuters/New York Times)

An Egyptian tycoon and former Mubarak ally Ahmed Ezz is seeking to run again for parliament. (New York Times)

Ayatollah Khamenei says he could accept a compromise in nuclear talks. (Reuters)

FM Zarif says he hopes charges against Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaianwill be cleared. (Washington Post)

Commentary:

Felice Friedson interviews Palestinian professor Mohammed Dajani. (The Media Line)

Ha’aretz says Netanyahu must call off his speech to Congress. (Ha’aretz)

Ben-Dror Yemeni says Netanyahu must not go to Washington. (Ynet) 

David Horovitz asks who to believe on Iran: Pres. Obama or Netanyahu. (Times of Israel)

Amos Harel says the ISIS threat is bringing Jordan and Egypt closer to Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Elise Labott and Jeremy Diamond say the crucial security relationship between Jordan and Israel is gaining new meaning after the brutal execution of a Jordanian pilot. (CNN)

Eyad Abu Shakra says Israeli occupation and the Iranian expansion in the region have played a major role in increasing religious and sectarian extremism. (Al Arabiya)

Hisham Melhem says moderate Muslims in the Arab world are “intellectually homeless.” (Al Arabiya)

Rami Khouri says Jordan’s public opinion, political leadership and regional and international dynamics today offer insights into the current condition of the Arab world. (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says ISIS sees Jordan as the best candidate for its next target. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Amer Al Sabaileh says Jordan must address the ideas, tools and the environment that allows ideologies such as that of ISIS to grow. (Jordan Times)

Faisal Al Yafai says, while the West is consumed by ISIS, Pres. Assad continues to slaughter Syrians. (The National)

Jamie Dettmer says ISIS extremists are facing their own internal “reign of terror.” (Daily Beast)

Tariq Alhomayed says extremists are targeting Egypt to create the impression of complete chaos. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Hussein Ibish says Yemen faces a perfect trifecta of fatal maladies – civil war, terrorism and secession - and faces national disintegration. (The National)

David Rothkopf says Obama’s new national security strategy is many things but a strategy isn’t one of them. (Foreign Policy)

The Daily Star says Iran is making tiny concessions on its nuclear program while reaping huge benefits elsewhere. (Daily Star)

Peter Manseau says Islam is an indelible part of America’s culture. (New York Times)

News:

A Palestinian official says $12 million in aid donations will be distributed to Palestinians displaced by last summer’s Gaza war. (Ma’an)

The UAE is funneling funds to Gaza through former Palestinian official Dahlan. (Times of Israel)

UN Middle East Envoy Serry warns Israel is on a dangerous path to a one-state reality. (Ynet) 

Pres. Rivlin calls for the building of a new city to accommodate Israel’s growing Arab minority. (JTA)

An EU official defends its funding for “unlicensed” construction of hundreds of buildings for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (JTA/Jerusalem Post)

Israeli occupation forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man in Hebron after he attempted to grab a soldier’s gun. (Ma’an)

Hamas says the PA was responsible for pointing Israel toward nearly a third of its Gaza targets in the conflict last summer. (Times of Israel)

A joint Arab list hopes to win 15 seats in the upcoming Israeli election. (The Media Line)

An Israeli official suggests that PM Netanyahu had been misled into thinking an invitation to address Congress was fully supported by the Democrats. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post)

A Jewish American leader Malcom Hoenlein says American funding should be kept out of Israeli elections. (JTA)

Thousands of Jordanians rally in Amman, urging King Abdullah to step up airstrikesagainst ISIS. (Reuters/Jordan Times)

A prominent Jihadi preacher criticizes ISIS after being released from more than three months in detention in Jordan. (AP/New York Times/The National)

Syrian Kurds celebrate after pushing ISIS out of Kobani. (Reuters)

Syrian air force strikes kill 82 in an opposition-held district outside of Damascus. (Reuters)

Recent ISIS setbacks in Syria suggest the group is under strain but far from collapse in the Syrian part of its self-declared caliphate. (Reuters)

ISIS extremists publish a manifesto for women living under their rule, including marriage for girls at age nine. (The Telegraph)

A report says the EU must agree on intercepting Skype conversations to help stop the flow of European citizens returning from Syria. (Reuters)

The Houthis say they will release a “constitutional declaration” in Yemen. (AP)

Commentary:

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is reaching out to the new Saudi leadership in an effort to reestablish ties. (Al-Monitor)

Amos Harel says Israel must ensure tension with Hezbollah and Hamas doesn't escalate. (Ha’aretz)

Raphael Ahren asks if Netanyahu should cancel his speech to Congress. (Times of Israel)

The New York Times says the video of the murder of the Jordanian pilot has succeeded in fostering rage and revulsion against ISIS throughout the Arab world. (New York Times)

Abdallah Schleifer says the father of the murdered pilot and thousands of other Jordanians are powerfully demanding that Jordan “annihilate ISIS.” (Al Arabiya)

The Jordan Times defends the decision to execute the two terrorists. (Jordan Times)

Fareed Zakaria says the international community must deny ISIS the overreaction it wants. (Washington Post)

Charles Krauthammer says ISIS is seeking to destabilize Jordan by drawing it deeply into the conflict. (Washington Post)

Salman Aldossary says the story of ISIS is one of a group that has shown limitless immorality, sadism and brutality in its dealings with everybody. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Washington Post says the emerging Iranian nuclear deal raises major concerns. (Washington Post)

Eric Yoffie says the Republicans will be no tougher on Iran than Pres. Obama. (Ha’aretz)

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