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News:

The PLO says the evacuation of civilians from Yarmouk is “virtually complete.” (Ha’aretz)

The PLO marks Palestinian Prisoner's Day by demanding that Israel end its "captivity" of the Palestinian people under occupation. (Ma’an

A Hamas leader al-Haya calls for the abduction of Israelis. (Ma’an/AFP)

20 Palestinian journalists are currently being held in Israeli jails. (Ma’an)

Israel will deploy a revolutionary new tunnel detection system along the Gaza border. (Times of Israel)

The Israeli army closes off a village in the occupied West Bank after stone-throwing incidents. (Ha’aretz)

Gaza temporarily stops exporting tomatoes to Israel. (Ma’an)

The Washington Post looks at the future of the Joint List. (Washington Post)

Pres. Assad says Turkish military and logistical support was the main factor that helped insurgents seize Idlib from government control last month. (Reuters)

The UN calls on Western nations to shelter Syrian refugees. (New York Times)

The UNSC sees video evidence of a chemical attack in Syria. (New York Times/Times of Israel)

ISIS militants clash with Iraqi security forces inside the Baiji refinery. (Reuters) 

Gen. Dempsey says the US is focusing airstrikes to protect Baiji. (AP)

Yemen’s newly appointed VP Bahah says he hopes to avert a Saudi-led invasion to restore unity to the country. (Reuters)

UNSG Ban calls for an immediate halt to the fighting in Yemen. (Reuters/AP/The National)

The war in Yemen is allowing an al-Qaeda group to expand. (New York Times)

The UN launches an appeal for $275 million to aid the people in Yemen. (Reuters)

Australian FM Bishop will head to Tehran on Saturday. (Times of Israel)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says everyone who cares about peace should boycott settlements. (NOW)

Ron Kampeas asks if the Obama administration is “making nice” with Israel.(JTA)

Israel Harel calls on opposition leader Herzog to join a unity government. (Ha’aretz)

Bob Corker says bipartisan legislation will aid transparency on the Iran deal.  (Washington Post)

David Rothkopf says the current deal is a massive payment to temporarily put Iran’s nuclear program on hold. (Foreign Policy)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at the problems with the current Iran deal. (Al Arabiya)

Amir Taheri asks if the Obama administration has made an agreement with Iran more difficult. (Asharq al Awsat)

H.A. Hellyer says the region must look beyond the Iran framework deal before it's too late. (The National)

The National says Yemen’s problems, like those in Iraq, extend far beyond the country’s porous borders. (The National)

Manal Omar and Sarhang Hamasaeed say the plan for Iraq's future needs to go deeper than defeating ISIS. (Foreign Policy)

News:

16 EU FM’s send a letter to foreign policy chief Mogherini asking her to push forward the process of labeling goods produced in Israeli settlements. (Ha’aretz)

The director of Israel’s foreign ministry Ben-Sheetrit says Israel may pay a “heavy price” for crisis with the US. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian man from occupied East Jerusalem drives his car into two Israelis waiting at a busstop – killing one. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Amb. Power says the US will continue to “work closely” with Israel at the UN but would not count out advancing resolutions targeting Israel. (JTA)

Israel marks Holocaust memorial day with sirens and ceremonies. (AP/AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz)

PM al-Abadi says ISIS remains a fierce adversary as he outlines plans to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and the Anbar province. (Reuters/AP)

An exchange between Iraq and Saudi Arabia reflects the challenges facing the Obama administration as it tries to hold together a diverse coalition in the fight against ISIS. (New York Times/Foreign Policy)

The UN World Food Programme says the worsening violence in Yemen has made almost half the country's population "food insecure." (Reuters)

The UN special adviser to Yemen Benomar is planning on stepping down from his job. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Congress’ Iran bill makes a nuclear deal hard, but not impossible. (Reuters)

Iran nuclear talks will resume next week in Vienna. (AP)

Austrian Pres. Fischer says he will probably visit Iran this year should Tehran clinch a definitive deal with the P5+1. (Reuters)

A new study indicates that Iran is raising sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks. (New York Times)

Former Pres. Gul says Turkey needs a better parliamentary system, not a more powerful presidency. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Amos Harel says the split between the political and military wings of Hamas could lead to renewal of violence in the southern front. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar asks if former Sec. Clinton should promote the Clinton parameters. (Al-Monitor)

Ha’aretz says Obama's advisers are ignoring Amb. Dermer, a persona non grata at the White House. (Ha’aretz)

Salman Masalha asks why the US cannot figure out the Middle East. (Ha’aretz)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says UNSC resolution 2216 thwarts Iran’s plans in Yemen.  (Al Arabiya)

Eyad Abu Shakra says today the term “resistance,” when used by the “Houthis of the whole region” - from Yemen to Iraq and Lebanon - means nothing more than “Iran’s hegemony.”  (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says a new museum is a start, but wonders how Lebanon will deal with its difficult past forty years after the civil war. (The National)

Mustafa Akyol says Pres. Erdogan is “alienating allies, curtailing civil liberties and stoking sectarianism simply for the sake of political gain.” (New York Times)

News:

Israeli occupation forces arrest 29 Palestinians suspected of links to Hamas in an overnight raid in the West Bank. (AP/Ma’an/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Hamas says the unity government should commit to previously agreed-to understandings regarding salaries of civil servants. (Ma’an)

A Palestinian activist says local fighters in Yarmouk have advanced in clashes with ISIS. (AP)

Vandals attack a Christian graveyard in a village near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. (AFP)

The UN says Gaza's Deir al-Balah refugee camp is to receive $40 million in funding. (Ma’an)

The first Palestinian business conference will take place in May. (Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu and opposition leader Herzog reportedly hold a secret meeting over unity government. (JTA)

A White House entry log show Amb. Dermer is cut off from Pres. Obama’s staff. (Ha’aretz)

ISIS seizes villages in Iraq’s Anbar province. (Reuters/AP)

A bomb in north Egypt kills two military academy students. (Reuters)

Egypt and Saudi Arabia are considering whether to hold joint military exercises in the kingdom. (AP) 

The UNSC bans the sales of arms to Houthis in Yemen. (New York Times/Washington Post)

Sec. Kerry says he is confident Obama will be able to get Congress to approve a nuclear deal with Iran. (Reuters/AP)

Iran says it would only accept a deal if world powers simultaneously lifted all sanctions imposed on it. (Reuters/Washington Post)

Israeli Intelligence Minister Steinitz says he is pleased at a compromise deal on Iran achievedbetween Congress and the Obama administration. (Reuters/New York Times/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Commentary:

Charles Fromm says as long as accountability continues to elude decision-makers, Gaza’s agony will persist. (The National)

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is warily eyeing proposals for a long-term truce with Israel. (Al-Monitor)

The New York Times says the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has created potentially dangerous uncertainties by approving a bill that would require Congress to vote on any final nuclear deal with Iran. (New York Times)

Gordon Adams says strikingly, Obama’s foreign-policy priorities have been both similar and consistent to those of former Pres. Bush. (Foreign Policy)

Vali Nasr says Saudi Arabia should welcome the Iran deal. (New York Times)

Aaron David Miller says the Arab world is a mess and its leaders don’t appear ready to assume much responsibility for fixing it. (Foreign Policy)

Rami Khouri looks at PM al-Abadi’s recent visit to Washington. (Daily Star)

News:

Israel will allow Palestinian vehicles to enter Jerusalem for the first time in 15 years. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 18 Palestinians across the West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Shin Bet says a Hamas cell allegedly planned a terrorist attack on Purim. (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

Western-backed fighters in southwestern Syria speak out against al-Qaeda. (Reuters)

Pres. Obama and PM al-Abadi will discuss the fight against ISIS today at a White House meeting. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

American soldiers back in Iraq find security forces in disrepair. (New York Times) 

The Pentagon says ISIS is losing ground in Iraq and is gaining in Syria. (AP)

FM Zarif lays out a four-point Yemen peace plan including dialogue and humanitarian aid. (Reuters)

Russia paves the way for missile system deliveries to Iran and starts an oil-for-goods swap.(Reuters/AP/Washington Post/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

DM Ya'alon says the Russia-Iran missile deal is a direct result of the Lausanne talks. (Ha'aretz)

The White House steps up Iran pitch to Jewish leaders and donors. (JTA/Ha'aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

Commentary:

Bel Trew says in the rubble of Gaza, the militias are once again arming up and preparing for the inevitable war with Israel. (Foreign Policy)

Raed Omari says the problem in Yarmouk will remain humanitarian and never political or military despite ISIS’s presence there. (Al Arabiya)

Mohammed Othman looks at how women in Gaza can divorce. (Al-Monitor)

Ha'aretz says the Zionist Union must resist temptation of joining PM Netanyahu's government. (Ha'aretz)

Ben Caspit asks how Netanyahu will meddle in the next American presidential race. (Al-Monitor)

Faisal J. Abbas says Pakistan should realize it is not immune to the Iranian threat. (Al Arabiya)

The New York Times says as American and Iraqi leaders take stock this week of the fight against ISIS, they must come up with a feasible plan for the road ahead. (New York Times)

AP interviews deputy chief of Hezbollah Sheikh Naim Kassem. (AP)

Thanassis Cambanis says Iran is winning the war for dominance of the Middle East. (Foreign Policy)

Amos Harel says for Israel, Iran missile deal is an obstacle - but not insurmountable. (Ha'aretz)

The Washington Post looks at Iran's absurd persecution of American journalist Jason Rezaian. (Washington Post)

News:

A coalition of international aid groups urge the world to deliver on aid promises for Gazareconstruction. (AP/AFP)

Human Rights Watch says Jewish settlers profit from Palestinian child labour. (AP)

Hamas says Pres. Abbas is preventing reconciliation with Fatah. (Jerusalem Post)

The Washington Post looks at the “new misery” in Yarmouk. (Washington Post)

A PLO official says ISIS is using heavy weaponry and artillery in Yarmouk. (Ma’an)

The head of the PNC Salim Zanoun calls on the Palestinian leadership to speed up efforts to resolve the ongoing Yarmouk crisis. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces arrest 20 Palestinians in detention raids across the territories. (Ma’an)

An Iranian nuclear framework agreement may push PM Netanyahu to seek to form a national unity government. (Reuters/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Obama denounces attempts to derail a nuclear framework agreement with Iran. (New York Times)

Iran calls for the formation of a new Yemeni government and offers to assist in a political transition. (Reuters)

Pres. Hadi appoints his former PM Khaled Bahah as VP. (Reuters)

The US-led coalition steps up bombing raids in Anbar after Shiite militias withdraw. (AP)

ISIS militants claim attacks on embassies in Libya. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post)

A study shows Saudi military spending rose 17 percent in 2014. (Reuters)

Iran suspends all trips by pilgrims to Saudi Arabia amid growing diplomatic tensions between the two countries. (AP)

Iran accuses Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian of obtaining sensitive economic data. (Washington Post) 

Turkey recalls its ambassador over Pope Francis’ Armenia genocide comments. (AP)

Commentary:

Mehdi Hasan says Palestinians in Yarmouk are dying at the hands of an Arab regime. (The Guardian)

Oudeh Basharat asks why Israel doesn’t help Palestinians in Yarmouk. (Ha’aretz)

Ernest Moniz says the Iranian nuclear framework agreement sets up vital restrictions. (Washington Post)

Jackson Diehl asks if nuclear detente will force a change in Iran. (Washington Post)

Abraham Foxman says the US and Israel need to put aside their mutual suspicions over an Iran deal.  (Ha’aretz)

Djavad Salehi-Isfahani says Iran's convoluted relationship with the global economy is a pivotal factor in whether any nuclear deal will succeed. (The National)

Uri Savir says France is stepping up its involvement on Iran and Palestine. (Al-Monitor)

Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi says Yemen is besieged by pro-Iranian militias and it is in no nation's interest to let them win. (New York Times)

Hussein Ibish looks at the perils of half-measures in war. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Yemen’s war is linked to Syria. (Al Arabiya)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed calls for the protection of the Egyptian-Saudi alliance. (Asharq al-Awsat)


Browse the World Press Round Up Archives

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