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News:

PM Netanyahu is poised to lead a heavily right-leaning coalition government with control of 67 of Knesset’s 120 seats. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/JTA)

Pres. Rivlin will meet with representatives of each of the parties elected to serve in the 20th Knesset. (JTA)

Zionist Union leader Herzog says he will not join Netanyahu's government. (AP/JTA)

The world reacts to Netanyahu’s “no Palestinian state” pledge. (Reuters/AFP/Ha’aretz)

Palestinians see validation of their international initiatives with the re-election of Netanyahu. (New York Times)

Pres. Abbas says a two-state solution would be impossible to achieve with an Israeli government led by Netanyahu. (Ha’aretz/Ynet/Jerusalem Post/AFP)

A White House official says the US could back a UN resolution on Palestine. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The Obama administration is “deeply concerned” about Likud Party rhetoric marginalizing Palestinian citizens of Israel during the recent elections. (JTA/Times of Israel)

Four Israeli bulldozers and a military vehicle enter Palestinian areas near Rafah in southern Gaza. (Ma’an)

Palestinian youths clash with Israeli forces in occupied East Jerusalem following the takeover of a building by Jewish settlers. (Ma’an)

Extremist Jewish settlers uproot over 60 olive trees in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 15 Palestinians throughout the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

The UN says the ICC should prosecute ISIS for genocide and war crimes in Iraq. (Reuters/AP/The National)

The death toll in the attack on Tunisia's National Bardo Museum rises to 23. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post)

A European negotiator says P5+1 are unlikely to reach a framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program in the coming days. (Reuters)

Reuters looks at Egypt’s project to build a new capital. (Reuters)

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia will remain closed for consular services due to security concerns. (AP/The National)

UAE recalls its ambassador to Sweden in wake of comments the country’s foreign minister made about Saudi Arabia. (The National)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Netanyahu's victory seems a devastating blow to hopes for peace. (NOW)

John Hudson and Colum Lynch say with Netanyahu holding on, the administration is weighing a turn to the UN to help force an Israeli-Palestinian deal. (Foreign Policy)

Thomas Friedman asks how the rest of the world is going to react to an Israeli government that rejects a two-state solution and employs anti-Arab dog whistles to get elected. (New York Times)

Natan Sachs looks at how Netanyahu rallied the right wing to secure a surprisingly solid victory. (Foreign Policy)

Michael Young says Netanyahu’s victory in Israel’s elections means that any hope of serious negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians is now virtually nil. (Daily Star)

Alan Philps says Netanyahu's disavowal of Palestinian statehood has merely torn away a mask that had become transparent. (The National)

Joyce Karam says Netanyahu’s win seals the fate of the peace process, rendering it completely hopeless. (Al Arabiya)

The Daily Star says its time for the international community to stand up to Netanyahu. (Daily Star)

The Jordan Times says now that the international community knows where Israel stands, it should seriously take it to task and force it to abide by UN resolutions. (Jordan Times)

E.J. Dionne looks at the “high cost” of Netanyahu’s comeback. (Washington Post)

Harold Meyerson says Netanyahu’s scorched earth tactics could make Israel’s problems worse. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post asks who loses as Netanyahu wins. (Washington Post)

Ron Kampeas asks if Netanyahu’s campaign rhetoric will cause further estrangement with Washington. (JTA)

Rebecca Shimoni Stoil says the coming weeks are critical as US waits to hear if Netanyahu will dial down his anti-two-state and anti-Arab rhetoric. (Times of Israel)

Aluf Benn says it was Netanyahu’s last-minute return to his anti-Arab, pro-settlement roots that boosted him back into power. (Ha’aretz)

Jonathan Schanzer explains why the media always gets Israeli elections wrong. (Politico)

Dov Zakheim looks at why pundits got the Israeli election so wrong. (Foreign Policy)

Peter Beinart says with Netanyahu's reelection, the peace process is over and the “pressure process” must begin. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar says Israel’s diplomatic future is in Kahlon’s hands. (Al-Monitor)

Jay Michaelson says Netanyahu finally revealed his “true face.” (The Forward)

Ha’aretz says the struggle to preserve Israel's democracy is just beginning. (Ha’aretz)

Ravit Hecht says Israel is galloping toward an anti-democratic binational future saturated with hatred and racism. (Ha’aretz)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at “Iran’s seizure” of Iraq. (Al Arabiya)

News:

PM Netanyahu wins a come-from-behind victory in Israel's election after tacking hard to the right in the final days of campaigning. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/JTA/Times of Israel/The National)

Zionist Union leader Herzog calls Netanyahu and concedes defeat in Israel’s national elections. (JTA/Ynet)

The new kingmaker of Israeli politics may be Moshe Kahlon. (AP)

The United Arab List receives a historic 14 seats in Israel’s next Parliament. (New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz)

Embarrassed at failing to predict Netanyahu's victory, Israeli pollsters say they were blindsided. (Reuters)

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erekat says the election result means that the Palestinians in turn willpush forward with efforts at the ICC. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo slams the Israeli public for voting for Netanyahu, saying they had chosen "occupation and settlement building" over peace talks. (AFP)

The international media say Netanyahu wins big, but is leading Israel to isolation. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The EU says it is committed to working with the new Israeli government on relaunching a peace process with the Palestinians. (Reuters)

AP says Netanyahu’s reelection puts Israel on a course toward ever deeper confrontation with the world.  (AP)

Netanyahu retains power, but his sharp-edged campaign raises questions about Israel’s future. (New York Times)

An Arab Gulf official says Netanyahu owes his election win to Israeli security fears, notably about Iran's growing regional influence. (Reuters)

Palestinian officials will meet on Thursday to discuss severing military ties with Israel. (Times of Israel)

The PA sets an emergency budget in place for 2015 due to the absence of pledged international aid and Israel withholding its tax revenues. (Reuters/Times of Israel)

Egypt demolishes 1,020 Rafah homes for a buffer zone in Gaza. (Ma’an).

Israeli forces open fire on farmers in Gaza. (Ma’an)

Coalition Head John Allen says the US still wants a negotiated political settlement in Syria that excludes Pres. Assad. (Reuters)

The Syrian army takes control of the strategic village of Handarat, north of Aleppo. (Reuters)

The US loses one of its Predator drone aircraft over northwest Syria. (Reuters/AP)

DM al-Obeidi says Iraq's Sunni province of Anbar is key to launching the long-awaited operation to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS. (AP)

Gunmen wearing military uniforms attack the Bardo National Museum in downtown Tunis, killing at least seven foreign visitors and one Tunisian and taking hostages. (New York Times/AP/The National/Al Arabiya)

Commentary:

The New York Times says in his desperation to win, Netanyahu resorted to fear-mongering and anti-Arab attacks. (New York Times)

Oudeh Basharat says it turns out that Palestinian citizens of Israel are indeed a threat; they threaten the hegemony of a government that divides the two peoples. (Ha’aretz)

Roger Cohen says a national unity government may be the least bad outcome for Israel. (New York Times)

Gideon Levy says Netanyahu and the Israeli people deserve each other.  (Ha’aretz)

The National says Arab unity and Israeli racism are the election winners, paving the way for international pressure. (The National)

Bradley Burston says he is ashamed that PM Netanyahu is such a racist. (Ha’aretz)

Allison Kaplan Sommer looks at the “six big surprises” of the 2015 Israeli election. (Ha’aretz)

Uriel Heilman looks at five takeaways from the Israeli election. (JTA)

David Horovitz says the question now is how Netanyahu will use his power. (Times of Israel)

Haviv Rettig-Gur asks what is the future for the Israeli left. (Times of Israel)

Ha’aretz says Kahlon must thwart the establishment of an extreme right-wing government. (Ha’aretz)

Nathan Guttman says there is little hope for repairing ties between the US and Israel. (The Forward)

Thomas Friedman says in looking at Israel, Iran and ISIS, it seem as though the US has only bad choices, and nothing ever works. (New York Times)

News:

Israelis go to the polls today to elect a new government. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

PM Netanyahu’s political survival in on the line. (AP)

Netanyahu says the right-wing is in danger because “Arabs are voting in droves.” (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

Netanyahu says if he was returned to office he would never allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. (New York Times/Washington Post/AFP/Times of Israel/The National)

Palestinian Chief Negotiator Erekat says Netanyahu has done everything possible to bury the two-state solution. (PNN)

Tzipi Livni says she will forgo the opportunity to take the prime minister position in two years should Zionist Union win. (JTA/Jerusalem Post)

Fatah leader Hatem Abdul Qader urges Palestinian citizens of Israel to vote for the United Arab List. (JTA/Times of Israel)

Israel closes the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings for the elections. (Ma’an) 

The EU appoints Italian negotiator Fernando Gentilini as its next envoy for the Middle East peaceprocess. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A French prosecutor says the late Palestinian leader Arafat did not die of poisoning. (JTA/AFP)

Sec. Kerry’s comments on Assad talks create uproar in the Middle East. (Washington Post)

UN investigators say they are ready to share the names of, and details about, of Syria war crimessuspects. (Reuters)

A group monitoring the Syrian civil war says government forces carried out a poison gas attack that killed six people in the northwest. (Reuters/AP)

The White House is consulting former CIA Director Petraeus about the fight against ISIS. (AP)

The US says Iran has sent arms to Iraq to fight ISIS. (New York Times)

An American official says the P5+1 and Iran have been making headway in identifying technical options for a deal, but difficult issues remain. (Reuters)

Iranians are reportedly optimistic about clinching a nuclear agreement with the P5+1. (AP)

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia remains closed to the public for a third day because of “security concerns.” (The National)

Commentary:

Munib al-Masri says Palestinians find themselves on the dark side of the slogan that's dominated these Israeli elections: “it's us or them.” (Ha’aretz)

Sayed Kashua says Ayman Odeh is the only one inspiring hope that there's still a chance of ending the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Avi Issacharoff says Palestinians are fixated on the Israeli election but are divided on the preferable outcome.. (Times of Israel)

Gideon Levy says Israel is the only country that denies millions of subjects the right to vote but still calls itself a democracy. (Ha’aretz)

Gregg Carlstrom looks at “the last days of King Bibi.” (Foreign Policy)

Ha’aretz urges Israelis to vote out Netanyahu. (Ha’aretz)

Aaron David Miller looks at what an Israeli government will look like if Netanyahu loses the election to Herzog-- and what it could accomplish. (Foreign Policy)

John Hudson asks if Herzog can repair the US-Israel relationship. (Foreign Policy)

Ari Shavit says Israel's 2015 election is a referendum on hope. (Ha’aretz)

Amnon Reshef says Netanyahu’s failures have caused significant damage to Israel on security, Iran, peace talks and the economy. (Ynet)

Akiva Eldar says Israel’s election focuses on the politics of fear. (Al-Monitor)

Yossi Mekelberg asks if the election will create real change in Israel. (Al Arabiya)

The Daily Star says Kerry’s remarks regarding Assad have prompted concern and surprise in the Arab world and beyond. (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed harshly criticizes Kerry’s stance on Syria. (Al Arabiya)

 

 

News:

AP and the Washington Post look at key campaign issues and main players in Israel’s upcoming parliamentary election. (AP/Washington Post)

The United Arab List rises as a major force in the upcoming Israeli election. (New York Times)

Business leaders see a “peace dividend” if PM Netanyahu loses the upcoming Israeli election. (Reuters)

Netanyahu visits occupied East Jerusalem in final day of campaign. (AP)

Tony Blair is reportedly preparing to resign as Middle East Peace Quartet Envoy. (Ha’aretz/JTA)

Hamas says it has rebuilt a number of military bases near the Israeli border in Gaza. (Ma’an) 

Israel eases entry criteria for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)

The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms says 2014 saw 465 violations of media freedoms in the occupied territories. (Ma’an)

Israeli forces prepare to evict a Palestinian family in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

FM Lieberman visits the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron, prompting outrage. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 23 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Former Amb. Oren says Israel must repair ties with the US. (Ha’aretz)

Iraq says it has put its Tikrit offensive on hold and senior officials call for more air strikes to dislodge ISIS militants. (Reuters/New York Times)

Pres. Assad dismisses remarks made by Sec. Kerry that he should be included in negotiations to reach a political transition. (Reuters/AP)

US Gulf allies appear alarmed by Kerry’s comment regarding Assad. (Reuters)

France stresses it will not negotiate with Assad. (AFP)

Turkey slams Kerry over his Assad remarks. (AFP)

The US will decide soon on restoring military aid to Egypt. (New York Times)

The split within Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood is a blow to the broader regional group. (AP/Times of Israel/The National)

The EU says the P5+1 talks with Iran are entering a critical stage. (Reuters)

Prince Turki al-Faisal says an Iran deal could risk nuclear proliferation. (Reuters/Ynet)

An Iranian court sentences the son of former Pres. Rafsanjani to 15 years in prison. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says that Israel’s election results are unlikely to alter the status quo. (The National)

Ron Kampeas looks at why Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations were like “bitter divorce proceedings.” (JTA)

Asmaa al-Ghoul says Palestinian women are discussing the possibility of increasing the female quota system with PLO factions. (Al-Monitor)

Anshel Pfeffer looks at seven post-election scenarios for Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Shmuel Rosner says Israelis need to “grow up” and vote for one of two main camps. (New York Times)

Carlo Strenger says Netanyahu seems to have lost touch with the ground rules of democracy and has become a danger to the state. (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz says Lieberman has abandoned all restraint and morality. (Ha’aretz)

J.J. Goldberg looks at how the Zionist Union could build a ruling coalition. (The Forward)

Anshel Pfeffer asks if opposition leader Herzog is “the ultimate anti-Netanyahu.” (Ha’aretz)

Raphael Ahren says a new Israeli government will almost certainly bring a more diplomatic foreign minister, but there will be not much change on the Palestinian or Iranian fronts. (Times of Israel)

Haviv Rettig-Gur looks at the “enigmatic and unpredictable” Israeli voter. (Times of Israel)

Paul Krugman looks at Israel’s extreme social inequality. (New York Times)

Faisal Al Yafai says the flip flopping in Washington over Kerry's remarks on Assad reflect a broader flip flopping in US policy towards Syria. (The National)

The Daily Star says the American “appeasement” of Iran in Syria adds up to collusion with Assad. (Daily Star)

Rami Khouri says Syria’s woes reflect wider Arab troubles. (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says the Egyptian people have been confronted with two choices: to build the future or destroy the present. (Al Arabiya)

Salman Aldossary says Egypt is now back on track and moving forward with unstoppable momentum. (Asharq al-Awsat)

FM Philip Hammond explains how Britain is contributing to build Egypt’s economy. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Jordan Times says a strong Egypt is good for the region. (Jordan Times)

The National says a new Cairo must lead to a new Egypt. (The National)

Scott Atran and Douglas Stone say Kurds deserve more international support for their “heroic” stand against ISIS. (New York Times)

Jackson Diehl says the P5+1 negotiations are about more than Iran’s nuclear capabilities. (Washington Post)

Colum Lynch and Jamila Trindle say a historic nuclear deal with Iran is in sight, but unraveling the web of financial embargoes, asset freezes, and restricted oil sales will not be easy. (Foreign Policy)



News:

Hundreds of Palestinians injured during last summer’s war protest in Gaza against official inaction regarding disabled Palestinians. (Ma’an)

Sec. Kerry will meet Pres. Abbas and King Abdullah on the sidelines of the Egypt investment conference. (AFP)

Israeli and Qatari officials reportedly met this week to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza. (Ynet)

Israeli forces open fire at Palestinians across the Gaza border. (Ma’an/PNN)

200 Palestinians from Gaza head to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem to pray. (Ma’an/PNN)

An Israeli official says the IDF is preparing for ISIS threats from Sinai. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

The Israeli army recommends a fence be built on the Jordanian border to ward off any jihadi infiltrators. (Ha’aretz)

Economy minister Bennett visits the Ibrahimi mosque in Hebron under strict security. (Ma’an)

Israel’s center-left opposition is poised for potential victory in the elections next week, with the last opinion polls giving it a solid lead over PM Netanyahu's party. (Reuters/JTA/Times of Israel)

Likud officials blame Netanyahu for poor poll results. (Ha’aretz)

Polls indicate that the party headed by FM Lieberman will also fare poorly in the upcoming election. (Washington Post)

Former Israeli generals target Netanyahu’s “security image.” (JTA)

ISIS is still on the attack, despite internal strife and heavy losses. (New York Times)

UNICEF says countries should negotiate with ISIS to persuade it to let the agency into areas the militants control. (Reuters)

Local groups outside the formal aid sector are helping to fill gaps in the humanitarian response in Syria, reaching communities big agencies cannot access. (Reuters)

Turkey says the spy suspected of helping the three British school girls is a Syrian national working for a country in the US-led coalition against ISIS. (Reuters)

Indonesian officials says 32 people have been held or missing in Turkey, suspected of trying to join ISIS. (Reuters)

The Iraqi offensive to retake Tikrit from ISIS appears to stall. (Reuters)

ISIS tightens its grip on Mosul residents. (AP)

AP looks at Egypt’s economic indicators ahead of the investment conference. (AP)

Sec. Kerry promotes US investment in Egypt but no new military assistance as urged by Pres. Sisi. (AP)

Pres. Sisi’s reputation is bound up in the high stakes economic summit. (The National)

An attack on a checkpoint wounds one army officer and two other soldiers in the Egyptian city of al-Arish in Sinai. (Reuters)

Egypt arrests 75 in connection with a series of attacks on businesses and utilities over the past several months. (New York Times)

Saudi nuclear deal with South Korea raises stakes for the Iran talks. (Wall Street Journal)

Commentary:

Avi Issacharoff says Hamas and Fatah have clear, opposite interests in Israel’s election outcome. (Times of Israel)

Grant Rumley says Abbas and the PA are less interested in who wins the Israeli elections than how they’ll take Israel to court. (Foreign Policy)

Craig Charney asks what’s behind the surge in violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank -- and where will it lead. (Foreign Policy)

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is expanding its international outreach. (Al-Monitor)

Eran Rolnik says Israel needs a left that views Jewish-Arab coexistence and the two-state solution as the key to the country’s continued existence as a democracy. (Ha’aretz)

David Horovitz interviews Netanyahu. (Times of Israel)

Salman Masalha explains why he is voting for Meretz and not for the joint Arab list. (Ha’aretz)

Anshel Pfeffer says Israelis are tired of Netanyahu. (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz says there is a chance to end Netanyahu’s rule and put Israel back on the track of political moderation and social integration. (Ha’aretz)

Lally Weymouth interviews Sisi. (Washington Post)

The National says this weekend marks an important moment in the post-revolution history of Egypt. (The National)

The Daily Star says the situation in Syria is another Arab catastrophe. (Daily Star)

Raed Omari says ISIS is the enemy of civilization. (Al Arabiya)

James Stavridis asks if ISIS could target Italy. (Washington Post)

Roger Cohen imagines a letter to Americans by Iranian lawmakers. (New York Times)

Michael Gerson says the letter from Republican lawmakers to Iran undermines negotiations. (Washington Post)

Amir Taheri looks at the three main arguments used by the “pro-Mullah lobby” in the West. (Asharq al-Awsat) 

Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian and Yochi Dreazen look at the “real war” on Christianity in the Middle East. (Foreign Policy)


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