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)