News:

Four more Palestinian refugees are killed in the Syrian conflict. (Ma’an)

Israelis and Palestinians both express pessimism about negotiations on the eve of Sec. Kerry's visit. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post/UPI)

Kerry may be floating some new ideas in his meetings with Israelis and Palestinians. (The Guardian)

Pres. Abbas reportedly says no progress whatsoever has been made in negotiations with Israel. (Ma’an)

Abbas says the linkage in Israeli politics between prisoner release and settlement expansion could kill peace talks. (Ha'aretz)

Abbas also denounces Israel's demands for a long-term military presence in the Jordan Valley. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian officials say the US should be more serious about making the talks work. (Los Angeles Times)

A new opinion poll shows most Palestinians are in favor of a two-state solution but more pessimistic than ever. (PNN)

Israeli press reports suggest the country's negotiators are deeply at odds over Jerusalem. (PNN)

Israeli negotiators reportedly may have told Palestinians in West Bank separation barrier should serve as the new border. (AFP)

Israeli Finance Minister Lapid rules out any possibility of negotiations over the future of Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel conducts DNA tests to identify the bodies it is returning to Palestinians. (Ma’an/Xinhua)

Israeli DM Ya'alon says Hamas is preparing for more conflict by creating a network of tunnels throughout Gaza. (Xinhua)

The Israeli military simulates taking direct control of Gaza again. (YNet)

Palestinians say Israel has sentenced a young man to a month in prison for "making an illegal phone call." (Ma’an)

A fuel crisis in the occupied West Bank has reportedly been resolved. (Ma’an)

Women-only cafés are a new feature of Palestinian social life in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

American and Saudi officials play down their differences as Kerry visits the Kingdom. (New York Times/AP/Washington Post)

Commentary:

J.J. Goldberg examines reports the US may be preparing its own peace proposals. (The Forward)

The PLO issues a new fact sheet about Israeli settlement activity since the resumption of negotiations. (PLO)

Shlomi Eldar insists Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat really did try to resign because Israel's policies have made negotiations politically untenable. (Al Monitor)

Faisal Al Yafai says it wasn't just Yitzhak Rabin who was killed in 1995 but the Israeli commitment to peace. (The National)

Ashraf al-Ajrami says few Israelis are aware most released prisoners join the peace movement. (YNet)

Asmaa al-Ghoul looks at how black Palestinians in Gaza deal with the racism they encounter. (Al Monitor)

The New York Times thinks Kerry's visit to Egypt confused rather than clarified relations with the US. (New York Times)

The National says Kerry will be hearing from frustrated Arab allies. (The National)

Lally Weymouth interviews Saudi Prince Turki, who says some US policies "have been wrong." (Washington Post)

Hussein Ibish says the world must act on the dire Syrian refugee crisis. (NOW)

Zvi Bar'el says Europe must open its borders to Syrian refugees. (Ha'aretz)

Diana Moukalled profiles Soad Nofal, a woman defying Al Qaeda in Syria. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hassan Barari says PM Al-Maliki’s policies pose a bigger threat to Iraq and the region than Al-Qaeda. (Arab News)

News:

Israel announces future tenders for 1,730 new settlement housing units. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu defends Israel's settlement expansion policies. (AP)

The PLO says Israel is "not serious" about peace, and threatens to take the issue of settlements to the UN Security Council. (Ma'an)

Israeli press reports suggest the US may offer a new peace initiative in January. (Ha'aretz/PNN/Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli drone crashes north of Gaza, Israel says because of technical malfunctions but Palestinianmilitants say they shot it down. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

The star of the noted film "5 Broken Cameras" is among those shot by Israeli occupation forces at a protest. (Ma'an)

Hamas is creating its own new, controversial textbooks. (New York Times)

Hamas appoints a 23-year-old woman writer its Western spokeswoman. (YNet)

South Africa's FM expresses solidarity with the Palestinian cause. (Ma'an)

A Bedouin child is killed by a tractor in the Negev desert. (YNet)

The CSM looks at how humor eases the burden of daily life under occupation for Palestinians. (Christian Science Monitor)

Palestinians launch a new effort to promote domestic tourism. (PNN)

Sec. Kerry visits Egypt at the start of a regional tour and reaffirms strong relations. (New York Times)

Kerry will also go to Saudi Arabia in an effort to repair strained ties. (AP/Reuters)

A suicide bombing in the Syrian city of Homs kills six people. (AP)

Jordan is reportedly turning away Syrian refugees. (Los Angeles Times)

The UN says nearly 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in October. (AP)

The trial of former Egyptian Pres. Morsy begins, but quickly recesses. (New York Times/Los Angeles Times)

Military analysts say the suspension in some US military aid provides Egypt with an opportunity for innovation. (The National)


Commentary:

Adam Gonn says Kerry is trying to keep up pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to make progress. (Xinhua)

Steve Hibbard sees little reason for optimism in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (The Daily Star)

Boaz Ganor says Israel is in a difficult strategic position that can only be resolved through peace with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Giles Fraser says Israel cannot afford to be isolated forever. (The Guardian)

Amira Hass looks at repeated threats by Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat to resign. (Ha'aretz)

Hazem Balousha thinks clashes between Israel and Hamas are unlikely to intensify. (Al Monitor)

Uri Misgav says the Israeli far right is still celebrating the assassination of the late PM Rabin. (Ha'aretz)

Arik Ascherman says Israel's mass relocation plan will hurt Bedouin women even more than men. (Ha'aretz)

David Harris asks how far Israel and Washington have diverged regarding Iran. (Ha'aretz)

David Horovitz says the next two months will prove decisive regarding Iran. (Times of Israel)

Turki bin Faisal al-Saud says ending the ongoing horror in Syria is the paramount Middle East issue of the moment. (The Daily Star)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews the Egyptian Al-Nour Party Spokesman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Wafa Al Sayed says American detente with Iran need not come at the expense of its Gulf allies. (Gulf News)

Nasouh Majali says the US seems to many Arabs to be less committed to the Middle East. (Jordan Times)

The Daily Star says Kerry's trip to the region is "too little, too late." (The Daily Star)

Madawi Al-Rasheed says Kerry ought to be able to patch things up with Saudi Arabia. (Al Monitor)

Hussein Ibish says it's vital for the US to preserve strategic relations with its Arab allies. (The National)

News:

Palestinian negotiators reportedly offer to resign over planned new Israeli settlement activity, but Pres. Abbas is unlikely to accept. (New York Times/Ma'an)

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denies offering to resign. (YNet)

Sec. Kerry will meet with Abbas in Bethlehem next week. (Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli attack on a Gaza smuggling tunnel reportedly kills four Hamas militants. (AP/Reuters/Xinhua)

Five Israeli soldiers are injured in Gaza. (YNet/Times of Israel)

Palestinians say Israel is preparing to destroy the homes of 15,000 Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation officials are trying to control pollution in the West Bank. (Christian Science Monitor)

Settlers destroy 300 newly planted olive trees in Qalqiliya in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Israeli military withdraws from 13 communities near the Gaza border. (Xinhua)

The main Gaza power plant once again stops functioning due to lack of fuel supplies. (Xinhua)

Israel reportedly attacks a shipment of Russian missiles inside Syria, that were perhaps bound for Hezbollah. (AP/YNet/Ha'aretz)

The US announces that Israel will be the first foreign country to receive the new V-22 Osprey military aircraft. (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)

Economic and military ties between Israel and India are expanding. (The Media Line)

PM al-Maliki is in Washington seeking support amid a growing security crisis. (New York Times/AP/Christian Science Monitor)

Sec. Kerry is visiting Saudi Arabia and other countries in an effort to smooth relations. (New York Times/AP)

Syrian troops recapture a key town in the north from rebels. (AP)

Syria may be seeking to retain control of a small number of chemical weapons factories. (Foreign Policy)

Egypt declares a state of emergency before the trial of former Pres. Morsi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Commentary:

Yuval Diskin says to prevent another Palestinian intifada, Israel must encourage hope and prisoner releases part of that. (YNet)

Yossi Verter questions whether PM Netanyahu's coalition can survive infighting over a Palestinian deal. (Ha'aretz)

Yoel Marcus says, in order to make peace, Netanyahu must purge his cabinet of extremists. (Ha'aretz)

Elisheva Goldberg is sure that there was a deal between Netanyahu and Bennett trading prisoner release for more settlements. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

The Jerusalem Post dismisses the idea that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Shaul Arieli says Israel's founders knew partition is necessary for it to be Jewish, but the Greater Israel movement threatens this. (Ha'aretz)

The Economist doubts an interim agreement will really advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. (The Economist)

Hillel Halkin says there's nothing wrong with Jewish Americans putting Israel first. (The Forward)

Yaakov Lappin says Israel faces daily dilemmas about what to do regarding Syria and Hezbollah's arms supplies. (Jerusalem Post)

Zvi Bar'el says as the US is moving away from Egypt, Russia is moving in. (Ha'aretz)

Rye Druzin says the rift between the US and Gulf states is expanding. (The Media Line)

Marwan Kabalan says US Gulf allies need reassurances. (Gulf News)

Aaron David Miller asks if the US really has a special relationship with Saudi Arabia, and if so, is it worth keeping. (Foreign Policy)

Paul Danahar says the US left Iraq a broken mess. (BBC)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Egyptian FM Fahmi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Manuel Almeida says PM Erdoğan is his own worst enemy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Andrew Parasiliti interviews Ali Al-Moussawi, a top advisor to PM Al-Maliki. (Al Monitor)

Palash Ghosh profiles the large Palestinian community in Chile. (IB Times)

Uri Avnery says as he turns 90 he still advocates Palestinian statehood and believes it can happen in his lifetime. (The Independent)