NEWS:
PM Netanyahu is pushing forward with legislation that would subject any peace agreement to a
referendum. (Jerusalem Post)
Pres.
Abbas will visit Cairo on Sunday to discuss Egyptian-Palestinian relations, border issues and more. (PNN)
A retired senior US general says settlements are liable to turn Israel into
"an apartheid state."(Ha'aretz)
A car bomb explodes prematurely,
killing three militants, as violence continues to spread in Sinai. (Times of Israel)
COMMENTARY:
David Ignatius says Sec. Kerry has made surprising progress on reviving Middle East peace talks. (Washington Post)
The LA Times expresses strong support for Kerry's efforts. (Los Angeles Times)
Noah Klieger says the new talks will yield nothing, as usual. (YNet)
Daniel Levy says, despite reasonable skepticism, Kerry's initiative might actually work. (Foreign Policy)
Fareed Zakaria calls Kerry's efforts "a fool's errand worth pursuing." (Time)
Henry Siegman says the Obama administration has to be willing to pay the political price for pressuring Israel to make progress on peace. (Ha'aretz)
Natan Sachs says the new talks require a "safety net" and potential interim measures in case of failure. (Foreign Policy)
Karl Vick lists nine reasons why the talks might fail. (Time)
Shlomo Brom looks at the complexities about "talks about talks" from the Israeli perspective. (INSS)
Edward Beck says any agreement will depend on unity and consensus among all parties. (Jerusalem Post)
Gideon Levy says the idea of a referendum on peace is a "smokescreen" but both peoples do need to be consulted. (Ha'aretz)
Israel Harel says, despite the rhetoric, Netanyahu has already agreed to talks based on the 1967 borders. (Ha'aretz)
Gordon Robison says Israelis and Palestinians have agreed to negotiate mainly to maintain good relations with Washington. (Gulf News)
Akiva Eldar says many patriotic Israelis support the EU guidelines on noncooperation with the occupation. (Al Monitor)
Mazal Mualem interviews Peace Now chair
Yariv Oppenheimer, who says the EU guidelines helped push Israel back into talks. (Al Monitor)
The Jerusalem Post complains Palestinians don't appreciate Israel's "goodwill gestures." (Jerusalem Post)
J.J. Goldberg says retired Gen. Mattis is right, the US must act with urgency towards a two-state solution in its own vital national interests. (The Forward)
J.J. Goldberg also says Netanyahu's biggest opponents on peace will be some of his own closest colleagues. (The Forward)
The LA Times agrees with an appellate court ruling that Americans born in Jerusalem cannot list Israel as their country of birth. (Los Angeles Times)
David Makovsky says Hamas needs to reevaluate its policies following the ouster of former Pres. Morsi. (Al Hayat)
Jeffrey Goldberg says ultimately peace requires removing Hamas from power in Gaza. (Bloomberg)
Hassan Tahsin says it is essential for everyone that all Gaza smuggling tunnels be permanently closed. (Al Arabiya)
Alan Elsner says all parties have a stake in reviving the health of the Palestinian economy. (The Jewish Chronicle)
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