News:

Palestinian sources claim Sec. Kerry is proposing the return of 80,000 Palestinian refugees to Israel. (Xinhua)

Reports suggest the US may be trying to add language about a "Jewish state" to the Arab Peace Initiative. (Times of Israel)

Israeli officials doubt an agreement can be reached within nine months. (Reuters)

Israeli cabinet minister Bennett dismisses all notions of a land swap with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian citizens of Israel call FM Lieberman's land swap proposals "delusional." (Ha'aretz)

Jordanian officials say PM Netanyahu is ready for a land swap with Palestinians. (YNet)

Israeli settlers voice their objections to Kerry's peace efforts. (Christian Science Monitor)

Hebron settlers say Netanyahu "may meet a worse fate" then former PM Sharon. (JTA)

Israeli extremists mock Kerry's peace efforts. (BBC)

Israel approves 272 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

Jewish vandals damage Palestinian cars and spray graffiti in Jaffa. (Ma'an)

A rocket fired from Gaza lands in southern Israel without causing any injuries or damage. (Xinhua)

A Palestinian man is crushed to death due to overcrowding at an Israeli West Bank checkpoint. (Ma'an)

Israeli officials complain about incitement by Palestinians. (New York Times)

Israeli forces arrest three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

Egyptian forces shoot and wound two Palestinian youths exiting a Gaza smuggling tunnel. (Ma'an)

Czech officials demand an explanation for weapons discovered at the Palestinian mission in Prague. (New York Times/AFP)

Palestinian villagers capture and briefly detain a group of Israeli settlers they say attacked them in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times)

Hamas holds another military training program for Gaza youth. (Xinhua)

Hamas says it is making "goodwill gestures" to Fatah. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)

Saudi Arabia says it is donating $40 million to the Palestinian budget. (PNN)

The US and Iran are increasingly seen by some as facing common enemies in the Middle East. (New York Times)

Egypt summons Iran's charge d'affaires over recent statements criticizing Egyptian policies. (Xinhua)

Saudi Arabia's military aid package to Lebanon is seen by some as a message to the US. (New York Times)

Syrian extremists are accused of mass executions of rival rebels. (Los Angeles Times)

A Sunni revolt in Iraq could spiral into a new war in the country. (Washington Post)

Kuwait swears in a new cabinet with seven new members. (AP/Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Turkish government fires 350 police officers. (AP)

Commentary:

The LA Times says Kerry's framework agreement provides a glimmer of hope for Middle East peace. (Los Angeles Times)

The CSM says Kerry and Pope Francis make a formidable peace team. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Washington Post says Israelis and Palestinians have to prove themselves willing to engage Kerry's peace efforts. (Washington Post)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Munib al Masri says all Palestinians want is their freedom. (Ha'aretz)

Vincent Fean says the Palestinian leadership is right to engage in peace talks with Israel. (Ma'an)

Nahum Barnea says, instead of whining about Palestinian incitement, Israeli leaders should do something about Israeli incitement. (YNet)

Jonathan Cook says Israel's educational system is filled with incitement of its own. (The National)

Moshe Arens strongly disapproves of his interpretation of Kerry's proposals. (Ha'aretz)

David Newman says the Jordan Valley has lost most of its strategic significance for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

Akiva Eldar says Israel's relationship with Jordan is much more important to it than the Jordan Valley. (Al Monitor)

Hazem Balousha says what Palestinians in Gaza want most in 2014 is electricity. (Al Monitor)

Neri Zilber looks at the problems facing a Jordanian Muslim named Yitzhak Rabin. (The Atlantic)

The LA Times says the Obama administration should "stop coddling" the Egyptian government. (Los Angeles Times)

Nervana Mahmoud says the Al-Noor party in Egypt should be carefully watched. (Al Monitor)

Hassan Hassan says PM Al-Maliki's war against Al Qaeda is tainted by sectarian politics. (The National)

Huda Al-Saleh looks at women members of Al Qaeda. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid says he thinks Iran is secretly running Al Qaeda. (Arab News)

Sobhi Ghandour stresses the importance of Arab Christian communities to the region. (Gulf News)

Peter Beinart says there is a "moral case" for ending the US "cold war" with Iran. (Ha'aretz)

Hussein Ibish says the emerging Tunisian Constitution is extremely promising. (NOW)

News:

Sec. Kerry cites "some progress" in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, but warns of the prospect of failure. (AP/Washington Post)

Kerry ends his trip without yet securing a framework agreement. (AFP)

FM Lieberman says Kerry's offer is "the best Israel is going to get." (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

Kerry seeks and gets Saudi endorsement for his peace efforts. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)

Kerry thanks the Saudi King for his "enthusiastic support" of the peace process. (State Department/The Guardian)

Former Mossad chief Dagan says Israel doesn't need to keep the Jordan Valley. (Times of Israel)

Israel issues demolition orders for a large group of Palestinian buildings in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

The Jordan Valley continues to be a key sticking point between Israelis and Palestinians. (New York Times)

Palestinian citizens of Israel reject Lieberman's proposal to include many of their towns in a land swap. (Jerusalem Post)

Pope Francis will visit the "holy land" in May. (BBC)

Israeli rights groups accuse authorities of continuing to torture Palestinians despite a court order. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli settlers attack a school and a reservoir near Nablus. (Ma'an)

Palestinian farmers clash with attacking settlers near Hebron. (Ma'an)

Human Rights Watch says a Palestinian teenager shot by Israeli soldiers "posed no threat." (Ma'an)

12 weapons found at the Palestinian mission in Prague were "legal." (Ap)

The Palestine Power Generation Company signs a 20-year-deal with Israeli and American natural gas companies. (Ma'an/Xinhua)

Israel denies it killed all those responsible in a 1994 bombing in Argentina. (JTA)

Former PM Sharon's health continues to rapidly decline. (Reuters/AP)

A new "post-US" Middle East seems to be emerging in which militants thrive. (New York Times)

The NYT profiles the life and death of a key Hezbollah operative. (New York Times)

Almost all other Sunni rebel groups attack the extremist ISIS militia. (ISW/Financial Times)

Fighting between Syrian rebels spreads through the east of the country. (AP)

Kerry says Iran may have a role in upcoming Syrian peace talks. (New York Times)

The US Embassy issues a warning to Americans in Lebanon. (AP)

Iraqi soldiers and tribesmen are making progress in pushing back Al Qaeda in key Western cities. (New York Times)

17 are killed in more bomb attacks in Baghdad. (Xinhua)

The Muslim Brotherhood is fighting to survive in Egypt. (New York Times)

Two prominent secular activists in Egypt get one-year suspended sentences for arson. (Ahram Online)

Egypt summons the Qatari ambassador in Cairo, after Doha issues a pro-Muslim Brotherhood statement. (AP/Xinhua)

Commentary:

Looking at Israel's "Jewish character," Bernard Avishai says it is the only country that "does not recognize itself." (The New Yorker)

Leonard Fein says supporters of a two-state solution should boycott the Israeli settlement of Ariel. (The Forward)

The Jerusalem Post praises Kerry's efforts. (Jerusalem Post)

Oudeh Basharat says Kerry is part of the problem, not the solution. (Ha'aretz)

Hassan Barari says many Jordanians are deeply concerned an Israeli-Palestinian deal would be at their expense. (Arab News)

Avi Issacharoff says Israeli and Palestinian red lines make a Kerry-brokered deal unlikely. (Times of Israel)

Ha'aretz says Lieberman has once again thrown a wrench in the works by trying to push Palestinian towns in Israel into a Palestinian state. (Ha'aretz)

Ami Ayalon says it's time for Jordan Valley settlers to come home to Israel. (YNet)

Anat Matar says, unlike Palestinians, Israeli soldiers and settlers with blood on their hands almost never serve time in prison. (Ha'aretz)

Yitzhak Laor says, for Israel, Palestinian blood is cheap. (Ha'aretz)

Haviv Rettig Gur looks at how Netanyahu runs the Israeli government. (Times of Israel)

Christa Case Bryant says Israelis are still struggling to define the legacy of Sharon. (Christian Science Monitor)

Marit Danon says she turned from an ardent Sharon critic to a devoted fan. (YNet)

Ben Caspit says Sharon's decisions crucially shaped contemporary Israel. (Al Monitor)

Hussein Ibish calls the Israeli-Palestinian squabble over Jesus "ridiculous." (The National)

Seth Lipsky says Sharon had an uncanny ability to connect with people who instinctively didn't like him. (Ha'aretz)

Vali Nasr asks if Turkey is emerging as Iran's latest ally. (New York Times)

Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon say Egypt's interim government has gone too far in suppressing the Muslim Brotherhood and may create a new form of extremism. (New York Times)

Omer Aziz says the world must hold Qatar to account for treatment of laborers, especially in connection with the World Cup. (New York Times)

The Daily Star says the uprising against Al Qaeda in Syria must not be allowed to be another missed opportunity. (The Daily Star)

Nicholas Blanford says the Assad regime may survive. (Christian Science Monitor)

Michael Weiss describes how the US Syria policy "fell apart." (Politico)

Faeq Muneef says a deadlier strain than ever of Al Qaeda has emerged in Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bruce Riedel looks at the continuing evolution of Al Qaeda "3.0." (Al Monitor)

Patricio Asfura-Heim and Christopher Steinitz ask if anyone can stop Lebanon's descent into chaos. (Foreign Policy)

The National accuses PM Al-Maliki of "sectarian politics" in Iraq. (The National)

Sinan Ulgen thinks Turkey can help bridge some Middle Eastern divisions. (The Daily Star)

Mustafa Akyol explains Turkey's AKP-Gulen conflict. (Al Monitor)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Bahrain's public security chief Maj. Gen. Tarek Al Hasan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Abdullah Al Shayji says Gulf states and other Arabs were shocked by the US "flippant" attitude in 2013. (Gulf News)