News:

Pres. Obama will meet with Pres. Abbas to discuss peace talks. (AP/New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz/The National)

Sec. Kerry urges Abbas to make “tough decisions” on peace. (Reuters/AFP) 

Pres. Peres says Abbas is a true partner for peace. (Jerusalem Post/Ynet)

DM Ya’alon says a peace agreement with Palestinians is unreachable unless they recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.” (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Hamas prevents supporters of Fatah from holding a demonstration in Gaza in solidarity with Abbas. (New York Times/Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces raid a Jerusalem neighborhood, detaining eight Palestinians. (Ma’an)

Extremist settlers uproot 55 olive trees in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces remove a Palestinian flag from a Hebron roof. (Ha’aretz)

Gaza’s power plant resumes operations after Israel allows fuel deliveries into the Gaza strip. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

Lebanon sends its army to the Syrian border as rebels flee Syria. (AP)

The Syrian army reportedly ousts rebels from the key city of Yabroud. (AP/Reuters/New York Times)

The Syrian opposition is reportedly willing to trade land in Golan for Israeli military support. (Ha’aretz)

Pres. Mansour says the Egyptian general public opposes the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood in the political process. (AP)

Gunmen kill six Egyptian soldiers at an army checkpoint in Cairo. (AP/The National)

US delivers Hellfire missiles and munitions to Iraq. (AP)

US Naval forces seize control of a rogue Libyan oil tanker. (BBC)

Commentary:

Aaron David Miller says Abbas and PM Netanyahu face five huge hurdles on peace with Israel. (CNN)

Jackson Diehl says Obama’s double standards could doom peace talks. (Washington Post)

Robert Satloff says by refusing to recognize Israel as a “Jewish state,” Abbas is denying something even Yasser Arafat was willing to accept. (Foreign Policy)

Ha’aretz says Kerry is right that Netanyahu’s “Jewish state” demand is “unnecessary.” (Ha’aretz)

Shlomo Ben-Ami says giving up on a “united Jerusalem” is the only way to secure the city’s eternal status. (Jordan Times)

Elliott Abrams and Uri Sadot say the significance of Israeli settlement activity depends on whether they are building inside or outside the major blocs. (Washington Post)

Jeff Barak says Labor Party leader Herzog is Israel’s man for the future. (Jerusalem Post)

Ami Gluska asks if there could be an Arab-Israeli president. (Ha’aretz)

Moshe Arens says the Iron Dome system will never be able to provide 100 percent protection. (Ha’aretz)

Hussein Ibish says, despite liberal foreign policy aspirations, force still trumps diplomacy. (The National)

H.A. Hellyer says the international community must choose whether to let Syria suffer for generations. (Al Arabiya)

Ahmed Jarba says the Syrian people will not give up on their dreams of freedom and dignity. (Al Arabiya)

Abdul Rahman al Rashed says the fall of Yabrud exemplifies Iran’s success in leading the war in Syria. (Al Arabiya)

Rami Khouri says Syria is a mirror in which the Arab world sees itself. (Daily Star)

The Daily Star asks why the Lebanese people are not jolted into action by the failure of their political system. (Daily Star)

David Hearst says there is now open diplomatic warfare between Saudi Arabia and Qatar. (Huffington Post)

Mustafa Hashem says Egyptian youth are growing more disillusioned. (Daily Star)

Haider Saeed and Majid Rafizadeh debate if Iraq can escape Iran’s sphere of influence. (Asharq al Awsat)