News:

Pres. Obama says “tough choices” are nearing in the peace talks. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu “pushes back” against Obama’s diplomacy. (Reuters/New York Times)

Pres. Abbas meets with Israeli politician Gal-On to discuss the future of the peace talks. (Xinhua/Ma’an/Ynet)

In a speech before AIPAC, Sec. Kerry says the peace process requires “tough choices for the two parties.” (Ha’aretz/PNN/Ynet/JTA)

International Relations Minister Steinitz says freezing settlement construction to extend peace talks is “not an option.”(Jerusalem Post)

Abbas says he will not extend peace talks without a settlement freeze and further prisoner releases. (AFP)

Israeli settlement construction more than doubled in 2013 compared to 2012. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz)

An Israeli airstrike kills two Palestinian men in Gaza. (New York Times/Xinhua)

An Egyptian court bans all activities of Hamas in Egypt. (Reuters/AFP/The National)

The Knesset debates a bill that could threaten Arab representation in the body. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli Arab MKs will educate airport officials on “humiliation” in security checks.(Ha’aretz)

The OPCW says Syria has relinquished about a third of its chemical weapons. (Reuters)

The Syrian forces advance on a rebel-held town near Lebanon.(AP)

International powers will give Lebanon’s military an economic boost. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia calls on all foreign fighters to leave Syria. (AP)

Gen. Sisi gives a new sign indicating he may run for Egypt’s president. (AP/Reuters)

An Egyptian corruption investigator accuses officials of retaliation. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Israel’s “PR problem” is actually a reaction to its indefensible policies. (Now)

Daniel Abraham asks what trust has to do with peace. (Jerusalem Post)

The Daily Star says the Palestinians must understand that the US is not concerned with their struggle to achieve statehood. (Daily Star)

Shimon Shiffer says as long as settlement construction increases, one can understand why the Palestinians are refusing to join the “Middle East peace dance.” (Ynet)

Henry Siegman says its time for the UN Security Council to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz says Israel should stop force-feeding hunger striking prisoners. (Ha’aretz)

The New York Times says the EU is worried about the “long-term security threat” posed by European combatants returning from Syria. (New York Times)

Lorie Graham says the UN Security Council has an obligation to take “bolder action” in Syria. (Los Angeles Times)

Abdul Rahman al-Rashed says Obama’s decision not to invade Syria was wise but he should have supported the rebels. (Al Arabiya)

Hassan Hassan says the teachings of Abu Musab Al Suri could spark the rise of a more formidable generation of jihadists. (The National)

Diana Moukalled says the world has succeeded in making the death of Syrians “easy, cheap, and meaningless.” (Asharq al-Awsat)

Mona Alami says Jordanian jihadist fighters have come to play an important role in the Syrian conflict. (Daily Star)

Brooklyn Middleton says as Hezbollah becomes more entangled in the Syrian war, Israel becomes increasingly ready to strike back. (Al Arabiya)

News:

Pres. Obama will meet with PM Netanyahu today to discuss peace talks and Iran. (AP/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Reuters)

The extension of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations will depend on the meeting between Obama and Pres. Abbas.(Ma’an)

The US is reportedly pessimistic that a framework agreement can be reached by the end of March. (Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian official says Israel must meet certain demands for peace talks to be extended. (XInhua)

Chief Palestinian negotiator Erakat accuses Israel of “propping up Hamas in Gaza.” (Times of Israel)

US Treasury Secretary Lew defends the Iran Interim deal in a speech before AIPAC. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt keeps the Rafah crossing closed for the past 23 days. (Xinhua)

Hamas urges Egypt to resume commercial cooperation with Gaza. (Xinhua)

Palestinians consider who should succeed Abbas. (Financial Times)

Former Fatah leader Dahlan reportedly hopes to replace Abbas. (Ynet)

Extremist settlers uproot 180 olive tree saplings in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

The settler group “Elad” is closer to controlling the Western Wall, despite objections among Israelis. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli Medical Association says forcing hunger strikers to eat is “tantamount to torture.” (Ha’aretz)

Israel is planning to lower the volume levels of microphones in all mosques in occupied East Jerusalem. (Gulf News)

The Palestinian poet “Abu Arab” dies at 83. (Ma’an)

Israel is reportedly buying information on extremists from Syrian rebel groups. (National)

UNRWA says the latest clashes in Yarmouk have disrupted efforts to distribute aid. (AP)

In Syria, the government is looking for local and temporary ceasefires. (AP)

A pro-Hezbollah song highlights tensions over the civil war in Syria. (The New York Times)

The new Egyptian government is sworn in ahead of the presidential elections. (AP)

PM Mehlib calls for an end to protests in Egypt. (AP)

The IAEA says Iran has cuts its higher enriched uranium stock. (AP/Reuters)

Commentary:

ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says “losing Egypt” should not be considered an option for the US. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Hussein Ibish says nationalism is the real reason Islamists are losing in North Africa and beyond. (The National)

Amal Mousa says the Salafists have emerged victorious due to the collapse of the Muslim Brotherhood. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Amer al Sabaileh says Jordan is still a haven of safety and stability in a chaotic region. (Jordan Times)

Abdullah Ali says Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood is feeling the pressures of regional changes. (The National)

Oudeh Basharat says “Jordanians are a light unto the nations” for taking in so many refugees. (Ha’aretz)

Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Obama on the peace process. (Bloomberg)

David Horovitz says Goldberg’s interview with Obama is “a bombshell battering” for Netanyahu. (Times of Israel)

Ha’aretz says Netanyahu must understand that the White House is “not an enemy but a partner.”(Ha’aretz)

Rami Khouri asks what’s behind the “Jewish State” demand. (Daily Star)

Shibley Telhami says a survey indicates that if the two-state solution collapses, Americans favor democracy over a  “Jewish state.”(Foreign Policy)

Gershon Baskin says annexing the West Bank would be a “catastrophic plan” for the Jewish people. (Jerusalem Post)

Lara Friedman and Daniel Gordis debate whether settlement boycotts are best for Israel. (New York Times)

Gideon Levy says Israelis refuse to acknowledge what Amnesty International has demonstrated about the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Bakir Oweida says a Geneva III meeting is bound to fail.(Al Arabiya)