News:

Palestinian officials condemn Israeli proposals for a 40-year military presence in the Jordan Valley following a peace agreement. (AP)

Palestinian officials say Israeli demands may scupper ongoing peace talks. (AFP)

Palestinian public employees cancel strikes planned for next week. (Ma'an)

The PA will ask for $500 million in international aid in meetings next week. (Xinhua)

Canada pledges C$5 million towards Palestinian economic growth. (Xinhua)

Egypt sentences five Palestinian fishermen to a year in prison for violating its territorial waters and fishing rules. (Ma'an)

Arab states may be again preparing to focus international attention on the question of Israel's nuclear weapons. (Reuters/Times of Israel)

Pres. Peres is planning to visit the Netherlands. (Jerusalem Post)

Iran is reportedly seeking a broad accord with the West on nuclear matters in order to end sanctions. (New York Times)

Mainstream Syrian rebels strongly condemn Al Qaeda. (AP)

Israel's internal security service warned some Palestinians may be joining Al Qaeda. (YNet)

Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria are being denied entry into Lebanon. (IRIN)

The US and its allies are targeting Hezbollah assets in Africa. (Reuters)

Commentary:

The PLO issues a report on "Israel's annexationist policies in the Jordan Valley." (PLO)

Gamil Matar says the new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks doesn't have much to build on. (Al-Ahram Weekly)

Lara Friedman says Israelis and Palestinians should face reality and not indulge in "magical thinking." (APN)

Saud Abu Ramadan says Hamas finds itself stranded in isolated in an economic and political nightmare. (Xinhua)

Avi Issacharoff says Hamas has become so desperate it may lash out against Israel. (Times of Israel)

Linah Alsaafin says Pres. Abbas' high poll numbers better reflect the lack of an alternative than his real popularity. (Al Monitor)

Shlomi Eldar says Israeli dissident artists pay a price for their political views. (Al Monitor)

Ron Pundak says all the parties have their share of the blame for the failure of the Oslo Accords. (Ha'aretz)

J.J. Goldberg says both Israelis and Palestinians feel betrayed by the outcome of the Oslo Accords. (The Forward)

Liat Collins says Oslo may not have worked, but ignoring Palestinians and boycotting Israel achieves nothing. (Jerusalem Post)

Haim Bresheeth says the Oslo accords were a disaster for the Palestinians. (Ahram Online)

Ha'aretz says there must be a thorough investigation into the death of an injured Palestinian worker. (Ha'aretz)

Shlomo Avineri says it's unreasonable to expect Arab states to resemble Western democracies. (Ha'aretz)

Pres. Rouhani appeals for more dialogue with the West. (Washington Post)

Ray Takeyh says Rouhani must be judged by deeds, not words. (Los Angeles Times)

Uri Savir says Pres. Obama has recognized the limitations of American power. (Jerusalem Post)

Alan Phillips says Pres. Assad is likely to survive in power for the meanwhile. (The National)

Michael Young says the real question now is what will come after Assad. (The Daily Star)

Maysoon Zayid praises TV personality and chef Anthony Bourdain's visit to Israel and Palestine. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 

News:

Pres. Obama will meet with Pres. Abbas at the UN on Monday. (USA Today)

Hamas prevents Gaza students from crossing into Egypt to get to their universities. (Ma'an)

After a week of closure, Egypt reopens the crossing with Gaza amid warnings of medical emergencies. (Xinhua)

Hamas says Egypt is destroying tunnels in an effort to further isolate Gaza. (AFP)

The closing of an Egyptian cultural center in Gaza by Hamas is another indication of deteriorating relations. (Al Monitor)

Abbas and PM Hamdallah have reportedly agreed on a new PA cabinet, to be sworn in on Thursday. (Xinhua)

The new PA cabinet is reportedly unchanged from the last one. (Ma'an)

A militant in Gaza is wounded in an exchange of fire with Israeli occupation forces. (Xinhua)

Palestinians accuse an Israeli settler running over a Palestinian child in occupied Hebron. (PNN)

A Palestinian teenager is arrested by Israeli occupation authorities in the West Bank for "planning a terror attack." (JTA)

Israeli occupation authorities arrest leaders of the Islamic Movement in East Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

The PA, the EU and the German government are allocating €40 million for a wastewater treatment plant near Nablus. (PNN)

Remnants of a small rocket are found in southern Israel, presumably fired from Gaza. (YNet)

Former Pres. Mubarak claims he "started" the 1973 war. (Times of Israel)

Pres. Rouhani vows that Iran will never develop a nuclear weapon. (Los Angeles Times)

Israel and Azerbaijan strengthen diplomatic relations. (JTA)

Commentary:

Abdullah Iskandar says Hamas has recklessly taken on a confrontation with Egypt. (Al Hayat)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says the Oslo Accords may be dead, but no one has come up with any alternatives. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Eitan Haber says the Oslo agreements were hardly ideal but gave both peoples hope. (YNet)

The Times of Israel interviews Eitan Haber, the late PM Rabin’s closest aide. (Times of Israel)

Charlene Gubash says the Sabra-Shatila massacre is a grim reminder to Palestinian and Syrian refugees in Lebanon. (NBC)

The Daily Star says September is always a somber month for Palestinians. (The Daily Star)

David Ignatius defends Obama's policies on Syria. (Washington Post)

Zvi Bar'el says the crisis over Syria is a throwback to the Cold War. (Ha'aretz)

Sebastian Junger says sometimes being pro-peace requires a willingness to use force. (Washington Post)

George Hishmeh says the confrontation over Syrian chemical weapons is a golden opportunity to rid the region of WMD. (Gulf News)

Khaled al-Dakhil says Washington and Riyadh are divided over Iran's role in Syria. (Al Monitor/Al Hayat)

Akiva Eldar says, like AIPAC, J Street will soon be confronted by the issue of "dual-loyalty." (Al Monitor)

Hassan Hassan looks at the growing conflict between rival Syrian rebel groups. (Foreign Policy)

News:

The IMF urges Israel to ease restrictions on the struggling Palestinian economy. (AFP)

Pres. Abbas meets with US envoy Indyk to discuss peace talks progress. (Jerusalem Post)

The PA reportedly says Israel has agreed to release another 250 Palestinian prisoners. (YNet)

Israel's finance minister Lapid hints at support for an interim agreement with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli Bedouins call a pending mass relocation plan "another Nakba." (Christian Science Monitor)

Palestinians demand the removal of 100 Israeli cellular towers in the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)

The family of the Jenin man killed by Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday says he was shot "in cold blood." (Ma'an)

A PA meeting designed to form a new cabinet ends without any decision. (Ma'an)

Israel closes the al-Aqsa mosque compound and denies entrance to Muslim worshipers.  (Ma'an)

The PA cabinet condemns Israel's policies towards the al-Aqsa mosque. (PNN)

Hamas says it will make a film about capturing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and the prisoner swap with Israel. (Xinhua)

Two people are injured in clashes in a major Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. (Xinhua)

The war in Syria has reignited divisions among Palestinians over regional alignments. (Al Monitor)

In his upcoming UN speech, PM Netanyahu will reportedly focus on Iran. (New York Times)

A senior Israeli general says Pres. Assad could survive "for years." (Reuters)

Pres. Obama says it's hard to imagine the Syrian war ending with Assad in power. (Reuters)

Following the US-Russia deal on Syria, pro-Israel groups in Washington suspend lobbying on Syria. (JTA)

PM Netanyahu will visit the White House on September 30. (Xinhua)

Obama reportedly orders the distribution of nonlethal, anti-chemical weapons supplies to Syrian rebels. (Jerusalem Post)

Iran is reportedly increasing its aid to the PFLP to reward its pro-Syria policies. (Al Monitor)


Commentary:

Hussein Ibish and Saliba Sarsar say Israelis and Palestinians need two states, not "blood and magic," to resolve their conflict. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

David Mikics also critiques Ian Lustick's dismissal of a two-state solution. (Tablet)

Suhail Khalilieh thinks the legacy of the Oslo Accords may be better than many Palestinians feel. (Ma'an)

Abdulrahman al-Rashed says the Oslo Accords need to be carefully re-examined. (Al Arabiya)

Gershon Baskin says both sides are aware that a failure to reach an agreement could unleash another round of terrible violence. (Jerusalem Post)

Oudeh Basharat says Palestinians understand the importance and the limitations of the right of return much better than Israelis think. (Ha'aretz)

Zvi Bar'el thinks Iran may be genuinely seeking a new opening to the West. (Ha'aretz)

Avi Shilon says the US-Russian deal on Syria proves the success of Netanyahu's Iran policy. (Ha'aretz)

Ben Caspit says the Israeli right is increasingly worried Netanyahu might be willing to do a deal with the US involving concessions to the Palestinians in exchange for tougher US policies towards Iran. (Al Monitor)

Ariel Ben Solomon says following the US-Russia deal on Syria, Iran will seek a similar arrangement. (Jerusalem Post)

Mitch Ginsberg looks at Israel's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. (Times of Israel)

Jonathan Cook says Israel wants to focus on chemical weapons not the war in Syria. (The National)

Rami Khouri thinks a new global order may be being born in the Geneva talks on Syria. (The Daily Star)

Hazem Saghieh says the Syrian regime's pan-Arab rhetoric has been exposed as self-serving bunk. (Al Hayat)

Hussam Itani says Syrian refugees now worry Lebanese more than Palestinians, but attitudes to both undermine the country's "civilized image." (Al Hayat)

Osama Al Sharif says restoring order to Sinai is now Egypt's main security test. (Gulf News)

Anwar Sadat's nephew Esmat al-Sadat says Egypt will keep the peace treaty with Israel even if the country is in "total chaos." (Al Monitor)

Harith Hasan says Saudi Arabia is vying with Iran for influence in Iraq. (Al Monitor)

Jonathan Schanzer looks at the activities of a key Hamas operative in Turkey. (Foreign Policy)

News:

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met again in Jerusalem on Monday amid deep divisions. (Xinhua)

Pres. Abbas insists there will be no Israeli presence between a Palestinian state and Jordan in the event of a peace agreement. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel is beginning to push for an increase in the quality and quantity of US military aid. (The Forward)

A Palestinian man is killed in a raid by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank. (AP/Reuters/Ma'an)

Witnesses say an injured Palestinian worker was left to die on the streets of Tel Aviv. (Ha'aretz)

A new cohort of optimistic Palestinian security force personnel graduates from the Academy for Security Studies in Jericho. (The Media Line)

Israeli occupation forces displace dozens of families in the occupied West Bank to create a firing zone. (Ma'an)

Palestinians say a meeting on forming a new government has been postponed. (Xinhua)

Israel allows building materials into Gaza for the first time in years. (Xinhua)

Abbas calls on Egypt to open the reopen the border crossing with Gaza. (Xinhua)

Egypt has reportedly arrested two more Palestinian fishermen. (The Daily Star)

PM Netanyahu calls for more pressure on Iran. (AP)

Netanyahu will meet Pres. Obama on September 30 to discuss Iran and Middle East peace. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)

Veteran Israeli peace activist Uri Avnery is still campaigning for a two-state solution at age 90. (AP/The National)

Israeli media report the government is considering building a new road from the Gush Etzion settlement bloc to the Dead Sea. (PNN)

Israel dismisses a call by former European leaders for the EU to stick by its new occupation guidelines. (Jerusalem Post)

A Palestinian telecommunications tycoon purchases an Israeli high-tech company. (Al Monitor)

A Syrian military defector claims the regime has conducted dozens of chemical attacks during the conflict. (The National)

Netanyahu's office denies it advised the United States to accept Russia's proposal on Syrian chemical weapons. (Jerusalem Post)

The Saudi cabinet calls for stronger measures against the Syrian regime. (Asharq Al Awsat)


Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says it's time to aid, not stigmatize, the Syrian rebels. (NOW)

Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi says that for both Israelis and Palestinians moderation is revolutionary. (The Daily Star)

NYT public editor Margaret Sullivan says her paper should have covered the story about the NSA sharing intelligence data on US citizens with Israel. (New York Times)

Rachel Neeman says a lethal blend of "arrogance and chauvinism" is informing Israel's attitude in peace talks with Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

Raed Omari predicts more "empty promises" on peace from Israel. (Al Arabiya)

Dina Ezzat argues that Palestinians are worse off today than before the Oslo process began. (Ahram Online)

Haidar Eid says Egyptians are scapegoating Palestinians, especially in Gaza. (Al Jazeera)

Ben Caspit says Israel's myth of "self-reliance" is a complete delusion. (Al Monitor)

Guy Ziv says resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as possible and should take priority over action in Syria. (USA Today)

Samar Yazbek describes her conflicted emotions about the war in Syria. (Washington Post)

The Jerusalem Post interviews outgoing Israeli Amb. to the US Michael Oren. (Jerusalem Post)

Zvi Bar'el says the Syrian conflict poses significant threats to the Jordanian government and state. (Ha'aretz)

Baruch Leshem says Obama knows he has to keep his word on Iran. (YNet)

Orly Azoulay says once Obama is done with Syria's chemical weapons, he will move on to Iran's nuclear program. (YNet)

Aaron Magid says Israel would boost its case if it ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention. (The Forward)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews British Army Major-Generals Tim Cross and Roddy Porter on lessons from Iraq for Syria. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Kenneth Bandler says Israel must do more to promote employment among its Arab citizens. (Jerusalem Post)

Akiva Eldar interviews Norwegian Amb. to Israel Svein Sevje, who is very pessimistic. (Al Monitor)

Dalia Hatuqa worries that Palestinians are recklessly taking out large loans for expensive consumer goods. (Al Jazeera)

News:

Sec. Kerry is continuing Palestinian-Israeli peace efforts. (Jerusalem Post)

17 members of Israel's governing coalition demand no land concessions whatsoever to Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

The head of Israel's internal security warns that Jewish terrorists might act in the event of any peace progress. (YNet)

Palestinian students in the Jordan Valley say they fear going to school because of Israeli soldiers. (Xinhua)

95% of Palestinian government workers are on strike in the coming days. (Ma'an)

Hamas says a recent military parade was meant to send "a message to Israel." (Xinhua)

Egypt is reportedly gaining ground in its offensive against extremists in Sinai. (New York Times/BBC)

Egypt says Sinai militants have booby-trapped the entire border area. (AP)

Nine Egyptian soldiers are killed in a roadside bomb in Sinai. (AP)

Egyptian tanks cross into Gaza, as part of a plan to secure the border area. (AFP/Reuters)

Palestinians say Egypt has promised to reopen the crossing with Gaza "soon," but it remains closed. (Xinhua/PNN)

Palestinians say extremist settlers have burned a Palestinian home near Nablus. (Ma'an)

Israel's mayor in Jerusalem is trying to introduce the Israeli curriculum into Palestinian classrooms. (Washington Post)

Some Palestinians are in favor of the introduction of the Israeli curriculum into their schools. (Christian Science Monitor)

PLO officials say there is still no justice for the victims of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres. (Ma'an)

40 years after the 1973 war, Israel assesses ongoing risks. (New York Times)

A new report says Israel has 80 nuclear warheads and can make 115-190 more. (Los Angeles Times)

A mother has admitted to killing her daughter in an "honor crime" near Hebron, the 20th in the occupied West Bank this year. (Gulf News)

Israel's attorney general says Palestinian villagers can return to their homes in the colonized West Bank village of Burka. (Jerusalem Post)

The Palestine Monetary Authority says the business cycle in the West Bank declined again in September. (PNN)

An aid watchdog group urges "profound changes" in UK support to Palestinian refugees. (The Guardian)

Four more Palestinians have been killed in the Syrian conflict. (Ma’an)

Israel says the US-Russian agreement in Syria will be tested by deeds, not words. (Los Angeles Times)

PM Netanyahu reportedly urged the US to accept the Russian proposal on Syria. (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

Israel finds itself increasingly under pressure for its own WMD stockpiles. (The Media Line)

Israel's defense and intelligence establishments are deeply divided on Syria. (The Forward)

Commentary:

Ian Lustick says more Israeli-Palestinian conflict is inevitable and a two-state solution cannot prevent that. (New York Times)

Giles Fraser says any Israeli effort to seize control of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in occupied East Jerusalem would unleash "unimaginable violence." (The Guardian)

Hussein Ibish says Western misconceptions about the Syrian opposition impede engagement with it. (The National)

Bill Keller says Iran must be part of an international effort to end the war in Syria. (New York Times)

Former Pres. Carter says Israelis and Palestinians can guarantee their peace through mutual referenda. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass says Israel and Hamas work together to keep Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip. (Ha'aretz)

Asmaa al-Ghoul says Hamas is becoming increasingly bellicose in the face of greater isolation. (Al Monitor)

Nasser Lahham says the Oslo agreement is dead and mourns the loss of the late Pres. Arafat. (Ma'an)

Ron Pundak says he's certain Arafat was ready to forge a complete peace deal with Israel. (Times of Israel)

Khaled Diab asks where Arab action is on Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Orly Azoulay says a deal on Syrian chemical weapons will be the prelude to an agreement or confrontation with Iran. (YNet)

Barry Rubin says the Syrian agreement shows the West "wants to be fooled" by Iran. (Jerusalem Post)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says changing the balance of power on the ground is the key to a negotiated solution in Syria. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Haian Dukhan says Israel only sees enemies on all sides in Syria. (The Daily Star)
 

NEWS:

On the 20th anniversary of the Oslo agreements, many now see them as largely hollow. (AP/Los Angeles Times/France 24)

Some see both negative and positive effects from the agreements. (Xinhua/Deutsche Welle)

Israelis are divided over the legacy of the agreements. (Jerusalem Post)

A new Palestinian report says denial of water rights has become "a permanent fixture" following the Oslo agreements. (PNN)

A former senior Israeli government official says 100,000 settlers must be evacuated for a two-state solution. (PNN)

Israel and the EU are unlikely to reach an agreement on the occupation guidelines before November. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt is accusing Hamas of training terrorists to conduct bomb attacks, and Hamas denies the accusations. (Reuters/BBC)

Egypt is continuing to expand its offensive against extremists in Sinai. (AP)

Hamas denies that Egyptian tanks entered Gaza. (Times of Israel)

Saudi Arabia is reportedly increasing weapons shipments to Syrian rebels. (New York Times)

Israelis are divided over the best course to take in Syria. (Washington Post)

Sec. Kerry will meet with PM Netanyahu to discuss Syria and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (AP)

The Syrian government may be moving quickly to hide its WMD stockpiles. (Wall Street Journal)

Human Rights Watch accuses the Syrian government of mass murder of more than 248 Sunnis in coastal towns in May. (AP/Times of Israel)

Israel expresses skepticism about Iran's new president, as he seeks to begin outreach to the worldthrough the UN. (AP)

Israel prepares for Yom Kippur. (AP)

Israel and the United States are continuing to develop the Arrow antimissile system. (YNet)

Israel denies spying on Americans after the latest NSA leak. (Jerusalem Post)

Al Jazeera is taking legal action against the Egyptian government. (AP)

Newly revealed Israeli documents suggest a hitherto unknown degree of cooperation between Jordan and Israel in 1973. (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

A Jordan-based MIT startup aims to help people in the developing world build savings. (Christian Science Monitor)

The BBC profiles the Druze community in Israel. (BBC)

Kosovo is asking Jewish Americans to help pressure Israel to recognize the country. (JTA)

Israeli and Palestinian soccer federation leaders agree to a FIFA-brokered understanding. (Jewish Chronicle)

COMMENTARY:

Alan Elsner lists seven reasons to be optimistic about the new Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Christian Science Monitor)

The PLO issues a twenty-year retrospective document on the Oslo accords. (PLO)

Uri Dromi recalls the optimism of the initial Oslo agreement moments. (New York Times)

Uri Savir says the "Oslo mindset" is essential to achieving peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Avi Shlaim says there's no doubt that the Oslo agreements were sabotaged by "Netanyahu's bad faith." (The Guardian)

Ha'aretz says the anniversary of the 1973 war shows peace, not conflict, brings real security. (Ha'aretz)

Israel Harel says Israelis should stop thinking the 1973 war went badly for them. (Ha'aretz)

Brent Sasley looks at the implications of AIPAC's lobbying on Syria. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Richard Cohen asks why liberals aren't outraged about the carnage in Syria. (Washington Post)

Michael O'Hanlon says, rumors to the contrary, the US military is not unified in opposition to action in Syria. (Washington Post)

Nathan Guttman looks at divergent views on Syria between two Jewish-American members of Congress. (The Forward)

Randa Takieddine says Pres. Assad is lucky in both his allies and his opponents. (Al Hayat)

Eliot Cohen says any expression of "war weariness," including by Pres. Obama, is an "expression of weakness." (Washington Post)

John Diamond says, difficult as it may be, practicable models exist for destroying Syrian WMD. (Los Angeles Times)

Yousef Al-Dayni says the Syrian conflict presents both challenges and opportunities to the Arab states. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hassan Haidar says the only real losers in Syria right now are the opposition. (Al Hayat)

Pascale El-Khoury asks if there is an "end of times" eschatology behind Hezbollah's intervention in Syria. (Al Monitor)

Husain Marhoon looks at possible connections between the future of Bahrain and the outcome of the Syrian conflict. (Al Monitor)

Alon Pinkas says Netanyahu is foolishly baiting Obama on Iran. (Ha'aretz)

The BBC looks at why Egypt has launched a major offensive against extremists in Sinai now. (BBC)

Osama Al Sharif says Egypt has made a lot of progress against the Sinai extremists, but much more is to be done. (Gulf News)

NEWS:

A new, leaked NSA document suggests the US shares raw intelligence data on American private citizens with Israel. (The Guardian)

In a new report, the IMF says the Palestinian economy is highly precarious. (AP)

A Palestinian man is wounded in a clash with Israeli occupation forces near Nablus. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

An Israeli court rejects claims of "incitement" against Palestinian officials. (Ma'an)

American delays in action in Syria seem to disappoint many Middle East allies. (Christian Science Monitor)

Israelis are beginning to plan on greater self-reliance following the postponement of US strikes on Syrian targets. (New York Times)

Israel says it will not ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention before its Arab neighbors. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu welcomes Russian proposals eliminating Syrian chemical weapons. (Xinhua)

Syrian rebels express outrage at the Russian proposal on Syrian chemical weapons. (AP/Reuters)

A perceived lack of alternatives to Pres. Assad may be driving US hesitancy on Syria. (AP)

Egypt steps up its campaign in Sinai after soldiers are killed by extremists. (New York Times/Ma'an)

New Egyptian restrictions are causing increased hardships on Palestinians in Gaza. (Reuters/Ahram Weekly)

Hamas is seeking to reduce tensions with Egypt. (Voice of America)

An Israeli Jerusalem court convicts three Palestinians of working for Hamas-related charities. (YNet)

There is no Arab representation in Israel's highest academic society. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinians demonstrate outside Al Jazeera's offices in Ramallah after a perceived insult to the late Pres. Arafat. (The Media Line)


COMMENTARY:

ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali looks at Israel and Palestine in their new regional context. (Huffington Post)

Ben Barber says Israeli-Palestinian peace talks hold promise. (Gulf Today)

Jacqueline Shoen says hopes for Palestinian national reconciliation are at an all-time low. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hilik Bar says Israel and the Palestinians have an obligation to try again to achieve a peace agreement. (Jerusalem Post)

Aaron Magid says Sec. Kerry is wrong to pressure the EU to ease its new occupation guidelines. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Yaakov Dov Bleich says Israel can never be "too Jewish." (The Forward)

Pres. Putin warns Americans about the dangers of action in Syria. (New York Times)

Fareed Zakaria says Pres. Obama is giving diplomacy a chance. (Washington Post)

The LA Times says Obama is right to give diplomacy a chance, but should not wait long. (Los Angeles Times)

The New York Times says the US and Russia at last seem to be working on a common aim in Syria. (New York Times)

Nick Kristof says Obama's threat of force has produced a Russian and Syrian climbdown on chemical weapons. (New York Times)

George Hishmeh says Obama has now put the ball squarely in Putin's court. (Gulf News)

Michael Young says Russia has saved Assad, at least for the meanwhile. (The Daily Star)

Ben Caspit says senior Israelis are wondering how to interpret the American hesitancy on Syria. (Al Monitor)

Shmuel Rosner says Israel stands to lose from American hesitation on Syria. (Al Monitor)

Salman Shaikh says Obama will be haunted by his Syrian hesitancy for the rest of his presidency. (Foreign Policy)

Nathan Guttman looks at what he calls "deep divisions" in J Street on the question of Syria. (The Forward)

Linda Gradstein says Gulf states are starting to question American resolve on Iran. (The Media Line)

Gershon Baskin says intensified diplomacy or Syria ought to help the international community deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Jerusalem Post)

Abraham Rabinovich says, three years later, PM Meir realized how the 1973 war could've been avoided. (Times of Israel)

Hussein Shobokshi praises Arab satirists, especially Bassem Youssef and Nadim Koteich. (Asharq Al Awsat)

NEWS:

Pres. Obama says he's delaying any possible US military strike on Syrian targets. (New York Times)

Russia, Syria's biggest arms supplier, may be supplying even more new weapons to the Syrian government. (Daily Beast/Times of Israel)

Al Qaeda extremist rebels kill 12 Alawites in a captured village in Syria. (Reuters)

Egypt's military continues its broad offensive in Sinai, as suicide attacks kill nine soldiers. (AP)

Egypt destroys six more smuggling tunnels along the Gaza border, and again closes the crossing. (Ma'an/All Africa)

Egypt accuses Islamic Jihad of arms smuggling in Sinai. (Al Monitor)

Gaza shortages on almost all supplies are increasing as Egypt intensifies its crackdown on smuggling. (Los Angeles Times)

Israel closes the investigation into the 2009 killing of Palestinian activist Bassem Abu Rahmeh. (Xinhua/The Guardian)

The PA accuses settler extremists of torching olive fields near Nablus. (Ma'an)

Israel's right-wing housing minister Ariel visits the Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Wednesday under Israeli police protection. (Ma'an)

Israeli forces demolish four Palestinian homes in a village near occupied East Jerusalem and prepare to demolish more. (PNN)

Israel will compensate the family of an Australian-Israel who died in jail after allegedly working as spy. (AP/Ha'aretz)

Israel's High Court indicates it wants to suspend the application in occupied East Jerusalem of a law allowing the confiscation of Palestinian property. (Ha'aretz)

Israel and the EU agree to keep discussing the new European occupation guidelines. (Jerusalem Post)

CNN proposes 10 things to bear in mind while visiting Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. (CNN)


COMMENTARY:

Thomas Friedman says US public reluctance on Syria shows US relationship with the Middle East has changed. (New York Times)

David Ignatius says Obama gave a war speech without actually announcing the use of force. (Washington Post)

Doyle McManus says Obama made the case for war, but would clearly rather avoid it. (Los Angeles Times)

Former Pres. Carter warns against a military strike in Syria. (Washington Post)

Rami Khouri says the US now has a possible alternative approach toward Syria. (The Daily Star)

Shmuel Rosner recalls the 1973 war as the "victory to end all victories" for Israel. (New York Times)

Zvi Bar'el looks at Israel's "cold peace" with Egypt. (Ha'aretz)

AFP says 20 years later, the Oslo agreements look like a "false dawn" for Middle East peace. (AFP)

Matthew Levitt looks at "Hezbollah's global footprint." (Jerusalem Post)

Linah Alsaafin says some other Palestinian activists have denounced the anti-Hamas "Tamarod" youth movement in Gaza. (Al Monitor)

Yuval Eylon says Israel should disarm its own nuclear arsenal. (YNet)

Ana Palacio says Europe has a historic opportunity to help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (The Daily Star)

Dan Goldenblatt says freedom of movement is the key to any Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. (Ha'aretz)

Shlomi Eldar says a recent Israeli High Court ruling breathes new life into the revival of the Israeli left. (Al Monitor)

Nadav Eyal says Israel has created its own form of "linkage": between peace and Iran's nuclear program. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

On Yom Kippur, Samer Badawi remembers his Palestinian mother. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Noted Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef eulogizes his own late mother. (Tahrir Squared)

NEWS:

Three more Palestinians are killed in the Syrian conflict. (Ma'an)

NPR profiles a Palestinian family that lost 11 members in an August 21 Syrian government chemical weapons attack. (National Public Radio)

A Russian news agency says Syria has accepted Russian proposals on chemical weapons designed to forestall American strikes. (Reuters)

France says it is drafting a UN Security Council resolution requiring Syria to give up its chemical weapons or face "serious consequences." (AP/Washington Post/BBC)

Israeli officials express skepticism over Syria's willingness to surrender chemical weapons. (AP)

Reports suggest the CIA believes Israel also acquired chemical weapons decades ago. (Foreign Policy/Jerusalem Post)

AIPAC is reportedly preparing to dispatch hundreds of members to Capitol Hill to lobby on behalf of Pres. Obama's request for authorization for the use of force in Syria. (New York Times)

The CSM looks at whether Israel is also lobbying Congress on Syria. (Christian Science Monitor)

Disputes over the 1967 border as a basis for talks are complicating Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (New York Times)

The disputes might delay the next scheduled phase of Palestinian prisoner release. (Jerusalem Post)

DM Ya’alon denounces efforts to develop a Palestinian state and dismisses the idea of Arab democracy. (Times of Israel)

Egypt is continuing with a major offensive against armed groups in Sinai, reportedly killing nine militants. (AP)

The fuel crisis in Gaza is intensifying. (Gulf News)

Israeli extremists visit religious flashpoints in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

An Israeli court is set to rule today on whether a law allowing the confiscation of Palestinian propertyapplies in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

80 Jordanian MPs urge Arabs and Muslims to visit Jerusalem in solidarity with Palestinians. (Jordan Times)

Israeli health officials say the polio virus has been found in Jerusalem's sewers. (New York Times/YNet)

COMMENTARY:

Chemi Shalev says Pres. Assad could try to emulate Saddam Hussein by creating "linkage" with Israel. (Ha'aretz)

The New York Times says a proposal on Syrian chemical weapons could be a way out of an American strike. (New York Times)

Hussein Ibish says the proposal is unlikely to work but gives all parties more welcome strategic and political time. (NOW)

Yassin al-Haj Saleh says a "half-hearted" international intervention in Syria isn't enough. (New York Times)

Nahum Barnea says the Obama administration should entirely rethink its approach to Syria. (YNet)

Ha'aretz warns Israel against any perception of intervening in an American domestic debate about Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Ben Caspit says AIPAC shouldn't get involved in Syria lobbying either. (Al Monitor)

Amos Harel says Egyptian-Israeli relations are greatly strengthening despite regional tensions. (Ha'aretz)

Joshua Bloom says Israel should end its discriminatory policies against non-Jewish migrants and asylum-seekers. (Jerusalem Post)

Giles Fraser says the most dangerous wall between Israel and the Palestinians is in the Israeli mindset. (The Guardian)

Dalia Hatuqa says most Palestinians believe the new round of talks with Israel are "a doomed experiment." (Al Jazeera America)

Ian Pindar looks at a new book on the Palestinian citizens of Israel by historian Ilan Pappé. (The Guardian)

Akiva Eldar says Israelis have mixed feelings about Oslo, 20 years on. (Al Monitor)

Gershom Gorenberg looks at a recent Israeli court ruling that a right-wing group can't sue people for calling it "fascist." (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

NEWS:

Sec. Kerry says Israel and the Palestinians are determined to push forward with peace talks. (AFP)

Israel complains to the United States regarding alleged media 'leaks' on peace talks by Palestinian officials. (Ma'an/LA Times)