News:

The US and Israel remain divided on Iran. (Times of Israel)

Israel calls on the west to secure "a better deal" with Iran, but is trying to mend fences with the US. (AP/Xinhua)

Newly-reinstated Israeli FM Lieberman says it's time to mend fences with the United States over Iran. (Ha'aretz/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Israeli press reports suggest Pres. Abbas is actively preventing a third intifada. (PNN)

Palestinians mark the ninth anniversary of the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (Xinhua)

AP provides a Q&A on questions surrounding the death of Arafat. (AP)

There is an agreement to remove all arms from a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. (Xinhua)

An Israeli NGO calls plans for a new Jewish town in the Negev "racist." (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces detain 10 Palestinians in the West Bank. (Ma'an)

PA police arrest Bethlehem journalist George Canawati. (Jerusalem Post)

A global Palestinian 'Right to Education Week' kicks off at Birzeit University. (Ma'an)

A giant "Question of Palestine" mural is unveiled in Nablus. (Ma'an)

Egypt destroys more Gaza smuggling tunnels. (Times of Israel)

Members of the Syrian opposition will attend potential upcoming peace talks. (Xinhua)

Syrian troops and rebels clash on the outskirts of Damascus. (AP)

Gunmen violate a cease-fire to try to assassinate pro-Hezbollah sheik in Lebanon. (AP/Reuters)

Eight more people are killed in attacks in Iraq. (Xinhua)

Leaders of a breakaway regional province movement in Libya declare their own oil company. (AP)

Egypt's constitution-drafting committee warns of differences within the group. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Arab-Americans are torn between visions of success and perpetual victimhood. (NOW)

Alon Pinkas says Netanyahu is engaging in unnecessary quarrels with the US. (YNet)

Dalia Dassa Kaye says many Israelis, unlike Netanyahu, believe in diplomacy. (Los Angeles Times)

Ha'aretz says Israel should stop stealing Bedouin land. (Ha'aretz)

David Landau says Netanyahu's analogies between the Palestinians and Iran are ridiculous. (Ha'aretz)

Moshe Arens says Israelis are confident, but don't believe Abbas can end the conflict. (Ha'aretz)

Einat Wilf says hostility to Israel can be a form of anti-Semitism. (Ha'aretz)

David Ignatius interviews Egyptian intelligence chief el-Tohamy about relations with the US and other issues. (Washington Post)

Roger Cohen says a nuclear deal with Iran is achievable. (New York Times)

The Washington Post says US needs better strategy for dealing with Iran. (Washington Post)

Stanley Fish continues his musings about the idea of boycotting Israeli universities. (New York Times)

Aaron David Miller says there isn't much the US can do to impact domestic politics in Egypt. (New York Times)

Mohamed Farid Al-Shayyal says excluding the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood from politics won't help democracy, but Majdi Hamdan says it will. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Faisal Al Yafai says Syrians are starting to consider the unthinkable: Pres. Assad might stay in power. (The National)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Kurdish leader Barham Salih on the future of Iraq. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Rami Khouri says the Arab world needs to embrace basic freedoms for individual citizens. (The Daily Star)

News:

Belgium upgrades Palestine's diplomatic status. (AFP)

The PLO says it is seeking a comprehensive deal with Israel, not an interim agreement. (Ma'an)

Palestinians say no agreement is better than a bad one. (YNet)

PM Netanyahu says Israel is "waiting for a Palestinian Ben-Gurion" to achieve Middle East peace. (Jerusalem Post)

PA police are increasingly active on the outskirts of Jerusalem. (The Media Line)

Israel issues orders for more Palestinian home demolitions in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces detain seven Palestinian teenagers in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Tamarod movement in Gaza gears up to challenge Hamas rule. (BBC)

Gaza continues to suffer from prolonged blackouts due to internal Palestinian disputes. (Xinhua)

Major protests are scheduled for November 30 against Israel's mass relocation plan for Bedouin citizens. (Ma'an)

Fatah says Hamas has banned them from commemorating in Gaza the seventh anniversary of the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (YNet/Times of Israel)

Palestinian artists resist the occupation with paintings. (Christian Science Monitor)

Pres. Abbas meets Pres. Mansour and Gen. Sisi in Cairo. (Ma'an)

Netanyahu accuses the world being "soft" on the Palestinians. (AP)

A crisis in Israeli-American relations is said to be brewing over Iran. (AP)

Israel's cabinet approves the return of Lieberman as FM. (Xinhua)

Israel is repositioning itself as a trade gateway to the Middle East. (Xinhua)

Palestinian refugees accuse Jordanian police of abuses. (Al Monitor)

Western diplomats say Iran balked at a Western nuclear proposal over a few details, especially inspections. (New York Times/AP)

Sec. Kerry denies big splits within the P5+1 negotiating with Iran. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels recapture the airport near Aleppo. (New York Times)

Syrians on both sides of the conflict see Pres. Assad as likely to stay in office for some time. (New York Times)

Jordan confirms its eagerness to take the UN Security Council seat vacated by Saudi Arabia. (AP)

Kerry is visiting the UAE for an update on Iran talks. (The National)

Two Egyptian soldiers are killed in a drive-by shooting in Sinai. (AP)

 

Commentary:

Rana Askoul asks if the question of Palestine is still relevant today. (The National)

The Jerusalem Post interviews chief Israeli negotiator Livni. (Jerusalem Post)

Chemi Shalev says Israel should not find itself in an unwinnable diplomatic confrontation with Washington. (Ha'aretz)

Jackson Diehl says Kerry seems to be living in a Middle Eastern dreamworld. (Washington Post)

Alex Fishman cautions Kerry to stop warning about another intifada since expectations about negotiations are so low on all sides. (YNet)

Amira Hass says the occupation is plainly the main reason for the weakness of the Palestinian economy. (Ha'aretz)

Oudeh Basharat says Israel fears the prospect of real "truth and reconciliation." (Ha'aretz)

Avi Issacharoff looks at the difficult challenges facing the planned Palestinian city Rawabi. (Times of Israel)

Raphael Ahren asks why France took such a tough line in the Iran negotiations. (Times of Israel)

Hussein Ibish says some Western Middle East allies don't share any eagerness for a deal with Iran. (The National)

Kevin Connolly says Kurds in northern Iraq are aiming to change the outcome of World War I by achieving independence. (BBC)

Alaa Al Aswany says most Egyptian support the new government's war against terrorism, but that doesn't help promote democracy. (New York Times)

Abdullah Iskandar says the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood can no longer link its cause to that of freedom and democracy. (Al Hayat)

Abdullah Al Shayji says the US must delay growing fears of its GCC allies. (Gulf News)

Osama Al Sharif says Kerry is making progress in mending fences with Arab allies but much more work remains. (Gulf News)

Mostafa Zein evaluates the new structure of American Middle East policy, including working with rivals and enemies. (Al Hayat)

Hussein Ibish joins a panel on TV Ontario to discuss anti-Semitism on the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht. (TVO)

News:

Sec. Kerry is taking a personal approach to advancing Middle East peace. (New York Times)

Kerry warns of the potential for new violence if peace talks falter. (AP/Xinhua/Los Angeles Times)

Recent polls suggest neither Israelis nor Palestinians think Kerry's efforts will yield peace. (The Media Line)

PM Netanyahu pushes back against Kerry, saying Palestinians are the only obstacle to peace. (Washington Post)

Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian at a checkpoint near Nablus in the occupied West Bank who may have been attacking them. (Xinhua/Ma'an/AP)

Occupation forces shoot and kill another Palestinian man near Bethlehem. (Ma'an)

Relatives say the man was killed in "cold blood." (Ma'an)

Israel closes two alleged Hamas offices in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Speculation continues to grow about suggestions the late Pres. Arafat was poisoned. (AP)

People are wondering who might have had a motive for potentially poisoning Arafat. (AP)

Palestinians say Israel is "the only suspect" in Arafat's death, which they deem "unnatural." (AP)

The US loses voting rights at UNESCO over defunding the body regarding the membership of Palestine. (AP)

Pres. Obama reiterates that sanctions relief may be forthcoming if Iran halts nuclear R&D. (AP)

The West and Iran may be near a nuclear deal. (New York Times)

Netanyahu says a nuclear deal with Iran would be "a mistake of historical proportions," and he "utterly rejects" it. (Xinhua/AP)

Kerry is going to Geneva to try to formalize the deal with Iran. (Reuters)

Netanyahu reportedly tells Kerry Israel "won't be bound" by any Western agreement with Iran. (Xinhua)m

Sanctions remain a serious concern for Iran. (Reuters)

Jordan is considering adopting the UN Security Council seat vacated by Saudi Arabia. (New York Times)

Kerry is confident that dates for Syrian peace talks will be soon established. (Reuters)

30 people are killed in attacks in Iraq. (AP)

Lebanon says it won't "stand idle" in the face of Israeli spying along the border. (Xinhua)

The Arab American National Museum and University of Michigan are jointly presenting an exhibit and symposium entitled "Creative Dissent: Arts of the Arab World Uprisings." (AP)

Egypt's constitution drafting committee agrees in principle to abolish the parliamentary upper house. (Xinhua)

Egyptian forces say they have killed eight terrorists in the Sinai Peninsula. (Xinhua)

Reuters interviews Egyptian FM Fahmy, who says the country will hold parliamentary elections in February-March. (Reuters)

Two are killed in militia fighting in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. (AP)

The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood confirms it intends to form a new political party. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Commentary:

Aaron David Miller asks if Israel is "doomed," and says not for the meanwhile. (Foreign Policy)

Ilene Prusher says one of the possible reasons for a lack of progress on peace is that Israel's two negotiators are not in agreement. (Ha'aretz)

Matt Lerner says, in spite of the distortions of the political process, there is still a large constituency for peace in Israel. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

George Hishmeh wonders if Kerry's peace initiative is really following Pres. Obama's stated vision. (Jordan Times)

Jose Vericat says Israel and the world are missing a historic opportunity for peace in Gaza. (The Forward)

Ibrahim al-Amin describes how Hamas is plotting its comeback. (Al Akhbar)

Ehud Yaari says there is growing discontent with Hamas, but a major internal effort to unseat it is unlikely. (WINEP)

Mark Peplow says there's no hard evidence Arafat was actually poisoned. (Nature)

Christopher Dickey says Arafat might've been poisoned but even if he was we will never know who is responsible. (Daily Beast)

The National says questions about Arafat's death now need to be answered. (The National)

The Guardian says an explanation of Arafat's death is required for peace. (The Guardian)

Matthew Kalman and Matt Rees say other senior Palestinians were responsible for killing Arafat. (The Forward)

UK ambassador Matthew Gould explains his country's engagement in negotiations with Iran. (YNet)

Alan Phillips questions whether Iran is really ready to compromise. (The National)

Shoula Romano Horing says the West is engaging in "shameless appeasement" of Iran. (YNet)

Barbara Opall-Rome says Israel's censorship goes too far. (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says Lieberman is "unfit to be a minister." (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post says Lieberman's acquittal casts serious doubts on its judicial officials. (Jerusalem Post)

Abdel Monem Said looks of the state of US-Egyptian relations. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

News:

Sec. Kerry and Pres. Abbas will meet again in Jordan today. (Xinhua)

Recent developments appear to have complicated Kerry's Middle East peace efforts, especiallynew settlement activity. (New York Times/Xinhua)

Kerry reiterates the US considers new settlement activity "illegitimate." (Xinhua)

Nonetheless, Kerry says he sees some "clarity" emerging from the talks, and is extending his trip. (AP)

Abbas reportedly offers a united Jerusalem administered by a joint "supreme council." (Times of Israel)

A new poll suggests 70% of Palestinians expect the new peace talks to fail. (Ma'an)

Thousands of Palestinians face uncertainty over Israeli home demolition orders in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

Israel begins demolishing another 11 Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

A Swiss report into the remains of the late Pres. Arafat says its findings "moderately support" thetheory he was poisoned. (Institut de Radiophysique/New York Times/AP/Washington Post)

The Swiss scientists are scheduled to hold a news conference on their findings later today. (Reuters)

An Israeli radiation expert calls the findings "completely fabricated." (YNet)

Israel insists it did not poison Arafat and that former PM Sharon ordered he "not be harmed."(Reuters/AFP)

The PLO calls for an international committee to investigate Arafat's death. (AFP)

An Israeli court convicts an Islamist leader in Israel of incitement to violence. (Xinhua/YNet)

Lebanon complains Israel is using border stations to spy on Lebanon. (Xinhua)

Increasing numbers of young men from Gaza are fighting and dying in the conflict in Syria. (AFP)

Nationalist and Islamist rebels meet in Syria in a last-ditch effort to prevent a major split. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

An Obama administration official says the US will ease sanctions on Iran if it halts its nuclear program. (New York Times)

Iran says a nuclear deal, though "very difficult," is possible within a week. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post/Ha'aretz)

An Egyptian court upholds a general ban on the Muslim Brotherhood. (AP/Los Angeles Times)

Commentary:

John Reed looks at the difficult path the Palestinian economy will face to emerge from isolation. (Financial Times)

Bernard Avishai says peace is important to the Israeli economy. (The New Yorker)

Cesar Chelala says Israeli settlement plans are an unnecessary provocation. (The Daily Star)

Sara Miller Llana looks at the potential impact of new allegations about Arafat's death on the peace process. (Christian Science Monitor)

Asmaa al-Ghoul says expectations are now generally low for the Nov. 11 "Tamarod" campaign against Hamas rule in Gaza. (Al Monitor)

Gideon Levy says Israel deserves a Foreign Minister like Lieberman. (Ha'aretz)

Attila Somfalvi asks how Lieberman's return as FM will impact. (YNet)

Akiva Eldar says Lieberman will resume the role of Israel's "bad cop." (Al Monitor)

Aryeh Eldad says not all criticism is "incitement." (Ha'aretz)

Gershon Baskin says public and private atmospherics are crucial to negotiating success. (Jerusalem Post)

Jeffrey Goldberg thinks Sec. Hagel is overestimating the importance of an Israeli-Palestinian agreement to regional stability. (Bloomberg)

Abdulaziz Sager says US-Saudi relations have reached a crucial phase. (Arab News)

Douglas Bloomfield says the Saudi government shouldn't be angry with the US, it should participate on behalf of peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Mark Urban looks at the veracity of reports Saudi Arabia has purchased nuclear weapons from Pakistan for future delivery. (BBC)

Francis Matthew says the US lacks a consistent strategy in either Middle East or Asia. (Gulf News)

Barbara Slavin says, like the Iranians, its P5+1 interlocutors are also looking for quick results. (Al Monitor)

David Kenner says Saudi Arabia has a secret plan, based on Pakistan, to overthrow Pres. Assad. (Foreign Policy)

Michael Weiss asks if the agreement to get Syria to renounce its chemical weapons was a "success," what would failure look like? (Foreign Policy)

News:

Sec. Kerry is urging both parties to make more progress in Israeli-Palestinian talks. (New York Times/AP)

PM Netanyahu says talks have made little progress and urges Kerry to help. (AP)

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators reportedly quarrel over settlements just before Kerry's arrival. (Ma'an/Ha'aretz)

Netanyahu accuses Palestinians of staging an "artificial crisis" in the talks. (AFP/The Guardian)

Pres. Abbas says he is committed to the peace talks and hopes they will succeed. (Ma'an)

Abbas says negotiations are the only way to create peace with Israel. (Xinhua)

Palestinians say any potential American proposal should be a final status deal with firm timelines. (PNN)  

Kerry says the US will provide $75 million in additional aid to Palestinians. (AP)

The UN says a halt in Gaza reconstruction projects is due to Israeli bans on building materials. (Reuters)

The death of young Palestinian prisoner in Israeli custody of cancer prompts charges of medical malpractice. (New York Times/Xinhua))

An Israeli court acquits former FM Lieberman of fraud, freeing him to rejoin high-level politics. (New York Times/Reuters/Ha'aretz)

Clerics sign  a "universal code of conduct" in an effort to stop attacks on religious sites in occupied East Jerusalem. (The Media Line)

The local head of the Roman Catholic Church protests Israel’s demolition of a church-owned property in occupied East Jerusalem. (AFP)

Palestinians say they have received test results on the remains of the late Pres. Arafat and will study them. (AP)

Egyptian Muslim Brothers are seeking refuge in many other Arab states. (Washington Post)

The UN says 9 million Syrian refugees badly need help before the approaching winter. (Los Angeles Times)

Peace talks regarding Syria are not expected before December at the earliest. (AFP)


Commentary:

Hazem Saghieh says the Arab world needs to prepare itself for a long period of frustration and unrest. (Al Hayat)

Yolande Knell looks at why the fate of the Jordan Valley is key to an Israeli-Palestinian deal. (BBC)

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is reconcling with Salafists in Gaza. (Al Monitor)

Omar Shaban asks if Kerry's Palestinian economic plan will prove another dead end. (Al Monitor)

Uzi Baram says any Israeli PM that pushes a peace process will be severely attacked by the right. (Ha'aretz)

Carlo Strenger says Lieberman's acquittal will push Netanyahu to the right. (Ha'aretz)

Ben Caspit says Palestinian disregard for Jewish history and the Israeli narrative is central to their tragedy. (Al Monitor)

Riccardo Dugulin says long-term nuclear negotiations between Iran and the West will be useful to Israel. (YNet)

Sefi Rachlevsky profiles an extremist Israeli rabbi who advocates murder. (Ha'aretz)

Rami Khouri asks if American policy towards Syria is changing. (The Daily Star)

Asharq Al-Awsat looks at the fight over Syria's border crossings. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Peter Beinart explains why he is closing his Open Zion blog in the Daily Beast. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

News:

Four more Palestinian refugees are killed in the Syrian conflict. (Ma’an)

Israelis and Palestinians both express pessimism about negotiations on the eve of Sec. Kerry's visit. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post/UPI)

Kerry may be floating some new ideas in his meetings with Israelis and Palestinians. (The Guardian)

Pres. Abbas reportedly says no progress whatsoever has been made in negotiations with Israel. (Ma’an)

Abbas says the linkage in Israeli politics between prisoner release and settlement expansion could kill peace talks. (Ha'aretz)

Abbas also denounces Israel's demands for a long-term military presence in the Jordan Valley. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian officials say the US should be more serious about making the talks work. (Los Angeles Times)

A new opinion poll shows most Palestinians are in favor of a two-state solution but more pessimistic than ever. (PNN)

Israeli press reports suggest the country's negotiators are deeply at odds over Jerusalem. (PNN)

Israeli negotiators reportedly may have told Palestinians in West Bank separation barrier should serve as the new border. (AFP)

Israeli Finance Minister Lapid rules out any possibility of negotiations over the future of Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel conducts DNA tests to identify the bodies it is returning to Palestinians. (Ma’an/Xinhua)

Israeli DM Ya'alon says Hamas is preparing for more conflict by creating a network of tunnels throughout Gaza. (Xinhua)

The Israeli military simulates taking direct control of Gaza again. (YNet)

Palestinians say Israel has sentenced a young man to a month in prison for "making an illegal phone call." (Ma’an)

A fuel crisis in the occupied West Bank has reportedly been resolved. (Ma’an)

Women-only cafés are a new feature of Palestinian social life in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

American and Saudi officials play down their differences as Kerry visits the Kingdom. (New York Times/AP/Washington Post)

Commentary:

J.J. Goldberg examines reports the US may be preparing its own peace proposals. (The Forward)

The PLO issues a new fact sheet about Israeli settlement activity since the resumption of negotiations. (PLO)

Shlomi Eldar insists Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat really did try to resign because Israel's policies have made negotiations politically untenable. (Al Monitor)

Faisal Al Yafai says it wasn't just Yitzhak Rabin who was killed in 1995 but the Israeli commitment to peace. (The National)

Ashraf al-Ajrami says few Israelis are aware most released prisoners join the peace movement. (YNet)

Asmaa al-Ghoul looks at how black Palestinians in Gaza deal with the racism they encounter. (Al Monitor)

The New York Times thinks Kerry's visit to Egypt confused rather than clarified relations with the US. (New York Times)

The National says Kerry will be hearing from frustrated Arab allies. (The National)

Lally Weymouth interviews Saudi Prince Turki, who says some US policies "have been wrong." (Washington Post)

Hussein Ibish says the world must act on the dire Syrian refugee crisis. (NOW)

Zvi Bar'el says Europe must open its borders to Syrian refugees. (Ha'aretz)

Diana Moukalled profiles Soad Nofal, a woman defying Al Qaeda in Syria. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Hassan Barari says PM Al-Maliki’s policies pose a bigger threat to Iraq and the region than Al-Qaeda. (Arab News)

News:

Israel announces future tenders for 1,730 new settlement housing units. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu defends Israel's settlement expansion policies. (AP)

The PLO says Israel is "not serious" about peace, and threatens to take the issue of settlements to the UN Security Council. (Ma'an)

Israeli press reports suggest the US may offer a new peace initiative in January. (Ha'aretz/PNN/Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli drone crashes north of Gaza, Israel says because of technical malfunctions but Palestinianmilitants say they shot it down. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

The star of the noted film "5 Broken Cameras" is among those shot by Israeli occupation forces at a protest. (Ma'an)

Hamas is creating its own new, controversial textbooks. (New York Times)

Hamas appoints a 23-year-old woman writer its Western spokeswoman. (YNet)

South Africa's FM expresses solidarity with the Palestinian cause. (Ma'an)

A Bedouin child is killed by a tractor in the Negev desert. (YNet)

The CSM looks at how humor eases the burden of daily life under occupation for Palestinians. (Christian Science Monitor)

Palestinians launch a new effort to promote domestic tourism. (PNN)

Sec. Kerry visits Egypt at the start of a regional tour and reaffirms strong relations. (New York Times)

Kerry will also go to Saudi Arabia in an effort to repair strained ties. (AP/Reuters)

A suicide bombing in the Syrian city of Homs kills six people. (AP)

Jordan is reportedly turning away Syrian refugees. (Los Angeles Times)

The UN says nearly 1,000 people were killed in Iraq in October. (AP)

The trial of former Egyptian Pres. Morsy begins, but quickly recesses. (New York Times/Los Angeles Times)

Military analysts say the suspension in some US military aid provides Egypt with an opportunity for innovation. (The National)


Commentary:

Adam Gonn says Kerry is trying to keep up pressure on Israel and the Palestinians to make progress. (Xinhua)

Steve Hibbard sees little reason for optimism in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (The Daily Star)

Boaz Ganor says Israel is in a difficult strategic position that can only be resolved through peace with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Giles Fraser says Israel cannot afford to be isolated forever. (The Guardian)

Amira Hass looks at repeated threats by Palestinian chief negotiator Erekat to resign. (Ha'aretz)

Hazem Balousha thinks clashes between Israel and Hamas are unlikely to intensify. (Al Monitor)

Uri Misgav says the Israeli far right is still celebrating the assassination of the late PM Rabin. (Ha'aretz)

Arik Ascherman says Israel's mass relocation plan will hurt Bedouin women even more than men. (Ha'aretz)

David Harris asks how far Israel and Washington have diverged regarding Iran. (Ha'aretz)

David Horovitz says the next two months will prove decisive regarding Iran. (Times of Israel)

Turki bin Faisal al-Saud says ending the ongoing horror in Syria is the paramount Middle East issue of the moment. (The Daily Star)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews the Egyptian Al-Nour Party Spokesman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Wafa Al Sayed says American detente with Iran need not come at the expense of its Gulf allies. (Gulf News)

Nasouh Majali says the US seems to many Arabs to be less committed to the Middle East. (Jordan Times)

The Daily Star says Kerry's trip to the region is "too little, too late." (The Daily Star)

Madawi Al-Rasheed says Kerry ought to be able to patch things up with Saudi Arabia. (Al Monitor)

Hussein Ibish says it's vital for the US to preserve strategic relations with its Arab allies. (The National)

News:

Palestinian negotiators reportedly offer to resign over planned new Israeli settlement activity, but Pres. Abbas is unlikely to accept. (New York Times/Ma'an)

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denies offering to resign. (YNet)

Sec. Kerry will meet with Abbas in Bethlehem next week. (Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli attack on a Gaza smuggling tunnel reportedly kills four Hamas militants. (AP/Reuters/Xinhua)

Five Israeli soldiers are injured in Gaza. (YNet/Times of Israel)

Palestinians say Israel is preparing to destroy the homes of 15,000 Palestinian residents of occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation officials are trying to control pollution in the West Bank. (Christian Science Monitor)

Settlers destroy 300 newly planted olive trees in Qalqiliya in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Israeli military withdraws from 13 communities near the Gaza border. (Xinhua)

The main Gaza power plant once again stops functioning due to lack of fuel supplies. (Xinhua)

Israel reportedly attacks a shipment of Russian missiles inside Syria, that were perhaps bound for Hezbollah. (AP/YNet/Ha'aretz)

The US announces that Israel will be the first foreign country to receive the new V-22 Osprey military aircraft. (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)

Economic and military ties between Israel and India are expanding. (The Media Line)

PM al-Maliki is in Washington seeking support amid a growing security crisis. (New York Times/AP/Christian Science Monitor)

Sec. Kerry is visiting Saudi Arabia and other countries in an effort to smooth relations. (New York Times/AP)

Syrian troops recapture a key town in the north from rebels. (AP)

Syria may be seeking to retain control of a small number of chemical weapons factories. (Foreign Policy)

Egypt declares a state of emergency before the trial of former Pres. Morsi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Commentary:

Yuval Diskin says to prevent another Palestinian intifada, Israel must encourage hope and prisoner releases part of that. (YNet)

Yossi Verter questions whether PM Netanyahu's coalition can survive infighting over a Palestinian deal. (Ha'aretz)

Yoel Marcus says, in order to make peace, Netanyahu must purge his cabinet of extremists. (Ha'aretz)

Elisheva Goldberg is sure that there was a deal between Netanyahu and Bennett trading prisoner release for more settlements. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

The Jerusalem Post dismisses the idea that Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Shaul Arieli says Israel's founders knew partition is necessary for it to be Jewish, but the Greater Israel movement threatens this. (Ha'aretz)

The Economist doubts an interim agreement will really advance Israeli-Palestinian peace. (The Economist)

Hillel Halkin says there's nothing wrong with Jewish Americans putting Israel first. (The Forward)

Yaakov Lappin says Israel faces daily dilemmas about what to do regarding Syria and Hezbollah's arms supplies. (Jerusalem Post)

Zvi Bar'el says as the US is moving away from Egypt, Russia is moving in. (Ha'aretz)

Rye Druzin says the rift between the US and Gulf states is expanding. (The Media Line)

Marwan Kabalan says US Gulf allies need reassurances. (Gulf News)

Aaron David Miller asks if the US really has a special relationship with Saudi Arabia, and if so, is it worth keeping. (Foreign Policy)

Paul Danahar says the US left Iraq a broken mess. (BBC)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews Egyptian FM Fahmi. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Manuel Almeida says PM Erdoğan is his own worst enemy. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Andrew Parasiliti interviews Ali Al-Moussawi, a top advisor to PM Al-Maliki. (Al Monitor)

Palash Ghosh profiles the large Palestinian community in Chile. (IB Times)

Uri Avnery says as he turns 90 he still advocates Palestinian statehood and believes it can happen in his lifetime. (The Independent)