NEWS:

Sec. Kerry is said to be "upbeat" after three days of Middle East diplomacy. (AP)

Kerry reportedly gets PM Netanyahu's agreement to focus on Palestinian economic improvements. (Ha'aretz/AP/Reuters)

Palestinian officials say US inducements offered thus far are insufficient for the resumption of negotiations. (Ha'aretz/AP)

Palestinian officials say Western countries are pressuring Israel to release some Palestinian prisoners as a prelude to resumed negotiations. (Xinhua)

PM Erdogan reportedly delays a planned trip to Gaza due to US requests. (Ha'aretz)

Israel's military denies there was any exchange of gunfire along the border with Gaza yesterday. (Xinhua)

Occupation forces detain 22 Palestinians in raids across the West Bank. (Ma'an)

Israel rearrests a Palestinian who went on a well-publicized hunger strike last year. (Ma'an)

Israel blocks a large shipment of supplies bound for Gaza. (PNN)

Tensions continue to flare between Hamas and UNRWA. (Al Monitor)

An Israeli court sentences a Jewish terrorist, who emigrated from the United States, to two life terms for murdering Palestinians and additional crimes. (New York Times)

Israeli authorities arrest and charge a Palestinian citizen of Israel accused of fighting with rebels in Syria. (AP)

Another Palestinian citizen of Israel is convicted of spying for Hezbollah. (AP)

Controversy erupts at Yeshiva University because of plans to honor former Pres. Carter, who has been critical of Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories. (New York Times)

Hamas and Fatah are due to resume reconciliation talks in Cairo soon. (Xinhua)

Hamas says it is facing an acute financial crisis. (Xinhua)

A Gaza sailboat collector cannot use his vessels. (CSM)

A US diplomatic cable from 1975 blamed Israel for holding back peace due to its stubborn attitudes. (Jerusalem Post)

COMMENTARY:

Hussein Ibish says Hamas is acting more like the Palestinian fashion police than anything else. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

ATFP Pres. Asali looks of the challenges facing US public diplomacy in the Arab world. (Huffington Post)

UK Amb. to Israel Gould says the future lies in the Palestinian security services being trained in Jericho. (YNet)

Christa Case Bryant thinks Kerry has a real chance of securing Israeli-Palestinian peace (CSM)

Osama Al Sharif thinks Kerry faces an uphill battle. (Jordan Times)

Rami Khouri says Kerry needs to remember Deir Yassin. (The Daily Star)

Zvi Bar'el says the Israeli center needs to focus on the economic costs of occupation and the settlements. (Ha'aretz)

Adam Gonn argues Turkey's rapprochement with Israel isn't going very well. (Xinhua)

F. Stephen Larrabee agrees that Israeli-Turkish rapprochement will be slow because of the way tensions unfolded over a long period of time. (CSM)

The National says Palestinians can benefit from Israeli-Turkish rapprochement, especially if it means Turkish pressure on Israel. (The National)

Adnan Abu Amer says Turkey's rapprochement with Israel pushes it away from Hamas. (Al Monitor)

Sefi Rachlevsky profiles an extremist new Israeli MK, Ruth Calderon. (Ha'aretz)

Neri Zilber profiles "the most powerful woman in Israel": Sara Netanyahu. (Foreign Policy)