NEWS:
 
The US may convene a four-way Middle East peace conference in June. (Ha'aretz)
 
Sec. Kerry is also reportedly urging major investments in the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)
 
Palestinian Christian villagers hope the new pope will help them in their struggle against Israel's separation barrier. (AP)
 
EU diplomats reportedly say the US hasn't objected to European plans to label all settlement product imports. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Members of Congress introduce legislation threatening a cutoff of US aid if Hamas members become senior PA officials. (JTA)
 
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister says the country began "as a secular project" but has changed. (JTA)
 
The Syrian regime says it wouldn't use chemical weapons, "even against Israel." (Reuters/AP)
 
Sec. Hagel says Israel did not alert him during his visit to evidence of Syrian government chemical weapons use. (AP)
 
Palestinians are hoping a visit by UNESCO officials will bolster their claims in occupied East Jerusalem. (The National)
 
Eight more Palestinians are injured in a Lebanese refugee camp. (Xinhua)
 
Undercover Israeli occupation forces raid the center of Hebron. (Ma'an)
 
A Palestinian watchdog group says it is looking into corruption by senior officials. (AP)
 
PA police thwart antique smugglers in Bethlehem. (Ma'an)
 
Israel's Attorney General upholds the practice of security personnel checking foreigners' emailrecords at entry points. (AP)
 
Israeli jailers are cleared in the investigation into the death of Ben Zygier, also known as "Prisoner X." (AP)
 
Israel's Knesset debates how to deal with the Armenian genocide. (AP)
 
Former FM Lieberman's trial continues. (Xinhua)
 
Israeli authorities are working on ways to make pilgrimages ecologically sustainable. (CSM)
 
Ramallah hosts the first Palestinian Fashion Week. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli occupation forces demolish a popular Palestinian restaurant in "Area C" of the West Bank. (Al Monitor)
 
ATFP executive director Ghaith Al-Omari and David Makovsky of WINEP take the conversation on Middle East peace to Cornell University. (Cornell Daily Sun) 
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Emily Hauser says Salam Fayyad never found a willing Israeli peace partner. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Gershon Baskin says Israelis interested in peace should buy Palestinian products. (Jerusalem Post)
 
David Makovsky and Gabrielle Tudin asked if Iran's nuclear program is outmaneuvering the US and Israel. (Ha'aretz)
 
George Hishmeh says time is running out for a two-state solution, largely because the US won't pressure Israel. (Gulf News)
 
Lu'ayy Al-Rimawi says Jordan's King Abdullah is a true partner in peace for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Ziyad Abou Habla says Israel's Palestinian citizens need to find new ways to be heard. (Ha'aretz)
 
Gideon Levy says Israel wouldn't have any rational response to Palestinian demands for equal citizenship. (Ha'aretz)
 
Jerome Chanes looks at a new book about threats to democracy by Jewish Israeli religious zealots. (The Forward)
 
Aaron David Miller looks at the work of YaLa Young Leaders. (Foreign Policy)

American Task Force on Palestine - 1634 Eye St. NW, Suite 725, Washington DC 20006 - Telephone: 202-262-0017