NEWS:

Hamas says the Egyptian military is building a buffer zone with Gaza and strengthening its isolationon all fronts. (Reuters/AP)

Egypt condemns a raid by Hamas on an Egyptian cultural center in Gaza. (Xinhua)

Hamas again asks Egypt to reopen the border crossing with Gaza permanently. (Xinhua)

The Egyptian military says it has killed 15 militants in the Sinai Peninsula. (Reuters)

A planned meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials has been postponed, although other reports say negotiators met secretly on Saturday. (AP/Xinhua)

Negotiators are said to be ready to meet again on Tuesday, although amid disputes. (Xinhua/Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians say they would like Pres. Abbas to discuss the talks with Sec. Kerry in Europe. (Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Israel says it has conducted a joint missile test with the United States, and Russia expresses alarm. (AP/Reuters)

The Arab League endorses international action in Syria. (New York Times)

Pres. Peres supports Pres. Obama's policy toward Syria, although most Israelis are staying quiet. (New York Times)

Many Israelis believe the stakes are high for them in any US attack on Syria. (Christian Science Monitor)

Yet another Palestinian refugee is killed in the Syrian conflict. (Ma'an)

Hamas insists it will not be dragged into any conflict on the question of Syria. (Xinhua)

Lebanon braces for the fallout of any US attack on Syria. (Washington Post)

The number of refugees from Syria in neighboring countries has passed 2 million. (New York Times/AP)

Palestinian truck thieves briefly disrupt work at Israel's international Airport. (AP)

Egyptian authorities accuse a bird of "spying" for Israel. (AP)

Israeli authorities detain Raed Salah, the head of the main Islamist group in Israel. (Ma'an/Jerusalem Post)

Israel pledges to destroy settler structures built with forged deeds on Palestinian land. (Ha'aretz)

COMMENTARY:

Hussein Ibish urges Congress to authorize military action in Syria. (Now Media)

Elizabeth O'Bagy says her experiences on the ground prove Jihadists are not dominating the Syrian rebels. (Wall Street Journal)

Murhaf Jouejati says the US should strengthen the secular opposition in Syria to promote democracy. (Al Monitor)

Bruce Riedel says the US should also conduct a major information campaign against Al Qaeda in Syria. (Al Monitor)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says Western airstrikes would be the beginning of the end for Pres. Assad. (Asharq Al Awsat)

The New York Times says Obama needs to make his case for action better. (New York Times)

Vali Nasr says US credibility is now on the line in Syria. (New York Times)

The LA Times says limited strikes make sense but a US-led campaign for regime change does not. (Los Angeles Times)

Blake Hounshell says Obama's decision might be good domestic politics but could turn out to be strategically catastrophic. (The National)

Steven Cook says he's changed his mind and now thinks US intervention would destroy Syria. (Washington Post)

J.J. Goldberg says all scenarios in Syria produce bad outcomes for the United States. (The Forward)

Rami Khouri warns US air strikes against Syria could violate international norms and backfire. (The Daily Star)

David Horovitz says Obama's decision to seek approval from Congress horrified many Israelis. (Times of Israel)

Yaron London says American "indecisiveness" on Syria shows Israel cannot rely on the United States. (YNet)

Peter Beinart says Jewish Americans are willfully ignoring the existential conundrums facing Israel. (New York Review of Books)

Jill Jacobs says Jewish Americans should see the fate of Israel's Bedouin communities as a test of Jewish values. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass looks at new arguments being used by the Israeli government to justify the destruction of eight villages near Hebron. (Ha'aretz)

Oudeh Basharat says there are plenty of overlooked reasons for optimism about the Arab world. (Ha'aretz)

Yan Barakat says peace between Israel and Jordan on paper needs to become culturally internalized. (Jerusalem Post)

Aaron Magid says the Israeli left should give PM Netanyahu more credit. (Jerusalem Post)

Bassem Sabry asks if Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood is all but destroyed. (Al Monitor)

Hussein Ibish says Arab Americans should learn from the March on Washington and embrace American politics. (The National)

NEWS:

US intelligence has spent considerable resources spying on foes, but also on Israel. (Washington Post)

Israel's Bedouin citizens feel betrayed by a mass relocation plan. (Reuters)

Palestinian officials reject Norwegian comments about cutting aid if there is no progress on peace. (Xinhua)

Egyptian naval vessels shoot at and arrest Palestinian fishermen near the Egypt-Gaza border. (Ma'an)

The US is still set for a limited strike against Syria despite a "no" vote in the British Parliament. (New York Times)

France says airstrikes against Syria could begin as early as Wednesday. (AFP)

Russia beefs up its naval presence off the Syrian coast in advance of potential airstrikes. (Los Angeles Times)

Potential US airstrikes in Syria pose new challenges to the Egyptian government and opposition. (New York Times)

PM Netanyahu says there is "a low probability" Israel will be drawn into conflict with Syria. (Times of Israel)

Sec. Hagel says the US is seeking an international coalition for action on Syria. (Xinhua)

Officials from various Palestinian factions oppose a US strike on Syria. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt denies an Israeli ship docking permission for repairs. (AP)

Uganda denies cutting a deal with Israel over deported African migrants. (Reuters)

A Muslim Brotherhood member is shot and injured by Egyptian forces in Sinai unrest. (Ma'an) 

Eyewitnesses say a bloody August 24 attack in Sinai was conducted by an ambulance car bomb. (Asharq Al-Awsat)


COMMENTARY:

Hussein Ibish asks if Syria is being "Lebanized" or Lebanon being "Syrianized," as Hezbollah draws its country into the Syrian war (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Michael Gordon says the purpose of US strikes on Syria will be to restore deterrence, not oust Pres. Assad. (New York Times)

Edward Joseph and Elizabeth O’Bagy ask what to do next after the US strike. (Foreign Policy)

Yoel Marcus says the use of chemical weapons and the question of Iran are the turning point for the US in Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Roger Cohen says Assad must be made to pay a price for using chemical weapons. (New York Times)

Ari Shavit says the US has no choice but to act in Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Jeffrey Goldberg thinks a US strike against Syria might actually make things worse. (Bloomberg)

Robin Wright asks what's the next step after US air strikes against Syria. (Los Angeles Times)

Caspian Makan says the world should have acted before Syria turned to chemical weapons. (YNet)

The Jerusalem Post asks if Syrian and Iranian threats of retaliation are just bluster. (Jerusalem Post)

Bradley Burston compares the evil taking place in Syria to Auschwitz. (Ha'aretz)

Hassan Haidar says Pres. Assad is "no longer an acceptable interlocutor." (Al Hayat)

Walid Choucair says the US is hoping airstrikes would lead to Geneva 2, or at least no more use of chemical weapons. (Al Hayat)

The Arab News says Saudi Arabia believes it's time for serious and decisive action against the Syrian regime. (The Arab News)

Arron Merat says the crisis over Syria offers a new opportunity for US-Iranian negotiations. (Al Monitor)

David Brooks says the biggest security threat in the world is growing sectarian tension in the Middle East. (New York Times)

Mara Revkin describes growing radicalization in the Sinai Peninsula. (Washington Post)

Seth Freedman says the Israeli military should praise, not punish, dancing Israeli soldiers. (The Guardian)

Daniel Byman asks if, in spite of its current difficulties, Hamas is actually winning in the long run. (The Washington Quarterly)

NEWS:

Palestinian officials claim they have a US letter of assurance that backs a Palestinian state and identifies Israeli settlement as illegal. (Xinhua)

The Egyptian envoy to Palestine accuses Hamas of incitement. (Al Monitor)

Egypt detains five Hamas members in connection with a mass shooting of Egyptian soldiers in Sinai. (Times of Israel)

Sec. Hagel says there are no plans to cut military aid to Egypt. (AFP)

Pres. Abbas has formed a committee to reach out to all sectors of Israeli civil society. (Xinhua)

Yesh Atid leader Lapid forbids his MKs from attending a Ramallah meeting with Abbas. (Ha'aretz)

A new Israeli government map would seem to endorse partition along the 1967 lines. (JTA)

Israelis take a stoical view of the chaos in neighboring countries. (New York Times)

Israelis are preparing for the consequences of a possible American strike on Syria. (New York Times)

Israel's former military intelligence chief says the US must choose the "best worst" option in Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Most Israelis don't think Syria will retaliate against them for an American strike, but they are preparing anyway. (Xinhua)

Israel approves a limited draft of military reservists. (Xinhua)

Israel pledges to hold Pres.Assad responsible if Hezbollah acts against Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli soldiers are disciplined for dancing while on patrol in the occupied Palestinian territories. (AP)

Israel arrests a Gaza man who was preparing to travel to a US-sponsored West Bank cultural event. (AP)

Some Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem are switching to an Israeli curriculum. (Ma'an)

Israel backtracks on confiscating a Palestinian family's East Jerusalem hotel. (Ha'aretz)

A new Emergency Treatment Room of the Red Crescent Society Hospital in Jerusalem Is opened. (PNN)

Palestinian children are common all-but-invisible laborers in Israeli settlements. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Two more UC campuses are exonerated of fostering an anti-Semitic climate. (Los Angeles Times)


COMMENTARY:

Lee Hamilton says Israeli-Palestinian peace is still essential. (Politico)

Daniel Seidemann and Lara Friedman say Netanyahu must rein in extremists and his cabinet for peace talks to survive. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Akiva Eldar asks if there will be a place for Jews in a future Palestinian state. (Al Monitor)

Douglas Bloomfield says the US should rely more on public diplomacy, not threats, to keep Israel and the Palestinians at the negotiating table. (Jerusalem Post)

David Ignatius says US credibility is now on the line in Syria. (Washington Post)

Ari Shavit says the United States has no choice but to attack Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Eyad Abu Shakra says a US military strike will happen, but it's intentions are not yet clear. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Michael Young says US actions in Syria are likely to be limited. (The Daily Star)

Elias Harfoush says there seems to be a new Pres. Obama, thanks to Pres. Assad. (Al Hayat)

Manuel Almeida says Syria finds itself trapped between a warning and a game changer. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Gershon Baskin says increased security cooperation is essential to prevent further bloody confrontations in the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post)

Amira Hass tries, in vain, to make sense of Israel's exit policies regarding Gaza residents. (Ha'aretz)

Carlo Strenger says Israel's right-wing doesn't realize the occupation is damaging its essential relations with the West. (Ha'aretz)

Hagai Segal says Israel's apology to Turkey over the deadly flotilla affair now looks like weakness. (YNet)

Joschka Fischer says Egypt, and much of the Middle East, is caught between dictatorship versus dictatorship. (Jordan Times)

Richard Behar asks why so many Palestinian high-tech entrepreneurs hated his cover story on their industry. (Forbes)

NEWS:

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

The Arab League denounces Syria for chemical weapons use but declines to back an American military response. (New York Times)

The US is seen as wanting to "punish" Syria for chemical weapons use but not seek immediate regime change. (AFP)

Iran says any attack against Syria would prompt retaliation against Israel. (New York Times)

Israel says it would retaliate against any attack. (Los Angeles Times)

Iran says Israeli "aggressions" against regional states must stop. (Xinhua)

Israel primarily fears Syrian missiles or nerve gas reaching Hezbollah. (Xinhua)

There is a rush in Israel for gas masks. (AP)

Palestinian police are investigating the killing of a Palestinian man by their own forces. (AP/Ma'an)

Experts say China has much at risk but little leverage in the Middle East. (Reuters)

Norway's FM warns Israel and the Palestinians that without progress, the world may stop bankrolling Palestinian state-building. (Jerusalem Post)

Other Gaza factions appear highly skeptical about Hamas' suggestions they join the government. (Al Monitor)

Egypt intensifies its crackdown on Gaza smuggling tunnels. (Daily Mail)

The US Dept. of Education dismisses complaints by Jewish students at UC Berkeley that criticism of Israel is "harassment." (Los Angeles Times)


COMMENTARY:

Michael Weiss says the US should try to oust Assad and lays out a scenario for how. (Foreign Affairs)

Frederic Hof evaluates Sec. Kerry's Syria speech. (Atlantic Council)

Aaron David Miller says the US has little to gain in Syria. (Foreign Policy)

Rami Khouri says there are no easy solutions in Syria. (The Daily Star)

Ali Ibrahim looks at American options in Syria. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Doyle McManus says the administration's goals in Syria are likely to be very modest. (Los Angeles Times)

David Rothkopf says whatever the administration does in Syria is likely to be too little, too late. (Foreign Policy)

Foreign Policy lists 35 sites in Syria it thinks are likely American targets. (Foreign Policy)

Nahum Barnea says Israel should not take any action in Syria. (New York Times)

Shlomi Eldar says Israel should be part of an anti-Assad coalition. (Al Monitor)

Anshel Pfeffer looks at American options in Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Mitch Ginsburg says, for Israel, it's a pity both sides in Syria can't lose. (Times of Israel)

Semih Idiz asks if Turkey's parliament will approve military action in Syria. (Al Monitor)

Khaled Diab says Israel remains a convenient scapegoat throughout the Islamic world. (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says, if PM Netanyahu is serious about peace, he will stop damaging actions like the raid on Qalandiyah. (Ha'aretz)

Zvi Bar'el says Israel and the Palestinians have no choice but to cooperate in order to survive. (Ha'aretz)

Hillel Halkin says many Israelis feel vindicated by their skepticism about the "Arab Spring." (The Forward)

NEWS:

Palestinian source say, despite reports to the contrary, negotiators met in Jericho Monday night. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

Islamic Jihad joins Hamas in condemning the peace negotiations with Israel. (Al Monitor)

UNRWA condemns the killing of one of its staff members in Qalandia by Israeli occupation forces. (Ma'an)

Hamas is planning to execute another Palestinian convicted of spying for Israel. (Xinhua)

Suspected Jewish extremists attack an Arab neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. (AP)

A Palestinian family moves into a cave after Israeli occupation forces destroy their home in East Jerusalem. (Ha'aretz)

The PA security forces spokesman says Hamas is "in a state of hysteria." (Ma'an)

Pres. Peres calls on the UN to end the bloodshed in Syria. (AP)

Israeli intelligence is said to be central to the US case on chemical weapons against Syria. (Times of Israel)

An Israeli delegation meets with National Security Advisor Rice. (YNet)

Tel Aviv schools deny that they are segregating and discriminating against African migrant children. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian journalists protest press restrictions by Israel, the PA and Hamas. (Times of Israel)

Former Israeli soldiers in Australia speak frankly about occupation tactics. (The Australian)


COMMENTARY:

Hussein Ibish says any US intervention in Syria should be strategic and designed to change the balance of power on the ground. (Now Media)

Faisal Al Yafai says the Kosovo crisis has lessons for Syria today. (The National)

Diana Moukalled says Pres. Assad is proceeding with life as normal. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Akiva Eldar says the tragedy in Syria is a warning for Israel. (Al Monitor)

Shlomi Eldar says an American attack on Syria will achieve very little, if anything. (Al Monitor)

Ben Sales says some Israelis see potential American action in Syria as a harbinger for Iran. (JTA)

Mohammad Salah says Pres. Obama is right that US-Egypt relations will never be the same, but mainly because Egyptians' views have changed. (Al Hayat)

Roni Schocken says Israel is moving towards becoming more "Jewish" and less "democratic". (Ha'aretz)

Gershom Gorenberg says PM Netanyahu is an effective politician but an incompetent manager. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Avi Issacharoff says Palestinians will not accept explanations that "Israeli soldiers felt endangered" to justify killing demonstrators. (Times of Israel)

Amira Hass says individual horror stories cannot be ranked. (Ha'aretz)

Salman Masalha says the Arab world cannot move forward if it keeps looking back to its past. (Ha'aretz)

Shlomi Yass and Yuval Dagan look at surveys reflecting Arab views of democracy. (Jerusalem Post)

Diana Atallah and Linda Gradstein say the PA is moving to strengthen its ties with the new Egyptian government. (The Media Line)

NEWS:

At least 31 Palestinians are among the dead in an alleged chemical attack by Syrian government forces. (Ma'an/Ynet)

Pres. Assad warns the US against any intervention in Syria. (New York Times)

Israel urges American leaders to respond to Syrian "crimes." (AP)

Israelis do not believe they will be attacked if there is a US-led campaign against Syrian targets. (Times of Israel)

Under threat of further attacks, Hezbollah has turned its main neighborhood in Beirut into a fortress. (Christian Science Monitor)

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah are also increasing. (The Media Line)

Three Palestinians are killed by Israeli occupation forces in a raid on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times/AP/Reuters)

Palestinian negotiators say they have suspended Monday's meetings in protest of the killings. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

The PA condemns and calls for an inquiry into the Qalandia killings. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

Thousands attend funerals for the victims of the Qalandia killings. (Ma'an)

Pres. Abbas insists Palestinians want to achieve peace through negotiations. (Ma'an)

Israel's Housing Minister Ariel declares there will never be a two-state solution. (Jerusalem Post)

Hamas says it will invite other factions to participate in ruling Gaza. (Xinhua)

Israel insists it's pressing forward with 1,500 settlement housing units in occupied East Jerusalem. (AP)

Egypt's FM Fahmi meets with Abbas in Ramallah, and expresses strong ties with Palestine. (Ma'an/Wafa)

Egypt reopens the Gaza border crossing after five days of closure. (New York Times/AP)

B’Tselem collects reports on torture and abuse against Palestinians by Israeli forces. (PNN)

Tel Aviv has introduced racially segregated kindergartens for African migrants. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Jewish-Muslim dialogue is growing around the world. (Times of Israel)

Hamas and Fatah crack down on each other in the West Bank and Gaza, respectively. (Al Monitor)

Palestinians pioneer sign language banking. (Al Monitor)


COMMENTARY:

Hussein Ibish says the US remains the most important player in the Middle East, despite self-doubts, and should lead. (The National)

Shaul Arieli says both Israelis and Palestinians have to prepare for the potential for negotiations to fail. (Ha'aretz)

Amos Harel says Israel must prepare for the consequences of US strikes against Syria. (Ha'aretz)

Mitch Ginsburg says it is in Israel's interest that Assad not prevail. (Times of Israel)

Oudeh Basharat says talk of Israel being a "Jewish state" boils down to anti-Arab racism. (Ha'aretz)

Leonard Fein says justice demands a boycott of the Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied West Bank. (The Forward)

Dmitry Shumsky says Israel is undermining its national project by castigating various minorities as inferior. (Ha'aretz)

Mostafa Zein says Pres. Obama is trapped between pragmatism and idealism in the Middle East. (Al Hayat)

Ibrahim Al-Othaimain says Israeli-Iranian relations are driven by interests, not ideology. (Arab News)

Dominique Moisi says Israel is the "unlikely winner" from the Arab uprisings. (The Daily Star)

Ben Caspit thinks UNSG Ban's Middle East visit shows the West's waning influence in the region. (Al Monitor)

India Stoughton looks at a new book on the Palestinian side of Israel's West Bank separation barrier. (The Daily Star)

NEWS:

Israeli warplanes bomb an area south of Beirut, in retaliation for rockets fired into Israel. (The Daily Star/New York Times)

Two explosions rock the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. (AP)

Israel may be preparing to approve 1,500 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem. (PNN)

The PA calls on the Middle East Quartet to stop Israel's settlement expansions. (Ma'an)

Israel calls anti-Japanese statements by one of its officials "unacceptable." (AP)

Pres. Abbas says the prisoner release issue is separate from peace talks. (Ma'an)

Abbas says there has been no progress in peace talks. (PNN)

Abbas affirms a peace agreement would end all claims against Israel. (Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)

Abbas will host Rosh Hashanah with Israeli MKs. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel expels a freed Palestinian prisoner from the West Bank to Gaza. (Xinhua)

Israel's chief negotiator Livni calls on the Labor Party to join the coalition and support peace talks with the Palestinians. (Xinhua)

Masked men stab a PA intelligence officer near Nablus. (Ma'an)

Hamas claims the youth movement calling for its ouster in Gaza was "trained by Egyptian intelligence." (Jerusalem Post)

The leader of a Salafist group in Gaza calls for a "Jihad" against the new Egyptian government. (Al Monitor)

Bedouins deny harboring militants as the conflict in Sinai intensifies. (Al Monitor)

Ultra-Orthodox tourism is thriving in Israel. (The Media Line)

Settlers and other Israelis complain Palestinians are "crossing freely" into Israel from certain parts of the West Bank. (Jerusalem Post)


COMMENTARY:

Ha'aretz says Israel should scrap proposed laws defining its "Jewish character" and move to integrate its Arab minority. (Ha'aretz)

Yair Ettinger says Israelis need to understand they can no longer rely on automatic support from Jewish Americans. (Ha'aretz)

Uri Savir says few Israeli politicians are honest with the public about the need for a peace agreement with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Avi Issacharoff says Hamas is defiantly pushing back against Egypt, Israel and its recent losses. (Times of Israel)

Sarah Seltzer says, in a battle of competing boycotts, both Alice Walker and the University of Michigan Center for Education for Women are wrong. (The Forward)

Nathan Guttman says Israeli-Turkish relations are once again collapsing, despite US efforts at reconciliation. (The Forward)

Barın Kayaoğlu says PM Erdogan's latest remarks critical of Israel reflect a broader anti-Semitism. (Al Monitor)

Meir Javedanfar looks at the strained relationship between Hamas and Hezbollah. (Al Monitor)

Mazal Mualem interviews MK Issawi Frej, who explains why he joined a left-wing Israeli party. (Al Monitor)

Nabila Ramdani says, for peace to succeed, it's necessary for Sec. Kerry to understand what daily life under occupation is like. (New Statesman)

Sherine Bahaa questions the usefulness of the new peace talks. (Ahram Weekly)

NEWS:

Israeli and Palestinian police may begin performing joint patrols in areas of the occupied West Bank. (Washington Post)

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are divided on what the US role in their talks should be. (Xinhua/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

The PLO threatens to go to international bodies if Israel's settlement activities continue. (AFP/YNet)

Palestinian researchers say Israel is strengthening Bethlehem settlements. (Ma'an)

Analysts say Hamas' crackdown on a youth group demanding its ouster shows signs of panic. (Los Angeles Times)

Israeli extremists reportedly threaten PM Netanyahu with the fate of the late PM Rabin. (Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

A senior Israeli official says his government believes Syria has used chemical weapons in that country's conflict. (AP/Reuters)

Egypt accuses Hamas of harboring Sinai terrorists. (Times of Israel)

Tensions between Hamas and Islamic Jihad reignite after a clash at a disputed mosque in Gaza. (Al Monitor)

Sec. Hagel confers with his Israeli counterpart Ya'alon on Middle East security matters. (Xinhua)

Jordan and Israel are negotiating a water-sharing deal. (Xinhua)

An Israeli court has granted an East Jerusalem widow a last-minute reprieve from deportation. (Ha'aretz)

Dozens rally in Gaza against the Israeli blockade. (Xinhua)

A right-wing Israeli politician running forJerusalem's City Council wants Arabs excluded from public parks. (Ha'aretz)

Hamas is reportedly preparing to execute a boy arrested at age 14. (The Media Line)

A Palestinian journalist is attacked by masked men in Gaza. (Ma'an)

Imports from Israel are lowering tomato prices in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

A new Palestinian film will premiere at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival. (Ma'an)

The Lebanese government says it wants to register unlicensed Palestinian organizations. (The Daily Star)

COMMENTARY:

Khalil Shikaki and Steven Cohen say Palestinian public opinion is one reason for optimism on peace. (Christian Science Monitor)

Douglas Bloomfield asks why, if it is serious about peace, Israel keeps announcing ever more settlements. (Jerusalem Post)

Dan Sagir suggests measures to strengthen peace talks. (Ha'aretz)

Amiel Ungar says Israelis have good reason to be skeptical about peace. (Ha'aretz)

Akiva Eldar says pro-peace Israelis need to make the connection between peace and the Iran issue. (Al Monitor)

Ilene Prusher looks of the dilemma over how to compromise over Jerusalem. (Ha'aretz)

Aaron Magid asks how the negotiations will affect Netanyahu's cabinet. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Shmuel Rosner says Israelis can't decide whether the 1993 Oslo agreements were a mistake or not. (Al Monitor)

The CSM interviews a released Palestinian prisoner, Khaled Asakreh, says he has "completely changed." (Christian Science Monitor)

Barak Ravid says Israel's national security advisor is a strange choice for the post. (Ha'aretz)

Noah Beck looks at intensifying Israeli-Indian strategic ties. (Jerusalem Post)

Sam Gilbert looks at a "heartbreaking" Palestinian stuffed animal zoo in the occupied West Bank. (Vice)

NEWS:

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet twice in secret on Tuesday. (Xinhua/YNet/Times of Israel)

Pres. Abbas calls for an effective US role in the Israeli-Palestinian talks. (Xinhua)

Abbas says Israel is "placing obstacles" in the way of continuing with negotiations. (PNN)

Palestinians say they are still considering more moves at the UN despite peace talks. (AP)

Three more Palestinian refugees are killed in fighting in Syria. (Ma'an)

Hamas denounces a new movement in Gaza calling for its ouster. (Ma'an)

Hamas calls on Egypt to open the border crossing with Gaza, and rejects the notion of an Israeli crossing as an alternative. (Reuters/Xinhua)

A Palestinian man is killed in a raid by Israeli occupation forces in Jenin. (New York Times)

Israeli forces shoot and injure two Palestinians in northern Gaza. (Ma'an)

Hamas is persisting with executions despite appeals from human rights groups. (New York Times)

Israeli police say suspected Jewish extremist vandals have defaced another Christian monastery. (AP/YNet)

Israel accuses an Arab citizen of joining extremist rebels in Syria. (AP)

Israel destroys two Palestinian homes in the Negev desert. (Ma'an)

The Israeli government issues a travel advisory for certain countries ahead of the Jewish holidays. (Xinhua)

The Bank of Palestine announces a net profit of $18.7 Million for the first half of 2013. (PNN)

A settler leader demands payment for trying to save an unauthorized, wildcat outpost. (Ha'aretz)

Israel's Supreme Court is set to rule on the legality of Israeli settlement boycotts. (Jerusalem Post)

Israelis are becoming increasingly concerned about unrest in Sinai. (The Guardian)

American supporters of Israel are deeply divided over the question of aid to Egypt. (The Forward)

Human rights activists are not challenging Hamas' ban on Internet porn for fear of social judgment. (Al Monitor)


COMMENTARY:

ATFP President Ziad Asali says Egypt must preserve its strategic relationship with the United States. (CBC TV)

Aaron David Miller and Edward Joseph suggest Arab states construct a union of democracies. (Washington Post)

Benedetta Berti says Israelis should realize a prolonged civil war in Syria is bad news for them. (Christian Science Monitor)

Dmitry Shumsky says Palestinian citizens of Israel have most to gain from an Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty. (Ha'aretz)

Zvi Bar'el says, with the loss of its ally in Egypt, Turkey is losing influence in the Middle East as a whole. (Ha'aretz)

Linda Gradstein says PM Erdogan's accusations that Israel was behind the ouster of former Egyptian Pres. Morsi have reignited tensions with Israel. (The Media Line)

Leonard Fein says it makes no sense for Israel to cut off scientific cooperation with the EU out of anger. (The Forward)

Mazal Mualem looks at an unexpected new alliance between ultra-Orthodox and left-wing forces in Israel. (Al Monitor)

Maysoon Zayid says few Palestinians really care about prisoner release. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

J. J. Goldberg says the fight over the nomination of Sec. Hagel transformed the Jewish American political landscape. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Robert Wexler says the US should not engage in "arm-twisting" on Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Politico)

NEWS:

Hamas welcomes the return of PA forces to the Gaza-Egypt border. (Xinhua)

Hamas says it understands Egypt's security concerns, but still demands the reopening of the border crossing. (PNN)

Hamas continues to reach out to Iran and Hezbollah for reconciliation in a series of meetings. (Reuters)

A new movement in Gaza advocates the overthrow of Hamas. (Ma'an/Jerusalem Post)

A second round of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is set to begin. (AP)

Israelis and Palestinians have reportedly formed seven subcommittees to examine specific issues. (APA)

Palestinians reiterate they would not have returned to negotiations with Israel without an American letter of assurance. (Times of Israel)

Israel's chief negotiator Livni says the Bayit Yehudi party's presence in the coalition hinders peace. (Jerusalem Post)

A Yesh Atid party official says the Palestinian capital will be in Jerusalem. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli officials reportedly tell Americans backing the new Egyptian government is important to peace talks. (AP)

Israeli experts say the country should advocate for the new Egyptian government, but quietly. (Jerusalem Post)

The Turkish government accuses Israel of being behind the ouster of former Egyptian Pres. Morsi. (AP/Ha'aretz)

Israeli forces kill one Palestinian and wound two others in a raid on Jenin. (Reuters/Ma'an)

The Israeli Navy reportedly opens fire on Palestinian fishing vessels off the coast of Gaza. (Ma'an)

Egypt arrests 11 terrorists in Sinai. (Xinhua)

Israeli officials accuse Hezbollah of hiding rocket launchers in civilian homes. (Jerusalem Post)

A West Bank computer hacker finds a major glitch in Facebook's security. (AP)

Israel apologizes to Japan over offensive Facebook comments by one of its officials. (Ha'aretz)

The UN says efforts to find a compromise between Israel and the Arab states over the nuclear issuehave failed. (Reuters)

UNSG Ban says Israel does not face discrimination at the UN. (Times of Israel)

The Wadi Gaza valley is suffering severe environmental damage from local neglect and Israel's blockade. (Al Monitor)

Palestinian refugees from Syria are living in cramped conditions and terrible squalor in Lebanon. (Los Angeles Times)

Israelis and Palestinians work together to clear medicines from treated waste water. (Jerusalem Post)