News:

Pres. Abbas calls Russia a major player in the peace process. (Xinhua)

Pres. Peres says PM Netanyahu’s insistence on the recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state” is “unnecessary.” (Ha’aretz/AFP)

Palestinians denounce Israeli plans to build new settlements near Jerusalem. (Xinhua)

Israel says it arrested three Palestinian Al-Qaeda recruits accused of plotting to attack the US embassy in Tel Aviv. (Ha’aretz)

An Israeli airstrike kills two Gaza militants. (AP/Xinhua) 

Extremist settlers uproot over 600 olive trees in a village north of Ramallah. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces injure two Palestinians after clashes with settlers. (Ma’an)

UNESCO says it's delaying for another six months an exhibit on the Jewish connections to the Holy Land. (AP)

The Syrian peace talks begin with major disputes over the future of Pres. Assad. (AP/New York Times)

Sec. Kerry says Assad will not be part of any transitional government in Syria. (The State Department)

Pres. Rouhani says hopes are slim for the Syria peace talks. (AP)

Violent clashes erupt in different parts of Syria as peace talks begin. (AP)

The Aleppo airport reopens after one year of closure. (AFP)

Jordan arrests five arm smugglers coming from Syria. (AP/The Jordan Times)

The UN is concerned about escalating terrorist attacks in Lebanon. (Xinhua)

The Iraqi government will create three new provinces in an attempt to address Sunni grievances. (AP)

An Egyptian court sentences three activists to two years each for vandalizing a state memorial. (AP)

Members of Bahrain’s political opposition are holding talks with the government. (AP)

The Turkish government dismisses another 470 police officers. (Xinhua)

Commentary:

Peter Beinart says the only person who can legitimately claim to speak for Jewish Americans on the subject of Iran is Pres. Obama. (Ha’aretz)

Naomi Sheffer and Gabi Sheffer say that the IDF has instituted a military dictatorship in the occupied West Bank. (Ha’aretz)

Matthew Hays says many Canadians feel uncomfortable about PM Harper’s visit to Israel.  (Ha’aretz)

Anne-Marie Slaughter says Obama must put the threat of force against Assad on the table in Geneva II. (The Daily Star)

The New York Times says the Geneva II talks must at least achieve a cease-fire and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilians. (The New York Times)

Frederic Hof says Geneva II talks will be meaningless without a cease-fire. (The Gulf News)

Tom Friedman says Syria is a "potential human/ecological disaster zone," and that Iran and Saudi Arabia should help build the country, not destroy it. (The New York Times)

The LA Times says the Geneva II conference could help to stop the killing, speed humanitarian assistance, and lay the groundwork for a political transition. (Los Angeles Times)

The National says Russia and Iran must stop supporting the “crazy person” of Syria. (The National)

The Jordan Times says the Geneva II talks are doomed to failure without Iranian participation. (The Jordan Times)

Joshua Cohen says the presence of western intelligence agencies cooperating with the Assad regime demonstrates how messy the Syrian conflict has become.  (The Times of Israel)

Marwan Muasher says the struggle for pluralism in the Arab world is worth waging and winning. (Foreign Policy)

Jed Ober says if the Egyptian interim government wants democracy then its time to give its people the rights that make democracy reality.  (Foreign Policy)