News:

Pres. Abbas says Palestinians will go to the UN before Israel’s elections. (Ha’aretz)

Israel’s military orders a criminal investigation of one of its deadliest airstrikes in last summer's war in Gaza. (AP/New York Times/The National)

Israeli National Security Advisor Cohen says PA could collapse if Israel withholds tax funds. (Ha’aretz)

King Abdullah of Jordan says “door is still open” for Middle East peace process. (Ynet)

Former PM Barak says a new government that doesn't pursue the peace process will endanger Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

Abbas orders an investigation into the legal status of 2,800 non-government organizations and associations. (Times of Israel)

A Palestinian official says Jewish settlers have been expanding an illegal settlement outpost in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 19 Palestinians in raids across the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Israel arrests several suspects in the arson attack on a joint Arab-Jewish school in Jerusalem. (JTA/Ynet)

Israel accuses Palestinians of looting antiquities. (AP)

A Knesset committee unanimously approves bill to dissolve the Knesset and set March 17 as the date for new elections. (JTA)

Sec. Kerry says the US will not interfere in the next Israeli election. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Syrian officials say Israeli warplanes have struck at least two areas near Damascus. (New  York Times/Washington Post/JTA/Times of Israel) 

Russia demands an Israeli explanation of airstrikes in Syria. (Ha’aretz)

UNICEF declares 2014 a devastating year for children as many as 15 million caught in conflicts. (Reuters/New York Times)

Kerry urges “patience” while vowing that the P5+1 nuclear talks would not continue without "tangible progress." (AP)

PM Netanyahu says Israel played a key role in stopping a deal with Iran. (AFP/JTA)

Qatar halts its bid to broker the release of Lebanese soldiers and policemen captured by Al-Nusra. (Reuters)

The UK closes its embassy in Cairo over security fears. (AP/The National)

The New York Times looks at the implications in the arrest of Jordan’s deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood Rushaid. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Shibley Telhami asks if Americans care about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Foreign Policy)

Oudeh Basharat says Palestinian citizens of Israel must vote in the upcoming election. (Ha’aretz)

Ron Kampeas says former Sec. Clinton endorsed Pres. Obama’s Israel’s-related positions at the Saban Forum. (JTA)

Aaron David Miller says if Israel passes the proposed “Jewish nation-state” bill, it will incite not only more internal strife but violence. (Foreign Policy)

Anshel Pfeffer says Netanyahu’s actions and attitudes resemble Pres. Putin, Pres. Sissi and Pres. Erdogan. (Ha’aretz)

J.J. Goldberg says Netanyahu might lose the election. (Jewish Daily Forward)

Jackson Diehl says Obama’s “no military solution” derails political options in foreign policy. (Washington Post)

Raed Omari says the Syrian people have passed a point of no return and cannot replicate their past again.(Al Arabiya)

Peter Hellyer says it’s unfair to label the UAE as uncaring over the plight of Syrians. (The National)

Salman Aldossary looks at the five challenges the GCC is facing. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Jordan Times says women deserve more than the 10 per cent quota accorded them in the current electoral system. (Jordan Times)

Shaarik Zafar explains how the US engages with international Muslim communities. (Al Arabiya)