News:
 
Leaked reports suggest Sec. Kerry’s potential framework proposal could have modest goals. (The Globe and Mail)  

The PA reportedly informs Kerry that it will not accept his framework as it currently stands. (The Times of Israel)

Jewish American leaders send a letter to PM Netanyahu praising Kerry’s efforts. (The Jerusalem Post)

King Abdullah of Jordan urges Jewish American organizations to back Washington’s peace initiative. (The Jordan Times)

Israeli right-wing politicians take part in a demonstration against peace talks. (Xinhua/Ma’an/The Jerusalem Post)

Israeli forces kill a Palestinian man at the Gaza border. (Los Angeles Times/The New York Times)

Representatives of various Palestinian political parties meet in Gaza to discuss negotiations and national reconciliation. (Ma’an)

Hamas objects to UN human rights books in schools. (AP)

A Palestinian family in Hebron is suing the Israeli police for failure to act on evidence of tree vandalism. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli occupation forces raid a house in Bethlehem. (PNN)

Arab idol winner Assaf says he has been “banned” from singing at the World Cup ceremony. (Ma’an)

Washington hopes the Sochi Winter Olympics will force Pres. Putin’s hands on Syria. (Foreign Policy)

Russia rejects a proposal that could remove Pres. Assad from power. (The Wall Street Journal)

Syrian evacuees from Homs comment on their dire living conditions. (The Washington Post)

Barrel bombs wreak havoc in Aleppo's opposition-held neighborhoods . (The Los Angeles Times)

The UN halts the evacuation of civilians from the city of Homs. (AP)

11 people are killed in insurgent attacks in Iraq. (Xinhua) 

Bahrain arrests 29 people at the anniversary of the ongoing uprisings. (AP/Reuters)

Libyan PM Zeidan says the government is safe after an army statement. (Reuters/AFP)

Commentary:

Ha’aretz says the Knesset is doing everything in its power to thwart peace talks. (Ha’aretz)

Elliott Abrams says the US must demand that a future Palestinian state be democratic. (Council on Foreign Relations)

Thomas Friedman says Israelis ought to define what they mean by “the nation state of the Jewish people.” (The New York Times)

Bakir Oweida says the UN can and must do more for Palestinian refugees. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Yossi Sarid says, by rejecting the US-Palestinian anti-incitement proposal, Netanyahu’s government is perpetuating the conflict. (Ha’aretz)

Ben Caspit says Israeli FM Liberman has a secret plan to take over the Likud party. (Al-Monitor)

David Weinberg says the boycott threat against Israel has been inflated. (The Jerusalem Post) 

Noa Osterreicher says Economy Minister Bennett needs a “reality check.”  (Ha’aretz)

The Jerusalem Post says helping Palestinians solve their water issues is not only the right thing to do, but could provide considerable political gains. (The Jerusalem Post)

Ben Barber says compensating Jews from Arab countries may win their support for Kerry’s initiative. (McClatchy)

Barry Leff says the Jerusalem municipality’s planning approval for a Yeshiva council in an Arab neighborhood is more than bad timing.  (The Jerusalem Post)

David Ignatius says a regional accord that defuses the sectarian schism can end the war in Syria. (The Daily Star)

Eyad Abu Shakra blames the Syrian crisis on both American “retrenchment” and reported Iranian collusion with Al-Qaeda groups in Syria. (Asharq Alawsat)

Hassan Mneimneh says recent developments in Syria threaten to deal a serious blow to Al-Qaeda. (The German Marshall Fund)

Adel El-Adawy says the US is an indispensable partner for Egypt, and Russia cannot take its place. (The Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

Mieczyslaw Boduszynski and Kristin Fabbe say the US must speak up against the assaults on democracy in both Egypt and Turkey. (Christian Science Monitor)

José Ciro Martínez says Jordanians are showing signs of restlessness, and any instability in Jordan will reverberate in the whole region. (Los Angeles Times)

The Brookings Institute issues a new study called “The Arab World Learning Barometer”  which highlights shortcomings in educational access and learning among children and youth in the Arab world. (The Brookings Institute)
 

News:
Palestinian negotiator Erekat says PM Netanyahu needs to prepare the Israeli public for difficult concessions. (The Jerusalem Post) 
Sec. Kerry briefs King Abdullah of Jordan on the peace talks. (The Jordan Times) 
Israeli Economy Minister Bennett walks out of the Knesset when European Parliament Pres. Schultz discusses Palestinian freedom of movement. (Ha’aretz/The Jerusalem Post)
An Israeli bill on a peace deal referendum edges closer to becoming law.(Ha’aretz/The Jerusalem Post)
Israel advances with plans to build a Jewish seminary in East Jerusalem.(AP)
PM Erdogan says a rapprochement with Israel will be contingent upon removing the siege on Gaza. (The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli Aerospace Industries unveils its new Super Heron drone. (Times of Israel)
Israeli forces demolish tents set up by Palestinian residents in the Jordan River Valley. (Ma’an)
Israeli occupation forces detain five Palestinian teenagers in Jerusalem. (Ma’an)
The first female high tech entrepreneur in the occupied West Bank signals new job hopes for Palestinian women. (AP)
68 patients from Gaza are denied access into Israel for holding documents using the term “State of Palestine.”(Xinhua)
One Palestinian family is behind the West Bank’s best soccer team.(AP)
Two Texas universities debate boycotting  Israel. (AP)
The Syrian regime attacks the town of Yabroud to assert control over the Lebanese-Syrian border. (Reuters)
The Syrian regime warns the EU against using its frozen assets to finance the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal. (XInhua)
Gen. Sissi will meet with Pres. Putin to discuss an arms deal. (AP)
Egypt detains an Egyptian employee of the US embassy who worked as a liaison to the Muslim Brotherhood. (The New York Times)
Gunmen kill three policemen in Ismailiya. (Ahram)
Human Rights Watch says Egyptian authorities have abandoned the victims of trafficking in Sinai. (Los Angeles Times)
The Lebanese army arrests a Palestinian leader in the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades. (Naharnet)
Pres. Suleiman and PM Salam will meet to resolve the dispute on the new Lebanese government. (Naharnet)
Qatar scales back its regional ambitions amid financial constraints. (BBC)
Commentary:
Peter Beinart says it’s “Orwellian” to  cast Israel as a “democracy” inspite of the occupation. (Ha’aretz)
Jonathan Cook says the delegitimisation of Israel is already underway and Netanyahu is the one to blame. (The National)
Gil Troy says Israelis should engage in a substantive debate over Kerry’s initiative and avoid personal attacks. (The Jerusalem Post)
Moshe Dann questions whether land claims by Arabs in Palestine are legally valid. (The Jerusalem Post)
Eric Yoffie questions whether Rep. Rand Paul really supports Israel.(Ha’aretz)
Hassan Hassan profiles the Al-Qaeda linked Jabhat Al Nusra in Syria as it navigates local tribal sensitivities in Deir Ezzor. (The National)
Mohammed Al-Harthi argues that Saudi Arabia has made a strategic shift toward the East. (Arab News)
Manal al-Sharif says the abusive 75-year-old Saudi religious police force is starting to crack, thanks to social media. (The New York Times)
Qais Ghanem says the Tunisian success story is an example worthy of emulation by the rest in the Arab world. (The Gulf News)
 
Abdel Monem Said says Sisi should shed the image of the military man and become a politician. (Asharq Alawsat)
Ali Ibrahim says the Egyptian political process will be better served if more politicians run for president. (Asharq Alawsat)
Nathan Brown says a Sissi presidency will start with strong popular support but it will have difficulty meeting popular expectations. (Foreign Policy)

News:
Jordan again expresses concern that peace between Israel and the Palestinians will come at its expense. (The Washington Post)
Palestinian refugees hail Jordan’s position on the Palestinian issue. (The Jordan Times)
A senior Fatah leader says peace deal is within reach. (Al-Monitor)
PM Netanyahu accuses EU Parliament Pres. Schulz of “selective hearing.” (Ha’aretz)
Israeli MK Kalfa endorses a one-state agenda. (Ha’aretz)
The UN Middle East envoy is concerned over the deteriorating situation in the Gaza strip. (Xinhua/Ynet)
Hamas says it will violently confront any peace deal that might be reached. (Xinhua)
Netanyahu rejects the draft of a reconciliation agreement with Turkey. (Ynet)
Israel admits 35 Palestinian patients from Gaza after initially barring them. (Reuters/Ma’an/The New York Times)
Israeli occupation forces detain 12 Palestinians in overnight raids in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Israeli occupation forces fire tear gas canisters into four schools in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)
Dozens of Palestinians are held in PA jails on suspicion of fighting in Syria. (Times of Israel)
Two thirds of children killed in Israeli traffic accidents in 2013 were Arab citizens. (Ha’aretz)
A Jewish vintner in a West Bank settlement faces increasing pressure agaist selling his products in Israel. (AP) 
Believing the imminent arrival of the “Jewish Messiah,” many religious Jews are scrambling to secure residence in Jerusalem. (The Christian Science Monitor)
VP Biden and King Abdullah of Jordan meet to discuss the Syrian civil war. (AP)
Syrian government airstrikes kill 51 people in Aleppo. (AP)
The Syrian opposition presents a peace plan that omits a demand for Pres. Assad. (The New York Times)
Pres. Putin backs Gen. Sissi’s for the Egyptian presidency. (AP)
Bomb blasts kill five people in Iraq. (AP)
Hundreds of escaped Iraqi inmates fuel the Syrian and Iraqi insurgencies. (The New York Times)
Kuwait describes its relations with Iran as “excellent, historical and developing.” (The National)
Turkish police fire tear gas at Ankara protesters. (AFP)
 
Commentary:
The Jordan Times echoes Pres. Abbas spokesman’s pessimism on peace talks, and calls for a “serious and decisive” American intervention. (The Jordan Times)
Eylon Aslan-Levy accuses Israeli Economy Minister Bennett of having “bad manners.” (The Times of Israel) 
Gershon Baskin says Israel will be blamed for the failure of Kerry’s initiative if the Palestinains decide to reject it. (Jerusalem Post)
 Ari Shavit gives four reasons why Israel should be recognized as a “Jewish state.” (Ha’aretz) 
Gideon Levy says Kerry’s initiative is exploiting Palestinian weaknesses and its success will be a “disaster.” (Ha’aretz)
Alan Dershowitz says the BDS movement is threatening the peace process. (Ha’aretz)
Emily Hauser asks why the Israeli media are not covering Palestinian peaceful protests. (The Forward)
Gidon Bromberg says Israelis and Palestinians should keep water scarcity in the occupied West Bank out of politics. (The Times of Israel) 
Asmaa al-Ghoul says Hamas is becoming isolated as Iran boosts its ties with Fatah and Islamic Jihad. (Al-Monitor)
Pres. Obama and Pres. Hollande call on the international community to save the Syrian people from dictatorship and terrorism. (The Washington Post)  
Aaron David Miller says Iran is the reason why Obama refuses to be involved in Syria. (Foreign Policy)
The Washington Post asks if Obama is rethinking his policy on Syria. (The Washington Post)
The National says Saudi Arabia is seeking new allies to offset a perceived American tilt toward Iran. (The National)
H A Hellyer says the Egypt presidential election offers hope. (The National)
Mushreq Abbas says the Anbar crisis was never purely military crisis. (Al-Monitor)

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