Date

News:

Pres. Abbas swears in a new Palestinian government. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/Ma’an/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel/The National)

PM Netanyahu wants the new Palestinian government to be isolated. (AP/New York Times/AFP/PNN/Ha’aretz/JTA)

Sec. Kerry voices his concerns to Abbas about Hamas’ role in the new Palestinian government. (AFP/Ynet)

The new members of the Palestinian government are named. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)

Kerry will reportedly meet with Abbas on Wednesday in Jordan. (Ma’an/PNN)

Israel’s security cabinet will meet to discuss the new Palestinian government. (Ha’aretz)’

Israel will withhold Palestinian tax revenues to the PA. (Xinhua/Times of Israel)

Egypt opens the Rafah crossing for three days. (Ma’an)

An attorney, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, cannot find an apartment in Tel Aviv. (Ha’aretz)

Israel responds to a mortar launched from Syria. (AP/Ha’aretz)

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah reportedly holds meetings with Hamas officials. (Jerusalem Post)

Syrians will vote in the presidential election tomorrow. (AP/New York Times)

Hassan al-Nouri, who is a US educated businessman, is running against Pres. Assad in the Syrian presidential election. (Washington Post)

Russian FM Lavrov says Russia will oppose a UN resolution authorizing cross-border aid deliveriesto Syria. (Reuters)

Lebanon warns Syrian refugees that if they return to Syria they will lose their refugee status. (Xinhua)

Egyptian islamists torch shops owned by Coptic Christians near Luxor. (AP)

Clashes between the Libyan army and Islamist militants in Benghazi kill eight.(Reuters)

Ayatollah Khamenei urges better ties with Arab countries. (AP)

The UN says violence in Iraq killed 799 people in May. (AP)

Qatar reportedly paid millions in bribes to host 2022 World Cup. (The National)

Commentary:

Ha’aretz says Israel’s refusal to deal with the new Palestinian government is “puzzling and damaging.” (Ha’aretz)

Ali Jarbawi says the election of Egyptian Pres. Sisi has given Palestinians hope that their cause will return to the forefront of Arab affairs. (New York Times)

Shlomi Eldar says Hamas will not challenge the PLO’s agreements with Israel. (Al-Monitor)

Tal Niv says Israelis can no longer make use of the army and debase it to make “murderousness the norm.” (Ha’aretz)

Sever Plocker says it's time to replace Netanyahu and Abbas' indecision with the resolve of Pres. Obama, Pres. Putin, Chanc. Merkel and Sisi.  (Ynet)

Jonathan Schienberg says Palestinian businessman Bashar al-Masri has a plan for building democracy in the occupied West Bank. (Foreign Policy)

Lipika Pelham says Munib al-Masri has a vision for Palestine. (Times of Israel)

Amer Al Sabaileh says Jordan has no intention to alter diplomatic relations with Syria after the expulsion of Amb. Suleiman. (Jordan Times)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Egypt will either bring security to the entire region or become a source of regional problems. (Al Arabiya)

The National says Egypt needs a modern day Marshall plan. (The National)

Rami Khouri says the west has “worsened” the terrorist threat in the Arab world. (Daily Star)

Theodore Karasik asks if Gen. Haftar will be the next charismatic and nationalist leader of Libya. (Al Arabiya)

News:

The US will work with and fund the new Palestinian government. (Reuters)

The EU is also prepared to work with the new Palestinian government. (AP/Ynet)

PM Netanyahu says he is “deeply troubled” by the US decision to maintain relations with the new Palestinian government. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israel denounces the US for accepting the new Palestinian government. (Times fo Israel)

PM Hamdallah urges the international community to continue supporting Palestinians and their legal rights. (Xinhua)

Pres. Abbas says new elections will be held within six months. (Ma’an)

Israel will bar members of the new Palestinian government from moving freely. (Ha’aretz)       

Many Jewish American organizations urge the US to either review or cut off its financial support of the PA. (Ha’aretz)                                 

Israeli Amb. Dermer expresses “deep disappointment” in the US decision to continue supporting the PA. (JTA)

The New York Times answers questions about the new Palestinian government. (New York Times)

Palestinians in Ramallah say the new government must prove itself. (Jerusalem Post)

Hamas’s interior ministry in Gaza is abolished with the swearing in of a new Palestinian government. (Times of Israel)

Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian man who allegedly attacked a checkpoint in the West Bank. (Reuters/Ma’an/Xinhua/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)  

Syrians vote in a presidential election. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/The National)

Turkey lists the al-Nusra Front as a terrorist group. (Xinhua)

Libya’s new PM Maiteeq holds his first cabinet meeting. (Reuters)

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef ends his show. (AP/New York Times)

Commentary:

The Jordan Times says Israel’s move to boycott the new Palestinian government is “childish and counterproductive.” (Jordan Times)

Chemi Shalev says Israel’s decision to isolate the new Palestinian government is aimed at two audiences: Israeli public opinion and Republican lawmakers. (Ha’aretz)

The Media Line interviews Abbas advisor Dr. Sabri Saidam. (The Media Line)

David Horovitz outlines 12 ways the Obama administration has failed Israel. (Times of Israel)

Ron Ben-Yishai says Israel should try to enhance the positive aspects of the new Palestinian government. (Ynet)

Akiva Eldar says Israel can learn from the Palestinian narrative. (Al-Monitor)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s use of administrative detention must be reviewed. (Ha’aretz)

Steven Heydemann says the Syrian presidential election is a farce, but it is still dangerous. (Foreign Policy)

David Kenner looks at the other two candidates of the Syrian presidential election. (Foreign Policy)

Diana Moukalled says the ballot that took place in Lebanon among Syrians was not a “genuine election.” (Al Arabiya)

Mustapha Tlili says the Obama administration has failed to grasp the nature of political Islam. (New York Times)

Hassan Barari says a new equilibrium in the Gulf and the Levant can only materialise if Iran changes course. (Jordan Times)

Mohsin Khan says Pres. Sisi must solve numerous economic problems if Egypt is to “bounce back.” (The National)

Mamoun Fandy says Egypt has five major crises that need to be prioritized. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Daily Star says Iran and the Gulf need to work together to minimize threats posed by extremists from both sides of the divide. (Daily Star)

News:
The PA says PM Netanyahu has failed to isolate the new Palestinian government. (Ma’an)
The State Department says it will judge the new Palestinian government based on itsactions. (Ha’aretz/Ynet/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)
India, China and Turkey endorse the new Palestinian government. (Ha’aretz)
Israeli restrictions prevent the first cabinet meeting for the new Palestinian ministers in Gaza. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz)
Israel officially notifies the PA about its sanctions against the Palestinians. (Ma’an)
Israeli doctors say they will not force-feed Palestinian prisoners. (AP/Ha’aretz)
The PLO says Israel is responsible for the lives of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike. (Ma’an)
Jordan condemns Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa mosque, after Israeli police limit Muslim access to the holy site. (Times of Israel)
Allies of Pres. Assad praise the vote of the Syrian presidential election. (AP)
The Syrian presidential election sends a powerful signal of Assad’s control. (Washington Post/The National/AFP)
Sec. Kerry arrives in Lebanon to meet with PM Salam, Speaker Berri and Maronite Patriarch Rai. (Daily Star)
Lebanon appeals for more international support to prevent economic collapse amid the refugee crisis. (Xinhua)
Pres. Sisi tells Egyptians it is now “time to work” to rebuild the economy. (AP)
The White House welcomes Sisi’s election but expresses concerns about the "restrictive political environment." (Reuters)
Gen. Haftar survives a suicide attack in his residence in Benghazi. (AP/Reuters)
Algeria’s FM Lamamra says the Arab Spring has increased the influence and power of terror groups. (AP) 
Turkey restores access to YouTube. (AP/Xinhua)
Commentary:
Rami Khouri says the new Palestinian government offers important new possibilities. (Daily Star)
The National says the focus of the new Palestinian government needs to be the creation of a Palestinian state. (The National)
Yossi Mekelberg says the new Palestinian government was born as a matter of urgent necessity for the Palestinians. (Al Arabiya)
Peter Beinart says many from Netanyahu’s coalition would not pass his litmus test on peace for Hamas. (Ha’aretz)
Ben Caspit says FM Lieberman is offering a plan for open contacts with moderate Arab states. (Al-Monitor)
Ali Ibrahim says Hamas has learned a lesson from Tunisia’s Ennahda party. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Ehud Yaari says Hamas is opting for the Hezbollah model. (Times of Israel)
The New York Times says the significance of the Syrian election is that Assad remains in power and is unlikely to leave anytime soon. (New York Times)
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed believes Sisi will bolster support for Egypt’s closest allies such as Saudi Arabia, and support the Syrian revolution. (Al Arabiya)
The Daily Star says Assad’s “clear-cut victory” is against Syria and the Syrian people. (Daily Star)
Osama Al Sharif says one cannot count on America’s intervention or leadership to resolve the crisis in Syria. (Jordan Times)
Hussein Ibish says Sisi will be judged on performance, not voter turnout or his large mandate. (Now)
H.A. Hellyer says the departure of Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef from the Arab media scene is sad. (Foreign Policy)
Thomas Friedman says Kurdistan remains the “unsung success story” of the Iraq war. (New York Times)

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