News:

Sec. Kerry says Israel risks becoming an “apartheid” state. (AFP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/JTA/The Daily Beast)

Pres. Abbas calls the Holocaust the “most heinous crime” of modern history. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/Ha’aretz/The National)

PM Netanyahu dismisses Abbas’ Holocaust condemnation. (Ha’aretz)

Israel pauses in silence for Holocaust Day. (AP/AFP/Xinhua/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Netanyahu compares the Iranian nuclear threat to Nazi menace.(Times of Israel/Ynet)

The PLO plans to join 60 UN bodies and international agreements. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

The agreement between Fatah and Hamas might threaten US aid to the PA. (AP)

The US is not out of Middle East peace options. (Reuters)

Special Envoy Indyk leaves Israel as peace talks falter. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israeli Finance Minister Lapid says if Hamas meets the Quartet’s conditions, his party is ready to talk to them. (Ha’aretz)

Economy Minister Bennett calls on Israel to annex 60 percent of the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)

Abbas says Palestinians will never recognize Israel as a “Jewish state.” (JTA)

Israel is still pushing to join the US visa-waiver program. (AP)

Palestinians say Israel will transfer Palestinian tax revenues to the PA, but Israel denies this. (Xinhua)

Extremist settlers uproot more than 150 olive trees in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Pres. Assad says he will seek re-election in June. (Reuters)

Syria misses its self-imposed deadline for destroying chemical arms. (Reuters/New York Times/The National)

An Egyptian court sentences 683 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to death, and commutes 100 of previous death sentences. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

An Egyptian court bans a left wing group that helped topple former Pres. Mubarak. (Reuters)

Iraqis vote for a new parliament. (AP/Reuters/Xinhua)

Commentary:

Amer Al Sabaileh says Jordan has to be prepared for growing chaos on its Palestinian and Syrian borders. (Jordan Times)

Orlando Crowcroft says the Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal raises multiple questions. (The National)

The Daily Star says after the unity deal Fatah and Hamas need to follow up with “serious actions” that will not disappoint their people. (Daily Star)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s “discriminatory” planning policy in the occupied West Bank violates its most basic obligations. (Ha’aretz)

Gideon Levy says there is no comparison between the Holocaust and the occupation, but the act of resistance is “legitimate” in both cases. (Ha’aretz)

Oudeh Basharat says the world has learned the lessons of the Holocaust better than Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Benedetta Berti says the Syrian civil war is altering the dynamic relationship between Hezbollah and Israel. (Daily Star)

Khairallah Khairallah says the presidential election is Assad’s new front in the Syrian conflict. (Al Arabiya)

Amal Mousa says Arab political elites need to carry out an “intellectual revolution.”   (Asharq al-Awsat)

David Ignatius says “brutal” sectarian war has come again to Iraq. (Washington Post)

Diana Moukalled says Iraq’s female parliamentary candidates are still held back by “old paradigms.” (Al Arabiya)

News:

Israel suspends peace talks with the Palestinians. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Pres. Obama says neither Israelis nor Palestinians have shown the political will to make tough decisions. (AP/AFP/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Sec. Kerry is unwilling to give up on the Middle East peace process. (AP/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Pres. Abbas reportedly assures the UN that any Palestinian government will be non-violent, recognize Israel and respect Palestinian commitments, as the PLO condemns Israel’s decision to withdraw from peace negotiations. (Ynet/Ma’an)

Palestinians are considering “all options” in response to Israel’s decision to halt talks. (The National)

Israel criticizes the US response to the Fatah-Hamas unity deal. (Ha’aretz)

“The Elders” welcome the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas. (Ma’an)

Rep. Lowey says she is ready to launch steps to defund the PA due to the agreement with Hamas. (JTA)

Christian leaders in Israel urge youth not to enlist in the military. (Ma’an)

Extremist Jewish settlers attack a seven year-old girl in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Pres. Assad’s future may depend on keeping support within his own sect. (New York Times)

The International Tribunal dealing with the killing of former PM Hariri charges two leading Lebanese journalists. (New York Times)

Egypt is trying to save money on wheat subsidies by issuing a new smart card system. (AP)

Turkey’s most senior judge criticizes PM Erdogan. (AP)

Commentary:

Gwen Ifill interviews Hussein Ibish and Jeffrey Goldberg about the status of peace talks. (PBS)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if Hamas will finally “bow” to Fatah. (Al Arabiya)

Bakir Oweida says the unity agreement between Fatah and Hamas is an important first step to end the Palestinian infighting. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Daily Star says the US reaction to the Palestinian unity deal is “disappointing.” (Daily Star)

Khaled Elgindy says the US should welcome the reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas. (Foreign Policy)

Jeffrey Goldberg says Israel’s decision to suspend peace talks with the PLO contains elements of “reasonableness, realism, hypocrisy and myopia.” (Bloomberg)

Avi Issacharoff says PM Netanyahu fears Palestinian reconciliation because it would force him to acknowledge that Abbas is a “true partner for peace.” (Times of Israel)

David Landau says Palestinian unity deal exposes Netanyahu’s “true face.” (Ha’aretz)

J.J. Goldberg says Israel’s decision to halt peace talks with the PLO is simultaneously “sensible, questionable and inexcusable.” (Jewish Daily Forward)

Ha’aretz asks how Netanyahu will address the “demographic threat” that he warned of, now that he does not talk to the PLO. (Ha’aretz)

Alan Philps asks if the world will listen to former PM Blair’s call for more commitment to the Middle East. (The National)

The New York Times says the decision by the Obama administration to resume military aid to Egypt is a “vote of confidence” to a military-dominated government.  (New York Times)

News:

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators will meet in Jerusalem. (Xinhua/PNN/Times of Israel)

The US warns dissolution of the PA would have “grave implications.” (PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian official dismisses US threats to cut aid if Pres. Abbas dissolves the PA. (Jerusalem Post)

FM Lieberman says the PA should not come up with “new threats” every day. (Jerusalem Post/Ynet)

Hamas and Fatah are reportedly discussing reconciliation. (Ha’aretz)

Jordan summons the Israeli Ambassador over the recent clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (Xinhua/PNN/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Jordan Times)

Israel says it is willing to treat Palestinian-Americans equally if it joins the US visa waiver program.
(Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The US Supreme Court will review the identification of Jerusalem on American passports. (Ha’aretz/AP/JTA)

The Israeli army will begin “actively recruiting” Christian Palestinian citizens of Israel. (Ma’an/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Palestinian citizens of Israel in Umm al-Fahm protest against “price tag” attacks. (Ma’an)

A Fatah official says Yarmouk residents are planning to organize a peaceful rally against the militant groups. (Ma’an)

The US says it has indications that a toxic chemical was used in Syria in the past month. (Reuters/AP)

Syrian rebels are making their last stand in Homs against government forces. (AP)

Militants attack a balloting center in Iraq, killing 10. (AP)

Iran will start cutting gasoline subsidies this week. (Reuters/Xinhua)

US drones and Yemeni forces kill 40 al-Qaeda-linked fighters. (New York Times/The National)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says the US Supreme Court must uphold the Constitution, international law, and established US policy in its ruling on Jerusalem. (Now)

Seth Lipsky says if the US Supreme Court decides to list “Israel” as country of birth of an American born in Jerusalem, the consequences would be “huge.” (Ha’aretz)

Ha’aretz says the recent confrontation on the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa mosque serve as a reminder that the site must be handled with “wisdom and sensitivity.” (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says South Africa has important lessons for Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Jonathan Cook says Israel has no weapons to defeat a campaign of popular non-violent resistance by Palestinians. (The National)

Faisal Al Yafai says Saudi Prince Bandar did not fail in Syria. (The National)

Brooklyn Middleton says Syria will be “reelecting” a “mass murderer.” (Al Arabiya)

Mustafa Akyol says Turkey and the US should discuss new ways to end the “disastrous civil war” in Syria. (New York TImes)

Khairallah Khairallah asks if Egypt has overcome the “Muslim Brotherhood complex.” (Al Arabiya)

News:

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet in Jerusalem. (Reuters/PNN/JTA)

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will hold separate talks today with Special Envoy Indyk. (Times of Israel)

Jewish “price tag” extremists vandalize a mosque in northern Israel. (AP/Ma’an/PNN/Ha’aretz/JTA)

A journalist, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is moved to house arrest in a case involving hisrecent visit to Lebanon. (New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz)

Newly appointed Commissioner-General of UNRWA Krähenbühl vows to help end the blockade of Gaza. (PNN)

Sec. Kerry wants to ease restrictions for visa-seeking young Israelis. (Ha’aretz/JTA/Jerusalem Post) 

Tensions in Jerusalem are reflected in ugly rivalries over the Ras Khamis neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. (New York Times)

Hamas says Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah crossing with Gaza closed for 81 days in 2014. (Ma’an)

Gaza’s Zayed city provides much needed housing for Palestinians. (The National)

Gaza’s population keeps on growing. (Al Monitor)

A right-wing Israeli organization is trying to block Arab Idol winner Assaf from entering Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Christians mark Good Friday in Jerusalem. (AP/Ma’an)

Gunmen kidnap a Tunisian diplomat in Libya. (Reuters)

Turkish Pres. Gul rules out exchanging government positions with PM Ergodan. (Reuters)

Pursuant to a report by the IAEA, the US releases $450 million of frozen Iranian funds. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post)

Commentary:

ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says Arab men have to play a major role in the battle for women’s rights. (Huffington Post)

Ha’aretz says the frustration over the absence of progress in peace talks could lead Pres. Abbas to dismantle the PA. (Ha’aretz)

Ahmad Majdoubeh says if FM Lieberman wants to build good relations with “moderate Arab countries” then he should make peace with the Palestinians first. (Jordan Times)

Bakir Oweida says Israeli politicians must overcome the “fear of peace.” (Asharq al-Awsat)

Ben Caspit says Middle East turmoil has prompted an “Israeli military revolution.” (Al Monitor)

Avichai Stollar says a recently approved settlement in Hebron will exact an “unimaginable toll” on Palestinians living in the city. (Ha’aretz)

Zvi Gabbay says Israelis must wait for Palestinian unity to achieve peace. (Ha’aretz)

Aaron David Miller says the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is delaying a “day of reckoning.” (Foreign Policy)

Zeev Sternhell says Israel’s road to becoming like apartheid-era South Africa “has been paved.” (Ha’aretz)

The National says Pres. Assad must acknowledge that his regime survived because of Iran. (The National)

Raed Omari says Jordan is becoming increasingly impatient with Syria. (Al Arabiya)

The National says its time for young Algerians to form political parties and cultivate grass roots support. (The National)

The New York Times says Twitter should not comply with Erdogan’s demands. (New York Times)

Robert Zaretsky says the Algerian presidential election will maintain the country’s status quo. (Los Angeles Times)
 

News:

An Israeli man is killed in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian woman in Bethlehem is reportedly killed by Israeli tear gas. (Times of Israel)

Israeli forces injure Palestinian youth in Gaza. (Ma’an)

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses DM Ya’alon of destabilizing the peace process. (PNN)

The World Bank will provide $13 million in grant money for environmental projects in Gaza. (Ma’an)

Saudi Arabia denies FM Lieberman’s claim of “secret diplomacy.” (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

The Syrian opposition calls on the US to give an “appropriate response” to recent attacks in Aleppo. (Reuters)

The UN condemns the use of torture by Syrian authorities. (New York Times)

The OPCW says Syria has completed another shipment of chemical arms. (New York Times)

Jordan’s Ambassador to Libya is kidnapped after gunmen attack his car. (Reuters/AP/Jordan Times)

Gen Sisi formally submits signatures for his presidential bid. (AP/The National)

A bomb explosion in Cairo wounds two policemen. (AP) 

Commentary:

The New York Times says Pres. Obama and Sec. Kerry should abandon the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and focus on Ukraine. (New York Times)

Hassan Barari says the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are often held hostage to the imperatives of Israel’s domestic politics. (Jordan Times)

Peter Beinart says seder’s demonstrate how American Jews are divided over Israel.  (Ha’aretz)

Yitzhak Laor says Israel’s freedom means the “imprisonment of others.” (Ha’aretz)

Carolina Landsmann says by maintaining the status quo, PM Netanyahu is turning Israel into an “apartheid state.” (Ha’aretz)

Faisal Al Yafai says the late Patrick Seale misinterpreted the origins of the Syrian civil war. (The National)

Maria Golia say Egypt’s power cuts shed light on the country’s many problems. (The National)

Raed Omari says Jordan’s Islamists are being “unreasonable.” (Al Arabiya)

Manal Tibi and Karima El-Hefnawi debate whether the Arab Spring has improved the status of women in Egypt. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Benjamin Weinthal says Germany may start to crackdown on Hezbollah. (Foreign Policy)

Octavia Nasr says Lebanon failed to learn from its civil war. (Al Arabiya)