News:

Pres. Obama will meet with PM Netanyahu today to discuss peace talks and Iran. (AP/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/Reuters)

The extension of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations will depend on the meeting between Obama and Pres. Abbas.(Ma’an)

The US is reportedly pessimistic that a framework agreement can be reached by the end of March. (Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian official says Israel must meet certain demands for peace talks to be extended. (XInhua)

Chief Palestinian negotiator Erakat accuses Israel of “propping up Hamas in Gaza.” (Times of Israel)

US Treasury Secretary Lew defends the Iran Interim deal in a speech before AIPAC. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt keeps the Rafah crossing closed for the past 23 days. (Xinhua)

Hamas urges Egypt to resume commercial cooperation with Gaza. (Xinhua)

Palestinians consider who should succeed Abbas. (Financial Times)

Former Fatah leader Dahlan reportedly hopes to replace Abbas. (Ynet)

Extremist settlers uproot 180 olive tree saplings in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

The settler group “Elad” is closer to controlling the Western Wall, despite objections among Israelis. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli Medical Association says forcing hunger strikers to eat is “tantamount to torture.” (Ha’aretz)

Israel is planning to lower the volume levels of microphones in all mosques in occupied East Jerusalem. (Gulf News)

The Palestinian poet “Abu Arab” dies at 83. (Ma’an)

Israel is reportedly buying information on extremists from Syrian rebel groups. (National)

UNRWA says the latest clashes in Yarmouk have disrupted efforts to distribute aid. (AP)

In Syria, the government is looking for local and temporary ceasefires. (AP)

A pro-Hezbollah song highlights tensions over the civil war in Syria. (The New York Times)

The new Egyptian government is sworn in ahead of the presidential elections. (AP)

PM Mehlib calls for an end to protests in Egypt. (AP)

The IAEA says Iran has cuts its higher enriched uranium stock. (AP/Reuters)

Commentary:

ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says “losing Egypt” should not be considered an option for the US. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Hussein Ibish says nationalism is the real reason Islamists are losing in North Africa and beyond. (The National)

Amal Mousa says the Salafists have emerged victorious due to the collapse of the Muslim Brotherhood. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Amer al Sabaileh says Jordan is still a haven of safety and stability in a chaotic region. (Jordan Times)

Abdullah Ali says Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood is feeling the pressures of regional changes. (The National)

Oudeh Basharat says “Jordanians are a light unto the nations” for taking in so many refugees. (Ha’aretz)

Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Obama on the peace process. (Bloomberg)

David Horovitz says Goldberg’s interview with Obama is “a bombshell battering” for Netanyahu. (Times of Israel)

Ha’aretz says Netanyahu must understand that the White House is “not an enemy but a partner.”(Ha’aretz)

Rami Khouri asks what’s behind the “Jewish State” demand. (Daily Star)

Shibley Telhami says a survey indicates that if the two-state solution collapses, Americans favor democracy over a  “Jewish state.”(Foreign Policy)

Gershon Baskin says annexing the West Bank would be a “catastrophic plan” for the Jewish people. (Jerusalem Post)

Lara Friedman and Daniel Gordis debate whether settlement boycotts are best for Israel. (New York Times)

Gideon Levy says Israelis refuse to acknowledge what Amnesty International has demonstrated about the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Bakir Oweida says a Geneva III meeting is bound to fail.(Al Arabiya)

News:

Pres. Obama will meet with Pres. Abbas in Washington on March 17th. (AP/Xinhua/JTA)

The White House pushes back against a report that Obama will pressure Israeli and Palestinian leaders to make progress on peace talks. (The Times of Israel)

A new survey in Israel indicates a rising support for Sec. Kerry’s initiative. (Ynet)

Former PM Olmert says Abbas agreed to a Jewish Israeli mayor of an umbrella municipality for Jerusalem. (The Jerusalem Post)

Egypt warns Hamas that it will not tolerate any use of tunnels between Sinai and Gaza. (The Times of Israel)

Israeli occupation forces will limit access to the Al Aqsa mosque for Friday’s prayers. (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces injure three Palestinian men following the Birzeit killing. (Ma’an)

Jewish “price tag” extremists torch a house near Ramallah. (Ma’an)

Israel warns Lebanon to curb Hezbollah’s threats. (Reuters/Ha’aretz)

The US says Syria leads in human rights violations in 2013. (AP)

The Syrian opposition demands an investigation into killings of 175 rebels by government forces. (AP)

ISIS claims Christians agreed to pay a discriminatory tax in parts of Syria it controlled. (AP)

ISIS withdraws from a Syrian town near the Turkish border. (Reuters)

31 more people are killed in Iraq. (AP/The New York Times)

Pres. Mansour restructures the military council in Egypt. (Xinhua)

Gunmen kill an Egyptian policeman in Mansoura. (AFP)

Israel urges the IAEA to issue their full report on Iran’s nuclear research. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Patrick Tyler says “deferral” is the key ingredient to Israeli-Palestinian peace. (The Los Angeles Times)

George Hishmeh says it is alarming that Kerry’s initiative fails to include any ideas on the future of Gaza. (The Jordan Times)

Uri Savir says peace must aim at the pragmatic interests of young people in Israel and Palestine. (The Jerusalem Post)

The Jordan Times says Jordan’s role as custodian of holy places in East Jerusalem will be compromised if ties are severed with Israel. (The Jordan Times)

Raed Omari says Jordan will remain Jordan and Palestine will remain Palestine. (Al Arabiya)

Aaron Miller says Netanyahu is “trapped” because he cannot call the shots on Iran or the peace process. (Foreign Policy)

Amos Schocken says Netanyahu’s demand to recognize Israel as a “Jewish State” is outlandish. (Ha’aretz)

Clemens Wergins says Israel no longer trusts Europe. (The New York Times)

Ha’aretz says the “unnecessary and humiliating” treatment that Arab Israelis suffer routinely in Israeli airports must change. (Ha’aretz)

John Judis says AIPAC seems to have lost “a bit of heft.” (Foreign Policy)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says providing the Syrian opposition with arms is the only way to defeat ISIS and al-Nusra. (Al Arabiya)

The Daily Star says the Syrian war is mired in stalemate. (The Daily Star)

Abdallah Schleifer says the most encouraging sign for Egypt’s future is the appointment of Mahlab as PM. (Al Arabiya)

Eyad Abu Shakra says Lebanon is deeply divided and national allegiance low. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Fareed Zakaria says Obama is “navigating” the changing world correctly.  (The Washington Post)

News:

Pres. Obama plans to take a more personal role in the Middle East peace talks. (The New York Times/The Jerusalem Post)

Sec. Kerry says peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians will extend beyond the April deadline. (Reuters/Xinhua)

PLO negotiator Erekat says he rejects the US move to extend peace talks. (AFP/The Times of Israel/The National) 

The US is convening an investors conference to help the Palestinian economy. (JTA)

A PLO official says Pres. Abbas’ successor could turn to “armed resistance.” (Ynet)

Palestinian women seek tougher laws to combat honor killings. (AP)

Amnesty International says some killings of Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank could be considered “war crimes.”(Reuters/Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces kill a Palestinian man in the West Bank. (Reuters/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

Israeli occupation forces deport 23 Palestinian families from the Jordan Valley. (PNN)

A teacher, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is “strip-searched” before flying with her Jewish students for a school trip.(Ha’aretz)

Israel takes a risk with airstrikes against Hezbollah. (AP/The Jerusalem Post)

Hezbollah has reportedly amassed tens of thousands of troops for the decisive Syrian battle in Qalamoun. (USA Today)

The State Department accuses the Syrian regime of retaliating against the Syrian opposition’s peace negotiators by arresting their relatives. (The New York Times)

Syria delivers mustard gas to the port of Latakia. (The New York Times)

A mortar attack kills five people in a government-controlled neighborhood in Syria. (AP)

Widespread incredulity greets Egypt’s announcement of cures for both AIDS and Hepatitis C. (The New York Times)

An apparent gas explosion in Qatar kills 12 people. (Reuters)

Iran and Qatar will establish a free trade zone. (Xinhua)

21 more people are killed across Iraq. (Xinhua)

Commentary:

Gideon Levy says the day the US becomes committed to Kerry’s efforts, a peace deal will be made between Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Shai Franklin says there is “backhanded” Jewish support for Kerry’s initiative. (The Jerusalem Post)

Alan Elsner says AIPAC must back Kerry’s initiative. (The Guardian)

Ari Shavit says Israel has a “golden opportunity” to make peace.  (Ha’aretz)

Yossi Mekelberg says the recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state” should not be at the expense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinians. (Al Arabiya)

Efraim Halevy says Israel should beware the “Jewish statehood” trap. (Ynet)

Zvi Bar’el says Economy Minister Bennett needs to decide if he counts Palestinian citizens of Israel or not. (Ha’aretz)

The Daily Star says the Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese-Syrian border highlights Hezbollah’s conundrums in Syria.(The Daily Star)

Michael Young says Hezbollah does not deserve a “special role” as protector of Lebanon. (The Daily Star)

Joyce Karam says Israel has a new “game plan” for both Hezbollah and Syria. (Al Arabiya)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if the crisis in Ukraine weakens Russia and therefore also Syria and Iran. (Al Arabiya)

Brian Jenkins says al-Qaeda and ISIS are fighting over the future of “Salafist-Jihadism”. (The Daily Star)

Diana Moukalled says the execution of the poet Shaabani shows the true face of the current Iranian regime. (Al Arabiya)

Frank Costigliola says Obama should rediscover George Kennan’s wisdom when it comes to foreign policy. (The New York Times)

Adnan Oktar says educating both men and women, and living by the “moral values of the Qur’an,” are the solutions to gender discrimination. (The Jordan Times)

News:

Israeli lawmakers tell US Amb. to Israel Shapiro that Sec. Kerry is “coercing” Israel into a terrible deal. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

A Palestinian official claims Israel is excluding the Al-Aqsa mosque from the peace talks. (Xinhua)

A Knesset debate on Israeli sovereignty of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount sets off intense criticism in the Arab world.(The Times of Israel)

Jordanian MPs vote unanimously to expel the Israeli Ambassador. (AP/Ma’an/The Jordan Times)

Russian Duma Chair Naryshkin tells Pres. Peres Russia is keen to see a “satisfactory conclusion” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (The Jerusalem Post)

Today is the anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinians in a mosque in Hebron. (AFP/Ha’aretz)

PLO official Ashrawi denounces an Israeli bill that distinguishes between Muslim and Christian Palestinian citizens of Israel. (PNN)

Israeli occupation forces detain nine Palestinian men in Hebron. (Ma’an)

Gazans see solar power as the only alternative to their energy crisis. (AFP)

Hezbollah calls on all Palestinians to protect Jerusalem and the Haram al-Sharif from the “Zionist enemy.” (The Jerusalem Post)

Hezbollah says Israel bombed one of its positions near the Syrian border, and vows to retaliate.(AP/Reuters/The Washington Post)

The UN urges all sides to exercise restraint to avoid escalating tension in Lebanon. (Xinhua)

The UN says Syrians are now the world’s largest refugee population. (Reuters)

The Syrian army claims to have killed 175 al-Qaeda linked rebels. (AP/The Times of Israel)

FM Davutoglu says Syria’s worsening war now poses a danger to all countries. (Reuters)

Russia warns Saudi Arabia against supplying Syrian rebels with shoulder-launched missiles. (AFP)

Gen. Sisi will keep his post as DM in the new Egyptian government formed by PM Mehlib.(Reuters/The New  York Times)

Another explosion hits Egypt’s gas pipeline in Sinai. (AP)

An Egyptian court sentences 26 people over allegations of forming a terrorist group and targeting the Suez Canal. (AP)

The Iraqi government denies it has an arms deal with Iran. (Xinhua)

11 people are killed across Iraq. (Xinhua)

PM Erdogan is investigated for corruption. (AP)

Iranian robots remind children to say their daily prayers in schools. (The National) 

Commentary:

Rami Khouri says Palestinians desperately need to strengthen their hand in peace talks. (The Daily Star)

Chris Doyle says there can be no peace without taking into consideration the status of Hebron. (Al Arabiya)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s distinguishing between Christian and Muslim Arab citizens is racist. (Ha’aretz)

Ben Sales says PM Netanyahu may have to choose between the majority of the Knesset and the majority of his own party. (JTA)

Kenneth Marcus outlines ten ways that BDS is different now. (The Jerusalem Post)

Carolina Landsmann says that boycotts are compelling  wealthy Israelis to press Netanyahu to cut a deal with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says orthodox Jewish institutions cannot be truly open if they are closed to Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Sheerly Avni interviews Palestinian Oscar-nominated director Hany Abu-Assad. (The Jewish Daily Forward)

Michael Ignatieff says the only remaining option in Syria is to use military force to deny Pres. Assad’s air superiority. (The New York Times)

Osama Al Sharif says Russia’s apparent defeat in Ukraine will affect its policies in Syria. (The Jordan Times)

Abdallah Schleifer says the failure of the interim government is of greater importance to Egyptians than the “over-zealousness of the security forces.”  (Al Arabiya)

The Gulf News says the resignation of the entire Egyptian government will make it easy for Sisi to run for President. (Gulf News)

Octavia Nasr tells Lebanese lawmakers to make it a priority to protect women. (Al Arabiya)

Thomas Friedman says the Cold War is not back and today’s geopolitics are more interesting than that. (The New York Times)

Michael Young says the appointment of Rob Malley to the NSC has overly raised expectations in Pres. Obama’s Middle East policy. (The National)

Abraham Sofaer says, while pursuing nuclear talks,  the US should pressure Iranian hardliners without hurting the people. (The New York Times)

S. Frederick Starr says the US should look to countries in Central Asia as examples of moderate Islam. (The New York Times)

News:

Chancellor Merkel meets with PM Netanyahu and both express hope to advance peace talks.(Reuters/Xinhua)

Merkel says Germany is obliged to follow EU guidelines on the labelling of goods produced in Israeli settlements. (Ha’aretz/The Jerusalem Post)

The Palestinian presidency says Jordan is not an alternative homeland for the Palestinians. (Xinhua)

Israeli occupation forces storm Jerusalem’s Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount to disperse a protest, arresting three Palestinians. (AP/Xinhua/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

Israeli warplanes reportedly launch two raids near the Lebanese-Syrian border. (AP/The New York Times/Ha’aretz)

Netanyahu refuses to say whether Israel carried out the airstrikes. (AP/The Jerusalem Post)

Sec. Kerry and Treasury Sec. Lew will speak at the annual AIPAC conference. (JTA)

Fatah is still waiting on an answer from Hamas regarding a recent proposal for national reconciliation. (Ma’an)

An Israeli right wing group starts an “anti-Jewish state” campaign. (The Jerusalem Post)

Israel passes a bill to distinguish between Muslim and Christian Arab citizens for purposes of employment. (Ha’aretz)

Hamas allegedly planned to bomb a major route linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. ( The Times of Israel)

UNRWA says Palestinians in the Yarmouk camp in Syria are “traumatized.” (AP)

The Syrian war stirs a new US debate on cyberattacks.(The New York Times)

The leader of the Nusra Front in Syria gives ISIS an ultimatum. (Reuters)

Anger is spreading through Lebanon’s Sunni community toward the country’s military. (AP)

Iran signs a deal to sell Iraq arms and munitions worth $195 million. (Reuters/The National)

Pres. Mansour asks Housing Minister Mahlab to form a new Egyptian government. (Xinhua/AFP)

Seven Egyptians are found dead in Libya. (The New York Times)

Kuwait launches a bid to end a standoff between Egypt and Qatar ahead of the Arab Summit. (Gulf News)

The Turkish opposition demands an investigation into PM Erdogan for alleged corruption. (AP)

Commentary:

Raanan Eliaz says Israel’s challenge is to work closely with the emerging German political generation. (Ha’aretz)

Simon Shiffer says Israel cannot deny the Germans the right to criticize its behavior towards the Palestinians. (Ynet)

Willem-Gert Aldershoff and Michel Waelbroeck say EU settlement guidelines do not constitute a boycott of Israel. (Ha’aretz)

The Jordan Times says King Abdullah is angry about rumors that Jordan will be a homeland for the Palestinians. (The Jordan Times)

Hassan Barari says Jordanian political forces will not stop talking about the “alternative homeland for the Palestinian people” due to parochial interests (The Jordan Times)

Jonathan Cook accuses Israelis of living in a “large bubble of denial.”(The National)

Cesar Chelala says Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children undermines its democratic principles and continues to perpetuate the Arab-Israeli conflict. (The Daily Star)

Ha’aretz says Economy Minister’s Bennett obsession is to turn the Arab population in Israel into second-class citizens. (Ha’aretz)

Beth Kissileff says its up to US Jews to make more of an effort to understand Jewish identity in Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Doyle McManus says Pres. Obama may soon face a turning point in Syria. (The Los Angeles Times)

HA Hellyer says all journalists in Egypt should be freed. (Al Arabiya)

Peter Jenkins says US-Iranian nuclear negotiations are finally dealing with facts, instead of assumptions. (The Daily Star)

Faisal Al Yafai says the Arab world’s concern over Iran’s nuclear programme is a symptom, not the cause, of the regional distrust of Iranian intentions. (The National)

Dennis Blair and Michael Hagee say if the US is to remain prosperous and secure, more significant progress should be made toward ending its oil dependence (The New York Times)

Richard Cohen says as the world is looking for guidance not only does the US refuse to be its “policemen” but will not be its ”hall monitor.”  (The Washington Post)

Hussein Ibish says Russia is an unacceptable ally for the Arabs. (Now Media)

The Los Angeles Times says Qatar’s World Cup preparations should not include abusing its workers. (The Los Angeles Times)

The National says Iraq’s arms deal with Iran has political repercussions far beyond its monetary value. (The National)

Elif Shafak says the “tempest of fear” in Turkey is reflected through the recent proliferation of conspiracy theories. (The New York Times)

Dalia Ghanem-Yazbeck says Algeria’s upcoming elections demonstrate the steady decline of Islamist parties. (The Daily Star)

News:

Pres. Abbas will meet with Pres. Obama to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.(Xinhua/Ha’aretz)

On the eve of Chancellor Merkel’s visit, PM Netanyahu says settlements are not the biggest obstacle to peace. (The Jerusalem Post/The Times of Israel)

Merkel and German ministers head to Israel for a landmark visit. (Ynet)

Netanyahu voices his concern over the Iranian nuclear program amid the Geneva talks.(Xinhua)

Former Fatah official Dahlan accuses Abbas of taking part in negotiations with Israel for his own political and financial benefit. (The Jerusalem Post)

A Palestinian official says the PA could address the UN over an Israeli settlement boycott. (Ma’an)

Hamas seeks to privatize Gaza border crossings due to the deteriorating economic situation.(AFP/Reuters)

Israeli occupation forces arrest two Palestinians in the West Bank. (Xinhua)

Israeli occupation forces issue eviction orders to 40 Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

The destruction of tunnels by Egyptian authorities marks “the end of good times” for Gazan entrepreneurs. (The National)

Israeli gas will be sold to Jordan. (AP)

An Arab professor is elected deputy chairman of the Council for Higher Education at the University of Haifa. (Ha’aretz)

The Palestinian Scouts Association organizes a unified march in three Arab countries to demand the “right of return.” (PNN)

The UN Security Council demands humanitarian aid for all of Syria. (AP/The New York Times)

Syria’s opposition Supreme Military Council is in chaos. (The New York Times)

Syrian regime troops advance near a Golan Heights city.(AP)

A Syrian rebel commander is killed by rival Islamists. (Reuters)

An Al-Qaeda linked group claims responsibility for a suicide bombing against Lebanese soldiers. (AP)

Egypt’s military-backed government resigns. (AP/Reuters/The Washington Post)

The Egyptian army kills 14 militants in Sinai. (Xinhua)

Egypt elects the first woman, Hala Shukrallah, to head a political party.(The Jerusalem Post)

There are growing concerns over the status of academic freedom in Egypt. (The New York Times)

Chinese FM Yi visits Baghdad. (The National)

Iraqi election officials begin handing out new computerized voter identification cards. (AP) 

In Iraq 17 people are killed in bombings and shootings. (Reuters)

Iraq will start building a new oil refinery. (AP) 

Commentary:

Amal Moussa says the Palestinian issue has become more complicated because it has lost both its position and prominence among Arab nations. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Danny Danon says Israel has no choice but to reject the framework proposal of Sec. Kerry. (The Jerusalem Post)

Donniel Hartman says negotiations with the Palestinians do not only require a coalition in the Knesset but also need to be supported in the streets. (The Times of Israel)

Ha’aretz says as long as Israel controls East Jerusalem, it must protect the rights of the Palestinians living there. (Ha’aretz)

Oudeh Basharat says if the Israeli government intends to try to draft Christian Arabs into the army, it should start building more prisons. (Ha’aretz)

Moshe Arens says those who call for a boycott of Israeli investments in the settlements lack the knowledge of basic economic principles. (Ha’aretz)

Amir Oren says next year Netanyahu will decide if he will move on to the presidency. (Ha’aretz)

Amos Schonfield and Ella Taylor say UK Jewish students are urging their community to use only maps that show Israel in its 1967 borders.(Ha’aretz)

David Benkof says “Palestine denial” rhetoric invalidates Palestinian rights. (The Times of Israel)

Yishai Mishor and Oded Steinberg say there is no difference between Jewish and Palestinian extremists. (Ynet)

Ofra Bengio says the “Shiite threat” in the Middle East has helped form a “virtual alliance” between some Sunni states and Israel. (The Jerusalem Post)

Theodore Karasik says the US and Saudi Arabia are finally cooperating on Syria. (Al Arabiya)

The Jordan Times says the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution on humanitarian aid in Syria is a starting point. (The Jordan Times)

The National says the UN resolution on Syria highlights the limited ability of the international community to challenge the Assad regime. (The National)

The Gulf News says there is nothing to celebrate about the UN resolution on Syria.(Gulf News)

Amer Al Sabaileh says the key to current US strategy in Syria is to remove any possible obstacle to a regional settlement. (The Jordan Times)

Sharif Nashashibi says the grievances of Sinai residents are long-running, and many have little to do with former Pres. Morsi and Islam. (The National)

Hussein Ibish says Libya’s oil reserves should be its biggest asset but is its greatest liability. (The National)

The New York Times says Turkey’s new law that tightens government control of the internet is the latest blow to its democracy. (The New York Times)

Fred Hiatt says Obama’s turnabout on foreign policy is “dizzying.” (The Washington Post)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says there is too much conspiracy theory in many interpretations of modern Middle East history. (Al Arabiya)