News:

PM Netanyahu’s office said it never approved plans to build thousands of new houses in Jewish settlements in a particularly controversial part of the West Bank.  (JTA)

The US National Security Agency's foreign eavesdropping included phone conversations between top Israeli officials and US lawmakers and American-Jewish groups, the Wall Street Journal reported. (Reuters\Times of Israel\Ha'aretz)

An Israeli man has died of wounds sustained in an early December stabbing in the West Bank city of Hebron. (AP\Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu opened a cabinet meeting by vowing that Jews would “remain forever” in Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs. (Times of Israel)

Clashes break out in Abu Dis following a funeral held for a Palestinian killed earlier this month, whose body was held by Israeli authorities for 26 days. (Ma'an)

Israeli forces tore down a building under construction in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sur Bahir. (Ma'an)

Artists in the Gaza Strip used graffiti and sand sculpture to bring color to the besieged enclave in the lead up to the new year. (Ma'an)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=769567

Days after ISIS issues statement warning Israel, Shin Bet voices concerns at growing influence of group's propaganda on Negev Bedouin, Israeli Arabs. (Ha'aretz)

U.S.-led forces have killed 10 ISIS leaders in air strikes, including individuals linked to the Paris attacks, a U.S. spokesman said, dealing a double blow to the militant group after Iraqi forces ousted it from the city of Ramadi. (Reuters\AP)

France has asked the EU to improve the detection of fake Syrian passports used by people trying to get into Europe after two of the suicide bombers in the Nov. 13 Paris attacks were found carrying such passports. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia denounced the killing of a prominent Syrian rebel leader, saying his death in a Russian air strike last week did not serve the cause of peace in Syria. (Reuters)

An annual tally by the Committee to Protect Journalists shows that at least 69 were killed in the line of duty, and that Islamic militants were responsible for 40 percent of the deaths. (New York Times)

Iranian Revolutionary Guards launch rockets near the U.S. aircraft-carrier Harry S. Truman and other warships as they were entering the Gulf, giving only brief notice in a "highly provocative" act. (Reuters)

A Bahraini F-16 jet taking part in a mostly Gulf Arab military campaign in Yemen crashed in southern Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Commentary:

David Kenner profiles two young, charismatic leaders in Israel and Turkey who are taking on right-wing governments and trying to transform their countries' politics. (Foreign Policy)

Peter Beinart says the new 'war on terror' has made the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a sideshow. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass says Israel is giving the Palestinians a chance to pick up the gauntlet thrown down by the lone-wolf stabbers and transition to a popular uprising - but it won't work. (Ha'aretz)

Naomi Paiss says the bill requiring Israeli NGOs that receive foreign government funding to identify themselves is purely a political maneuver. (JTA)

Robert Swift asks if Israel’s NGO bill safeguards transparency or is an attack on freedom of speech. (The Media Line)

Raphael Ahren says Israel’s standing in the world is both fantastic and awful. (Times of Israel)

Akiva Eldar says PM Netanyahu has managed to appoint loyal officials to Israel's most sensitive legal positions, leaving him free to endanger Israel with his policies. (Al-Monitor)

David Ignatius says even after the nuclear deal, hard-liners sabotage economic “infiltration” from outsiders. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says the Post’s Jason Rezaian is one of many members of the media who has been persecuted by governments. (Washington Post)

News:

Israel's security cabinet approves extending the fortified fence along its Egyptian border into a section of the frontier with neighboring Jordan. (Reuters/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Israel blocks a boat leading a four-vessel protest flotilla of foreign activists from reaching Gazaand forced the vessel to sail to an Israeli port. (Reuters/AP/Washington Post/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian official says Islamic Jihad leader Khader Adnan jailed by Israel has agreed to end a 56- day hunger strike in exchange for a pledge that he would go free next month. (Reuters/AP/Ma’an/PNN/Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian woman stabs a female Israeli soldier at a military checkpoint in Bethlehem. (Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades plans to invite PM Netanyahu and Pres. Abbas to speak before EU leaders. (Ha’aretz)

Senior Egyptian and Israeli officials meet in Cairo for the first time since 2011. (Times of Israel/Reuters)

Hamas orders the closing of the main office of Jawwal, the only cellular telephone company operating in Gaza, and demands that it pay taxes to the Gaza government. (Ha’aretz)

PM Hamdallah meets with a UN official to discuss reconstruction in Gaza, where thousands remain homeless. (Ma’an)

Qatar is to create work opportunities for up to 20,000 Palestinians. (Ma’an)

The Jerusalem Youth Chorus, is one of the few coexistence initiatives to weather the hatred and violence that have erupted on both sides over the past year. (New York Times)

DM Ya'alon says Israel has been forced recently to deal with preventing retaliation against Syrian Druze. (Ha’aretz)

Kuwait identifies the suicide bomber behind its worst militant attack as a young Saudi Arabian man. (Reuters/New York Times/AP/Washington Post/The National)

Crucial questions remain as Iran nuclear talks approach the deadline. (New York Times)

Analysts and officials say a final deal to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute could heighten domestic political tensions with two major elections looming in Iran. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says Pres. Abbas  must reverse the travesty over Salam Fayyad’s organisation if he wants to protect his legacy. (The National)

Adnan Abu Amer says the many currents within Fatah are at war as to whom should lead the movement and succeed Pres. Abbas. (Al-Monitor)

Ira Stup looks at why students are turning to BDS. (The Forward)

Elhanan Miller looks at Israel’s Druze dilemma. (Times of Israel)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at the deadlock in Yemen. (Asharq al Awsat)

Ray Takeyh looks at Iran’s payoff after a nuclear deal with the P5+1. (Washington Post)

News:

Hamas rejects any unilateral dissolution of the Palestinian unity government. (Ma’an/AFP) 

A Hamas leader says he expects that it will soon be possible to extend the temporary truce with Israel to a period of 5 years. (PNN/AFP)

FM Fabius will meet with PM Netanyahu to discuss plans to push UNSC resolution on Palestinian statehood.(Jerusalem Post)

US Amb. to Israel Shapiro says Amb. Oren’s claims about Pres. Obama “don’t reflect the truth.” (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

An Israeli civil rights group has called on the Coca Cola company to sever its ties with its Palestinian subsidiary over calls by its head to boycott Israel. (JTA)

The PA hasn’t applied for full membership to the UN’s World Tourism Organization and is still an observer member, says UNWTO Sec. Talab al-Rifai. (Ma’an)

The Knesset extends for another year the law that allows the government to avoid granting Israeli citizenship or residency status to Palestinians married to Israelis. (Ha’aretz)

The Israeli government has frozen funding for an Arab theater over controversial play. (JTA)

Israel’s High Court rules that a room in the home of a Palestinian family residing in the al-Thuri neighborhood of Jerusalem must be sealed. (Ma’an)

Amb. Power assures Congress that Washington was committed to combating efforts to “delegitimize” Israel. (Times of Israel)

Sec. Kerry says he discussed Syria's use of chemical weapons with Russia and the international community's patience with Pres. Assad's behavior is wearing thin. (Reuters)

Syrian rebels announce a major offensive to capture remaining positions held by the Syrian military in Quneitra province. (Reuters)

Yemen's warring parties have agreed at UN-sponsored peace talks on the need for a ceasefirebut the details remain under discussion. (Reuters)

Iran and the P5+1 are reportedly still apart on all main elements of a nuclear deal and will likely have to extend their negotiations. (AP)

Def. Sec. Carten and Gen. Dempsey will testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Middle East.(AP)

Commentary:

Yossi Mekelberg says the recent “born in Israel” ruling by the Supreme Court is in many ways a lifeline to Obama. (Al Arabiya)

Raphael Ahren interviews Jordanian Amb. to Israel Walid Obeidat. (Times of Israel)

Ron Kampeas asks if former Amb. Oren’s call for no surprises in US-Israel ties possible. (JTA)

Akiva Eldar says Netanyahu must prove “good faith” to restart peace talks with the Palestinians. (Al-Monitor)

The Daily Star looks at the new “Geneva blockbuster” on the Yemen peace talks.  (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if all secrets regarding the P5+1 talks with Iran have been exposed. (Al Arabiya)

Caleb Lauer looks at power politics in Turkey after the country's recent parliamentary elections. (The National)

News:

PM Netanyahu says lsrael faces an "international campaign to blacken its name" aimed at delegitimizing its very existence regardless to its policies. (AP/New York Times/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israel’s cabinet approves legislation aimed at imposing tougher penalties on stone-throwers.(Reuters/AFP)

The PA will submit files on 145 Israeli settlements in the West Bank to the ICC this month. (Times of Israel)

Germany’s FM Steinmeier says he will visit Gaza. (AP/Times of Israel/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Indian PM Modi is planning to visit Israel, the PA and Jordan. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Venezuela will boost its diplomatic representation in Palestine to full embassy status. (PNN)

A Qatari official announces the launch of a number of new Gaza reconstruction projects. (Ha’aretz) 

A PA lawyer says Palestinian children are being beaten and tortured by Israeli soldiers during interrogations. (Ma’an)

The head of the Palestine Football Association Rajoub comes under fire for withdrawing a request to suspend Israel from FIFA. (JTA)

PFLP slams decision to drop bid to suspend Israel from FIFA. (Ma’an)

Israel will open the Qalqiliya checkpoint which has been closed for 10 years. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 4 Palestinians in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

ISIS fighters advance against rival insurgents in northern Syria. (Reuters/New York Times)

Aircraft from a Saudi-led coalition bomb Houthi outposts throughout Yemen, while the government in exile says the militia was in talks with the US in Oman.(Reuters)

The war in Yemen is pushing health care facilities to the brink of collapse. (Washington Post)

France is trying to authenticate a video purporting to show a French woman taken hostage in Yemen. (Reuters)

Egypt begins demolishing the building that had housed the headquarters of former Pres. Mubarak's political party.(Reuters/AP)

The P5+1 agree on a way to restore UN sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal. (Reuters)

Saudi officials hope a massive project to rebuild Diriyah, featuring parks, restaurants, and museums about traditional Saudi life, will link citizens to their past. (New York Times)

Commentary:

The Washington Post interviews PM Hamdallah. (Washington Post)

Asmaa al-Ghoul asks what peace means for Gazans. (Al-Monitor)

Uri Savir asks if the US is disengaging from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Al-Monitor)

Hagai El-Ad says under occupation, Palestinians have had no meaningful vote for nearly 50 years. (New York Times)

Roy Isacowitz says France should recognize the state of Palestine now instead of “wasting time at the UN.” (Ha’aretz)

Debra Kamin says an Israeli TV series finds audiences among Israelis and Palestinians alike with its brutal honesty about the ugliness of war. (Foreign Policy)

Aziza Nofal says drug trafficking, dealing and consumption have quickly spread in the West Bank, where security is loose. (Al-Monitor)

Amos Harel asks how Israel’s new security cabinet will handle a war. (Ha’aretz)

The New York Times says given the weakness of Iraqi forces, Americans should be training and giving weapons directly to Sunni tribal fighters in Anbar Province. (New York Times)

Fred Hiatt looks at how US policies fueled turmoil and violence in Iraq. (Washington Post)

Hussein Ibish says ISIS's cynicism is on full display in the group's two suicide bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia. (The National)

Colum Lynch says, according to the UN, a military defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq could scatter extremists around the globe. (Foreign Policy)

Sharif Nashashibi says the “sectarian mask” of the battle for Ramadi has come off. (Al Arabiya)

Raghida Dergham says Iran is America’s de-facto ally in the war against ISIS. (Al Arabiya)

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News:

Recent arrests overshadow the Palestinians’ bid to oust Israel from FIFA. (New York Times/.Times of Israel)

Palestinian human rights organizations address an open letter to FIFA Pres. Blatter in support of the Palestinian Football Association's bid to have Israel suspended. (Ma’an)

Pro-Palestinian protesters interrupt the 65th FIFA Congress, hours before the body is set to vote on Israel's ejection from world soccer. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

PM Netanyahu says the anti-Israel push at FIFA shows Palestinians oppose Israel’s right to exist. (Times of Israel/Ynet)

Pres. Rivlin says the BDS campaigns in universities and the FIFA bid are strategic threats to Israel. (PNN/Times of Israel)

A proposal is currently being made to add the Israeli military to the blacklist of the UN council for Children and Armed Conflict but UNSG Ban will likely oppose it. (PNN/Times of Israel/Ynet)

The Joint List proposes Knesset bills to create a new Arab city in the North and an Arab university. (Jerusalem Post)

Egyptian authorities close the Rafah crossing after it was open for three days. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain five Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

US defense aid to Israel is likely to increase after 2017 due to Iran deal fears.(Reuters)

Syrian rebels capture the last town in the Idlib province. (Reuters)

The UN’s humanitarian chief Amos paints a harrowing portrait of savagery in Syria's civil war and urges the UNSC to take collective action. (Reuters)

ISIS militants have alternated between terrorizing residents and courting them in their takeover of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. (New York Times)

Pentagon leaders are trying to "fine tune" US strategy for ousting ISIS from Iraq, in light of the Ramadi debacle. (AP)

The IAEA says Iran has provided some information about one of two open items in a UN nuclear watchdog investigation into whether it may have researched an atomic bomb. (Reuters/AP)

Pres. Blatter says scandal-plagued FIFA may have avoided its current problems if Russia and Qatar had not been chosen as hosts of the next two World Cups. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Iyad Abu Gharqoud recounts his experiences as a Palestinian soccer player living in the occupied West Bank. (|New York Times)

Anshel Pfeffer gives six reasons why it won’t be a bad thing if FIFA boots Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Raphael Ahren says Netanyahu backs the “general idea” behind the Arab Peace Initiative. (Times of Israel)

Hana Salah says Hamas is struggling with the emerging Islamist parties in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Carolina Landsmann says Israel must not use Judaism to justify the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Aaron David Miller explains why Pres. Obama’s recent outreach to the American Jewish community isn’t going to amount to much of anything at all. (Foreign Policy)

Fareed Zakaria says nobody is willing to fight for Iraq’s survival. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says the US can do more to help Iraq fight ISIS. (Washington Post)

Amir Taheri says the Khomeinist regime can no longer play the role of both a responsible nation and an adventurous revolution. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Mohamed Chebarro says Nasrallah’s latest attacks on friends and foes show a schism, not a fracture in his leadership in Hezbollah, (Al Arabiya)

George Hishmeh looks at new “Obama image.” (Jordan Times)

The Daily Star says Qatar must speak up on the recent FIFA scandals. (Daily Star)