News:

A UN expert panel tasked with investigating possible war crimes in Gaza last year has asked for more time to complete its report. (AP/New York Times/JTA)

The PA is holding 50 Islamic militants, fearing a terror attack would ensure a Likud victory in Israel’s upcoming election. (Ha’aretz)

The State Department says it expects the next Israeli government to be committed to the two-state solution. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Former Amb. Oren says Israel must restrict settlement building and create a “two-state reality.” (Ynet)

UN Middle East Envoy Serry proposes a three-to-five year truce in Gaza in order to enable reconstruction. (Ha’aretz)

Women in Gaza protest in front of the UNRWA headquarters to demand that the international community accelerate the reconstruction of Gaza. (Ma’an)

Hamas denies it is interested in a long-term ceasefire agreement with Israel in Gaza. (Ma’an)

The municipality of Jerusalem is blacklisting Palestinian residents suspected of security offenses. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli occupation forces level vast areas of land in the East Jerusalem town of al-Esawiya. (Ma’an) 

Israel’s Amb. to Sweden protests the pulling off the air of a cooking show because its presenter called Jerusalem the Jewish state’s “heart.” (JTA)

PM Netanyahu says there is a “worldwide effort” to topple him. (Reuters)

The Washington Post looks at Israel’s united Arab party. (Washington Post)

A persistent Israeli ethnic divide may split the vote for Netanyahu in the upcoming election. (Reuters)

Israeli opposition leader Herzog is emerging as a credible challenger to Netanyahu. (New York Times)

95 captives, including some Kurdish fighters, escape from an ISIS-run prison in northern Syria. (Reuters)

Iraqi forces retake a town next to the militant-held city of Tikrit as they press their offensive against ISIS militants. (AP)

Pres. Assad seems more likely to survive the Syrian crisis than at any point since it began four years ago. (Reuters)

King Abdullah of Jordan likens ISIS to Nazism -- "an expansionist ideology based on hatred." (Jerusalem Post/Jordan Times)

A suicide bomber kills a civilian and wounds 30 policemen in northern Sinai. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Ma’an/The National)

Democrats accuse GOP senators of undermining Pres. Obama in international talks to curb Iran's nuclear program. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post)

FM Zarif says a letter to Iranian leader by Republican lawmakers suggests that the US is “not trustworthy.” (AP/Times of Israel)

Commentary:

Anshel Pfeffer says to beat Netanyahu, Herzog needs to “lift Labor's old curse.” (Ha’aretz)

David Horovitz gives some insights on what to expect in the next Israeli election. (Times of Israel)

Steven Klein gives five reasons why Netanyahu will not be replaced in the upcoming election. (Ha’aretz)

Michael Weiss and Hassan Hassan look at the metamorphosis of an ISIS warrior. (Foreign Policy)

Hassan Barari says the key to Iran’s strategy of becoming a regional superpower is the development of its nuclear program. (Jordan Times)

Salman Aldossary says a P5+1 deal with Iran essentially benefits only Tehran and would come at the expense of everyone else. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The National says its time for an Arab NATO. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says the Arab world has a long history of ignorance regarding the importance and preservation of monuments and historic treasures. (Al Arabiya)