Date

News:

16 EU FM’s send a letter to foreign policy chief Mogherini asking her to push forward the process of labeling goods produced in Israeli settlements. (Ha’aretz)

The director of Israel’s foreign ministry Ben-Sheetrit says Israel may pay a “heavy price” for crisis with the US. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian man from occupied East Jerusalem drives his car into two Israelis waiting at a busstop – killing one. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Amb. Power says the US will continue to “work closely” with Israel at the UN but would not count out advancing resolutions targeting Israel. (JTA)

Israel marks Holocaust memorial day with sirens and ceremonies. (AP/AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz)

PM al-Abadi says ISIS remains a fierce adversary as he outlines plans to prioritize battles in the refinery city of Baiji and the Anbar province. (Reuters/AP)

An exchange between Iraq and Saudi Arabia reflects the challenges facing the Obama administration as it tries to hold together a diverse coalition in the fight against ISIS. (New York Times/Foreign Policy)

The UN World Food Programme says the worsening violence in Yemen has made almost half the country's population "food insecure." (Reuters)

The UN special adviser to Yemen Benomar is planning on stepping down from his job. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Congress’ Iran bill makes a nuclear deal hard, but not impossible. (Reuters)

Iran nuclear talks will resume next week in Vienna. (AP)

Austrian Pres. Fischer says he will probably visit Iran this year should Tehran clinch a definitive deal with the P5+1. (Reuters)

A new study indicates that Iran is raising sophistication and frequency of cyber attacks. (New York Times)

Former Pres. Gul says Turkey needs a better parliamentary system, not a more powerful presidency. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Amos Harel says the split between the political and military wings of Hamas could lead to renewal of violence in the southern front. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar asks if former Sec. Clinton should promote the Clinton parameters. (Al-Monitor)

Ha’aretz says Obama's advisers are ignoring Amb. Dermer, a persona non grata at the White House. (Ha’aretz)

Salman Masalha asks why the US cannot figure out the Middle East. (Ha’aretz)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says UNSC resolution 2216 thwarts Iran’s plans in Yemen.  (Al Arabiya)

Eyad Abu Shakra says today the term “resistance,” when used by the “Houthis of the whole region” - from Yemen to Iraq and Lebanon - means nothing more than “Iran’s hegemony.”  (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says a new museum is a start, but wonders how Lebanon will deal with its difficult past forty years after the civil war. (The National)

Mustafa Akyol says Pres. Erdogan is “alienating allies, curtailing civil liberties and stoking sectarianism simply for the sake of political gain.” (New York Times)


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