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)