News:

The UN warns of another potential conflict in Gaza, urging Israel to lift its blockade and Palestinian political parties to end in-fighting. (AFP)

Palestinian Finance Minister Bishara says Israel's freeze on Palestinian tax revenues is costing the PA 70 percent of its budget. (Ma’an)

Pres. Abbas and former Pres. Peres reportedly were on the verge of signing a peace agreement in 2011. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)

A 14-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl jailed by Israel will be released from prison custody on Friday. (Ma’an)

A Fatah official says a PLO delegation will head to Gaza soon in order to work on the reconstruction crisis. (Ma’an)

An EU official denies there will be new sanctions against Israel. (JTA)

Israel’s Interior Ministry unlawfully transferred $16 million to settlements. (Ha’aretz) 

Israel says it has intercepted a boat carrying weapons-making materials en route to Gaza from Sinai. (AP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The former head of the Gaza inquiry, William Schabas, says he faced pressure and threats. (New York Times)

Israel disqualifies controversial Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from running in upcoming election. (AP/PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

A poll indicates Americans disapprove of PM Netanyahu’s invitation, but want Pres. Obama to meet with him anyway. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Former Sec. Albright accuses Netanyahu of interfering in American internal affairs. (Ha’aretz)

An Egyptian court orders the release of two Al Jazeera journalists. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/The National)

An Egyptian prosecutor imposes a media gag order on the case of the death of a female protester killed during a peaceful demonstration. (AP)

An ISIS magazine claims to interview Hayat Boumediene who was involved in the Paris attacks. (Washington Post)

The US-led anti-ISIS coalition has 60 minutes to save a pilot behind enemy lines. (The National/Jordan Times)

Al-Qaeda-linked fighters seize an army base in Yemen after the UN warns that the country is on the brink of civil war. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

King Salman is changing and shaping Saudi Arabia’s contours of power. (Reuters)

The EU is expected to reimpose sanctions on an Iranian oil tanker firm. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Gershon Baskin says Israeli candidates must present their parties vision regarding the future of relations with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Ari Shavit says with Obama and Netanyahu “lost,” opposition leader Herzog must lead. (Ha’aretz)

Akiva Eldar asks what it means to be a modern Zionist. (Al-Monitor)

Haviv Rettig Gur profiles former Amb. Oren. (Times of Israel)

Brian Schaefer says Jon Stewart made it okay to be ambivalent about Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Joyce Karam says militias are “winning the Arab Spring.” (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says Arab countries have made the campaign against ISIS a priority, undermining the primacy of the struggle against the Syrian dicatorship. (Daily Star)

Hussein Shobokshi compares Pres. Assad to Saddam Hussein. (Asharq al-Awsat)

David Ignatius says the Kurds need weapons now because the fight in northern Iraq is not finished. (Washington Post)

The New York Times says Obama’s war authorization should trigger debate about the goals and scope of the military intervention against ISIS. (New York Times)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks if Assad would still commit the crime of assassinating former Lebanese PM Hariri if he were to go back in time. (Al Arabiya)

Alan Philps says Russia is forging new alliances in the Middle East in order to diversify its foreign policy. (The National)

Roger Cohen warns not to expect more from a nuclear deal with Iran than is reasonable. (New York Times)

News:

News:

Pres. Abbas will meet with Swedish PM Lofven today. (Reuters/AFP/Jerusalem Post)

The PA will ban the entry of products by six major Israeli companies. (Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Rivlin launches a project to help integrate Palestinian citizens of Israel into the workforce. (JTA)

Five Fatah members from occupied East Jerusalem are indicted on terrorism charges. (JTA/Times of Israel)

Israeli forces demolish the home of a Palestinian family in Lod. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces demolish a home in occupied East Jerusalem, displacing 14 Palestinians. (Ma’an)

Suicide rates are on the rise in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Two smugglers are killed in a exchange of fire on the Israeli-Egyptian border. (Ha’aretz/Ma’an/Times of Israel)

Israeli officials are reportedly considering changing the format of PM Netanyahu’s speech before Congress. (Reuters/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Obama and Netanyahu clash from afar over the Congressional speech. (New York Times/PNN)

Obama will send his new ISIS war powers request to Congress. (AP)

The UAE resumes airstrikes against ISIS. (New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

Pres. Assad says third parties, including Iraq, are conveying information to Damascus about the US-led campaign against ISIS. (Reuters/The National)

The EU launches a program to disrupt networks of “jihadis” going to the Middle East. (AP)

Pres. Putin meets with Pres. Sisi as Russia seeks to boost its ties with Egypt. (AFP)

Islamist militants set off five bombs in Alexandria following which 15 suspected extremists are killed by air raids in Sinai. (Reuters)

Egypt suspends its major soccer league following the recent stadium tragedy. (Reuters/New York Times)

Sisi calls Arab Gulf leaders to assure them that audio recordings that purportedly show him and a top aide mocking them are fake. (AP)

Jordan and Bahrain agree to cooperate in air defence. (Jordan Times)

Obama says its time for Iran to decide if it wants a nuclear deal with the P5+1. (Reuters/AP/JTA)

Commentary:

Amos Harel says a weak and desperate Hamas is trying to rebuild itself. (Ha’aretz)

Neri Zilber says Gaza reconstruction is stalled because of the Fatah-Hamas deadlock. (WINEP)

Nadav Tamir says Europe is not hostile to Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Shmuel Rosner says Netanyahu should abandon his speech before Congress. (New York Times)

Hassan Hassan says as long as the foreign intervention in Syria lacks focus, the fight against ISIS will continue to be futile. (The National)

Zvi Bar’el says the US-led coalition is fighting ISIS with no clear goal. (Ha’aretz)

Tariq Alhomayed says Arabs boots on the ground are needed to defeat ISIS. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Diana Moukalled urges a boycott of ISIS videos. (Asharq al-Awsat)

James Traub says the US can do very little to alter the course of events in the Middle East right now. (Foreign Policy)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Egypt’s stability is vital to the security of the entire Arab world. (Al Arabiya)

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor says the GCC was slow to realize how dangerous the situation in Yemen has become. (Al Arabiya)

Ryan Crocker, Robert Ford, James Jeffrey and Ronald Neumann say the US needs to keep its ambassador in Yemen. (The Hill)

David Ignatius says the US must proceed with caution on Iranian diplomacy. (Washington Post)

The Washington Post says Jason Rezaian is being used as a human pawn by the Iranian regime. (Washington Post)

News:

A Palestinian official says $12 million in aid donations will be distributed to Palestinians displaced by last summer’s Gaza war. (Ma’an)

The UAE is funneling funds to Gaza through former Palestinian official Dahlan. (Times of Israel)

UN Middle East Envoy Serry warns Israel is on a dangerous path to a one-state reality. (Ynet) 

Pres. Rivlin calls for the building of a new city to accommodate Israel’s growing Arab minority. (JTA)

An EU official defends its funding for “unlicensed” construction of hundreds of buildings for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (JTA/Jerusalem Post)

Israeli occupation forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man in Hebron after he attempted to grab a soldier’s gun. (Ma’an)

Hamas says the PA was responsible for pointing Israel toward nearly a third of its Gaza targets in the conflict last summer. (Times of Israel)

A joint Arab list hopes to win 15 seats in the upcoming Israeli election. (The Media Line)

An Israeli official suggests that PM Netanyahu had been misled into thinking an invitation to address Congress was fully supported by the Democrats. (Reuters/Jerusalem Post)

A Jewish American leader Malcom Hoenlein says American funding should be kept out of Israeli elections. (JTA)

Thousands of Jordanians rally in Amman, urging King Abdullah to step up airstrikesagainst ISIS. (Reuters/Jordan Times)

A prominent Jihadi preacher criticizes ISIS after being released from more than three months in detention in Jordan. (AP/New York Times/The National)

Syrian Kurds celebrate after pushing ISIS out of Kobani. (Reuters)

Syrian air force strikes kill 82 in an opposition-held district outside of Damascus. (Reuters)

Recent ISIS setbacks in Syria suggest the group is under strain but far from collapse in the Syrian part of its self-declared caliphate. (Reuters)

ISIS extremists publish a manifesto for women living under their rule, including marriage for girls at age nine. (The Telegraph)

A report says the EU must agree on intercepting Skype conversations to help stop the flow of European citizens returning from Syria. (Reuters)

The Houthis say they will release a “constitutional declaration” in Yemen. (AP)

Commentary:

Adnan Abu Amer says Hamas is reaching out to the new Saudi leadership in an effort to reestablish ties. (Al-Monitor)

Amos Harel says Israel must ensure tension with Hezbollah and Hamas doesn't escalate. (Ha’aretz)

Raphael Ahren asks if Netanyahu should cancel his speech to Congress. (Times of Israel)

The New York Times says the video of the murder of the Jordanian pilot has succeeded in fostering rage and revulsion against ISIS throughout the Arab world. (New York Times)

Abdallah Schleifer says the father of the murdered pilot and thousands of other Jordanians are powerfully demanding that Jordan “annihilate ISIS.” (Al Arabiya)

The Jordan Times defends the decision to execute the two terrorists. (Jordan Times)

Fareed Zakaria says the international community must deny ISIS the overreaction it wants. (Washington Post)

Charles Krauthammer says ISIS is seeking to destabilize Jordan by drawing it deeply into the conflict. (Washington Post)

Salman Aldossary says the story of ISIS is one of a group that has shown limitless immorality, sadism and brutality in its dealings with everybody. (Asharq al-Awsat)

The Washington Post says the emerging Iranian nuclear deal raises major concerns. (Washington Post)

Eric Yoffie says the Republicans will be no tougher on Iran than Pres. Obama. (Ha’aretz)

News:

Israel withholds tax revenues from the PA for the second month in a row. (JTA/The Media Line/Jerusalem Post)

The PA urges the EU to pressure  Israel to release withheld tax revenues. (Times of Israel)

An unnamed international diplomat says Pres. Abbas may halt security cooperation with Israel unless the state of Palestine is established. (Jerusalem Post)

Nikolay Mladenov, currently UN Iraq envoy, will replace Robert Serry as UN Mideast envoy. (Ha’aretz)

Three Palestinian security officers are injured in armed clashes with gunmen in Balata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)

Hamas leader Zahhar says there will be no new prisoner swap with Israel until all prisoners from the Shalit deal are released. (Ma’an/Jerusalem Post)

Israeli occupation forces raid a Palestinian high school in the West Bank. (Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu rejects the criticism over his upcoming Congress speech and says his duty is to warn about Iran. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Israeli officials fail to calm a furor created by Netanyahu’s planned speech to Congress and quell a “Democratic revolt” that has dozens threatening a boycott. (Politico/Times of Israel/JTA/Ha’aretz)

A bipartisan group of American lawmakers demands that the UN enforce all Security Council resolutions. (JTA)

The UN will appoint a panel to investigate the killing of one of its peacekeepers by Israeli troops near the Israel-Lebanon border. (New York Times/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

Hundreds of Palestinians rally in solidarity with Jordan against ISIS. (Ma’an)

Jordanian fighter jets carry out new airstrikes in Syria, after King Abdullah vows to wage a “harsh war” against ISIS. (AP/Reuters/The National/Jordan Times)

The UN says ISIS is systematically killing, torturing and raping children and families of minority groups in Iraq. (AP)

ISIS has executed three Chinese militants who tried to flee. (Reuters)

Foreign fighters reportedly keep joining ISIS in large numbers despite the American-led bombing campaign. (Daily Beast)

Fox News website posts the unedited ISIS execution video of a Jordanian pilot. (New York Times)

PM al-Abadi says Baghdad’s decade-old curfew will end on Saturday. (Reuters/AP)

Peter Greste, an Al-Jazeera journalist who was detained in Egypt, arrives home in Australia. (Reuters/AP)

One person is killed in an attack on a restaurant north of Cairo. (Reuters)

Al-Qaeda in Yemen says a senior cleric was among four people killed in a recent US drone strike in the country's south. (AP)

American officials have praised the Saudi government for cracking down on terrorism, but suspicions of a past, tacit alliance with Al Qaeda have resurfaced again. (New York Times)

Houthi leaders and former Pres. Saleh reportedly strike a power-sharing deal in Yemen. (Asharq al-Awsat) 

Sec. Kerry will meet FM Zarif in Germany on Saturday. (AP)

Pres. Rouhani accuses the West of distorting Iran’s nuclear policies. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Ha’aretz says Israel is obliged to investigate military conduct during last summer’s Gaza war. (Ha’aretz)

Gideon Levy says getting the head of the UN panel fired won't change the outcome of its probe into possible war crimes committed in Gaza. (Ha’aretz)

Roger Cohen says Israel’s future is on the line in the March 17 elections. (New York Times)

Barnett Rubin says Netanyahu and Speaker Boehner are wrong to think they know what Iran wants. (Washington Post)

The Jordan Times says Jordanians are once again brought together as one by a tragic act of savagery. (Jordan Times)

David Kenner profiles the men who support ISIS in Jordan. (Foreign Policy)

Benjamin Fishman says Jordan can play a leading role in coordinating a more aggressive strategy to counter ISIS’ messages and appeal. (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says ISIS has a reached a decisive turning point with the murder of the Jordanian pilot. (Daily Star)

Joyce Karam says, by murdering the Jordanian pilot, ISIS has effectively hastened its own demise. (Al Arabiya)

Alan Philps says the horrific burning of a Jordanian pilot by ISIS is testing the cohesion of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. (The National)

Matthew Levitt looks at the search for the late Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh. (The Hill)

The New York Times asks if anyone will be held accountable for abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison. (New  York Times)

Michael Young says the US should be careful not to emulate traditional British policies in the Middle East. (The National)

Jamal Khashoggi says the Middle East needs Saudi-American-Turkish cooperation. (Al Arabiya)

News:

The UN names American judge Mary McGowan Davis to lead an investigation into the 2014 Gaza conflict. (New York Times/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

The Israeli army is reportedly planning to indict several soldiers who fought in Gaza last summer on charges of looting. (Ha’aretz)

A 14-year-old Palestinian schoolgirl jailed by Israel has become a symbol of Palestinian anger over the arresting of children. (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces detain 11 Palestinian teenagers in the occupied territories. (Ma’an/PNN)

Fatah official Rajoub compares PM Netanyahu to Hitler. (Times of Israel)

Israeli occupation forces raid protest tents set up near Abu Dis in East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

An annual campaign to plant one million trees on land facing possible annexation in the occupied West Bank kicks off in Hebron. (Ma’an)

The White House’s top Middle East official, Phil Gordon, will speak in Israel later this month at a conference on security. JTA)

Many Democrats are considering skipping Netanyahu’s address to Congress. (Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Jordan executes two Iraqi terrorists in response to an ISIS video showing captured Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh being burnt alive. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/The National/Jordan Times) 

Pres. Obama and King Abdullah vow not to let up in the fight against ISIS. (AP/AFP) 

The father of the murdered pilot says Jordanians must stand united behind their leadership in the fight against terrorism. (Jordan Times)

Political leaders and Muslim clerics in the Middle East denounce the burning alive of al-Kasaesbeh as “un-Islamic.” (Reuters/AP)

The UNSC says the world should help Jordan in fighting terrorism. (Jordan Times)

The EU criticizes Jordan’s decision to execute two terrorists. (Ha’aretz)

Many in Congress support increased military assistance to Jordan. (AP/JTA)

American officials hope the murder of al-Kasaesbeh will toughen Jordan's resolve in the fight against ISIS. (Reuters)

The UAE, a key-US ally in the fight against ISIS, reportedly suspended airstrikes in December after al-Kasaesbeh was captured. (New York Times/AFP)

A video showing ISIS extremists burning alive al-Kasasbeh raises the question of which images news outlets should use. (New York Times)

Reuters looks at Egypt’s fight against extremists in Sinai. (Reuters)

Saudi oil is seen as a lever to lure Russia away from Pres. Assad. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Asmaa al-Ghoul says in light of physical assaults and abuses in Gaza and the West Bank, some Palestinian journalists engage in self-censorship. (Al-Monitor)

Ali Ibrahim says Hamas is not only a security risk but its existence and actions are a serious impediment to the Palestinian cause. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Ben Caspit says Israel has accepted Hamas rule in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

Zvi Bar’el asks who is going to save Gaza. (Ha’aretz)

Anders Persson says EU member states have the power to create an international consensus for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Ha’aretz)

Thomas Friedman says Netanyahu’s forthcoming speech before Congress is a “bad mistake.” (New York Times)

Peter Beinart critiques Israel’s “arrogant” Amb. to the US Dermer. (Ha’aretz)

The Jordan Times says Jordan, along with its allies, will wipe out ISIS and its ideology.(Jordan Times)

The National says the brutal killing of the Jordanian pilot must only increase the world’s resolve against ISIS. (The National)

Theodore Karasik says Jordan’s military and special operation forces are likely to be unleashed to track down and eliminate ISIS on Syrian territory. (Al Arabiya)

Sean Naylor and Lara Jakes ask if ISIS’ last hostages can be saved. (Foreign Policy)

Kenneth Pollack says for real peace in Iraq, the US must insist that Shiites and Sunnis share power. (New York Times)

Aki Peritz says the Iraqi government is unwittingly subsidizing ISIS. (New York Times)

David Ignatius looks at King Salman’s decisive leadership changes in Saudi Arabia. (Washington Post)

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum says governments must innovate or become irrelevant. (Asharq al-Awsat)

News:

A UN inquiry into possible war crimes in last summer’s Gaza war will produce its report on time next month despite the resignation of its chairman. (Reuters/New York Times/AFP/PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu calls for scrapping the UN commission on Gaza. (AP/Ha’aretz)

Hamas accuses Israel of “exerting pressure” on the head of the commission. (Ma’an)

The PA will reportedly ask the ICC to look into Israel’s settlement construction. (Jerusalem Post)

Saudi Arabia allocates $13.5 million to UNRWA. (Ma’an)

Palestinians protest Pres. Rivlin’s visit to Hebron. (AFP/JTA/Ynet)

Pres. Abbas orders an investigation into the official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah for publishing a caricature depicting the Prophet Mohammed. (Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

The mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun hopes Pope Francis will help her prevent Israel from extending its security barrier near the city. (Ha’aretz)

At least eight women are killed and 50 injured in a collision involving a bus who was carrying Bedouin women who had visited the Al-Aqsa mosque and a tractor in the Negev. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

A poll forecasts Netanyahu’s Likud party may win 25 of parliament's 120 seats in the upcoming election. (Reuters)

An Israeli satirical TV show returns on air just in time for the elections. (Washington Post)

Iraq’s Cabinet approves a draft law creating a national guard. (Reuters)

AP says the cost for fighters leaving ISIS is death or jail. (AP) 

The Pentagon says ISIS extremists are expanding their “international footprint” in ungoverned areas of the Mideast and North Africa.  (Bloomberg)

Iraqi DM al-Obeidi claims ISIS can be defeated “within months.” (CCTV)

Pres. Obama requests $8.8 billion to fund the fight against ISIS in the 2016 budget. (AFP)

Canada’s FM Baird says the release of Al-Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy is "imminent." (AP/The National)

By sacking two reformist ministers and authorizing bonuses for employees of large companies, King Salman is already making his mark. (Reuters/The National)

The new Saudi channel Al Arab suspends broadcasting in Bahrain, supposedly for technical reasons, after giving opposition leaders airtime. (New York Times)

King Abdullah of Jordan will be meeting with senior US administration officials in Washington. (Jordan Times)

Commentary:

The Washington Post says all parties, especially Hamas, deserve  blame for Gaza’s “tragic cycle.” (Washington Post)

Khaled Diab says Mizrahi Jews and Palestinian citizens of Israel could form a formidable voting bloc. (Ha’aretz)

Niva Lanir says Netanyahu is playing “dangerous games” in Israel’s back yard. (Ha’aretz)

David Horovitz interviews Israel’s youngest female Labor politician Stav Shaffir. (Times of Israel)

Alise Mofrej describes conditions inside Syria’s jails. (New York Times)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed wonders if Jordan will still release Iraqi terrorist Sajida Rishawi after the execution of the two Japanese hostages. (Al Arabiya)

Michael Weiss and Michael Pregent say Iran is making it impossible for the US-led coalition to beat ISIS. (Daily Beast)

Hassan Barari looks at Egypt’s Sinai challenge. (Jordan Times)

Bel Trew says no one will save Al Jazeera’s Egyptian journalist Baher Mohamed. (Foreign Policy)

Fethullah Gulen complains that Turkey’s democracy is eroding. (New York Times)

News: