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)

News:

Israel strikes a number of sites in Gaza after a rocket lands near the Israeli port of Ashdod.(Reuters/Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

DM Ya’alon blames Islamic Jihad for the latest rocket fired at Israel. (AP/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu says Hamas is responsible for all fire from Gaza. (Jerusalem Post)

Hamas says they have arrested the Gaza rocket launchers. (Ynet)

Egyptian officials demand that “Israel hold its aggression" and practice restraint toward Gaza. (Jerusalem Post)

An Amnesty International report says Hamas committed war crimes against Palestinian civiliansin Gaza during last summer’s war. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/JTA/AFP/Ynet)

Egypt reopens its Rafah border crossing with Gaza for two days. (AFP)

Israeli occupation forces continue demolitions in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

Israeli forces shut down a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Violations against female Palestinian journalists by Israeli military forces and Palestinian security forces have tripled since 2010. (Ma’an)

Iraq’s Shi'ite paramilitaries say they had taken charge of the campaign to drive ISIS from thewestern province of Anbar. (Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

FM Zarif says the Yemen war will end up harming Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

UNSG Ban says he asked his Special Envoy to postpone Geneva peace talks planned for May 28.  (Reuters/AP)

Seven members of a Yemeni family are killed in an overnight strike by Saudi-led warplanes. (Reuters)

A French diplomat says the P5+1 and Iran will probably miss an end-of-June deadline for a comprehensive nuclear agreement. (AP)

Commentary:

Israel Harel says yesterday’s Gaza rocket shows the “quiet isn’t so quiet.” (Ha’aretz)

Avi Issacharoff says Hamas leaders have an interest in keeping things calm after yesterday’s flareup, but only to a certain extent. (Times of Israel)

Ron Kampeas says on two-states, tensions between Pres. Obama and Netanyahu have calmed for now. (JTA)

Raphael Ahren asks if Netanyahu is “two-faced” on the two-state solution. (Times of Israel)

Neri Zilber says Israel’s coalition government is a shaky mess but Netanyahu’s “wheeling and dealing” have cemented his hold on power. (Foreign Policy)

Ha’aretz says integrating Palestinian citizens of Israel into the planning agencies wouldn’t solve all the problems, but it would increase trust. (Ha’aretz)

Linda Gradstein says Palestinians are planning to begin using solar, wind and geothermal power in an effort to cut their dependence on Israeli energy. (The Media Line)

Hassan Hassan writes on responses to the mosque bombing in Saudi Arabia and and the soul-searching over radicalism and sectarianism it has engendered. (The National)

Sholto Byrnes says It's time for the US to rethink its historical view of the Iraq invasion and its responsibilities. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at Turkey’s recent involvement in the Syrian war. (Al Arabiya)

Eyad Abu Shakra says a full year has passed since Lebanon’s presidency became vacant. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Jamal Khashoggi looks a how a “Libyan Taif agreement” would look like. (Al Arabiya)

The New York Times says Iran’s refusal to try a Washington Post reporter in public is the latest travesty in a shameful case. (New York Times)

News:

PM Netanyahu has reportedly offered to renew peace talks with Palestinians on borders of settlement blocs. (AP/PNN/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Palestinians reject Netanyahu’s proposal to discuss settlement borders. (Ha’aretz)

Netanyahu appoints former Amb, Dore Gold to run the foreign ministry.(New York Times/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Egypt opens its border with Gaza to allow stranded Palestinians to return home. (AP)

The Arab League warns from the collapse of the educational process in Palestine due to the Israeli occupation. (PNN)

Iran will reportedly pull Islamic Jihad’s funding over group’s neutrality on Yemen. (Times of Israel)

Gaza's electricity distributor accuses Israel of refusing to repair a 12 megawatt grid supplying power to Gaza City. (Ma’an)

Egyptian navy forces shoot and injure Gaza fishermen. (Ma’an)

PM Hamdallah pledges $50,000 to the Bedouin community of Abu Nuwwar east of Jerusalem that is currently facing forced displacement by Israeli forces. (Ma’an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 20 Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an)

Israel thanks the US for blocking a resolution that would have opened discussions on making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. (JTA/Ha’aretz)

Iraq announces the launch of a military operation to drive ISIS out of the western Anbar province. (AP)

VP Biden reassures PM al-Abadi of the US commitment to help fight ISIS in an effort at damage control after Def. Sec. Carter questioned Iraqi troops' desire to fight. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Canada says Iraqi forces must become much more effective. (Reuters)

The US and Turkey agree "in principle" to give air support to some forces from Syria's mainstream opposition. (Reuters/AP)

Tens of thousands of people turn out at a mass funeral in eastern Saudi Arabia for 21 Shi'ite Muslims killed last week in a suicide bombing claimed by ISIS. (Reuters/AP/The National)

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian goes on trial on espionage charges behind closed doors in Tehran. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

Commentary:

Ahmad Melhem says since the Vatican recognized the state of Palestine, Palestinians are hoping more European states will follow suit. (Al-Monitor)

Uri Savir says France is urging Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations in anticipation of an international peace proposal being presented. (Al-Monitor)

Matthew Ayton asks what role the EU can play in negotiations between Israel and Palestine. (The National)

David Horovitz says its past time for Netanyahu to act on his conviction that Israel must not become a bi-national state.(Times of Israel)

Oudeh Basharat says with one hand the hypocritical Pres. Obama condemns Israel, and with the other he signs a deal to supply it with arms. (Ha’aretz)

Aeyal Gross says apartheid in Israel is about more than just segregated buses. (Ha’aretz)

Nahum Barnea compares and contrasts Israel to Turkey. (Ynet)

The Washington Post profiles Israel Harel, a longtime settlement activist. (Washington Post)

Aaron David Miller explains why, from Syria to the two-state solution, the Obama administration should thin out outcomes, not comprehensive solutions. (Foreign Policy)

Hussein Ibish says if the real goal of the US is merely contain ISIS in Syria, rather than completely destroy it, then the Obama Administration should come clean. (The National)

Elizabeth Dickinson says with the deadly suicide bombing of a Saudi mosque, ISIS may be debuting a new strategy: lone-wolf attacks inside the kingdom. (Foreign Policy)

Khaled Almaeena says the sectarian threatens Saudi national unity. (Al Arabiya)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Hezbollah leader Nasrallah is now threatening Shiites in Lebanon. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Taylor Luck says Jordan can no longer afford its humanitarian generosity.(The National)

Rami Khouri explores the idea of a joint Arab force. (Daily Star)

News:

Pres. Obama says PM Netanyahu’s anti-Arab remarks will likely have foreign policy consequences. (Ha’aretz)

Israel’s new deputy FM Hotovely says Israel owes no apologies for its policies in the Holy Land. (AP/Times of Israel/Ynet)

A new World Bank report warns Gaza’s economy is on the “verge of collapse.” (AP/AFP/PNN/Times of Israel)

The Greek government plans to hold a parliamentary vote on recognizing Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. (PNN)

A Palestinian boy is critically injured after Israeli forces shoot him with a rubber-coated steel bullet in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an/JTA/Ha’aretz)

An Israeli court rules to release imprisoned Palestinian MP Khalida Jarrar. (Ma’an/PNN/Ha’aretz) 

Jewish settlers are turning a church compound into a new outpost in the occupied West Bank. (Ha’aretz/PNN)

A Palestinian soccer player is detained by Israeli security personnel at the Allenby crossing with Jordan. (Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

Two hundred Palestinians above the age of 60 from Gaza head to Jerusalem to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (Ma’an)

ISIS says it has full control of Syria’s Palmyra. (Reuters/Washington Post)

Insurgents in Syria seize a hospital from the government forces in the Idlib province. (Reuters)

The US admits two children were likely killed by an American air strike in Syria in November. (Reuters/AP)

In Palmyra and Ramadi, ISIS carried out a strategy of attrition, weakening the opposition for a crushing strike. (New York Times)

Despite Obama’s endorsement, US officials are questioning whether PM al-Abadi is too weak to bridge the sectarian divide. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Obama pledges to elevate Tunisia as a major non-NATO ally of the US. (Reuters/AP)

A senior US official is in Israel to discuss the possibility of a compromise that would someday ban nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East. (Reuters/AP/JTA/Ha’aretz)

Obama says he has a personal stake on ensuring that negotiations with Iran produce an agreement that keeps Tehran from producing a nuclear weapon. (AP)

Commentary:

Ha’aretz says the international community is not willing to buy Netanyahu’s deceit anymore. (Ha’aretz)

Adnan Abu Amer interviews former Hamas advisor Ahmed Yousef. (Al-Monitor)

Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Obama. (The Atlantic)

Amos Harel says Hamas is torn between a long-term truce and a renewed war. (Ha’aretz)

Raed Omari says most of the region’s emergent problems are the direct outcome of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. (Al Arabiya)

Ben Sales interviews former Sen. Lieberman. (JTA)

Alan Philps asks whether the shared cause of fighting ISIS militants might have the effect of creating unity in Iraq. (The National)

The National says the capture of Palmyra should be added to the long list of atrocities in Syria’s civil war. (The National)

Eugene Robinson asks why the US should fight for Iraqis if the Iraqi army is not going to fight for itself. (Washington Post)

Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor says relying on the US for security is a mistake. (Al Arabiya)

News:

A French UNSC resolution reportedly sets a 18-month deadline for an Israeli-Palestinian deal. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Ynet)

PM Netanyahu tells EU Foreign Policy Chief Mogherini he is committed to a two-state solution. (JTA/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Norwegian FM Brende warns Netanyahu that pressure over Palestinians will resume after the Iran deal. (Ha’aretz)

The World Bank transfers $77 million from its Palestinian Reform and Development Plan Trust Fund to the budget of the PA. (Ma’an)

The IMF calls for more donor aid to support the recovery of the West Bank and Gaza economy, citing an uncertain outlook for the Palestinian territories. (AFP)

DM Ya’alon says his shelved plan to prevent Palestinians from travel on Israeli lines initiated purely for security reasons. (Times of Israel)

Former FM Lieberman urges Netanyahu to cancel talks with Joint List leader Odeh. (Times of Israel/AFP/Jerusalem Post)

Israel approves the construction of 90 settlement units in Har Home settlement south of Jerusalem. (PNN)

The Palestinian Football Association rejects an Israeli proposal to address its grievances and will move forward with a motion to expel Israel from FIFA. (JTA)

A bomb explodes near the Bank of Palestine branch in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza. (Ma’an)

Palestinians in Gaza are reaching beyond the blockade through start-ups. (AFP)

The US plans to sell thousands of bombs and munitions to Israel in a $1.9 billion deal.(AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

ISIS seizes full control of both ancient and modern Palmyra in central Syria. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/The National)

The New York Times looks at the ancient ruins of Palmyra. (New York Times)

Iraqi forces say they thwarted a third ISIS attack east of Ramadi. (Reuters)

The US plans to deliver 1,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq in June to combat ISIS suicide bombings. (Reuters/New York Times)

ISIS's Egypt affiliate urges followers to attack judges. (Reuters)

The Saudi-led coalition hits an international humanitarian aid office in northern Yemen, killing five Ethiopian refugees and wounding ten. (Reuters)

Houthi leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi backs new UN peace talks in Geneva. (AP)

FM Fabius says Iran wants 24 days before international inspectors could visit its nuclear sites in the event of a suspected violation of a deal with the P5+1. (AP)

Commentary:

The National says attempts to segregate buses in the occupied West Bank foreshadow more racist legislation to come. (The National)

Ha’aretz says segregated buses for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are only the tip of the “occupation's iceberg.” (Ha’aretz)

Amos Harel says Israel cannot bury the damage of the Palestinian bus separation proposal. (Ha’aretz)

Avi Issacharoff says the FIFA vote on booting Israel may not succeed, but it’s already boosted the political standing of former Palestinian security head Rajoub. (Times of Israel)

Peter Beinart looks at how the American Jewish establishment foists its isolation from Palestinians on American politicians. (Ha’aretz)

Shlomi Eldar says Israel is silent while Hamas is digging more tunnels in Gaza. (Al-Monitor)

David Ignatius says interagency battles are hurting the US’ fight against ISIS. (Washington Post)

Joyce Karam looks at how ISIS differs from Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda. (Al Arabiya)

Michael Young says destroying heritage sites is no more intolerable than destroying humans. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed looks at the special relation between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. (Al Arabiya)

Pres. Obama and Pres. Essebsi write about Tunisia’s democratic journey. (Washington Post) 

Michael Young explains why Hezbollah may seek to change the Taif agreement. (Daily Star)

News:

PM Netanyahu suspends a proposed plan to segregate Palestinians from Israelis on West Bankbuses, overruling his own defense minister. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel/Ynet/Jerusalem Post)

Pres. Rivlin lauds decision to cancel Palestinian transportation edict. (Jerusalem Post)

The UN Middle East Envoy Mladenov tells the UNSC that Gaza is “desperate and angry” over the devastation following last summer's war. (Ha’aretz/AFP/Jerusalem Post)

Israel denies talks with Hamas on seaport and prisoner swap. (Times of Israel)

Israel’s new Cabinet approves a plan for development at the Western Wall. (AP/JTA)

Israel’s deputy DM, MK Ben-Dahan, will not assume responsibility over the Israel Defense Forces’ Civil Administration in the occupied West Bank. (Ha’aretz)

The Palestinians place a proposal to suspend Israel from FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, on the agenda for FIFA’s annual congress. (New York Times)

Sweden will contribute $5 million toward the May salaries and pensions of 70,000 PA employees across the occupied West Bank and Gaza. (Ma’an)

Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in Jerusalem claiming he attempted to run over border guard police officers with his vehicle. (Ma’an/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

An Israeli court sentences a Palestinian man to eight months of prison over Facebook posts. (Ma’an/JTA)

Pres. Obama meets with his advisors on the situation in Iraq and reaffirms support for PM al-Abadi. (Reuters/New York Times)

Iraqi forces say they defeated an overnight ISIS attack near Ramadi. (Reuters)

The Pentagon says Iraqi troops abandoned US military vehicles and artillery pieces when they fled ISIS fighters in Ramadi (AP)

Analysts say Ramadi’s fall shows US comments on Iraq were too optimistic. (Reuters/Washington Post)

The Saudi-led coalition targets army bases and weapons depots in Sanaa. (Reuters)

Ayatollah Khamenei says he will not accept "unreasonable demands" by the P5+1 and rules out letting inspectors interview its atomic scientists. (Reuters/AP)

Commentary:

Henry Siegman says the US must stop blocking UN action on Mideast peace and start pushing for a tough UNSC resolution that forces both parties to negotiate a deal. (New York Times)

Rami Khouri says Europe can reverse the US failures on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Daily Star)

Ben Sales asks if Israel will be barred from FIFA. (JTA)

Ron Kampeas asks if the Vatican’s recognition of the state of Palestine will impact Jewish-Catholic ties. (JTA)

Yossi Mekelberg says between obliviousness and defiance, Israel is sleepwalking towards international isolation unless it changes course sharply and quickly. (Al Arabiya)

David Ignatius says the fall of Ramadi is a blow to US strategy. (Washington Post)

Hassan Hassan says the ISIS’ momentum is continuing and anyone telling you is in decline isn’t paying attention. (Foreign Policy)

The National says the Iraqi government has been too reactive in its attacks on ISIS and must pursue a new approach. (The National)

Hussein Ibish looks at the recent achievements of the US-GCC Camp David summit. (AGSIW)

David Rothkopf explains why Obama’s bet on letting friends and enemies “slug it out in the Middle East” is so risky. (Foreign Policy)