News:
Israel's current DM approved 3,000 new settler homes [1] in the occupied territories in his first four months in office.(Ha'aretz)
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators reportedly met last week [2] despite purported resignations. (Ma'an)
A leading Labor Party MK says he was "surprised" by Pres. Abbas' "practical" stance [3] on security questions. (Jerusalem Post)
FM Lieberman will meet Sec. Kerry [4] for the first time since his reinstatement. (Ha'aretz)
Jewish activists are increasingly demanding access [5] to what are now Muslim holy sites in occupied East Jerusalem. (Washington Post)
An new Dutch government business initiative [6] includes Israeli companies in the occupied West Bank. (Ha'aretz)
Israeli occupation forces arrested 110 Palestinians in Hebron [7] in November. (Ma'an)
Israeli occupation forces demolish water wells and tents [8] in the Jordan Valley. (Ma'an)
Israel will allow construction materials into Gaza [9], but only under the auspices of international aid programs. (Ha'aretz)
CNN looks at the complexities of Palestinians doing business [10] in the occupied West Bank. (CNN)
Amnesty International demands Israel "immediately" lift the Gaza blockade [11]. (Ma'an)
Palestinians share their checkpoint frustrations [12] on Facebook. (Christian Science Monitor)
Hundreds of Israeli settlers [13] escorted by Israeli troops visit "Joseph's Tomb." (Ma'an)
PA security forces [14] defend the recent crackdown against fugitives. (Ma'an)
Islamic Jihad accuses the PA of "collusion" [15] with Israel. (Al Monitor)
A Palestinian investigator says he is about to release names of those he believes were involved [16] in the purported assassination of the late Pres. Arafat. (Reuters)
The new polls suggest a majority of Israelis distrust [17] the Iran nuclear deal. (AP)
The US rejects Israeli criticism [18] of the Iran nuclear deal, but finds it "frustrating." [19] (Ha'aretz)
"Colorful" diminutive names [20], like Bibi, dominate Israeli politics. (AP)
Rock star Roger Waters defends his use of religious symbols [21] in performances critical of Israeli occupation policies. (AP)
Outgoing New York Mayor Bloomberg is dedicating his $1M Genesis Prize to boosting Israeli-Palestinian trade [22]. (The Forward)
Artisanal Palestinian beer [23] making in the occupied territories continues to develop. (The Media Line)
Turkey and Iran [24] appeared to be coordinating more closely on Syria. (Ha'aretz)
The top UN official links Pres. al-Assad to war crimes [25] in Syria. (New York Times)
Syrian army airstrikes kill at least 15 [26] near Aleppo. (AP)
12 nuns are reportedly abducted [27] by Syrian rebels. (AP)
State media says a suicide bombing in Damascus [28] has killed four Syrians [29]. (Reuters/Xinhua)
The UN said it said it fed 3.4 million Syrians last month [30] but many were still out of reach. (Reuters)
Egypt says former Pres. Morsi is being investigated [31] for ties to extremists and Sinai insurgents. (AP)
A noted Egyptian blogger has been arrested [32] in an ongoing crackdown against dissent [33]. (Reuters/Los Angeles Times)
Protests in Egypt [34] seem to be intensifying. (Al Monitor)
Egypt's best known satirical poet, Ahmed Fouad Negm, has died at 84 [35]. (AP)
Libya begins voter registration [36] for constituent assembly elections. (Xinhua)
Commentary:
Hussein Ibish [37] argues ATFP has shown how to talk to Israel and its friends with mutual respect and dignity. (NOW)
Ibrahim Sharqieh [38] asks if the Iran deal can be a template for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Brookings)
Avi Issacharoff [39] says Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are barely limping along. (Times of Israel)
Matthew Kalman [40] profiles efforts by Yosef Jabareen to aid Palestinian students in Israel. (Chronicle of Higher Education)
David Landau [41] says, if he wants to invoke them, PM Netanyahu should learn from the Maccabees how to deal with the superpower of the moment. (Ha'aretz)
Ron Ben-Yishai [42] says Israel fears Pres. Obama is leading the Middle East towards catastrophe, especially regarding Iran. (YNet)
Michael Sfard [43] says settlers are carrying out "an unending pogrom" against Palestinians in the occupied territories. (Ha'aretz)
The Jerusalem Post [44] says Palestinian should stop complaining about Israeli settlement activity. (Jerusalem Post)
Meirav Arlosoroff [45] argues Israel's Bedouin should see their forced mass relocation as an opportunity. (Ha'aretz)
Haviv Rettig Gur [46] says the forced Bedouin relocation is more complicated than it first seems. (Times of Israel)
Shlomi Eldar [47] says Israel should just stop the forced Bedouin mass relocation project. (Al Monitor)
Rasha Abou Jalal [48] says Turkish culture is becoming more popular in Gaza. (Al Monitor)
David Ignatius [49] says the Syrian people face two enemies: the Assad dictatorship and Al Qaeda. (Washington Post)
Ariel Ben Solomon [50] says Syrian peace talks are doomed before they even begin. (Jerusalem Post)
The Daily Star [51] says Iran's Arab Gulf neighbors need to be very cautious henceforth. (The Daily Star)
Malik Al-Abdeh [52] says Syria's Muslim Brotherhood is doomed to repeat past errors. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Diana Moukalled [53] says the sentencing of 14 young Egyptian girls to long prison sentences was an injustice. (Asharq Al Awsat)
Ali Salem [54] insists Egypt did, in fact, experience a revolution against Mubarak. (Asharq Al Awsat)
The Times of Israel interviews Simon Sebag Montefiore [55] about Jerusalem. (Times of Israel)
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