NEWS:
Sec. Kerry is pushing to revive US peace efforts, and reportedly tells the parties to expect a new American proposal in the coming weeks. (Wall Street Journal/Ha'aretz)

Kerry is reportedly interested in reviving the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. (AP)

Kerry reportedly offers Pres. Abbas inducements to return to negotiations, and meets with PM Fayyad. (Ma'an)

Abbas reportedly reiterates the Palestinian commitment to peace and pushes Kerry to get Israel to explain its vision of what a future Palestinian state would look like. (Xinhua)

Israeli officials say they have no intention of presenting any map of a future Palestinian state. (YNet)

Kerry is also trying to encourage faster and broader Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. (AP/Reuters)

Turkey is reportedly demanding an end to the Gaza blockade as a condition for complete restoration of ties with Israel. (The National)

Israel claims to have repelled a series of major attacks by pro-Palestinian hackers on its cyber presence. (New York Times)

An Israeli court orders settlers to return a parcel of land to its Palestinian owners. ((Xinhua)

Palestinians say settlers vandalize West Bank mosques with anti-Arab graffiti. (Xinhua)

Israel closes the major crossing with Gaza after rockets are fired at southern Israel, without causing any damage or injuries. (AP)

Two more Palestinians are killed in shelling in Syria, bringing the total to 1,206 Palestinians killed in that country's war. (Ma'an)

Hamas authorities are shaving the heads of young men with long or spiky hair in Gaza, and has banned "Western garments." (AP/Xinhua/PCHR)

Palestinian families are left homeless after Hamas destroys homes in Gaza it claims were "illegally constructed." (Al Monitor)

Hamas police dispel a demonstration by Salafist mothers in Gaza. (Ma'an)

Palestinian officials say 160,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are living below the poverty line. (Ma'an)

Fatah officials are reportedly pressuring Abbas to replace Fayyad. (Ma'an)

The Teachers' Union of Ireland adopts a resolution backing an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. (JTA)


COMMENTARY:
Hussein Ibish says regional influences are having and increasing effect on internal Palestinian politics, especially within Hamas. (The National)

Zvi Bar'el says Egypt's political and military leaderships are divided over how to deal with Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

Hagai Segal says Kerry was wasting his time trying to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace. (YNet)

Ben Caspit says the best Kerry can hope for is a partial, interim agreement. (Al Monitor)

Amira Hass says the film "Five Broken Cameras" is changing Palestinian attitudes towards nonviolence. (Ha'aretz)

Tomer Persico says Israeli scholar Gideon Aran long anticipated the aims and trajectory of the extreme settler movement. (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post interviews Palestinian-Israeli MK Jamal Zahalka, who questions the future of Zionism. (Jerusalem Post)

Adel Safty says the essence of Zionism is the expropriation of Palestinian land. (Gulf News)

The Jerusalem Post criticizes Abbas for stifling freedom of speech. (The Jerusalem Post)

Ana Palacio says Pres. Obama played it safe in Israel because he doesn't think conditions are ripe for a two-state solution. (Gulf News)

Mike Coogan argues that AIPAC's latest legislative agenda is dividing members of Congress. (The Hill)

Hicham Mourad says Egypt should pursue a balanced policy between the PA and Hamas. (Al Ahram)

Gershon Baskin says the best way for Israel to reduce Hamas' stature and effectiveness is to make peace with the PLO. (Jerusalem Post)