News:

Sec. Kerry reportedly presents new security ideas to PM Netanyahu and Pres. Abbas. (New York Times/Xinhua)

Kerry meets Netanyahu three times in 24 hours. (AFP)

Kerry praises Abbas for negotiating "despite difficulties." (Times of Israel)

Kerry says the parties are closer on the issues than any time "in years," and chances of peace are good. (YNet/Times of Israel/Washington Post)

Netanyahu says Israel is ready for a "historic peace" with the Palestinians. (UPI)

Israel rules out any compromises on the Jordan Valley. (AFP)

Palestinians reportedly reject Kerry's proposals as "prolonging and maintaining the occupation."(Reuters/Ha'aretz)

Abbas, declaring a day of mourning, calls the late Nelson Mandela "a symbol of liberation from colonialism and occupation." (Ma'an/AFP)

Jailed Fatah leader Barghouti says of Mandela: "Our Freedom Seems Possible Because You Reached Yours." (PNN/AFP)

Mandela was close to many Jews but resolutely loyal to the Palestinian cause. (Times of Israel)

Palestinians widely praise Mandela. (The National)

Kerry urges Israel and the Palestinians to make peace like Mandela. (Reuters)

Israel clears a soldier in the 2011 killing of a Palestinian protester with a tear-gas canister fired at close range. (Reuters/Ma'an/Ha'aretz)

Palestinian homeowners face eviction in a forgotten corner of East Jerusalem. (Deutsche Welle)

American Christian activists are helping both settlers and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (USA Today)

Gaza is suffering more than ever as Egypt intensifies its blockade. (Al-Ahram Weekly)

The first planned Palestinian city in the occupied West Bank is a symbol of pride. (AP)

The frontman of Grammy-winning Puerto Rican hip-hop outfit Calle 13 says he identifies with Palestinians. (AP)

A Swiss expert insists the late Pres. Arafat may have been poisoned despite French findings to the contrary. (AFP)

Bethlehem is receiving help from UNESCO in this year's Christmas festivities. (Al Monitor)

An Israeli conference urges the creation of a nuclear-free Middle East. (Ha'aretz)

An Al Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for the attack on Yemen's Defense Ministry that killed 52. (Reuters/AP)

The US military raises its regional alert status after the Yemen attack. (Reuters)

Smuggling of weapons across the Jordanian-Syrian borders rose by 300 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. (Xinhua)

The Syrian Military Council is reportedly facing waves of defections. (The Media Line)

Sec. Hagel will seek to reassure US Gulf allies on the recent Iran deal. (AP)

Egyptian Salafists urge their supporters to vote yes on the draft new constitution. (Xinhua)

Pres. Rouhani describes Iran's relations with Iraq as "strategic" during a visit by PM al-Maliki. (Xinhua)

Egypt may the considering declaring the Muslim Brotherhood a "terrorist organization." (Jerusalem Post)

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa has accepted an invitation to visit Iran at sometime in the near future. (The National)

Commentary:

Ron Ben-Yishai examines the new American security proposals. (YNet)

Barak Ravid says Americans are starting to understand external intervention is required for progress on peace talks. (Ha'aretz)

Muhammad Shtayyeh asks, if there can be a Geneva conference on Syria, why not on Israel and Palestine. (Ha'aretz)

Rye Druzin as many on both sides believe a two-state solution is inevitable despite how distant it now seems. (The Media Line)

Ha'aretz says, since Netanyahu only makes agreements when pressured, the US becomes indispensable. (Ha'aretz)

Herb Keinon says Kerry needs to regain Israel's trust to make progress. (Jerusalem Post)

Raphael Ahren says Kerry has moved from sticks to carrots in dealing with Israel, but it won't work. (Times of Israel)

Ataollah Mohajerani says, given the regional dynamics, Pres. Obama might actually be able to make a real breakthrough on peace. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Alan Dershowitz says there are reasonable and legitimate grounds for US-Israel disagreement. (Jerusalem Post)

Shaul Arieli says the 1967 war provides the starting point for a peace agreement. (Ha'aretz)

Kevin Connelly looks at how Mandela will be remembered by Israelis and Palestinians. (BBC)

J.J. Goldberg looks at Mandela's relationship with Zionism. (The Forward)

George Hishmeh looks at the new UNRWA exhibit on the history of Palestinian refugees. (Jordan Times)

Yossi Sarid says it's reprehensible Israel would steal land from Bedouin and Druze that serve in their own military. (Ha'aretz)

Ahmad Azem says Israel's forced mass relocation plan for Bedouins is driving Palestinian activism within the country. (Al Monitor)

Mazal Mualem says Israeli leaders are impervious to Europe's clear message on settlements. (Al Monitor)

Ephraim Sneh says the recent Iran deal "validates nuclear blackmail" and makes Israeli-Palestinian peace less likely. (Christian Science Monitor)

Maurice Ostroff asks why Israel is so isolated in objecting to the Iranian nuclear deal. (Jerusalem Post)

Khaled Mattawa says Libyans are finally rising up against abusive, extremist militias. (New York Times)

Khalid bin Sultan Al Nahyan says Iran's overtures to the Gulf present a historic opportunity. (The National)

The National says Gulf states are pondering Iran's purported "new" intentions. (The National)

Samir Salha wonders if Turkey is witnessing the end of the Erdoğan-Gülen Partnership. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Rana Sabbagh says free speech is regressing in the Arab media. (Jordan Times)