News:

Palestinian sources claim Sec. Kerry is proposing the return of 80,000 Palestinian refugees to Israel. (Xinhua)

Reports suggest the US may be trying to add language about a "Jewish state" to the Arab Peace Initiative. (Times of Israel)

Israeli officials doubt an agreement can be reached within nine months. (Reuters)

Israeli cabinet minister Bennett dismisses all notions of a land swap with the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian citizens of Israel call FM Lieberman's land swap proposals "delusional." (Ha'aretz)

Jordanian officials say PM Netanyahu is ready for a land swap with Palestinians. (YNet)

Israeli settlers voice their objections to Kerry's peace efforts. (Christian Science Monitor)

Hebron settlers say Netanyahu "may meet a worse fate" then former PM Sharon. (JTA)

Israeli extremists mock Kerry's peace efforts. (BBC)

Israel approves 272 new settlement homes in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)

Jewish vandals damage Palestinian cars and spray graffiti in Jaffa. (Ma'an)

A rocket fired from Gaza lands in southern Israel without causing any injuries or damage. (Xinhua)

A Palestinian man is crushed to death due to overcrowding at an Israeli West Bank checkpoint. (Ma'an)

Israeli officials complain about incitement by Palestinians. (New York Times)

Israeli forces arrest three Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

Egyptian forces shoot and wound two Palestinian youths exiting a Gaza smuggling tunnel. (Ma'an)

Czech officials demand an explanation for weapons discovered at the Palestinian mission in Prague. (New York Times/AFP)

Palestinian villagers capture and briefly detain a group of Israeli settlers they say attacked them in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times)

Hamas holds another military training program for Gaza youth. (Xinhua)

Hamas says it is making "goodwill gestures" to Fatah. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)

Saudi Arabia says it is donating $40 million to the Palestinian budget. (PNN)

The US and Iran are increasingly seen by some as facing common enemies in the Middle East. (New York Times)

Egypt summons Iran's charge d'affaires over recent statements criticizing Egyptian policies. (Xinhua)

Saudi Arabia's military aid package to Lebanon is seen by some as a message to the US. (New York Times)

Syrian extremists are accused of mass executions of rival rebels. (Los Angeles Times)

A Sunni revolt in Iraq could spiral into a new war in the country. (Washington Post)

Kuwait swears in a new cabinet with seven new members. (AP/Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Turkish government fires 350 police officers. (AP)

Commentary:

The LA Times says Kerry's framework agreement provides a glimmer of hope for Middle East peace. (Los Angeles Times)

The CSM says Kerry and Pope Francis make a formidable peace team. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Washington Post says Israelis and Palestinians have to prove themselves willing to engage Kerry's peace efforts. (Washington Post)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Munib al Masri says all Palestinians want is their freedom. (Ha'aretz)

Vincent Fean says the Palestinian leadership is right to engage in peace talks with Israel. (Ma'an)

Nahum Barnea says, instead of whining about Palestinian incitement, Israeli leaders should do something about Israeli incitement. (YNet)

Jonathan Cook says Israel's educational system is filled with incitement of its own. (The National)

Moshe Arens strongly disapproves of his interpretation of Kerry's proposals. (Ha'aretz)

David Newman says the Jordan Valley has lost most of its strategic significance for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

Akiva Eldar says Israel's relationship with Jordan is much more important to it than the Jordan Valley. (Al Monitor)

Hazem Balousha says what Palestinians in Gaza want most in 2014 is electricity. (Al Monitor)

Neri Zilber looks at the problems facing a Jordanian Muslim named Yitzhak Rabin. (The Atlantic)

The LA Times says the Obama administration should "stop coddling" the Egyptian government. (Los Angeles Times)

Nervana Mahmoud says the Al-Noor party in Egypt should be carefully watched. (Al Monitor)

Hassan Hassan says PM Al-Maliki's war against Al Qaeda is tainted by sectarian politics. (The National)

Huda Al-Saleh looks at women members of Al Qaeda. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid says he thinks Iran is secretly running Al Qaeda. (Arab News)

Sobhi Ghandour stresses the importance of Arab Christian communities to the region. (Gulf News)

Peter Beinart says there is a "moral case" for ending the US "cold war" with Iran. (Ha'aretz)

Hussein Ibish says the emerging Tunisian Constitution is extremely promising. (NOW)