News:

Pres. Abbas seeks a temporary NATO peacekeeping force in a future Palestinian state. (The New York Times/Ma’an)

PM Netanyahu dismisses Sec. Kerry’s warnings over intensified boycotts if peace talks fail. (AP/The New York Times)

The State Department defends Kerry’s boycott statement. (Ynet)

FM Judeh says Jordan would reject any agreement that does not uphold its interest. (Xinhua/ The Jordan Times)

Israel dismantles a symbolic anti-settlement protest camp in the Jordan River Valley. (Xinhua)

DM Ya’alon claims settlements are not an obstacle to peace. (Ynet)

Extremist settlers uproot 1700 olive seedlings in two villages in the occupied West Bank. (The Times of Israel/AP)

UNRWA distributes additional 715 food parcels in Yarmouk camp. (Ma’an)

Israel offers Turkey $20 million for the flotilla incident victims. (Xinhua)

Israel returns 30 Palestinian bodies to their families. (AP)

The PA seeks to increase electricity production to reduce dependence on Israel. (The Media Line)

The Israeli settlement-based SodaStream company accuses Oxfam of funding the boycott movement. (The Jerusalem Post)

Rock star Roger Waters criticises actress Scarlett Johansson over her support of Israeli settlements. (The Jerusalem Post)

Al-Qaeda reportedly again breaks ties with ISIS. (AP/Reuters)

The Syrian regime kills 36 people in Aleppo. (AP)

A car bombing in Iraq kills 10 people. (AP)

A car bomb kills three people in a Lebanese Shiite town. (AP)

The World Food Programme cannot meet the needs of the Syrian people. (AP)

Pres. Obama will face major issues when visiting Saudi Arabia. (The National)

The UAE summons the Qatari Ambassador to protest comments by cleric Qaradawi. (Xinhua)

Hillary Clinton warns Congress that new Iran sanctions could upend talks. (AP)

FM Zarif says a nuclear deal is possible within six months. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Thomas Friedman says there will be no deal between Israelis and Palestinians if Israel insists on a lengthy stay in the West Bank. (The New York Times)

S. Daniel Abraham says it’s time for Netanyahu to put together a strategy to implement peace if Kerry’s plan succeeds. (Ha’aretz)

Moshe Arens says there is “little chance” for the Palestinians and Israel to reach an agreement. (Ha’aretz)

Gideon Levy says Israel is already a bi-national state. (Ha’aretz)

Emily Hauser says Israel must raise the alarm about settler violence. (Ha’aretz)

Steven Rosen says refugees would be a major destabilizing factor to a future Palestinian state. (Foreign Policy)

The National says Obama will hear tough talk from the Saudis when he visits Riyadh next month. (The National)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says Pres. Assad has no plans to leave power. (Asharq Alawsat)

The Jordan Times blames world powers for the failure of the Geneva II peace talks. (The Jordan Times)

Amer Al Sabaileh warns that the resumption of US support to the Syrian opposition will be a source of tension between Amman and Damascus. (The Jordanian Times)

Amal Mousa elucidates the reasons behind the latest triumph of modern values over the Islamist principles in Tunisia. (Asharq Alawsat)

The Gulf News calls on all Lebanese to step back from the deadly violence that is engulfing their country. (The Gulf News)

Fareed Zakaria thinks that Pres. Rouhani and Zarif are “moderates who seek greater integration of Iran with the world.” (The Daily Star)

Abdullah Al Shayji expresses dismay at the way Obama handled Arab countries in his State of the Union speech. (The Gulf News)

Joschka Fischer says the Middle East is disintegrating because of the “partial withdrawal of the US.” (The Daily Star)

Sawsan Al-Abtah says the prevalence of violence in the Arab world emanates from the “fragility of the Arab identity.” (Asharq Alawsat)