Daily News Issue Date: 
February 18, 2014
News: 
News:
Sec. Kerry will meet with Pres. Abbas in Paris to discuss the current peace talks. (AP/Reuters)
A Palestinian official says no date has been set for Kerry’s framework. (Xinhua)
The US reportedly has recently offered to compile a list of Palestinian refugeesinterested in settling in Israel. (The Times of Israel)
Sen. Kaine urges PM Netanyahu to cooperate with Kerry. (JTA)
Finance Minister Lapid warns that failure of peace talks would leave Israel facing ademographic threat. (Ynet/The Jerusalem Post)
Economy Minister Bennett claims that a Palestinian state would lead to more terrorism. (Ynet)
PM Hamdallah says Kerry’s economic initiative will decrease the Palestinian unemployment rate. (Ma’an)
An Israeli settler advocacy group targets Kerry in a new satirical website. (Ha’aretz)
Netanyahu calls boycotters of Israel “anti-semites.” (AP)
Hamas reportedly sends a message to Netanyahu asking him to avoid military action.(Ma’an/Ha’aretz)
Israeli occupation forces might end the night arrests of Palestinians.(The Jerusalem Post)
Israeli occupation forces detain nine Palestinians in overnight raids across the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Palestinians seek UN Heritage status for an ancient village in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
A young Gaza comedy troupe seeks laughs without offending Hamas. (The Washington Post)
The bombings in Aleppo force a new wave of Syrian civilians to flee. (The New York Times)
A four year old Syrian boy crosses the Jordanian desert to reunite with his family. (Al Arabiya)
Syrian government forces regain full control of a village in Hama. (AP/Reuters)
The US opposes the supply of the shoulder-fired missiles to the Syrian rebels. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia blames the Syrian regime for the failure of the Geneva II talks. (The National)
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claims responsibility for Egypt’s tourist bus blast and warns tourists to leave the country. (Xinhua/Reuters)
Egypt refers two Israelis and two Egyptians to trial for allegedly forming an espionage ring for Israel. (Reuters/The Times of Israel)
Kerry is in Tunisia to laud recent political compromises and the new Constitution.(AP/The New York Times)
Saudi Arabia aims to counter Islamist radicalization on the internet. (The National)
Car bombings kill at least 33 people in Iraq. (AP)
Commentary:
The Jordan Times commends Abbas’s comments aimed at allaying Israel’s concern over Palestinian refugees. (The Jordan Times)
Khaled Diab hopes that one day Arab states and Israel will allow the possibility of return for Arab and Jewish refugees. (Ha’aretz)
Alex Mintz praises Kerry’s maneuverability in the peace talks.(Ynet)
Hagai Segal says Israel is failing to create a broad national consensus over the definition of a Jewish state. (Ynet)
Moshe Amirav says if Israel does not divide Jerusalem with the Palestinians, it will lose it. (Ynet)
Stephen Davis asks if sanctions on Israel would work. (Times of Israel)
Lihi Ben Shitrit and Mahmoud Jaraba say the current political and economic conditions in the occupied West Bank are conducive to the emergence of jihadists. (The Daily Star)
J.J. Goldberg says the Israeli right is becoming antagonistic towards the security establishment. (The Jewish Daily Forward)
Hussein Ibish explains what, exactly, vital American interests are at stake in Syria. (Now Media)
Richard Cohen says Pres. Obama’s policies in Syria do not seem to be working. (The Washington Post)
Michael Gerson criticizes the world’s indifference over the despair of the Syrian refugees. (The Washington Post)
Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed says Muqtada Sadr’s withdrawal from Iraqi politics will help PM Al-Maliki win the upcoming elections. (Asharq Alawsat)
Rami Khouri says the jihadist threat is a “frightening symptom of erratic modern Arab statehood.” (The Daily Star)
Ali Ibrahim interviews former Gen. Anan on his campaign for Egypt’s presidency. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Linda Heard says the new marriage of convenience between Egypt and Russia is justifiable. (The Gulf News)
Abdulkhaleq Abdulla says a sectarian Iran is more dangerous than a nuclear-armed Iran. (The Gulf News)
Faisal Al Yafai says America’s relationship with the Middle East is quickly unravelling. (The National)
John Bolton says Obama’s failures on Iran, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will have devastating effects. (The Los Angeles Times)
The Daily Star says Lebanon’s new government has only several months to produce results. (The Daily Star)
Asma Ghribi says Tunisia’s nascent democracy is facing a dilemma on how to fight terrorism without encroaching upon human rights. (Foreign Policy)
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg asks whether Saudi-US relations will endure the Syrian debacle. (Arab News)
Sarah bin Ashoor blames Iran for hindering Bahrain’s reform efforts. (The New York Times)
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