News:

Israeli lawmakers tell US Amb. to Israel Shapiro that Sec. Kerry is “coercing” Israel into a terrible deal. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

A Palestinian official claims Israel is excluding the Al-Aqsa mosque from the peace talks. (Xinhua)

A Knesset debate on Israeli sovereignty of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount sets off intense criticism in the Arab world.(The Times of Israel)

Jordanian MPs vote unanimously to expel the Israeli Ambassador. (AP/Ma’an/The Jordan Times)

Russian Duma Chair Naryshkin tells Pres. Peres Russia is keen to see a “satisfactory conclusion” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (The Jerusalem Post)

Today is the anniversary of the massacre of 29 Palestinians in a mosque in Hebron. (AFP/Ha’aretz)

PLO official Ashrawi denounces an Israeli bill that distinguishes between Muslim and Christian Palestinian citizens of Israel. (PNN)

Israeli occupation forces detain nine Palestinian men in Hebron. (Ma’an)

Gazans see solar power as the only alternative to their energy crisis. (AFP)

Hezbollah calls on all Palestinians to protect Jerusalem and the Haram al-Sharif from the “Zionist enemy.” (The Jerusalem Post)

Hezbollah says Israel bombed one of its positions near the Syrian border, and vows to retaliate.(AP/Reuters/The Washington Post)

The UN urges all sides to exercise restraint to avoid escalating tension in Lebanon. (Xinhua)

The UN says Syrians are now the world’s largest refugee population. (Reuters)

The Syrian army claims to have killed 175 al-Qaeda linked rebels. (AP/The Times of Israel)

FM Davutoglu says Syria’s worsening war now poses a danger to all countries. (Reuters)

Russia warns Saudi Arabia against supplying Syrian rebels with shoulder-launched missiles. (AFP)

Gen. Sisi will keep his post as DM in the new Egyptian government formed by PM Mehlib.(Reuters/The New  York Times)

Another explosion hits Egypt’s gas pipeline in Sinai. (AP)

An Egyptian court sentences 26 people over allegations of forming a terrorist group and targeting the Suez Canal. (AP)

The Iraqi government denies it has an arms deal with Iran. (Xinhua)

11 people are killed across Iraq. (Xinhua)

PM Erdogan is investigated for corruption. (AP)

Iranian robots remind children to say their daily prayers in schools. (The National) 

Commentary:

Rami Khouri says Palestinians desperately need to strengthen their hand in peace talks. (The Daily Star)

Chris Doyle says there can be no peace without taking into consideration the status of Hebron. (Al Arabiya)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s distinguishing between Christian and Muslim Arab citizens is racist. (Ha’aretz)

Ben Sales says PM Netanyahu may have to choose between the majority of the Knesset and the majority of his own party. (JTA)

Kenneth Marcus outlines ten ways that BDS is different now. (The Jerusalem Post)

Carolina Landsmann says that boycotts are compelling  wealthy Israelis to press Netanyahu to cut a deal with the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Peter Beinart says orthodox Jewish institutions cannot be truly open if they are closed to Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Sheerly Avni interviews Palestinian Oscar-nominated director Hany Abu-Assad. (The Jewish Daily Forward)

Michael Ignatieff says the only remaining option in Syria is to use military force to deny Pres. Assad’s air superiority. (The New York Times)

Osama Al Sharif says Russia’s apparent defeat in Ukraine will affect its policies in Syria. (The Jordan Times)

Abdallah Schleifer says the failure of the interim government is of greater importance to Egyptians than the “over-zealousness of the security forces.”  (Al Arabiya)

The Gulf News says the resignation of the entire Egyptian government will make it easy for Sisi to run for President. (Gulf News)

Octavia Nasr tells Lebanese lawmakers to make it a priority to protect women. (Al Arabiya)

Thomas Friedman says the Cold War is not back and today’s geopolitics are more interesting than that. (The New York Times)

Michael Young says the appointment of Rob Malley to the NSC has overly raised expectations in Pres. Obama’s Middle East policy. (The National)

Abraham Sofaer says, while pursuing nuclear talks,  the US should pressure Iranian hardliners without hurting the people. (The New York Times)

S. Frederick Starr says the US should look to countries in Central Asia as examples of moderate Islam. (The New York Times)