News:
The US Consulate in Jerusalem says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have requested to meetwith each other. (AP/New York Times/AFP/PNN/Ha’aretz)
PM Netanyahu says Israel will respond to any Palestinian UN initiative. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post/Ha’aretz)
Pres. Abbas reportedly will send Chief Negotiator Erekat to the US with a new plan to revive negotiations, if Israel frees prisoners. (Ha’aretz)
Israeli Chief Negotiator Livni says Netanyahu and Abbas should talk directly. (Ynet)
Fatah official Shaath says PLO will seek membership in 48 international organizations and conventions if peace talks fail. (Ma’an)
FM Lieberman opposes any return to Sec. Kerry’s initiative. (Ha’aretz)
Many think there are strong signs that indicate that this round of peace talks is over. (Christian Science Monitor)
Many are pointing the finger at Israeli Housing Minister Ariel as the primary culprit in sabotaging the most recent US initiative. (Buzzfeed)
Labor leader Herzog says the Knesset should put together an alternative coalition which woulddesire peace. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)
Arab Foreign Ministers will hold an emergency meeting due to the PA’s request to discuss the peace talks. (Ma’an)
Israel’s High Court of Justice urges the state to rethink its detention policies for Palestinian minors.(Jerusalem Post)
22 Palestinian women join the first PA commando unit. (AP)
An Arab youth survey includes Palestine for the first time. (The National)
A group of Christians says Israel violates Palestinian religious freedoms each Easter. (Ma’an)
An ex-Palestinian prisoner teaches Hebrew to Palestinian children. (AP)
Israeli occupation forces detain a Palestinian man near Bethlehem. (Ma’an)
Israeli websites are attacked by pro-Palestinian “hacktivists.” (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
A senior IDF commander’s jeep is vandalized in an Israeli settlement. (Ha’aretz)
Clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon kill seven. (AP/Jerusalem Post)
Hezbollah says Pres. Assad’s government is no longer in danger of falling. (AP)
Former Russian PM Stepashin says Assad told him that most of the fighting in Syria would be over by the end of the year. (Reuters)
A surge of violence in Syria kills 12. (New York Times)
An Egyptian court upholds the sentence for three prominent activists. (AP/Reuters)
Al-Qaeda chief Al Zawahiri’s brother is to stand trial in Egypt. (The National)
An explosion in Fallujah kills over 17 Iraqi soldiers. (New York Times)
Commentary:
Faisal Al Yafai says Israel alone cannot end its own occupation. (the National)
Oudeh Basharat says neither Palestinians nor Israelis should give up on Abbas. (Ha’aretz)
Amer Al Sabaileh says the impact of the US pulling back from the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations would be dramatic.(Jordan Times)
Gideon Levy says the Palestinians cannot be blamed for the failure of the talks. (Ha’aretz)
Avi Issacharoff looks at how the Palestinians view the collapse of peace talks. (Times of Israel)
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Kerry’s Middle East “peace dream” has ended. (Al Arabiya)
Avirama Golan tells Kerry to go away and let Israel’s “true colors shine.” (Ha’aretz)
Moshe Arens says Kerry has finally understood that the peace process was a “farce.” (Ha’aretz)
Rami Khouri says former Amb. Kurtzer offers a valuable plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. (Daily Star)
Tal Harris says there are concrete measures that still need to be taken before negotiations end. (Jerusalem Post)
Sharif Nashashibi asks if the Palestinians will ever go to the ICC. (Al Arabiya)
Thomas Friedman says Sheldon Adelson and Ayatollah Khamenei are both working to destroy Israel. (New York Times)
Shmuel Rosner says the only way of restraining Sheldon Adelson in Israel is by establishing other newspapers. (New York Times)
Eric Yoffie asks why young Jewish-Americans are “drifting away from Israel.” (Ha’aretz)
Ayesh Ali Awas and Nabil Naeem debate if security measures or ideology are more effective in defeating Al-Qaeda. (Asharq al-Awsat)
Hussein Ibish says Lebanon is unable to cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. (The National)