News:

Fatah organizes rallies in the West Bank in protest against Israel’s occupation. (Ma’an)

Jewish extremists uproot olive trees near Hebron. (Ma’an)

Israel’s Housing Ministry allocates $215,000 for the expansion of settlements. (Ha’aretz)

Israel is moving to end the months-long crisis with New Zealand. (Ha’aretz)

PM Netanyahu defends his decision to accept a controversial invitation to address the US Congress on Iran. (AFP/JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Speaker Boehner says he informed Pres. Obama of his invitation to Netanyahu. (Times of Israel/Jerusalem Post)

Meretz leader Gal-On questions the legality of Netanyahu’s trip to Washington. (Times of Israel)

Pres. Rivlin declines an invitation to meet with Obama. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Rivlin addresses African-American leaders in his first visit to the US as president. (JTA/Ha’aretz)

The IDF dismisses unit 8200 reservists who refused to serve in the occupied territories. (Jerusalem Post)

The White House says Obama and King Salman will discuss the turmoil in Yemen and the fight against ISIS in their meeting tomorrow. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia is expanding its regional role as Middle East chaos spreads. (New York Times/Washington Post)

The New York Times profiles Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. (Washington Post)

Pres. Assad is seeking an agreement with the US over airstrikes in Syria. (Reuters/AP)

Kurdish fighters say they have pushed ISIS almost entirely out of the Syrian town of Kobani. (AP/Reuters)

Turkey opens its biggest refugee camp to 35,000 people fleeing fighting in Kobani. (Reuters)

A video allegedly shows the decapitated body of one of the Japanese hostages held by ISIS. (New York Times)

King Abdullah of Jordan says the fight against radicalism and terrorism will be a long-term effort which should be spearheaded by Muslim and Arab countries. (Jordan Times)  

Sec. Kerry tells world leaders in Davos that violent extremism is “not Islamic.” (CBS)

At least 18 people are killed in unrest in Egypt. (New York Times/The National)

Egyptian security officials say the two sons of former Pres. Mubarak have been released from prison. (Reuters/AP)

An Egyptian doctor is convicted over a girl's death in a landmark female genital mutilation case. (Reuters/AP)

Commentary:

Smadar Perry says Israel must finally respond to the Arab Peace Initiative. (Ynet)

Don Futterman says Jewish Americans have chosen Obama over Netanyahu. (Ha’aretz)

Avirama Golan says Economy Minister Bennett is a “hate-mongering extremist.” (Ha’aretz)

Hussein Ibish looks at King Abdullah’s legacy of cautious and gradual reform in Saudi Arabia. (The Forward)

Hussein Ibish says the old regional order was already ending before King Abdullah passed. (The National)

Salman Aldossary look at what Saudi policies will look like in the era of King Salman. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Miguel Angel Moratinos says the Arab Peace Initiative remains King Abullah’s main contribution to peace. (Al Arabiya)

Mohamed Bazzi says the Iranian-Saudi proxy war in the region will only intensify with King Salman. (Politico)

Hisham Melhem says Obama cannot escape “his betrayal” of Syria being part of his legacy. (Al Arabiya)

David Schenker looks at Hezbollah’s “limited options” after the Israeli airstrike in Syria. (WINEP)

Elif Shafak says Pres. Erdogan has chosen a divisive strategy, pursuing hostility over compromise. (New York Times)

Paul Bonicelli says Yemen’s collapse will doom Obama’s foreign policy legacy. (Foreign Policy)

Faisal Al Yafai says allowing the politics of Yemen to be decided in foreign capitals is disastrous. (The National)

Ellie Geranmayeh says opponents of Iranian-Western diplomacy are already sabotaging the process. (New York Times)

Dennis Ross, Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh say the nuclear deadlock between Iran and the US cannot be broken unless the US fully re-engages in the region. (Politico)