News:

Israel issues new tenders to build 430 settlement housing units in the occupied West Bank. (AP/AFP/PNN/JTA/Ha’aretz)

Former Israeli Amb. Oren criticizes the new settlement tenders. (Ha’aretz)

Pres. Abbas will visit Stockholm next month. (AFP)

The IMF says the Gaza war has pushed the Palestinian economy into a recession. (AFP)

Many US senators pledge not to support assistance to the PA until the Obama administration reviews Palestine’s efforts to the ICC. (JTA)

A delegation of parliamentarians from EU states welcomes Palestine’s efforts to join the ICC. (PNN)

With tensions rising the UN is reviewing its operations in Gaza. (Ha’aretz)

Unknown assailants throw a grenade into the home of a Fatah official in Gaza. (Ma’an)

15,000 young Palestinians graduate from Hamas’ training camps. (Times of Israel/Al-Monitor/Jerusalem Post)

PM Netanyahu is reportedly seeking Democratic support in trying to ease criticism over his coming address to Congress. (New York Times/Ha’aretz/Ynet)

Israel continues to search for Hezbollah tunnels. (New York Times)

Pres. Sisi cuts short his visit to Ethiopia after ISIS's Egyptian wing claims that it killed at least 32 security personnel in Sinai. (Reuters/AP/New York Times)

Hamas’ militia imposes “strict security measures” along the border with Egypt. (Ma’an)

ISIS is silent as the deadline for a prisoner swap with Jordan expires. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/Washington Post/The National/Jordan Times)

ISIS kills a senior Kurdish commander in Iraq. (AP)

KRG leader Barzani says the anti-ISIS coalition will not be able to retake Mosul before the fall. (Reuters)

Clashes between Al-Nusra and Western-backed rebels spread from Aleppo province into neighboring Idlib. (Reuters)

King Salman abolishes government bodies, changes ministers, dismisses the chief of intelligence and further consolidates his own authority. (New York Times/Al Arabiya)

Saudi Arabia postpones the flogging of blogger Raif Badawi for a third week in a row. (AFP) 

Commentary:

Zeev Sternhell says even an Israeli centrist government will not end the occupation. (Ha’aretz)

Eugene Robinson says inviting Netanyahu to speak before Congress was a “mistake” by Speaker Boehner. (Washington Post)

Robert Kagan outlines five reasons why Netanyahu should not address Congress. (Washington Post)

Nathan Guttman asks if Amb. Dermer’s Republican ties are “too tight” for Israel’s good. (The Forward)

Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Dermer. (The Atlantic)

Nahum Barnea says Hezbollah’s “revenge” for Israel’s Quneitra strike is not over yet. (Ynet)

Ben Caspit says Hezbollah is opening another front against Israel in the Golan Heights, where it can blame other organizations for possible escalations. (Al-Monitor)

David Brooks says the US should stop trying “to play chess” in the Middle East and simply keep its promises. (New York Times)

The Daily Star says the Russian peace initiative on Syria is a “waste of time.” (Daily Star)

Amir Taheri says Saudi Arabia’s greatest asset is its stability. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Kenneth Roth says Western inattention to human rights abuses in the Middle East has given rise to a culture of violence and impunity. (Foreign Policy)

David Rothkopf says Pres. Obama’s main foreign policy legacy is likely to be seen as empowering Iran. (Foreign Policy)