News:

Pres. Obama says the path to Middle East peace is “very challenging.” (AP/New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz)

The EU opposes boycotts against Israel. (Ha’aretz/JTA)

DM Ya’alon says Israel cannot rely on the US to lead any action against Iran’s nuclear program. (AP/Reuters/Ha’aretz)

A Palestinian official says peace will have to precede any recognition of Israel as a “Jewish state.” (Ynet/Times of Israel)

PM Netanyahu says Israel’s policy is to respond forcefully and immediately to all rocket attacks. (Jerusalem Post)

Pres. Peres apologizes to Jordan over the killing of a Jordanian judge. (Xinhua)

A new poll indicates 30% of settlers are willing to evacuate West Bank settlements in exchange for compensation. (PNN/JTA)

Economy Minister Bennett says a fourth Palestinian prisoner release is uncertain to happen.(Jerusalem Post)

Israel will extend a law that permits prohibition of the reunification of Palestinian families in Israel.(Ha’aretz)

Israeli occupation forces arrest eight Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)

Israeli warships fire at Palestinian fisherman near the Gaza coast. (Ma’an)

A Palestinian woman is reportedly assaulted and humiliated by an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint. (Ma’an)

The UN says the list of suspected Syrian war criminals is growing on both sides. (Reuters)

Sec. Kerry names Daniel Rubinstein as new Special Envoy for Syria. (New York Times/JTA)

After three years of conflict the war in Syria is only intensifying. (New York Times)

The UN is concerned about violence in Lebanon. (Xinhua)

Egypt convicts four policemen for the killings of 37 Islamist detainees. (AP/Xinhua)

The al-Qaeda inspired Ansar al-Shariah Brigades claim responsibility for the killing of Egyptian policemen. (AP)

Qatar’s World Cup organizers distance themselves from corruption allegations. (AP)

Halabja residents remember those who died in gas attacks perpetrated by Saddam Hussein. (The National)

Commentary:

Uzi Baram says the occupation prevents Israel from being taken seriously by the world. (Ha’aretz)

Nahum Barnea says Abbas has fallen into Netanyahu’s trap. (Ynet)

Danny Ayalon questions whether NATO can guarantee peace in the Middle East. (Jerusalem Post)

Hassan Barari asks if the Jordanian government will expel the Israeli Ambassador. (Jordan Times)

The Daily Star says the fall of Yabroud indicates that the Syrian regime is intent on a military solution. (Daily Star)

Diana Moukalled says Pres. Assad’s meeting with displaced people  was a moment when the criminal met his victims. (Al Arabiya)

Octavia Nasr says the international community has failed Syria. (Al Arabiya)

Carol Nakhle says Lebanon’s gas and oil should be depoliticized. (Daily Star)

Yusuf Mansur says censorship and absolutist regimes are causes of hindered development in the Arab world. (Jordan Times)

Adnan Hussein and Rashid Al-Khayoun debate whether Iraq’s leaders have missed the chance to build a unified state. (Asharq al Awsat)

Mark Freeman says Tunisia is a model for bridging political and social divides. (Christian Science Monitor)

News:

Sec. Kerry says Israel’s insistence on demanding the Palestinians recognize Israel as a “Jewish state” is a mistake. (PNN/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Pres. Abbas says the Palestinians were not asked to extend the peace talks. (Xinhua)

PM Cameron announces British investments in Palestinian businesses. (Jerusalem Post)

A poll indicates that Israelis consider peace with the Arab world more important than recognition as a “Jewish state.”(Ha’aretz)

Gaza rockets persist despite the truce with Israel. (Reuters/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/The National)

Egypt reportedly “intentionally” bypassed Hamas and negotiated directly with Islamic Jihad on the Gaza ceasefire. (Ma’an)

A three-year-old Palestinian child dies due to the closure of the Rafah crossing. (Ma’an)

Gaza is hit by the worst economic crisis since Hamas seized power. (AP)

Peace Now releases a satirical video of politicians and activists dressed up as “right wingers.” (Ha’aretz)

Bethlehem activists give Abbas money to help the Palestinian refugees in Yarmouk. (Ma’an)

“BDS” activists will release a smartphone app to help people boycott Israel. (Ha’aretz/Ynet)

FM al-Moallem is rushed to a Lebanese hospital. (AP)

The new Syrian presidential election law would exclude most opposition leaders. (Reuters)

UN Envoy Brahimi says an election in Syria will not help the peace talks. (Reuters/New York Times)

Former Gen. Shafik calls promise of free elections in Egypt a “farce.” (New York Times)

Egypt summons European envoys over human rights criticisms. (Xinhua)

An international meeting in Baghdad vows to fight terrorism. (Xinhua)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish argues Israel’s “Jewish state”’ demand turns the clock back before the PLO’s 1993 recognition of Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Amos Harel asks if Israel will invade Gaza again. (Foreign Policy)

The Jerusalem Post says Hamas’s weakness presents unique opportunities for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)

The National says water has a key role in peace and stability in the Middle East. (The National)

Elliott Abrams and Uri Sadot say "the critical figure to monitor is the number of Israeli houses built outside such blocs in areas intended for the future state of Palestine." (Washington Post)

Ha’aretz says Israel’s real leader and navigator is Economy Minister Bennett. (Ha’aretz)

Joseph Nye says Pres. Obama faces a moral dilemma in Syria: prudence or indifference. (Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed asks why people are praising Jabhat Al-Nusra for releasing kidnaped nuns in Syria. (Al Arabiya)

David Ignatius says the US needs an alternate strategy for strengthening Syrian moderates. (Washington Post)

John Glaser says the Syrian and Ukrainian conflicts are not related. (Daily Star)

Alan Philps says the crisis in Crimea is bound to affect the Middle East. (The National)

Alaa Al Aswany says, for the first time, Egyptians are seeing their leader ridiculed on television while still in power. (New York Times)

The Christian Science Monitor says Turkey’s protests represent a spontaneous uprising for individual freedoms and honest government. (Christian Science Monitor)