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NEWS:
 
Sec. Kerry phones Israeli Amb. Oren to object to Israeli plans to "legalize" four "unauthorized" West Bank settlement outposts. (Ha'aretz)
 
Kerry is returning to the region for more peace efforts this week. (The Guardian)
 
Palestinian officials say they have done everything they can to cooperate with US peace efforts, including delaying possible moves in multilateral organizations, and say there is "a good opportunity" at hand. (AP)
 
The Emir of Qatar says the "Arab Spring" has made Israeli-Palestinian peace were urgently needed than ever. (YNet)
 
The Yesh Atid leader, Finance Minister Lapid, says he favors an immediate return to negotiations with Palestinians despite recent comments to the New York Times that provoked a backlash within his own party. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Egypt launches a rescue effort for officers kidnapped by extremists in the Sinai Peninsula. (New York Times)
 
Egyptian soldiers protesting the kidnappings maintain the closure of the Gaza crossing pointfor a fourth day. (Xinhua/Los Angeles Times)
 
Israelis and Palestinians continue to quarrel over what exactly happened to 12-year-old Mohammed al-Dura at the start of the second intifada. (AP)
 
The boy's father denounces a new Israeli government report claiming he was never kill that all, insisting his son was "killed in cold blood." (Xinhua/Israeli International Affairs and Strategy Ministry/Ma'an)
 
Strategic Affairs Minister Steinitz defends the report. (Jerusalem Post)
 
An Israeli court postpones a decision on the eviction of 10 Palestinians from a hotly contested neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
 
Israeli forces say they fired back across the frontier separating Syria and the occupied Golan Heights when they were attacked across cease-fire lines. (Reuters)
 
Two are killed in a suspected clash between feuding clans in Gaza. (Ma'an)
 
The EU denies it is delaying proposed plans to label all Israeli settlement products. (Ma'an)
 
The Zionist Organization of America regains its tax-exempt status. (JTA)
 
The Gaza hip-hop group Palestinian Unit persists in spite of a ban against it by Hamas on the grounds they "too Western." (Al Monitor)
 
A veteran psychologist and Palestinian refugee in Lebanon is counseling newly-arrived Syrianrefugees. (Daily Star)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Tal Harris asks which, if any, Israeli decision-makers are capable of responding seriously to the Arab Peace Initiative. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Ha'aretz calls the new Israeli government report on Mohammed al-Dura "harmful propaganda." (Ha'aretz)
 
Herb Keinon says it's not clear whose interests are being served by resurrecting the controversy. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Shlomi Eldar also wonders what, 13 years after the fact, the report's authors could hope to be achieving. (Al Monitor)
 
Michael Wilner says Israel is concerned about a new State Department report finding discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox Jews in Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Amos Harel says Israel should save its resources for dealing with Iran, not Syria. (Ha'aretz)
 
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi looks at the growth in Gaza of Salafist extremists opposed to Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Adel Safty says Israelis must begin to understand the injustice faced by Palestinian refugees. (Gulf News)
 
Samar El Yassir says Palestinian refugees in Syria are particularly vulnerable. (Al Monitor)
 
A.B. Yehoshua says it's time to redefine Zionism realistically for the contemporary era. (Ha'aretz)
 
AFP and Variety look at the new Palestinian film "Omar." (AFP/Variety)

 

NEWS:
 
Egyptian security forces may be preparing to mount a rescue operation for seven kidnapped officers in Sinai. (Ma'an)
 
Protesting Egyptian security forces keep the Gaza crossing closed for a third day. (Xinhua)
 
PM Netanyahu again pledges to prevent any transfer of arms from Syria to Hezbollah, anddenies Israel prefers Pres. Assad to the rebels. (Xinhua/Ha'aretz)
 
Gunfire from the Syrian conflict again lands in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. (AP)
 
Mohammed al-Dura's father calls for an international probe into whether Israeli forces killed his son at the start of the second intifada, and says he's willing to exhume his son's body. (Ha'aretz/Jerusalem Post)
 
Finance Minister Lapid, whose political star appears to be dimming slightly, says Israel should pursue an interim agreement with the Palestinians. (New York Times/AP)
 
Israel says it will return the land of a small evacuated settlement to its original Palestinian owners. (Xinhua)
 
An Israeli court issues an injunction against extending the West Bank separation barrier through a village noted for its ancient terraces. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Israel cancels a UNESCO fact-finding mission to Jerusalem, saying Palestinians "politicized" the initiative. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Gaza fishermen are struggling to maintain their livelihood as Israel restricts their areas of activity. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Gaza smuggling tunnels are frequently staffed by children. (Al Monitor)
 
The LA Times looks at the plight of Palestinians in "Area C." (Los Angeles Times)
 
The Jordanian government squashes an initiative in Parliament to expel the Israeli ambassador. (The Media Line)
 
Palestinians recall the destruction of an East Jerusalem neighborhood by conquering Israeli forces in 1967 in the immediate aftermath of the war. (The Forward)
 
Palestinians are suing Israel for the return of 6,000 books seized in aftermath of the 1948 war. (The National)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Barak Ravid says a new Israeli report on the Mohammed al-Dura affair, which claims the boy was never killed at all, is almost surreally misguided. (Ha'aretz)
 
Rami Khouri looks at the gap between Arab public opinion and government policies. (Daily Star)
 
Shmuel Rosner looks at the campaigns for Israel's chief rabbi positions. (New York Times)
 
Amira Hass looks at a new one-state document, which does not mention Jews or Israelis, released in the occupied West Bank. (Ha'aretz)
 
Omar Barghouti says boycotts could be an effective form of pressure against Israel. (The National)
 
Tamara Cohen says Israel must protect its Bedouin citizens. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Shlomi Eldar says Israel's changing assumptions on Syria may indicate its assumptions were faulty from the outset. (Al Monitor)
 
Barry Rubin says Israel should still consider Iran its greatest regional threat. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Leonard Fein says both Israelis and Palestinians failed to recognize each other's legitimate narratives. (The Forward)
 
Ithamar Handelman-Smith asks, if Israeli law protects the right of settlers to defend themselves with arms, might that law not apply to Palestinians as well? (Ha'aretz)
 
J. Dana Stuster asks if the Arab World is still moved by Nakba Day. (Foreign Policy)
 
Ha'aretz says the Israeli government needs to stop trying to rewrite the history of the Nakba. (Ha'aretz)

 

NEWS:
 
Egyptian police close the Gaza border to protest the kidnapping of four of their colleagues. (AP)/
 
The UN Security Council denounces the brief abduction of three peacekeepers in the no man's land separating Israeli and Syrian forces. (Xinhua)
 
CIA chief John Brennan visits Israel. (AP)
 
UNESCO says it will send a fact-finding mission to Jerusalem to look at Israel's policies. (Ma'an)
 
Pres. Abbas meets with Pres. Morsi in Cairo. (Xinhua)
 
PM Erdogan will visit the West Bank and Gaza in June. (Xinhua)
 
An Egyptian Coptic cleric says he will sue the Israeli police over alleged abuse during Easter ceremonies. (AP) 
 
Shin Bet joins an educational program aimed at convincing young right-wing Jewish radicals to reform. (Xinhua)
 
The PA takes some radio stations off the air after they don't pay their licensing fees. (Ma'an)
 
Some Fatah officials issue statement calling for a one-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)
 
Palestinian journalist and author Nasser al-Din al-Nashashibi passes away in Jerusalem. (Ma'an)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Barak Ravid says Sec. Kerry's diplomatic efforts look "naive and ham-handed." (Ha'aretz)
 
Marwan Muasher says he doubts Kerry's well-intentioned efforts to revive the Arab Peace Initiative will succeed. (Foreign Policy)
 
Jason Alexander explains why the quest for Middle East peace is important to him. (YNet)
 
Ahmad Majdoubeh says a Palestinian state is inevitable. (Jordan Times)
 
The National says Palestinian unity talks must start to yield results. (The National)
 
Shay Hazkani says most Israeli state files about the Palestinian exodus in 1948 remain sealed, but enough material exists to show in many cases they were forcibly expelled. (Ha'aretz)
 
Shlomi Eldar says that for settlers, Israeli law is just a recommendation. (Al Monitor)
 
Nathan Guttman says supporters of Israel question the long-term impact of Stephen Hawking's boycott of an Israeli government conference. (The Forward)
 
Ahmad Azem looks at the nature and extent of Hamas-Qatari ties. (Al Monitor)
 
The New York Times looks at "State 194," the new film about PM Fayyad's institution-building program. (New York Times)
 
The LA Times says "State 194" is "a smart look" at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Los Angeles Times)

 

NEWS:
 
Palestinians protest on the 65th anniversary of the Nakba. (AP)
 
On the anniversary of the Nakba, some Palestinians reiterate the importance of the right of return. (Xinhua)
 
Critics decry Israel's silence on the Arab Peace Initiative. (AP)
 
The ICC lead prosecutor says she has received a complaint about Israel's 2010 flotilla raid and will investigate. (AP)
 
Palestinian journalists say they were assaulted by Israeli occupation forces near Bethlehem. (Ma'an)
 
Israel says mortar shells from Syria have again landed in the occupied Golan Heights. (AP)
 
Dutch prosecutors say they will not go ahead with charges against a company that rented equipment used to build Israel's West Bank separation barrier. (AP)
 
After meeting in Cairo, Fatah and Hamas once again agree to form a unity government, this time within the next three months. (AP)
 
Reports in the Arab media suggest Iran may have convinced Syria to allow Hezbollah to open a front against Israel on the Golan Heights. (Ha'aretz)
 
Palestinians are returning to a Christian village in the northern Galilee. (The Guardian)
 
Google's inclusion of Palestine in its list of landing pages is a small change that has made a big difference to Palestinians. (NPR)
 
A Jerusalem family specializes in tattooing Orthodox pilgrims for Easter. (AP)
 
KFC food is being smuggled through Gaza tunnels. (Xinhua)
 
Ownership of a profitable amusement park in northern Gaza is mysterious, as Hamas denies controlling it. (The National)
 
A women's collective in a Gaza refugee camp specializes in traditional cuisine. (The Guardian)
 
Palestinians in the West Bank compete with Chinese-made kaffiyehs. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
The Boulder, Colorado City Council is considering sister city-relations with Nablus. (The Denver Post)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
David Kenner interviews Hamas leader Mishaal. (Foreign Policy)
 
Ibrahim Sharqieh says 65 years after the Nakba, Palestinians have little to cheer about. (CNN)
 
The National says the pain of the Nakba has not diminished over time. (The National)
 
Marco Greenberg says Israel could learn a thing or two about PR from Google. (Ha'aretz).
 
Asmaa al-Ghoul looks at Islamic Jihad's relationship with Iran and Iranian arms. (Al Monitor)
 
George Robinson looks at a new movie, "State 194," about PM Fayyad's institution-building program. (The Jewish Week)
 
Ben Caspit looks at the future of Israel's defense budget. (Al Monitor)
 
Omar Shaban argues the Palestine Investment Fund needs reform. (Al Monitor)
NEWS:
 
A dozen regional Christian leaders complain they were mistreated by Israeli police during Orthodox Easter services. (AP)
 
Pres. Abbas says Israeli settlers must be stopped from entering Muslim holy places in Jerusalem. (Xinhua)
 
Draft laws by Hamas to impose harsh "religious" punishments, including amputations for theft, spark a major controversy in Gaza. (Al Monitor)
 
Palestinian NGOs urge the PA and Hamas to stop issuing new laws and decrees as long as the schism prevails. (Xinhua)
 
Fatah and Hamas are due to meet again in Cairo on Tuesday regarding national unity. (Xinhua)
 
PM Fayyad says insuring press freedom should be one of the main responsibilities of the PA. (Ma'an)
 
 
An Israeli cabinet minister accuses Russia of destabilizing the Middle East by selling arms to Syria. (AP)
 
Palestinian public sector employees once again strike due to delayed salary payments. (Ma'an)
 
Israeli forces arrest two former Palestinian militants who had been granted amnesty. (Xinhua)
 
In June the PA will stop paying fines imposed by Israel on Palestinian detainees. (Ma'an)
 
An Israeli interrogator accused of torture says detainees must be made to feel anything is possible. (Ha'aretz)
 
Abbas says renewed negotiations require Israeli recognition that a two-state solution is the intended outcome. (Xinhua)
 
The Times of Israel describes what it calls "secret" negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians in 2010. (Times of Israel)
 
The Israeli government says it is postponing planned settlement expansions in occupied east Jerusalem "for political sensitivity." (Jerusalem Post)
 
Israeli settlers are divided on the approach of a military commander in the occupied West Bank. (Ha'aretz)
 
In the latest twist to a long-running saga, Israeli officials now claim a young boy, Muhammad Al-Dura, believed shot during the start of the second intifada, was never killed at all. (Jerusalem Post)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Efraim Halevy says the Israeli government doesn't want the Assad regime to fall. (Foreign Affairs)
 
Elie Podeh says Israel is missing a huge opportunity by ignoring the Arab Peace Initiative. (Ha'aretz)
 
Nathan Guttman asks how big a breakthrough the recent Arab League statement really is. (The Forward)
 
Rami Khouri calls China's recent peace proposal "intriguing." (The Daily Star)
 
William Sutcliffe talks about his new novel "The Wall." (The Guardian)
 
Shlomo Avineri accuses cosmologist Stephen Hawking of hypocrisy for boycotting an Israeli government conference. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Boston Globe says Hawking had every right to make his nonviolent protest. (Boston Globe)
 
Akiva Eldar calls Hawking's boycott "unjust and unwise." (Al Monitor)
 
Barry Rubin says, with the region in political turmoil, bashing Israel has become almost pointless. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Asmaa al-Ghoul says Islamic Jihad takes a much harder and clear line than Hamas in opposing a two-state solution. (Al Monitor)
 
Lara Friedman and Daniel Seidemann say, in opposing Google's inclusion of Palestine in its range of landing pages, some Israelis are the ones clinging to a virtual reality. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
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