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NEWS

Sec. Kerry meets with PM Fayyad and Pres. Peres, separately, while focusing on the Palestinian economy as a part of the peace process. (New York Times)

Fatah officials are reportedly still pressuring Pres. Abbas to replace Fayyad. (Xinhua)

A senior Fatah official claims the US is "softening its stance" against reconciliation with Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)

Kerry insists that Israeli-Palestinian peace is possible, and is looking for ways forward and concessions from the parties. (AP/AFP/Washington Post)

PM Netanyahu tells Kerry talks must focus on security and recognition. (Ha'aretz)

Sec. Hagel will visit Israel later this month. (Reuters)

Gunfire is exchanged across the Gaza-Israel border. (Xinhua)

Israeli occupation forces reportedly shoot and injure at least two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank in separate incidents. (Ma'an)

An Israeli court sentences a Palestinian cartoonist to five months in jail and a fine for "contacting enemy entities." (Ma'an)

Two Moroccan MPs say Israel banned them from entering the occupied West Bank (AFP)

The UN is reopening food distribution centers in Gaza. (AP)

The ADL condemns "price-tag" attacks on mosques in the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post)

Turkish flotilla incident survivors are suing Israel, as Turkey delays compensation talks. (Reuters/Xinhua)

A Hamas leader calls for capturing more Israeli soldiers. (Xinhua)

Abbas arrives in Doha for the latest Arab League meeting. (Ma'an)

A cyber attack on Israel doesn't seem to have lived up to its promised havoc. (CSM)

Confusion characterizes testimony in the trial of an Israeli soldier for allowing a Palestinian to die after being shot. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian women face increased levels of cybercrime. (The Media Line)


COMMENTARY

Hussein Ibish says the fate of its Christian communities will define the future of the Arab world. (Now Media)

Aaron David Miller has some peace process advice for Kerry. (Foreign Policy)

Sabri Saidam says there are "countless reasons" for the international community to push Israel on Jerusalem. (The National)

David Newman says a two-state solution requires new ideas about the relationship between borders, independence and citizenship. (Jerusalem Post)

The Washington Post thinks Iran is listening to Israel's "red lines" and drawing down its nuclear program accordingly. (Washington Post)

Akiva Eldar says callousness on the part of Israel, Hamas and the PA combined to deny Palestinians adequate medical treatment in Israel. (Al Monitor)

Leonard Fein asks if Israel is losing the support of young American Democrats. (The Forward)

Ali El-Saleh says the reelection of Hamas politburo leader Mishaal is a victory for the group's "moderates." (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Osama Al Sharif says Mishaal has ambitions beyond Hamas, and is looking to head a restructured PLO. (Gulf News)

Omar Shaban describes how the Palestinian budget controversy was a cover for deep political rifts. (Al Monitor)

Dalia Hatuqa describes deep Palestinian skepticism towards Pres. Obama's words and intentions. (Foreign Policy)

NEWS:
Sec. Kerry is pushing to revive US peace efforts, and reportedly tells the parties to expect a new American proposal in the coming weeks. (Wall Street Journal/Ha'aretz)

Kerry is reportedly interested in reviving the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. (AP)

Kerry reportedly offers Pres. Abbas inducements to return to negotiations, and meets with PM Fayyad. (Ma'an)

Abbas reportedly reiterates the Palestinian commitment to peace and pushes Kerry to get Israel to explain its vision of what a future Palestinian state would look like. (Xinhua)

Israeli officials say they have no intention of presenting any map of a future Palestinian state. (YNet)

Kerry is also trying to encourage faster and broader Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. (AP/Reuters)

Turkey is reportedly demanding an end to the Gaza blockade as a condition for complete restoration of ties with Israel. (The National)

Israel claims to have repelled a series of major attacks by pro-Palestinian hackers on its cyber presence. (New York Times)

An Israeli court orders settlers to return a parcel of land to its Palestinian owners. ((Xinhua)

Palestinians say settlers vandalize West Bank mosques with anti-Arab graffiti. (Xinhua)

Israel closes the major crossing with Gaza after rockets are fired at southern Israel, without causing any damage or injuries. (AP)

Two more Palestinians are killed in shelling in Syria, bringing the total to 1,206 Palestinians killed in that country's war. (Ma'an)

Hamas authorities are shaving the heads of young men with long or spiky hair in Gaza, and has banned "Western garments." (AP/Xinhua/PCHR)

Palestinian families are left homeless after Hamas destroys homes in Gaza it claims were "illegally constructed." (Al Monitor)

Hamas police dispel a demonstration by Salafist mothers in Gaza. (Ma'an)

Palestinian officials say 160,000 Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are living below the poverty line. (Ma'an)

Fatah officials are reportedly pressuring Abbas to replace Fayyad. (Ma'an)

The Teachers' Union of Ireland adopts a resolution backing an academic and cultural boycott of Israel. (JTA)


COMMENTARY:
Hussein Ibish says regional influences are having and increasing effect on internal Palestinian politics, especially within Hamas. (The National)

Zvi Bar'el says Egypt's political and military leaderships are divided over how to deal with Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

Hagai Segal says Kerry was wasting his time trying to broker Israeli-Palestinian peace. (YNet)

Ben Caspit says the best Kerry can hope for is a partial, interim agreement. (Al Monitor)

Amira Hass says the film "Five Broken Cameras" is changing Palestinian attitudes towards nonviolence. (Ha'aretz)

Tomer Persico says Israeli scholar Gideon Aran long anticipated the aims and trajectory of the extreme settler movement. (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post interviews Palestinian-Israeli MK Jamal Zahalka, who questions the future of Zionism. (Jerusalem Post)

Adel Safty says the essence of Zionism is the expropriation of Palestinian land. (Gulf News)

The Jerusalem Post criticizes Abbas for stifling freedom of speech. (The Jerusalem Post)

Ana Palacio says Pres. Obama played it safe in Israel because he doesn't think conditions are ripe for a two-state solution. (Gulf News)

Mike Coogan argues that AIPAC's latest legislative agenda is dividing members of Congress. (The Hill)

Hicham Mourad says Egypt should pursue a balanced policy between the PA and Hamas. (Al Ahram)

Gershon Baskin says the best way for Israel to reduce Hamas' stature and effectiveness is to make peace with the PLO. (Jerusalem Post)

NEWS
Tensions continue to mount in the occupied West Bank as Palestinians bury three who recently died, with Israel blamed. (New York Times)

Thousands of Palestinians continue to protest over the deaths. (AP/Reuters)

Protests are particularly intense in Hebron. (Ma'an)

In spite of the tensions, all parties seem to have a stake in preventing a total breakdown of order. (CSM)

PM Fayyad denounces the use of live fire against protesters by Israeli occupation forces. (PNN)

An Israeli military investigation shows no shots were fired at occupation forces during the deadly incidents. (Ha'aretz)

Pres. Abbas blames Israel for the escalation in tensions and says they endanger US peace efforts. (AFP)

Abbas reiterates he will not pursue any further moves at multilateral institutions in order to give US peace efforts a greater chance. (The National)

Abbas reportedly tells Sec. Kerry PM Netanyahu must present a map delineating his vision of borders to prove he is serious about peace. (Ha'aretz)

Israelis debate whether Palestinians have any right to engage in rock-throwing protests against the occupation. (AP)

The UN is closing food distribution centers in Gaza after a mob storms one of its compounds to process the suspension of cash assistance to thousands of families. (AP)

A British researcher says the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee reflects another example of Israel's ability to coerce the Palestinians. (Ha'aretz)

Hamas again denies meddling in Egypt's internal affairs. (AP)

The Times reports that Hamas fighters are training Syrian rebels. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel holds Hamas responsible for restraining even more extreme groups in Gaza. (Xinhua)

UC Riverside's student government revokes a resolution urging university divestment in companies doing business with Israel's military. (LA Times)

A French court fines Air France €13,000 for removing a pro-Palestinian passenger from a flight to Israel because she was not Jewish. (BBC)


COMMENTARY
ATFP Pres. Ziad Asali says America's greatest challenge in the Middle East is an intensified program of public diplomacy. (Baltimore Sun)

Hussein Ibish outlines the challenges facing Kerry in trying to revamp Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Maysoon Zayid denounces Hamas' oppression of women. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Hassan Haidar says Hamas' own extremism is fostering even greater extremism by other groups in Gaza. (Al Hayat)

Amos Harel says the incoming Israeli military commander in the occupied West Bank will mainly be preoccupied with preventing another intifada. (Ha'aretz)

Cellu Rozenberg says Amira Hass' defense of stone-throwing Palestinian protests is illogical and immoral. (Ha'aretz)

Michael Palmer says the FBI should investigate deaths of American-citizen Israeli settlers because of rock-throwing by Palestinian protesters in the occupied territories. (The Forward)

The Jerusalem Post claims it wants peace as much as Jewish Americans who called for confidence building measures, but doesn't believe it's possible and says their proposals are not worth "the risk." (The Jerusalem Post)

Uri Savir says Israelis must learn to distinguish between international support for Israel's existence and opposition to many of its policies. (Jerusalem Post)

The National says Abbas' agreement to suspend efforts to join other multilateral institutions opens a window for progress on peace. (The National)

Marwan Kabalan says mutual concerns about Syria motivated the Israeli-Turkish rapprochement. (Gulf News)

Shlomi Eldar interviews Hamas' activist Ghazi Hamad who insists the organization will accept a state in the 1967 borders, but will not recognize Israel. (Al Monitor)

Gamal Abuel Hassan says the Israeli-Egyptian security relationship is essentially the same under Pres. Morsi as it was under Mubarak. (Al Monitor)

Zvi Bar'el agrees that Morsi is finding it almost impossible to really change Egypt's policy towards Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

NEWS
Israeli occupation forces shoot and kill a Palestinian teenager during violent clashes in the occupied West Bank.  (Xinhua/AP/Washington Post)

A second Palestinian youth is killed by Israeli forces in another confrontation. (Ma'an)

An 80-year-old Palestinian shepherd is beaten unconscious near an Israel settlement. (Ha'aretz)

Many analysts think Israel's new airstrikes in Gaza are a warning to Hamas, and none of the sides want a major escalation. (Xinhua)

Hamas confirms that Gaza-based politician Ismail Hanniyeh will serve as the deputy leader of its Politburo. (AP/Xinhua)

Another vocal Gaza-based Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar is reportedly removed from the Politburo altogether. (Al Monitor)

Sec. Kerry heads back to the region for more shuttle diplomacy aimed at restarting negotiations. (USA Today/AP)

Palestinians say they will suspend all moves at the UN and other multilateral agencies to give US diplomacy a chance. (Ha'aretz)

Pres. Abbas reiterates that freeing prisoners is a top Palestinian priority. (AFP)

Israeli security documents show a Palestinian prisoner suffered serious injuries from torture 18 months ago. (Ha'aretz)

Fellow students at Oxford University are helping to pay the scholarship for a Palestinian student from Gaza. (BBC)

Israeli settlers accuse Ha'aretz commentator Amira Hass of incitement to violence for defending Palestinian rock-throwing protesters. (Times of Israel)

Leading Jewish Americans urge PM Netanyahu to make compromises for peace. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinians visit Israel's Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. (YNet)


COMMENTARY
Gideon Levy says that Israeli doctors who serve in the occupation and prison systems are betraying their profession by countenancing neglect, abuse and torture. (Ha'aretz)

Jonathan Rosen says it's completely understandable why so few Israelis are in the least sympathetic to Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)

George Hishmeh says Mishaal has shown a level of pragmatism that the US and Israel should explore. (Gulf News)

Ernest Corea says Palestinians need to see deeds, not hear words, to revive hopes for peace. (Arab News)

Asmaa al-Ghoul looks at the struggle of Palestinian poets in Gaza under Hamas rule. (Al Monitor)

Gil Troy adds his take on how to reconcile Israel's "Jewish" and "democratic" characters. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Charles Kupchan and Soli Ozel say Israeli-Turkish rapprochement won't mean much if it isn't followed by demonstrable increased cooperation. (New York Times)

NEWS:
Tensions flare and fire is exchanged across the Israel-Gaza border following the death of a prisoner in Israeli custody from allegedly undertreated cancer. (New York Times)

Israel warns Gaza militants about the dangers of any escalation. (AP)

Hamas says it expects more attacks from Israel. (Xinhua)

Ma'an publishes an obituary of the late prisoner, Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh. (Ma'an)

Palestinians across the West Bank and Gaza observe a one-day general strike in protest at his death. (AFP)

Pres. Abbas blames Abu Hamdiyeh's death on "Israeli arrogance." (PNN)

PM Fayyad calls for international monitoring of Israel's prisons. (PNN)

A Palestinian minister says the prisoner's death shows the PLO must join the ICC. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces detain 20 Palestinians in the West Bank. (Ma'an)

The Israeli military again says it fired back against ordinance coming across the frontier between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights. (New York Times)

Abbas will meet Sec. Kerry in Jordan on Sunday. (Ma'an)

Kerry is also due to visit Turkey. (Reuters)

Experts say the Palestinian-Jordanian agreement on Jerusalem gives Amman a much larger role in the future of the city and negotiations with Israel. (AFP)

Jewish Israelis and Palestinians discuss the quest for freedom at a Passover Seder in the occupied West Bank. (CSM)

The Israeli military is providing equal protection for all settlements, whether authorized or wildcat outposts. (Ha'aretz)

Some Fatah officials accuse disgraced former Fatah leader in Gaza Dahlan of poisoning the late Pres. Arafat. (AP)

Hamas is continuing a widespread crackdown on art and artists in Gaza. (Al Monitor)


COMMENTARY:
Ha'aretz says it's outrageous that the Israeli military is providing so many benefits to unauthorized wildcat settlement outposts. (Ha'aretz

Amos Harel says the PA is using the prisoner's death to keep up a popular struggle against Israeli occupation. (Ha'aretz)

Lynn Grassmeyer says another generation of Israelis and Palestinians are reaching a crisis point. (The Tennessean)

Shmuel Rosner says it will be even more difficult for Israel to delineate operating borders with Palestine than a settlement freeze. (New York Times)

Khaled Abu Toameh says, given that Islamists and others are raping women in the name of religion in Libya and elsewhere, women ought to think twice about going on aid convoys to Gaza. (Gatestone)

Amira Hass defends rock-throwing against Israeli occupation forces by Palestinian youths. (Ha'aretz)

Judy Montagu says Israel's apology to Turkey might feel like "giving in," but it's breathed new life into an important relationship. (Jerusalem Post)

The National says the reelection of Mishaal as Hamas leader provides an opportunity for Abbas and the Arab states. (The National)

Adel Zaanoun says Mishaal might even be able to improve Hamas' relations with the West. (Arab News)

Shlomi Eldar says it was Israel's military offensive in Gaza last year that resurrected Mishaal's waning career. (Al Monitor)

Hazem Saghieh says Israel has concluded that sectarian and ethnic cantons are being formed in Syria. (Al Hayat)

The Daily Star laments that while Israel is starting to effectively exploit offshore natural gas reserves, Lebanon is dithering. (The Daily Star)

Emily Hauser profiles a short documentary about the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem that recently won a Peabody award. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Aaron David Miller says, if he's really lucky, Pres. Obama might be able to leave the Middle East slightly better off than when he first came into office. (Foreign Policy)

Carlo Strenger looks at a new book by Rashid Khalidi, which takes a dim view of the US role as Middle East peace broker. (Ha'aretz)

Natasha Gill says Israelis and Palestinians can continue to greatly dislike each other and still achieve a mutually beneficial peace agreement. (The Forward)

Henry Siegman asks if Kerry can rescue the two-state solution. (Huffington Post)

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