NEWS:

Pres. Abbas approves the new PA budget as submitted by PM Fayyad. (Xinhua)

Abbas and Jordan's King Abdallah agree to cooperate to protect Arab and Islamic sites inoccupied Jerusalem. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

Hamas leader Haniyyeh meets with the chief of Egypt's intelligence services. (AP)

Hamas accuses Fatah of blocking reconciliation talks. (Xinhua)

Settlers attack Palestinian school buses. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces clash with Palestinians during "Land Day" commemorations. (AP)

Palestinians say seven children are injured when settlers stoned school buses in the occupied West Bank. (Ma'an)

Abbas is accused of clamping down on critics in civil society. (AP)

Israel begins to exploit offshore natural gas reserves. (New York Times)

The Israeli military says it could withstand an attack from Syrian chemical weapons. (Reuters)

Christians in the Middle East and Palestine celebrate Easter weekend. (AP)

Hamas officials say Pres. Obama's visit to the region was counterproductive for Palestinian reconciliation. (Xinhua)

Israel's military is dealing with complications arising from having women and ultra-Orthodox male service members. (LA Times)

Palestinian Americans continue to face grave difficulties under the Israeli occupation. (The National)

A short documentary by Just Vision Media about the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem wins a Peabody award. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

COMMENTARY:
Suzanne Nossel asks why it took so long for Israel to apologize to Turkey over the flotilla affair. (Foreign Policy)

Gideon Levy says Israeli cruelty reached the point of no return in the 2008-2009 Gaza war. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass says a new PA budget shows its dependence on Israel and the United States. (Ha'aretz)

Shoula Romano Horing says Obama still Be trusted by Israelis. (YNet)

Ha'aretz says the Israeli military should stop arresting Palestinian children. (Ha'aretz

Asharq Al-Awsat says Abbas refuses to take part in any Arab League summit which Hamas also attends. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Joseph Dana says natural gas is the key to Israeli-Turkish reconciliation. (The National)

Abdullah Al Shayji says Obama has achieved nothing with Iraq to Syria or the two-state solution. (Gulf News)

Shlomi Eldar interviews Yara Mashour, editor of the Israeli Arabic-language magazine Lilac. (Al Monitor)

NEWS
The PA cabinet approves PM Fayyad's new budget, passing the matter for approval to Pres. Abbas. (Ha'aretz)

Abbas pardons a Palestinian journalist for allegedly "insulting" him on Facebook, after one-year prison term was yesterday upheld by a Palestinian court. (Ma'an/New York Times/AP)

Israel is using archaic Ottoman laws to give "state lands" in the occupied West Bank to settlers and Israeli companies. (The National)

Christians in Jerusalem mark Good Friday. (AP)

Israel's military beefs up its presence in the occupied territories in preparation for Land Day. (Ma'an)

Occupation forces have detained over 50 Palestinians suspected of being members of a "terror cell" in the past two months. (Ha'aretz)

Israel deploys more military medical officers on the border between Syria and the occupied Golan Heights. (AP)

Israel reopens the border crossings with Gaza. (Xinhua)

Palestinians are having to confront the fact that dependence on foreign aid makes them vulnerable to unreliable sources. (CSM)

Two pro-Palestinian activists are allegedly gang raped in Libya. (Ma'an)

An Israeli soldier held captive by Hamas recounts the details of his capture and captivity. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel's Foreign Ministry is investigating who leaked cables about how to deal with the film "The Gatekeepers." (Ha'aretz)

A new poll shows a drop in the number of Jewish Israelis who view Pres. Obama as hostile. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt is resuming efforts to promote Palestinian national unity. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
 

COMMENTARY
Hussein Ibish looks at the complexities facing any potential Palestinian effort to get the ICC to investigate Israel's actions in the occupied territories. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Dalia Hatuqa looks at the continued significance for Palestinians of Land Day. (Al Monitor)

Anna Lekas Miller looks at the impact of the release of long-withheld US aid to the PA. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

The Washington Post says Israeli-Turkish rapprochement is a ray of hope in an otherwise dismal Middle East. (Washington Post)

Eddie Boxx looks at the need for the United States to work with its Gulf partners to create a missile defense system, especially with Iran in mind. (WINEP)

Yoel Marcus says Obama didn't just go to Israel to reiterate friendship, but also the need for a peace agreement with the Palestinians and reconciliation with Turkey. (Ha'aretz)

Trudy Rubin says Obama gave a great speech in Jerusalem, but probably didn't mean a lot of what he said. (Jerusalem Post)

Charles Krauthammer says Obama's visit exposed Palestinian recalcitrance. (Washington Post)

Zeev Sternhell says Israel can get into wars by its own choice but has to be coerced into peace agreements, usually by the United States. (Ha'aretz)

Avraham Burg asks what comes next now that the Oslo process is "dead." (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post joins the chorus of Israelis demanding the government "get tough" with rock-throwing Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)

Leonard Fein says the late New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis cared about Israel more than his critics. (The Forward)

The Forward says Jewish Israelis and other Jews are torn between fear and empathy. (The Forward)

George Hishmeh says Israel is becoming more isolated. (Jordan Times)