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NEWS:
 
PM Fayyad says he remains generally optimistic but that the Palestinian leadership has to stay relevant and engaged. (Al Monitor)
 
 
PM Netanyahu endorses the idea that any peace agreement should be backed up by a popular referendum. (AP)
 
Netanyahu and his key allies are reportedly worried that Sec. Kerry is inching towards the Arab League stance on the two-state solution. (Ha'aretz)
 
Israel's response to the apparent Arab League endorsement of land swaps is cool, andPalestinian reaction is also mixed. (Washington Post/VOA)
 
Former PM Olmert calls the Arab League statement "historic" and a great opportunity for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Hamas leader Mishaal rejects the notion of a land swap with Israel. (Ma'an)
 
For all the diplomatic activity, renewed peace talks are nowhere in sight. (Ha'aretz)
 
Critics of the occupation say apparent relative calm is always an illusion. (New York Times)
 
An Israeli citizen is arrested by Lebanese authorities after allegedly crossing the border illegally. (Xinhua)
 
A Palestinian fisherman from Gaza describes his ordeals at the hands of the Israeli military. (PNN)
 
Settlers begin constructing a new outpost near Nablus. (Ma'an)
 
Israeli settlers attack another Palestinian village in the occupied territories. (Jerusalem Post)
 
PA security forces arrest five Hamas activists in the West Bank. (Ma'an)
 
Palestinians are dealing with water shortages in the occupied West Bank with as much equanimity as they can muster. (CSM)
 
The Israeli Knesset is reportedly adopting a new law that prevents citizens of "enemy states"from suing Israel. (Xinhua)
 
Netanyahu is visiting China in a bid to strengthen ties. (Xinhua)
 
A new Pew poll of Muslim opinion shows a substantial minority of Palestinians think suicide bombing is sometimes justifiable, among other mixed and complex results. (Pew Research Center/Daily Telegraph/CNN/)
 
Google's search engine now recognizes Palestine rather than "the Palestinian territories." (PNN)
 
Cooperation may be growing between Bedouin tribesmen and Muslim extremists in Sinai. (The Media Line)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Ari Shavit says better security and the diplomatic impasse don't make Israel's crisis with the occupied Palestinian population go away. (Ha'aretz)
 
Raphael Ahren looks at the range of Israeli reactions to the Arab League statement on land swaps. (Times of Israel)
 
Shimon Shiffer says there is a solid majority in the Netanyahu coalition against a two-state solution. (YNet)
 
Herb Keinon says the best basis for Israeli-Arab reconciliation is shared concerns about Syria and Iran. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Israel Harel says a referendum on a peace agreement is essential for its legitimacy. (Ha'aretz)
 
Husam Itani says the dysfunctionality of Palestinian politics is what's giving hunger striking prisoners and others so much importance. (Al Hayat)
 
The Gulf News says Israel's apparent disinterest in the recent Arab League statement on land swaps shows peace cannot be a one-way street. (Gulf News)
 
Dalia Hatuqa says some Palestinians feel the Arab League statement was presumptuous and unauthorized by them. (Al Monitor)
 
Asmaa al-Ghoul says Gaza's agricultural and green spaces are under constant threat. (Al Monitor)
 
Brandon Davis looks at the campaign to delegitimize pro-Palestinian queer voices. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Daniel Kurtzer says the US must begin to articulate a clear framework for new negotiations. (Deutsche Welle)

 

NEWS:
 
AFP looks at Sec. Kerry's cautious but determined push to revive Middle East peace talks. (AFP)
 
Kerry calls the recent Arab League statement about negotiations with Israel "a big step." (New York Times)
 
As Kerry is making some progress, some limited violence is flaring on the ground. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Palestinian negotiators say they share the Arab League position accepting the principle of land swaps, but add that this isn't anything new. (Xinhua/Ma'an)
 
A cabinet minister close to PM Netanyahu says Israel will not negotiate based on the 1967 borders, but Palestinian negotiators say this is the only basis for talks. (AFP/Ha'aretz)
 
Netanyahu says territory is not the basis of the Middle East conflict, but also that Israel needs a Palestinian state in order to avoid becoming a binational polity. (AFP/Ha'aretz)
 
Labour Party officials say they would join a coalition that was pursuing peace. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Pres. Peres says the Pope has a role to play in Middle East peace and invites him to visit Israel. (AP)
 
Rights groups say Israeli occupation forces killed four Palestinians and arrested 259 in April. (PNN)
 
Israeli settlers and Palestinians clash in the occupied territories after the stabbing death of a settler. (AP/Jerusalem Post)
 
Israeli security forces brace for more possible settler violence. (YNet)
 
Israeli forces shoot at Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Gaza, injuring one. (PNN)
 
Israel's recent airstrike in Gaza is a warning to Hamas to rein in more extremist groups in territories under their control. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Hamas' military wing is moving to secure the border areas with Israel. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
 
A Fatah official's car is shot at in Gaza. (Ma'an)
 
UNIFIL urges Israel to withdraw from a Lebanese town. (Xinhua)
 
Israeli reservists are called up for a drill on a possible confrontation with Hezbollah. (Xinhua)
 
Young Palestinians use graffiti to express themselves. (Xinhua)
 
Palestinian refugees from Syria are still seeking refuge in Gaza. (The Guardian)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Amos Harel says the three main security threats Israel faces at present are violent settlers, rockets from Gaza and the fate of Syria's chemical weapons. (Ha'aretz)
 
Hassan Kaabiya says it's shocking that Israel's military rabbis would rule non-Jewish troops in the IDF are not equal to Jewish ones. (YNet)
 
Ha'aretz says another law extending detentions without charge or process for suspected terrorists is a stain on Israel's legal system. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Jerusalem Post says it supports a law requiring a referendum on any peace agreement. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Jonathan Freedland says Israeli ultra-Orthodox parties may hold the key to a solution. (Gulf News)
 
Zvi Bar'el calls Israel the "superpower of international panic." (Ha'aretz)
 
Gil Troy denounces the outspokenness of former Israeli security officials in the film "The Gatekeepers." (Jerusalem Post)
 
Yaakov Lappin says Israel's recent military actions send a message to foes to its north and south. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Ben Caspit interviews Daniel Abraham, founder of the Center for Middle East Peace.
 
Mohammed Suliman looks at the growing problem of child labor in Gaza. (Al Monitor)
NEWS:
 
FM Al-Malki confirms that Palestinians promised during Pres. Obama's visit not to pursue international initiatives for the meanwhile. (Politico)
 
A leading Labor Party MK warns Washington not to pursue peace talks because PM Netanyahu isn't interested in progress. (AP)
 
Sec. Kerry is attempting to revive the Arab Peace Initiative. (AFP)
 
The Arab League appears to endorse the principle of land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians, and Israel welcomes the move. (Reuters/YNet)
 
The Israeli military says it has killed a militant with an airstrike in Gaza, in the first targeted assassination since November. (AP/New York Times/Ha'aretz)
 
A Palestinian militant group has claimed responsibility for the stabbing of an Israeli settler, which has provoked a violent response from settlers. (Xinhua)
 
Over 20 Palestinians are injured in Israeli settler attacks. (Ma'an)
 
Palestinians are looking for ways to free prisoners from Israeli detention. (Xinhua/PRI)
 
Israel evicts hundreds of Bedouins in the Jordan Valley to make way for military exercises. (YNet)
 
Israel has received a fifth Dolphin class submarine from Germany. (Xinhua)
 
The CSM profiles a first responder in southern Israel. (Christian Science Monitor)
 
Israel has issued approximately 500 permits for Christians from Gaza to celebrate Easter in the West Bank. (Ma'an)
 
New PA regulations regarding payment of public sector employees in Gaza are welcomed by many women. (Ma'an)
 
Egypt is withdrawing from another round of NPT talks in implicit protest of Israel's nuclear arsenal. (Reuters)
 
A film by Palestinian producers in Gaza is nominated for an award at the Cannes Film Festival. (Al Monitor)
 
Hamas leaders are increasingly trying to influence youth through social media. (Al Monitor)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Asher Susser asks if Jordan's monarchy is in danger of collapse. (Crown Center)
 
George Bisharat says proposed legislation on a visa waiver program with Israel would discriminate against Arab and Muslim Americans. (Los Angeles Times)
 
Maysoon Zayid also strongly criticizes the bill as discriminatory. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Benjamin Pogrund relates what he saw when reporters were allowed into Israel's only prison in the occupied territories. (Ha'aretz)
 
Abraham Katsman says it's wrong to blame the United States or Israel for PM Fayyad's resignation. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Oudeh Basharat says the position of Israel's finance minister towards Arab workers is immoral. (Ha'aretz)
 
Barry Rubin says Israel is in surprisingly robust condition in a region falling apart. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Akiva Eldar says if Obama is giving up on Pres. Bush's roadmap for peace, that's a mistake. (Al Monitor)
NEWS:
 
Declassified UK mandate documents show British officials predicted both the war and Arab defeat in 1948. (The Guardian)
 
The US denies it has any intention to hold a Middle East peace conference later this summer. (Ha'aretz)
 
Palestinian officials say Pres. Abbas has urged PM Erdogan to push for Palestinian national unity. (Xinhua)
 
The Israeli military says it shot down a drone coming into its airspace from Lebanon, and Hezbollah denies any connection. (New York Times/Xinhua)
 
Israeli analysts call the drone incident a "publicity stunt" by Hezbollah. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Israel's military says it will no longer use white phosphorus. (AP)
 
The Obama administration says the Syrian government has used chemical weapons in that country's civil conflict. (AP)
 
Any American response is likely to be conducted through NATO or in coordination with other allies. (AP)
 
Israel's deputy FM says action on Syria will send a message to Iran. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Egyptians celebrate the 31st Sinai Liberation Day. (Xinhua)
 
Experts say Israel and Turkey are likely to continue to work to put aside their differences due to mutual interests. (Xinhua)
 
Hamas condemns the PA for postponing proposed resolutions at UNESCO. (Ma'an)
 
This year's Palestinian olive harvest may be threatened by April rains. (Ma'an)
 
Palestinian activists are using music to raise awareness about their societies deaf community. (PNN)
 
One of the suspects in an alleged thwarted terrorist attack in Canada is of Palestinian origin. (AP)
 
Palestinian citizens of Israel campaign against violence against women. (Ha'aretz)
 
The Association for Asian American Studies votes to boycott Israeli academic institutions, although not individuals. (JTA)
 
For various reasons, the occupation is drawing more Palestinians into social media than any other group in the Middle East. (Al Monitor)
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
The Irish Times says the lack of adequate international support for PM Fayyad was "foolish and shortsighted." (Irish Times)
 
Ghassan Khatib says Fayyad's resignation leaves both Palestinians and Abbas "knee-deep in trouble." (JMCC)
 
Amos Harel says only Hezbollah knows the real story behind the downed drone. (Ha'aretz)
 
The National says an extended UNESCO role in Jerusalem is good for the Palestinians. (The National)
 
Mira Sucharov looks at the differences in perceptions between Israelis and Palestinians about stonethrowing protesters. (Ha'aretz)
 
Tareq Baconi says, with the peace process neither dead nor alive, Palestinians should reorganize their major national institutions. (The Daily Star)
 
Michael Young says Hezbollah's actions in defense of the Assad regime could lead to the party's eventual destruction or a Lebanese sectarian civil war. (The Daily Star)
 
An anonymous writer says Hezbollah's base is becoming alienated by its pro-Assad interventions. (Al Monitor)

 

NEWS:
 
The US may convene a four-way Middle East peace conference in June. (Ha'aretz)
 
Sec. Kerry is also reportedly urging major investments in the occupied West Bank. (Times of Israel)
 
Palestinian Christian villagers hope the new pope will help them in their struggle against Israel's separation barrier. (AP)
 
EU diplomats reportedly say the US hasn't objected to European plans to label all settlement product imports. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Members of Congress introduce legislation threatening a cutoff of US aid if Hamas members become senior PA officials. (JTA)
 
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister says the country began "as a secular project" but has changed. (JTA)
 
The Syrian regime says it wouldn't use chemical weapons, "even against Israel." (Reuters/AP)
 
Sec. Hagel says Israel did not alert him during his visit to evidence of Syrian government chemical weapons use. (AP)
 
Palestinians are hoping a visit by UNESCO officials will bolster their claims in occupied East Jerusalem. (The National)
 
Eight more Palestinians are injured in a Lebanese refugee camp. (Xinhua)
 
Undercover Israeli occupation forces raid the center of Hebron. (Ma'an)
 
A Palestinian watchdog group says it is looking into corruption by senior officials. (AP)
 
PA police thwart antique smugglers in Bethlehem. (Ma'an)
 
Israel's Attorney General upholds the practice of security personnel checking foreigners' emailrecords at entry points. (AP)
 
Israeli jailers are cleared in the investigation into the death of Ben Zygier, also known as "Prisoner X." (AP)
 
Israel's Knesset debates how to deal with the Armenian genocide. (AP)
 
Former FM Lieberman's trial continues. (Xinhua)
 
Israeli authorities are working on ways to make pilgrimages ecologically sustainable. (CSM)
 
Ramallah hosts the first Palestinian Fashion Week. (The Media Line)
 
Israeli occupation forces demolish a popular Palestinian restaurant in "Area C" of the West Bank. (Al Monitor)
 
ATFP executive director Ghaith Al-Omari and David Makovsky of WINEP take the conversation on Middle East peace to Cornell University. (Cornell Daily Sun) 
 
 
COMMENTARY:
 
Emily Hauser says Salam Fayyad never found a willing Israeli peace partner. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)
 
Gershon Baskin says Israelis interested in peace should buy Palestinian products. (Jerusalem Post)
 
David Makovsky and Gabrielle Tudin asked if Iran's nuclear program is outmaneuvering the US and Israel. (Ha'aretz)
 
George Hishmeh says time is running out for a two-state solution, largely because the US won't pressure Israel. (Gulf News)
 
Lu'ayy Al-Rimawi says Jordan's King Abdullah is a true partner in peace for Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
 
Ziyad Abou Habla says Israel's Palestinian citizens need to find new ways to be heard. (Ha'aretz)
 
Gideon Levy says Israel wouldn't have any rational response to Palestinian demands for equal citizenship. (Ha'aretz)
 
Jerome Chanes looks at a new book about threats to democracy by Jewish Israeli religious zealots. (The Forward)
 
Aaron David Miller looks at the work of YaLa Young Leaders. (Foreign Policy)
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