News:

Israel says it's pushing forward with 800 new settlement housing units in the occupied West Bank. (AP)

Palestinians condemn the new settlement activity. (WAFA)

Negotiations between the EU and Israel over the occupation hit a new impasse. (Ha'aretz)

The UAE reaffirms its solidarity with the Palestinian people. (Gulf News)

Saudi Arabia exempts Palestinians from tough new ex-pat labor laws. (Arab News)

Palestinian women in Gaza protest to end the political Hamas-Fatah split. (Al Monitor)

The Israeli and US air forces hold their biggest ever joint drill. (YNet)

Settlers accuse Palestinians of "illegal building" in the controversial E1 corridor. (PNN)

Israeli occupation forces detain 3 Palestinians trying to enter the Al-Aqsa mosque. (Ma'an)

An Israeli court indicts a Palestinian resident of occupied East Jerusalem for fundraising for Hamas. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians estimate that about one in 10 of their population lives in occupied East Jerusalem. (PNN)

Palestinians note an increase in exports and a decrease in imports in September. (PNN)

Unlike Brandeis and Syracuse universities, Bard College is maintaining its partnership with Al QudsUniversity. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians say Israeli occupation forces uprooted 60 olive trees near Bethlehem. (Ma'an)

The PA denounces the Beirut Iranian embassy bombing and says a Palestinian who may have been involved represented no one. (Ma'an)

The international community signs an interim agreement with Iran on its nuclear program. (AP/Reuters)

Months of secret meetings set the stage for the talks. (Los Angeles Times/Christian Science Monitor/Al Monitor)

The agreement could affect talks on Palestine and Syria. (AP)

A longer-term agreement will be much more challenging, and the short-term progress is modest. (New York Times)

The agreement opens diplomatic possibilities for the West in the Middle East. (New York Times)

Israel denounces the agreement. (New York Times/Xinhua)

Some prominent Saudis are also very critical of the agreement. (Times of Israel/Bloomberg)

Canada says it is deeply skeptical about the deal. (Globe and Mail)/

The UAE, Bahrain, the IAEA, Turkey, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar welcome the agreement, and Saudi Arabia say it "cautiously welcomes" it . (The National/Xinhua/AP)

The agreement may lower the price of oil. (AP)

Experts expect Europe to benefit from the agreement economically. (Jerusalem Post)

Egypt and Turkey downgrade diplomatic relations after harsh comments by PM Erdogan against the new Egyptian government. (AFP)

Five Iraqi soldiers are killed in a suicide bomb attack. (New York Times)

160 are killed in fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces near Damascus. (AP/Xinhua)

Syrian rebels seize control of major oil field in the country. (New York Times)

A study shows 11,000 Syrian children have been killed in the country's conflict. (Reuters)

Syria is facing a critical shortage of medicines due to the conflict. (Xinhua)

Some victims of the conflict in Syria are quietly finding medical care in Israel. (BBC)

The UN confirms Syrian peace talks will be held on January 22. (AP/Reuters)

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait say they're going to tighten control of clerics in their countries. (New York Times)

Nine are killed in clashes between Islamist militias and the Libyan military. (Reuters/BBC)

Six more Iraqis are killed in a string of attacks in Baghdad. (Xinhua)

Commentary:

Pres. Obama makes a statement on the P5+1 agreement with Iran. (White House)

The White House issues a fact sheet on the agreement. (White House)

The New York Times welcomes the agreement with Iran. (New York Times)

Ha'aretz says the agreement with Iran must be given a chance. (Ha'aretz)

The Forward calls the agreement with Iran "a worthy leap of faith." (The Forward)

Aaron David Miller says it's too early to celebrate the deal with Iran. (Politico)

Michael Doran says there are "hidden costs" in the agreement. (Brookings)

The Daily Star says the agreement will help Iran if its nuclear intentions are peaceful, but otherwise not. (The Daily Star)

Dina Esfandiary says, while not perfect, the agreement is the best achievable arrangement for all parties. (The National)

Amos Harel says the agreement makes it almost impossible for Israel to attack Iran now. (Ha'aretz)

Steven Spiegel and Thomas Friedman both separately say US Middle East allies need reassurance following the agreement with Iran. (New York Times)

Robert Einhorn says Israel and the US should remember they agree neither wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon. (Ha'aretz)

Roger Cohen says the agreement must force Israel to rethink many policies. (New York Times)

Chemi Shalev says pushing for more sanctions now could hurt Israel more than Iran. (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post has grave misgivings about the Iran deal. (Jerusalem Post)

Shoula Romano Horing calls the agreement a "total, unmitigated defeat" for both the US and Israel. (YNet)

David Horovitz says "the US let Iran off the hook" in the agreement. (Times of Israel)

Avi Issacharoff says Supreme Leader Khamenei and Obama are the big winners, while PM Netanyahu is the big loser. (Times of Israel)

Raphael Ahren asks if there's any way for Netanyahu to turn a short-term defeat into a long-term success. (Times of Israel)

Shashank Joshi says Israel and the Gulf states are united in alarm about the agreement with Iran. (BBC)

Nathan Jeffay compares and contrasts different Israeli and Palestinian versions of a "one-state solution." (The Forward)

David Schenker looks at provocative fatawa on Egypt by Qatar-based Muslim Brotherhood cleric Qaradawi. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Rami Khouri says violence in Lebanon is more than just a "spillover" from Syria. (The Daily Star)

Nasouh Majali says the UN needs to play a larger role in Syria. (Jordan Times)

Hussein Ibish says the battle for the Qalamoun mountains may be a decisive turning point in Syria. (The National)

Samir Salha says Erdoğan’s best defense on the Kurdish issue is a good offense. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Husam Itani says maybe only a large, federal state in the whole Levant region can maintain stability and protect minorities. (Al Hayat)

News:

The PLO says existing policy negotiators will continue to "oversee the talks" until a new team is formed. (Ma'an)

Gaza's streets are flooded with rainwater and sewage, and electricity is running low. (New York Times)

USAID is reportedly halting key aid programs in Gaza. (Al Monitor)

Islamic Jihad warns the Gaza ceasefire could come to an end, citing Israeli "violations." (Ma'an)

Palestinian anti-corruption officials say complaints quintupled in 2013. (Ma'an)

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics says at least 100,000 Palestinians from the occupied territories work in Israel. (Ma'an)

An Israeli soldier is arrested for suspected "price tag" vigilante attacks. (Xinhua)

Some Israeli settlers routinely reach out to pro-Palestinian tour groups in the occupied territories. (Christian Science Monitor)

UNSG Ban appoints Pierre Krähenbühl to be the new Commissioner-General of UNRWA. (Ma'an)

Jibril Rajoub reportedly suggests the "fool" former Pres. Bush" colluded what he alleges was Israel's assassination of the late Pres. Arafat. (Times of Israel)

Sec. Kerry is taking innovative approaches to a range of long-standing, tough problems. (New York Times)

Observers think an interim deal with Iran might be nearing as new talks begin. (New York Times)

Iran says difficult differences remain to be overcome. (AP)

Iran is demanding the removal of oil and banking sanctions in even a short-term deal. (Xinhua)

The US assures its allies of "caution" as new talks begin, while Iran insists it won't back down. (Los Angeles Times)

Israeli officials say they are "frustrated" not to be familiar with any details about the talks. (YNet)

Iran holds a military drill near the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz. (AP)

Israel and Gulf states appear to be forming a "strange" alliance against Iran. (AP)

Syrians continue to flood into Lebanon, fleeing the conflict in their country. (AP/BBC/The National)

Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria face terrible difficulties in Egypt and Lebanon. (Reuters/Huffington Post)

Seven are killed in a mortar attack in the Syrian city of Homs. (Xinhua)

An Iraqi Shiite militia says it has fired six mortar rounds into Saudi Arabia as a warning against "interference." (Reuters)

Kuwait's national airline resumes Iraq flights in another sign of continuing improved relations. (Reuters)

An Egyptian police officer is killed in an operation to arrest wanted militants. (Reuters)

Egyptian army chief Sisi does not rule out a presidential bid. (Reuters)

A truck bomb kills 27 people at an outdoor market in northeast Iraq. (AP)

Commentary:

Mohammed Dajani Daoudi explains the importance of teaching the Holocaust in Palestine. (Sharnoff's Global Views)

The ICG looks at Israel's "national religious groups" and the future of the conflict. (International Crisis Group)

Hazem Balousha says Palestinians in Gaza are distinctly unimpressed with Hamas' military parades. (Al Monitor)

Michael Oren tries to explain PM Netanyahu's hard-line policies. (Los Angeles Times)

Shlomi Eldar says the Israeli public is generally standing with Netanyahu on the question of Iran. (Al Monitor)

George Hishmeh says on both Iran and Israel, major "serious arm-twisting by the major powers" is required. (Gulf News)

Carlo Strenger says "Netanyahu is paying a steep price for fanning fear and hatred." (Ha'aretz)

Zvi Bar'el says Israeli society is hiding the occupation behind euphemisms and doublespeak. (Ha'aretz)

Salman Masalha says Israelis are yearning for a "Palestinian Ben-Gurion" because they can't have another of their own. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass notes that in the tally of violence throughout the decades, Palestinians have paid a much steeper price than Israelis. (Ha'aretz)

Ronald Lauder says both Palestinian and Jewish refugee claims must be redressed. (JTA)

David Ignatius says Egyptians are making a good-faith effort to really try to build a democracy. (Washington Post)

Michael Weiss profiles Russian mercenaries in Syria. (Foreign Policy)

Ghassan Charbel says, because of the Syrian conflict, Lebanon has never been so divided and its future is threatened. (Al Hayat)

Abdullah Iskandar says terrorism in Lebanon doesn't help the Syrian opposition, it helps the Damascus dictatorship. (Al Hayat)

The Daily Star says, unfortunately, the Lebanese can't expect their elected officials to prevent more such bombings. (The Daily Star)

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashid worries Beirut could turn into another Baghdad. (Arab News)

FM Zarif says Iran's neighbors are its priority. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Diana Moukalled says Hezbollah is scared of satire. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Omar Alvi says Ennahda finds itself at a crossroads in Tunisian politics which will determine its future. (The Daily Star)