NEWS:

Pres. Abbas appoints Rami Hamdallah, president of An-Najah University, as thenew PA Prime Minister. (New York Times/AP/LA Times)

The US welcomes the appointment. (PNN)

PM Hamdallah says most serving ministers will retain their posts in the cabinet. (Xinhua)

Hamas denounces the new PA government as "illegal." (Xinhua)

Sec. Kerry will reportedly visit Amman "within days" for further peace talks. (AFP)

American officials say Kerry and the US will drop peace initiatives if Israelis and Palestinians prove not to be serious about them. (Ha'aretz)

Germany may soon join other European countries in labeling all Israeli settlement products. (The Media Line)

Egypt says it will increase the number of Palestinians allowed to cross from Gaza from 800 to 1,100 per day. (Ma'an)

The PA says 2,000 Palestinians are in prison in Syria. (Ma'an)

Israeli authorities say they're planning to demolish two Palestinian homes in the flashpoint Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

A Palestinian citizen of Israel is reportedly charged with handing information to Hezbollah. (Xinhua)

Israel has reached an agreement with an unidentified country to transfer thousands of African migrants. (AP)

Israel ranks number 10 in countries with the most millionaires. (Xinhua)

Israel now reportedly has an arsenal of at least 80 nuclear warheads. (Times of Israel)

Egypt deploys more military forces in Sinai in coordination with Israel. (Times of Israel)

Enthusiasm for Mohammed Assaf, widely expected to win this year's "Arab Idol" TV singing contest, continues to grow. (Christian Science Monitor)

COMMENTARY:

Barak Ravid calls PM Hamdallah "a good man on a suicide mission." (Ha'aretz)

The CSM says cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian businesspeople could be a breakthrough towards peace. (Christian Science Monitor)

Hani al-Masri says economic initiatives will not solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Al Monitor)

Amira Hass says the Jewish experience during the British mandate shows economies can be built under occupation, and the same can happen Palestinians if Israel lifts its restrictions. (Ha'aretz)

Ahmad Azem says Kerry's economic initiative ignores the need for Palestinian economic independence. (Al Monitor)

Hilik Bar says Israelis should stop saying there is "no Palestinian partner" for peace. (Jerusalem Post)

Ha'aretz says Israel must let Palestinian doctors work in Jerusalem hospitals. (Ha'aretz)

David Landau says Kerry's approach to peace is only strengthening hardliners on both sides. (Ha'aretz)

Ram Cohen says discriminatory policies at an Israeli amusement park are a reflection of the countries racist laws and policies. (YNet)

Lucy Aharish says segregation in Israel is endemic and racism is a major part of the national culture. (YNet)

Jeff Barak says the racism that is so deeply ingrained in Israeli culture is a major factor in what many believe is the demise of the two-state solution. (Jerusalem Post)

The Jerusalem Post says that because Israel is a "Jewish country" it can never have a complete separation between state and religion. (Jerusalem Post)

Adel Safty says Israel's bullying of its neighbors and abuse of Palestinians explains its international unpopularity. (Gulf News)

Ahmad Samih Khalidi says Israel and the Palestinians are looking at an open-ended struggle into the foreseeable future. (LSE)

NEWS:

Palestinian officials say Pres. Abbas is torn between accepting US peace talk proposals and a public backlash for dropping a settlement freeze precondition. (YNet/Times of Israel)

Palestinian officials say Israel is "destroying" Sec. Kerry's peace efforts with new settlement activity. (Xinhua/Times of Israel)

Other Palestinian officials say Kerry's prospects are dim if Israel continues settlement expansion. (Jerusalem Post)

Israeli officials say Palestinian leaders are "inventing excuses" to avoid resuming peace talks. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian girls are pioneering new methods of resisting occupation without resorting to throwing stones. (NPR)

Reports suggest Hezbollah urges Hamas members and officials to "leave Lebanon immediately." (Middle East Online)

Hamas calls on Egypt to renegotiate elements of the peace treaty with Israel. (Al Monitor)

Israeli forces arrest 13 Palestinians in raids throughout occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Israeli forces destroy Bedouin homes in the Negev desert for the second time in two weeks. (Ma'an)

France 2 hits back at the Israeli government after a new official report on the Mohammed al-Dura affair. (Ha'aretz)

Abbas signs a new law providing insurance for Palestinian bank deposits. (Bloomberg)

Arab firms vie for Gaza reconstruction projects launched and funded by Qatar. (Xinhua)

Palestinian refugees fleeing Syria find poor conditions in Lebanon. (New York Times)

When the Syrian government shells rebels, Israel goes on alertand pays close attention. (Reuters)

Israel says it is "checking" into reports that Syria received Russian S-300 missiles. (Reuters)

Pres. Assad implies the missiles have already been delivered. (AFP)

Israel and Greece are weighing establishing a group that would jointly handle regional emergencies. (Xinhua)

PM Netanyahu says he wants 10 million tourists to visit Israel in the next 10 years. (Xinhua)

An Israeli entrepreneur hopes that backpackers can be the bedrock of sustainable tourism. (Christian Science Monitor)

Palestinian trade with the rest of the world is held back by both self-imposed and Israeli restrictions. (The Guardian)

FIFA says it will negotiate ongoing disputes about football between Palestine and Israel. (Reuters)

Young Gazans are using skateboarding as a means of escapism. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Palestinian artist Bashir Makhoul explores his people's experience through his work. (Times Literary Supplement)

COMMENTARY:

Francis Matthew says Kerry's economic stimulus program for Palestine is no substitute for diplomatic progress. (Gulf News)

Gershon Baskin says Kerry's peace initiative can succeed despite doubters. (Jerusalem Post)

Brent Sasley says the Israeli public would follow its leaders in accepting a peace agreement with the Palestinians. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Aaron David Miller asks if peace conferences, whether involving Syria or Israel and the Palestinians, do more harm than good. (Los Angeles Times)

Oded Eran suggests alternative ways forward other than a two-state solution. (The National Interest)

Larry Derfner says casting equal blame on both sides merely strengthens the occupation. (+972)

Samuel Lebens says the quest for peace can be helped by empowering moderate settler leaders. (Daily Beast/Open Zion)

Ari Shavit says the gradual but growing US disengagement from the Middle East bodes ill, especially for the downtrodden. (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says proposed new Israeli legislation is nothing short of apartheid against Arabs. (Ha'aretz)

Patrick Strickland says Syrians in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are divided over attitudes towards the Assad regime. (Al Monitor)

Or Kashti says Israel's new education minister is taking a healthier attitude towards Arab education, and better policies must follow. ( Ha'aretz)

Gideon Levy says it's time to look at Ben Gurion's dark side. (Ha'aretz)

Lena Odgaard interviews Ihab al-Ghussein, head of Hamas' media office, who says reports of anti-westernization campaigns are "smears" against the group. (Al Monitor)

Khairallah Khairallah asks if Jordan is going to be able to revive the Palestinian cause. (Al Arabiya)