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NEWS: Israel says a bomb blast in Tel Aviv yesterday was "criminally motivated," and not political. Palestinian towns and villages are being affected by extreme weather. Israeli officials are trying to expedite controversial settlement expansion plans in occupied East Jerusalem. Israel exported $7 billion in arms in 2012. Critics within the Likud party say its new, more extreme leadership is abandoning some of the values of founder Menachem Begin. Palestinians say settlers destroyed over 200 olive trees near Nablus. Masked gunmen claiming to be Fatah dissidents in Nablus say they will confront Palestinian security services if arrested. The UAE is donating $50 million to a housing project in Gaza for Palestinian former prisoners of Israel. A news photograph depicts a settler woman and child using their bodies to prevent Palestinians from plowing their own fields in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian activists have been erecting structures in the strategic E1 area slated for settlement expansion by Israel. The Obama administration confirms that the PLO's upgrade in status at the UN violated no American laws. Palestinian protesters say Israel is increasingly using "skunk liquid" against them. COMMENTARY: The New York Times says "Israel, the Palestinians, Arab states and the international community all have a stake" in making sure the PA has the requisite funding to function properly. Mahmoud AbuRahma says Europe should rethink its role regarding Gaza border crossings. Ha'aretz interviews Amos Oz, who says the Netanyahu government is the most "anti-Zionist" ever. Anshel Pfeffer says the extremist and annexationist Israeli politician Naftali Bennett is not only stealing votes from PM Netanyahu, he's also outdoing him in command of English and messaging. Eyal Megged says a recent interview with former Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin should have been the political end of Netanyahu, but has made barely a ripple. Randa Haider says both Israelis and Palestinians will suffer if Israel's extreme right prevails in the coming election. Uri Savir says everyone might benefit from it, but a Jordanian-Palestinian confederation is up to the two parties. Hillel Halkin says Israeli voters don't face any good options. J.J. Goldberg critiques the management styles and "failures" of Netanyahu and DM Barak. Ben Caspit says the recent spat between Israel's officials and diplomats will not end well. David Horovitz says Israel's mainstream right has shifted to the extreme right.
NEWS: Pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Mishaal meet in Cairo. A car has exploded in Tel Aviv but no clear explanation is yet determined. Abbas rejects a conditional Israeli offer on Palestinian refugees from Syria. A Palestinian man in Gaza, and four in the West Bank, die due to extreme weather. Hamas' University in Gaza is training Hebrew teachers. At least two Palestinians are shot in confrontations with settlers near Nablus. Peace Now says the Israeli government has secretly approved yet another "unauthorized" settlement outpost. Israeli occupation forces demolish a Palestinian home in occupied East Jerusalem. Human rights groups express concern about the death of a Palestinian man in Hamas custody. Israel is persisting in new settlement expansion plans in occupied East Jerusalem in spite of unanimous international opposition. Rap music faces increasing censorship by Hamas in Gaza. COMMENTARY: Reuters interviews extremist Israeli politician Naftali Bennett. Zvi Bar'el says it's absurd that Israel's Arab citizens are so irrelevant to its elections and in the Knesset. Dov Weisglass says the only way forward now is the creation of a temporary Palestinian state with provisional borders, along the lines of Phase II of the Roadmap. Eitan Haber says Pres. Obama's appointment of Chuck Hagel signals Israel cannot move independently against Iran. Mendy Finkel says Israel's critics are too quick to dismiss prospects for a two-state solution. Chris McGreal says Hagel is a true friend of Israel. Laura Rozen says the campaign against Hagel has backfired against right-wing Jewish groups. Osman Mirghani says Hamas' acknowledgement that there is a big difference between opposition and governance, or fantasy and reality, should be a lesson to Islamists everywhere. Abeer Ayyoub says Iran has become the principal backer of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shlomi Eldar interviews MK Tibi. Aaron David Miller says the short-term future may be a three, not a two, state reality.
NEWS: Two Palestinians drown during flash floods in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian factions are trying to arrange a cease-fire at the main Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. Israelis do not seem to share the concern some pro-Israel Americans are expressing about the nomination of Chuck Hagel. A new poll suggests Palestinian popular support for armed struggle has increased in recent months. Ha'aretz profiles controversial MK Hanin Zuabi. Two Palestinian citizens of Israel are convicted on charges of plotting terrorism. Pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Mishaal may meet in Cairo. Danny Dayan quits as leader of the Israeli settler council. A new poll suggests Israeli voters aren't enthusiastic about PM Netanyahu, but prefer him to everybody else. The first Palestinian envoy to Kuwait in 22 years has been appointed. COMMENTARY: The Media Line interviews PM Fayyad about the PA's fiscal crisis and political woes. The New York Times interviews Pres. Peres, who says Israelis don't want to be seen as an occupying state. Reuters interviews former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Peri, who says Israel faces the prospect of another Palestinian uprising driven by despair. Jerome Slater says as long as Israel is blockading Gaza, it cannot claim self-defense in combating Hamas. Abraham Foxman says Hagel would not have been his choice, but he's not opposed to the nomination. Osama Al Sharif says Palestinians only stand to gain by national reconciliation. John Whitbeck says that, from a legal point of view, the State of Palestine already exists, albeit under occupation. Grant Rumley says Israelis are avoiding a major foreign policy debate during their current election season. Michael Singh says American patience and persistence are required in pursuing Middle East peace.
NEWS: Changing official logos and letterheads of the PA to "the State of Palestine" shows the limitations of symbolic measures. Palestinians dismiss Israel's objections to the move. PM Netanyahu's frontrunner status in the upcoming Israeli election comes with certain political dangers. Pres. Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary leaves some in Israel uneasy, but Deputy FM Ayalon defends the nominee. Sen. Rand Paul tells Pres. Abbas the US as opposed to Palestine joining more multilateral agencies. More fighting is reported in a large Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, with five killed. Abbas appoints a new leadership for the Fatah committee in the Gaza. Teachers in the occupied West Bank are unable to afford transportation due to unpaid wages. Israeli security forces say there has been a significant rise in "terror acts" in the West Bank in the past two months. The EU says it wants to promote informal, "Track II," talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Gaza's archaeological treasures are at risk from war and neglect. A Palestinian farmer is engaged in a long-term struggle to reclaim his land from settlers. COMMENTARY: Roger Cohen says Israel's true friends, like Obama and Hagel, are willing to criticize it. Chemi Shalev says the dysfunctional Obama-Netanyahu relationship is the main cause of the Hagel controversy. Peter Beinart says mainstream Jewish groups like AIPAC aren't going to fight the Hagel nomination. Aaron David Miller says Hagel's views on Israel should not be any kind of litmus test for his nomination. Or Kashti says Israel's education minister is a threat to education and free thinking. The Guardian interviews right-wing Israeli politician Naftali Bennett, who vows there will never be a Palestinian state. Mohammad Yaghi asks if Israel's considering a "Jordanian option" for the occupied West Bank. Shlomi Eldar looks at a new Israeli movie about former security officials, "The Gatekeepers." Frida Ghitis says no one should give up on a two-state solution. Hussein Ibish says the growing controversy between the UAE and the Muslim Brotherhood has implications for the whole region, including Palestine.
NEWS: PM Fayyad says the PA fiscal crisis is being exacerbated by pledged Arab aid that is not being delivered. PM Netanyahu says Israel is now going to construct a barrier along the Syrian border. Sen. Rand Paul calls for a gradual reduction in aid to Israel. Egypt says it has foiled a car bombing attempt near the Gaza border. Netanyahu's rivals are considering an implausible center-left coalition for the coming election. Charges are dropped against an Israeli youth accused of attacking a Palestinian taxi. Israeli security officials believe there is a "low possibility" of another Palestinian uprising. Hamas officials say they will be selecting a new leader this month. Netanyahu says he still stands behind his Bar-Ilan speech in which he endorsed a two-state solution. The PLO says it's working to end violence in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria. Many Palestinian citizens of Israel seem ready to ignore the upcoming Israeli election. COMMENTARY: Jackson Diehl says the Obama administration should adopt a low-key approach to Middle East peace, but Jeremy Ben-Ami says bold measures are required to save the two-state solution. Ha'aretz says the Israeli government is wrong to stop Palestinian prisoners from seeking an education. Avner Cohen says Asma Aghbarieh-Zahalka is creating a new political discourse in Israel. S. Daniel Abraham says, in order to survive as a Jewish state, Israel needs a Palestinian state alongside it. Ben Caspit says Netanyahu must now choose between the sane parties of the center-left or the not-so-sane religious right. The Jerusalem Post says Palestinian leaders are irresponsible in blaming Israel for their fiscal crisis. Jeff Barak says Netanyahu's policies have been disastrous. Jonathan Freedland says Israel's shift to the right will cost it the friends it needs most. Peter Beaumont says Netanyahu appears to be a "strong man with a fearful heart." Alex Joffe says Palestinians may hate Netanyahu, but they are playing into his hands at every stage. The Daily Star says Palestinians need to persist in pursuing national reconciliation. Hamas figure Kassem Kassir says the group would like to maintain relations with Iran, if possible. Raphael Ahren says Netanyahu and FM Lieberman don't mean what the world thinks they're talking about when they refer to a two-state solution. Tal Kra-Oz looks at the rise of the annexationist, one-unequal-state, movement on the Israeli right.
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