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News:
Sec. Kerry appears to place blame on Israel for the impasse in the peace talks. (State Department/AP/New York Times/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)
PM Netanyahu orders his ministers to stop meeting with their Palestinian counterparts. (AP/Reuters/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)
The PA accuses Israel of preventing “a constructive solution to the challenges facing the peace process.”(Jerusalem Post)
Tit-for-Tat measures might replace Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (Reuters)
Pres. Abbas arrives in Egypt for an emergency meeting of Arab League foreign ministers. (Ma’an)
Prisoner release is a central issue in the peace talks impasse. (Washington Post)
Many Palestinians are not impressed by the peace talks and are frustrated with politicians from both sides. (Global Post)
Palestinian Christians say Israeli police are spoiling Easter celebrations. (Ha’aretz)
Extremist Jewish settlers assault Palestinian school girls in the occupied West Bank. (Ma’an)
Israeli bulldozers demolish Bedouin homes across the Negev desert. (Ma’an)
Economy Minister Bennett unveils two initiatives to encourage entrepreneurship in the “Arab sector.” (Jerusalem Post)
Tiyul-Rihla’s tours use history as a key to mutual understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. (Times of Israel)
A gunman kills two Lebanese soldiers. (AP)
Egypt arrests another journalist said to work for Al Jazeera. (Reuters)
Car bombs in Baghdad kill at least 24. (AP)
The Saudi Shura Council says it will end a ban on sports in state girls’ schools. (The National)
The US says Iran’s choice of UN Envoy is “not viable.” (New York Times)
Commentary:
Hussein Ibish says recent cases involving athletes and artists show Gaza is still under Israeli occupation. (Now)
Osama Al Sharif says the failure of Kerry’s initiative may be the end of the two-state solution. (Jordan Times)
Aaron David Miller asks if Kerry will abandon his initiative or stick to his belief that a deal can be reached. (Foreign Policy)
Zvi Bar’el says when Israelis, both right and left, look at Kerry, they see a reflection of themselves. (Ha’aretz)
Peter Beinart says Pres. Obama’s efforts to broker a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians failed three years ago. (Ha’aretz)
Henry Siegman explains why he thinks the US is irrelevant to Middle East peacemaking. (Ha’aretz)
Oded Eran and Robbie Sabel say Israel and the US should consider supporting full UN membership for the State of Palestine. (Jerusalem Post)
Yossi Mekelberg says both the Israelis and Palestinians do not realize that beyond brinkmanship there is desperation. (Al Arabiya)
Sharif Nashashibi says the release of Marwan Barghouti could bring peace between the Palestinians and Israel. (The National)
Jamal Khashoggi says Abbas’ application to sign 15 conventions is the Palestinians’ greatest achievement. (Al Arabiya)
Ha’aretz says DM Ya’alon should “clamp down” on settler terror against Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)
Michael Young says Lebanon must move quickly to benefit from its gas reserves. (The National)
The Jordan Times says Jordan and the Vatican are promoting the same Muslim and Christian values of peace, tolerance, and coexistence. (Jordan Times)

News:

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meet again with no sign of a breakthrough. (Reuters)

Pres. Obama will meet with Sec. Kerry to discuss the future of the peace talks. (AFP/Times of Israel)

FM Lieberman warns the Palestinians that a prisoner release will not happen as long as they try  to join international agencies. (AP/Ynet)

Pres. Abbas will ask the Arab League for economic aid. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

The Arab League says there is still a chance to move negotiations forward. (Ma’an)

The release of the Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti is linked to the peace talks. (New York Times)

Former Pres. Carter backs the PLO move to sign 15 conventions. (Ma’an)

Palestinians want Russia and the EU to change the format of peace talks. (Ynet)

Extremist Jewish settlers injure six Israeli soldiers and destroy a military post. (Xinhua/Ha’aretz/JTA)

Hamas leader Haniyeh warns Palestinian refugees in Lebanon against inter-Palestinian violence. (Ma’an)

Thousands of Palestinians living in occupied East Jerusalem have been living without water for over a month. (AP)

Israel’s High Court upholds a decision by the military to prevent a Palestinian olympian from leaving Gaza.  (AP/Ha’aretz)

King Abdullah of Jordan meets with Pope Francis. (AP/Jordan Times)

The World Food Program says Syrian wheat production has hit an all time low. (Reuters)

An Israeli official says Pres. Assad again used chemical weapons two weeks ago. (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

Syrian Information Minister Zoabi says the presidential election will not be delayed. (Reuters/Xinhua)

A gunman kills a Dutch priest in the Syrian city of Homs. (AP/New York Times)

Syria’s polio outbreak has now officially spread to Iraq. (New York Times)

Women activists in Egypt are worried that their rights in the new constitution have not yet been implemented. (AP)

PM Erdogan says Turkey’s next elected president will be a more powerful figure. (Reuters)

In parts of the Anbar province there will be no balloting due to fighting. (AP/Xinhua)

A young Iraqi hopes books will stop his peers from migrating. (Washington Post)

Commentary:

Hassan Barari says neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis are capable or willing to offer the concessions necessary for peace. (Jordan Times)

Aaron David Miller outlines five rules for saving Kerry’s initiative. (New Republic)

Dennis Ross provides his suggestions for how to move the process forward. (WINEP)

J.J. Goldberg says Palestinians have been easing the terms for renewing talks with Israel. (Jewish Daily Forward)

Klaus Schwab says there is a strong constituency in Israel and Palestine to make peace a reality. (Times of Israel)

Daniel Landes says ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a Jewish imperative. (Ha’aretz)

Nehemia Shtrasler says PM Netanyahu wants the peace talks to keep going but he will not give up the West Bank. (Ha’aretz)

Yoram Schweitzer, Benedetta Berti and Shlomo Brom look at the erosion of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. (INSS)

The Daily Star says the violence that has erupted in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon undermines their “legitimate struggle.” (Daily Star)

The Jordan Times says Syrian refugees in Jordan should not resort to violence. (Jordan Times)

The Los Angeles Times says the US should pressure Egypt to stop the crackdown on opposition groups. (Los Angeles Times)

H.A. Hellyer asks if there is a link between government policies and the rise of terrorism. (Al Arabiya)

Octavia Nasr says with every political battle, Lebanon sinks deeper into the abyss. (Al Arabiya)

The National says young Arabs are seeking to emulate the UAE’s success. (The National)

News:

The US Consulate in Jerusalem says Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have requested to meetwith each other. (AP/New York Times/AFP/PNN/Ha’aretz)

PM Netanyahu says Israel will respond to any Palestinian UN initiative. (AP/New York Times/Washington Post/Ha’aretz)

Pres. Abbas reportedly will send Chief Negotiator Erekat to the US with a new plan to revive negotiations, if Israel frees prisoners. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli Chief Negotiator Livni says Netanyahu and Abbas should talk directly. (Ynet)

Fatah official Shaath says PLO will seek membership in 48 international organizations and conventions if peace talks fail. (Ma’an)

FM Lieberman opposes any return to Sec. Kerry’s initiative. (Ha’aretz)

Many think there are strong signs that indicate that this round of peace talks is over. (Christian Science Monitor)

Many are pointing the finger at Israeli Housing Minister Ariel as the primary culprit in sabotaging the most recent US initiative. (Buzzfeed)

Labor leader Herzog says the Knesset should put together an alternative coalition which woulddesire peace. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Arab Foreign Ministers will hold an emergency meeting due to the PA’s request to discuss the peace talks. (Ma’an) 

Israel’s High Court of Justice urges the state to rethink its detention policies for Palestinian minors.(Jerusalem Post)

22 Palestinian women join the first PA commando unit. (AP)

An Arab youth survey includes Palestine for the first time. (The National)

A group of Christians says Israel violates Palestinian religious freedoms each Easter. (Ma’an)

An ex-Palestinian prisoner teaches Hebrew to Palestinian children. (AP)

Israeli occupation forces detain a Palestinian man near Bethlehem. (Ma’an)

Israeli websites are attacked by pro-Palestinian “hacktivists.” (Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)

A senior IDF commander’s jeep is vandalized in an Israeli settlement. (Ha’aretz)

Clashes in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon kill seven. (AP/Jerusalem Post)

Hezbollah says Pres. Assad’s government is no longer in danger of falling. (AP)

Former Russian PM Stepashin says Assad told him that most of the fighting in Syria would be over by the end of the year. (Reuters)

A surge of violence in Syria kills 12. (New York Times)

An Egyptian court upholds the sentence for three prominent activists. (AP/Reuters)

Al-Qaeda chief Al Zawahiri’s brother is to stand trial in Egypt. (The National)

An explosion in Fallujah kills over 17 Iraqi soldiers. (New York Times)

Commentary:

Faisal Al Yafai says Israel alone cannot end its own occupation. (the National)

Oudeh Basharat says neither Palestinians nor Israelis should give up on Abbas. (Ha’aretz)

Amer Al Sabaileh says the impact of the US pulling back from the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations would be dramatic.(Jordan Times)

Gideon Levy says the Palestinians cannot be blamed for the failure of the talks. (Ha’aretz)

Avi Issacharoff looks at how the Palestinians view the collapse of peace talks. (Times of Israel)

Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says Kerry’s Middle East “peace dream” has ended. (Al Arabiya)

Avirama Golan tells Kerry to go away and let Israel’s “true colors shine.” (Ha’aretz)

Moshe Arens says Kerry has finally understood that the peace process was a “farce.” (Ha’aretz)

Rami Khouri says former Amb. Kurtzer offers a valuable plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. (Daily Star)

Tal Harris says there are concrete measures that still need to be taken before negotiations end. (Jerusalem Post)

Sharif Nashashibi asks if the Palestinians will ever go to the ICC. (Al Arabiya)

Thomas Friedman says Sheldon Adelson and Ayatollah Khamenei are both working to destroy Israel. (New York Times)

Shmuel Rosner says the only way of restraining Sheldon Adelson in Israel is by establishing other newspapers. (New York Times)

Eric Yoffie asks why young Jewish-Americans are “drifting away from Israel.” (Ha’aretz)

Ayesh Ali Awas and Nabil Naeem debate if security measures or ideology are more effective in defeating Al-Qaeda. (Asharq al-Awsat)

Hussein Ibish says Lebanon is unable to cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. (The National)

News:
Sec. Kerry warns that the US is evaluating its role in the Middle East peace talks. (Reuters/AP/New York Times/Washington Post/Ha’aretz)
Kerry calls Pres. Abbas and PM Netanyahu to save the peace talks. (JTA)
Israel cancels its fourth promised prisoner release. (Xinhua/AFP/Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post/The National)
Palestinian officials propose seven conditions that must be met by Israel to extend negotiations. (Ma’an/PNN)
Palestinian negotiator Erekat says the leaked list of demands does not represent the official Palestinian stance. (Ha’aretz)
Israel punishes Palestinians with new restrictions in the occupied West Bank. (Ha’aretz)
Israeli Finance Minister Lapid accuses Palestinians of “intentionally” derailing the peace process. (Ha’aretz/Jerusalem Post)
The Palestinian leadership is confident that the US will not punish its decision to join 15 international organizations. (Ynet)
Israel strikes Gaza after a militant attack. (AP/New York Times/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)
Hamas accuses PA security forces of arresting 144 of its members in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Syrian refugee children in Lebanon find safety from war but face new dangers on the streets. (Washington Post)
Iraq’s Amb. to the US Faily calls on the US to strengthen ties with Iraq. (New York Times)
29 US Senators urge Pres. Obama to deny a visa to the Iranian Ambassador to the UN. (AP)
The Turkish government unblocks Twitter after a court rules the ban illegal. (New York Times/Times of Israel)
Commentary:
Jeffrey Goldberg says Kerry can’t be faulted for wanting Middle East peace. (Bloomberg)
Kori Schake offers diplomatic advice to Kerry. (Foreign Policy)
Charles Krauthammer calls Kerry’s initiative “disastrous.” (Washington Post)
The National says Palestinians should consider all their options, including the ICC. (The National)
Uri Savir says recent developments are a testament to the weakness of the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships.(Jerusalem Post)
Gideon Levy says the occupation is Israel’s “biggest act of corruption.” (Ha’aretz)
Ari Shavit and Tal Niv debate whether Israel can end the occupation “unilaterally.” (Ha’aretz)
Joanna Kramer says there needs to be “a great student constituency for peace.” (New Voices)
Carolina Landsmann says only “blindness” allows Israelis to see themselves as living in a democracy. (Ha’aretz)
Abdul Rahman Al Rashed says the British government has a better understanding of the nature and complexity of the situation in Egypt then the Americans.  (Al Arabiya)
Brooklyn Middleton says there is “no bright light” at the end of Syria’s devastating humanitarian crisis. (Al Arabiya)
Alan Philps says PM Erdogan will learn that populist leaders thrive or fail due to the urban-rural divide. (The National)
Lally Weymouth interviews PM Jomaa. (Washington Post)
Saleh Mutlaq fears a civil war in Iraq. (Foreign Policy)

News:

Sec. Kerry says Israeli and Palestinian leaders “must lead” to prevent peace talks from collapsing. (AP/Reuters/New York Times/AFP/Ha’aretz/Wall Street Journal)

Kerry calls Pres. Abbas to prevent talks from collapsing. (Ma’an)

A critical meeting between American Envoy Indyk and Palestinian and Israeli negotiators reportedly ended in failure. (PNN/Jerusalem Post)

A Palestinian official says talks with Israel can continue only if they define the borders of a future Palestinian state. (Times of Israel/The National)

US officials accuse Israeli Housing Minister Ariel of deliberately sabotaging talks. (Ha’aretz)
mitments. (Xinhua/Ynet)

Palestinian Representative to the UN Mansour delivers the treaty accession letters to the various bodies. (Xinhua)

There appears to be an American consensus that the release of convicted spy Pollard would be “futile.” (Ha’aretz)

American lawmakers threaten to withhold Palestinian aid. (Al Monitor)

Jewish “price tag” extremists vandalize 40 cars of Palestinian citizens of Israel. (Xinhua/Ma’an/Ha’aretz)

Employees of Israel’s Foreign Ministry announce end of their strike. (New York Times/Ynet)

Israel refuses to let a Gaza-based athlete run in a Bethlehem marathon. (Ha’aretz)

The UN says Syrian refugees in Lebanon now exceed 1 million. (AP/Reuters)

Turkey continues to block Twitter, despite a court ruling. (AP/Reuters)

The Muslim Brotherhood urges Britain not to yield to foreign pressure in conducting a review of the group.(Reuters)

PM Jomaa says he wants to “fix” the Tunisian economy. (AP)

Commentary:

The Jordan Times says the “delaying tactics” of both Israelis and Palestinians are too familiar to be taken seriously. (Jordan Times)

Abdallah Schleifer says the only option for Israelis and Palestinians is a two-state solution. (Al Arabiya)

Grant Rumley says Abbas’ move to seek membership in 15 international organizations does not necessarily mean the end of the peace process. (Foreign Policy)

Ha’aretz asks where is PM Netanyahu leading Israel. (Ha’aretz)

Ari Shavit says Kerry must find a “Plan B” to deliver peace to Israel and the Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)

Douglas Bloomfield says Palestinians and Israelis should both be blamed for the failure of the peace talks. (Jerusalem Post)

David Horovitz says the deep asymmetry between Israelis and Palestinians is “dooming the negotiations.” (Times of Israel)

Joyce Karam says releasing convicted spy Pollard will not save the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. (Al Arabiya)

Peter Beinart says Sheldon Adelson represents a “culture of hate.” (Ha’aretz)

The Washington Post says the US will not be judged well by historians because it failed to stop the “mass slaughter” in Syria. (Washington Post)

The National asks what more can the UAE do in Syria. (The National)

Taylor Luck says this week marks the anniversary when the international community failed the entire Syrian population. (Jordan Times)

Mohammed Fahad al-Harthi says Pres. Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia affirms the strategic relationship between the US and the Kingdom.(Al Arabiya)

Mshari Al-Zaydi says the UK’s recent moves against it are a turning point in the history of the Muslim Brotherhood. (Asharq al-Awsat)

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