News:

Sec. Kerry and Pres. Abbas will discuss the new US security proposal in Ramallah on Thursday. (Xinhua)

Kerry calls negotiations with Iran "a hinge point in history." (Jerusalem Post)

Israelis and Palestinians seem to agree that peace talks are not progressing. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinians raise the prisoner release issue in international forums. (Jerusalem Post)

A major Dutch water company severs ties to an Israeli company over settlement activity. (Ha'aretz)

Israelis express concern PM Netanyahu's skipping Mandela's funeral fuels accusations Israel is an apartheid state. (Christian Science Monitor)

South African Jews and Blacks join together to slam Netanyahu's "disgraceful" decision. (The Forward

In a eulogy to the late South African leader, Marwan Barghouti vows to "honor Mandela's struggle."(Ha'aretz)

Netanyahu cancels an appearance at a US reform Jewish meeting as well. (Ha'aretz)

Romania angers Israel by refusing to allow its workers to help settlement construction. (AFP)

The EU says the PA should stop paying public employees in Gaza who don't work. (AP)

A group of Israelis is trying to draw up a "grand strategy" for the country. (Jerusalem Post)

A Palestinian man is stabbed by a group of "religious" Israelis in West Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

More details emerge about a "price tag" attack Monday by Jewish extremists on Palestinian citizens of Israel. (Xinhua)

The PA policeman is killed by unknown assailants near Bethlehem. (Ma'an)

Palestinians see a worrying rise in "honor killings." (Reuters)

More women in Gaza are learning karate. (The Media Line)

Palestinians complain their "most fertile meadow" is at risk due to corruption. (Ma'an)

10 years on, Palestinians put a patriotic spin on the siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. (Times of Israel)

The U.S. Congress increases funding for Israel's missile defense programs. (YNet)

A human rights lawyer is now among four people recently kidnapped by Islamist extremists in Syria. (New York Times/Washington Post/Foreign Policy)

Egypt frees detained Syrian and Palestinian refugees. (Xinhua/Ma'an)

Israel passes a law allowing the detention of African migrants for up to a year without any process. (New York Times)

A former Israeli military chief reportedly says the country prefers Pres. Assad over Islamist rebels. (Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Western Muslim radicals fighting in Syria are using social media to attract more recruits. (AFP)

Lebanon is increasingly worried Syrian refugees will be staying indefinitely. (New York Times/NOW)

Syrian refugees are being hit hard by winter snowstorms. (Reuters)

Wounded and disabled Syrian refugees are the hardest hit. (The Media Line)

The UN says the EU must do more to help Syrian refugees. (Reuters)

The US is suspending its non-lethal aid program in northern Syria. (Reuters)

Hillel reprimands its Swarthmore chapter over a recent vote in favor of free speech. (JTA)

13 Sunnis and 12 Shiites are killed in another spate of attacks in Iraq. (New York Times)

Egypt says it will hold its constitutional referendum in January. (Asharq Al Awsat)

The US may have underestimated the amount of sanctions relief Iran will receive under the interim nuclear agreement. (Ha'aretz)

Sec. Hagel tours a low-profile US base in Qatar, as the two countries sign a new defense accord. (AP/Reuters)

The US says it is "not expecting a Gulf union soon." (The National)

The GCC steps closer to an EU-style union, and creates a joint military command. (The National/AP)

Commentary:

Ron Kampeas says Israel and the US seem to be closer on a framework agreement for peace, but the Palestinians perhaps not. (JTA)

Ben Caspit calls Kerry the "evangelist of Israeli security and Palestinian peace." (Al Monitor)

Osama Al Sharif says Mandela's legacy to Palestinians is the belief in their own freedom. (Jordan Times)

Susan Collin Marks says Mandela's example can show the way forward in the Arab world. (The Daily Star)

Ha'aretz says Netanyahu's absence at Mandela's funeral is a symbol of Israel's growing isolation because of the occupation. (Ha'aretz)

The Forward agrees skipping Mandela's funeral is Israel enforcing its own international isolation. (The Forward)

Ali Ibrahim says Mandela showed that politicians don't have the luxury of revenge. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Aluf Benn recalls how apartheid era South Africa saved Israel's defense industry. (Ha'aretz)

Amir Oren and Avi Shilon separately recalls and contextualizes Israel's alliance with apartheid-era South Africa. (Ha'aretz)

Amira Hass says senseless acts of violence like the recent killing of a Palestinian teenager are the likely trigger for a third intifada. (Ha'aretz)

Jonathan Cook says as Bedouin villages are destroyed, so too are hopes for Palestinian peace deal. (The National)

Ben Sales looks at the unlikely coalition opposing forced mass Bedouin relocation in Israel. (JTA)

Dan Diker says a plausible alternative to a two-state solution is a three-way confederation with Jordan. (Jerusalem Post)

The Gulf News says Hamas shouldn't look to Iran for support. (Gulf News)

Bradley Burston says it's becoming difficult for Jewish Americans to love and Israel with warped values. (Ha'aretz)

Melanie Ward says nothing that happens in occupied Hebron makes any rational sense. (Ha'aretz)

Rami Khouri praises the American Studies Association support for boycotting Israel, but The Forward calls it hypocritical. (The Daily Star/The Forward)

Graham Liddell interviews Palestinian filmmaker Mais Darwazah. (Ma'an)

Nasser Chararah notes that Hezbollah is escalating its rhetoric against Saudi Arabia. (Al Monitor)

Anthony Cordesman says more Gulf cooperation is needed to protect vulnerable assets. (The National)

News:

Israeli occupation forces shoot dead a 14-year-old child in the back near Ramallah. (Xinhua)

Thousands mourn the dead Palestinian child. (Ma'an)

A Palestinian teenager is seriously injured as unidentified device explodes south of Hebron. (Ma'an)

Palestinians mourn Nelson Mandela as an inspiration for their own liberation. (AP/Times of Israel)

Pres. Abbas will go to South Africa for Mandela's funeral. (Ma'an)

PM Netanyahu will not attend Mandela's funeral due to "high costs." (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)

The US security proposal reportedly includes some residual Israeli military presence in Jordan Valley. (Ha'aretz)

PLO SG Abed Rabbo accuses the US of appeasing Israel over Iran at the Palestinians' expense. (Reuters/YNet)

US Amb. Shapiro says there is no link between US policy on Iran and Israeli-Palestinian talks. (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinians say they won't accept any further delays in a third round of prisoner release. (Xinhua)

The Israeli military seizes a Palestinian home in the occupied territories despite a court ruling. (Ha'aretz)

Netanyahu says any peace with the Palestinians will likely be a "cold" one. (AP)

Israel says it's about to sign a "historic" agreement with Jordan and the PA to protect the Dead Sea. (AFP/Times of Israel)

An East Jerusalem photographer says he was badly mistreated when trying to cover a Netanyahu event. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli Finance Minister Lapid pledges his party's support for peace efforts. (Reuters)

Pres. Shimon Peres says he's willing to meet Pres. Rouhani. (Xinhua)

The Dutch PM says he has no idea why Israel won't let scanner be used for exports to West Bank. (Ha'aretz)

Because of Israel's refusal about the scanner, the Dutch PM angrily cancels a dedication ceremony. (Ha'aretz)

The UK government warns its citizens against doing business in Israeli settlements. (Ha'aretz)

Egypt's blockade is taking a heavier toll on Gaza businesses. (Reuters)

Gaza's power crisis is intensifying as winter approaches. (Ma'an)

The World Health Organization expresses concern about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. (Ma'an)

Palestinians in Gaza spoof a noted Volvo ad. (ABC)

Bedouins in Israel see a forced mass relocation plan as a threat to their way of life. (New York Times)

Benny Begin, who was in charge of formulating the Bedouin relocation plan, denies they agreed to it. (YNet)

The first International Film Festival on Nakba and Return is held in Tel Aviv and Jaffa. (Ma'an)

Jordanian officials criticize Israel's "systematic and repeated violations" against Christian and Muslim holy places in occupied East Jerusalem. (Xinhua)

The OECD urges Israel to fight unemployment among Arab and ultra Orthodox citizens. (Xinhua)

Israelis and Palestinians are trying to build bridges by working together to control sewage. (Christian Science Monitor)

Israeli officials say an explosion in the occupied Golan Heights deliberately targeted their forces. (New York Times)

Syrian government troops seize control of a key strategic highway. (AP)

The head of the Syrian National Coalition fears the US-Iranian thaw could benefit the Syrian dictatorship. (Reuters)

Syrian refugees in Jordan are turning to desperate measures. (The National)

The number of Palestinians fighting in reportedly Syria on the rise. (Times of Israel)

At least 45 people, mostly Shiites, are killed in a wave of bombings in Iraq. (New York Times/AP)

A car bomb near an Iraqi cafe used by Sunni militia kills 11. (Reuters)

Al Qaeda-linked groups are gaining ground in Iraq are gaining ground in Iraq. (Washington Post)

Kurdish PKK militants capture four Turkish soldiers, but then free them. (Reuters/Xinhua)

The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood appears in court. (Reuters)

Egypt releases 21 female protesters. (AP)

More students protest at Egypt's Al-Azhar university. (AP)

Jordan wins a seat, that was refused by Saudi Arabia, on the UN Security Council. (AFP)

Plans for a EU-style GCC upgrade hit a snag with Omani and other objections. (The National)

The US naval presence in the Gulf is a crucial part of the strategy of keeping pressure on Iran. (New York Times)

Arab officials express unease about Iran's new posture and the West's engagement with. (Reuters)

Commentary:

Pres. Obama and Sec. Kerry separately address US Middle East policy at a Brookings forum. (Brookings)

MK Ahmad Tibi the says the peace process is failing. (Foreign Policy)

Raphael Ahren says Obama appeared more inflexible on Israeli concerns about Iran but more empathetic regarding concerns about the Palestinians. (Times of Israel)

Ron Ben-Yishai tries to decipher what Obama is saying to Israelis. (YNet)

Hassan Barari says US can't yet claim to be an "honest broker" between Israel and the Palestinians. (Arab News)

Netanyahu and FM Lieberman also address the Brookings gathering. (Brookings)

David Horovitz says Netanyahu avoided confrontation but did imply condescension. (Times of Israel)

Mustapha Karkouti says Netanyahu is increasingly isolated over Iran. (Gulf News)

David Patrikarakos says the US and Iran can turn from adversaries to allies. (New York Times)

Hussein Ibish says if Arab states are uneasy about the trajectory of US policy, they should do more to engage the Washington policy conversation. (The National)

Amer Al Sabaileh says apparent pullback of American engagement in the Middle East opens opportunities for Germany. (Jordan Times)

Theodore Sasson says the Iran agreement means Jewish-American groups have lost clout. (The Forward)

Ataollah Mohajerani says Israel is trying to use Iran to distract attention from the Palestinian issue. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Ori Nir says Palestinian resistance to occupation shouldn't mean refusing to talk to Israelis. (Ha'aretz)

Bill Van Esveld thinks Palestinians should seek justice at the ICC. (Ma'an)

Amira Hass looks of the intricacies of "Israeli apartheid." (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says Bedouin citizens of Israel must be allowed the right to protest. (Ha'aretz)

J.J. Goldberg asks why there's such a huge divide between Israeli security officials and politicians. (The Forward)

Bernard Avishai looks at deep divisions in Israel over Iran. (The New Yorker)

Lally Weymouth interviews Libyan PM Zeidan. (Washington Post)

The Los Angeles Times says the US needs to be wary about a more aggressive policy in Syria. (Los Angeles Times)

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed says the Assad dictatorship is "playing dirty" to crush the opposition. (Arab News)

Rami Khouri says Islamist militants pose a real threat to all in Syria. (The Daily Star)

James Traub compares and contrasts the founding of Israel and the United States. (Foreign Policy)

Marwan Asmar says Jordan is ready to be an active member of the UN Security Council. (Gulf News)

Nathan Brown and Michelle Dunn say the new draft Egyptian Constitution rewards the military and judiciary. (Carnegie)

Mshari Al-Zaydi complains about "vulgar," absurd comparisons between Mandela and former Pres. Morsi and Azmi Bishara. (Asharq Al Awsat)