News:

Pres. Abbas formally rejects offers of resignation from his negotiators. (Xinhua)

Palestinian negotiators say peace talks are on hold for the next two weeks. (Xinhua)

Abbas confirms peace talks will run their full course. (AFP)

PM Netanyahu says Sec. Kerry will visit Israel next Friday. (AFP)

Abbas continues to press for an international investigation into the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (Xinhua)

Israeli occupation forces raid Abu Dis and al-Quds University, injuring 40. (Ma'an)

Hamas accuses Egypt of tightening the Gaza blockade. (Xinhua)

Egypt says it will reopen the Gaza crossing for three days, beginning on Tuesday. (Ma'an)

Five people are injured in an explosion near Gaza City. (Ma'an)

Israeli occupation forces intend to displace a Palestinian community near Hebron. (Ma'an)

Israel is continuing to block one of its officials from testifying in an American antiterrorism case. (AP)

Israel has been secretly holding an Al Qaeda suspect for over three years. (Reuters/Ha'aretz/Times of Israel)g

In a visit to Israel, the French president vows to keep up a tough stance on Iran. (AP)

France is becoming more assertive internationally, in the Middle East and elsewhere. (AFP)

31 Syrian soldiers are killed in a rebel bomb attack. (New York Times)

A senior Islamist rebel commander is killed in fighting in Syria. (Reuters)

At least 44 people are killed in a series of attacks in Iraq. (New York Times)

Dozens are killed in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, as militias open fire on protesters. (New York Times)

Libya's deputy intelligence chief is kidnapped. (Reuters)

A senior Egyptian police officer is killed by unknown assailants in Cairo. (Reuters/AP)

Islamists in Egypt call for a national dialogue. (AP)

Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef is leaving his TV company after the suspension of his program. (AP)

Egyptian Coptic Christians fear for their future. (AP/Christian Science Monitor)
 

Commentary:

Gershon Baskin says the two-state solution will persist even if current peace talks fail. (Jerusalem Post)

Yitzhak Laor says any prolonged occupation inevitably leads to a violent backlash. (Ha'aretz)

Saree Makdisi says Israel is pursuing a policy of "erasure" against Palestinian communities. (Los Angeles Times)

Oudeh Basharat says Palestinian citizens of Israel are exiles in their own country. (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says pending Israeli legislation to benefit veterans would discriminate against Arab citizens. (Ha'aretz)

Thomas Friedman says a new book by Ari Shavit perfectly explains the dilemmas facing Israel. (New York Times)

Kathleen Peratis says the people of Gaza are suffering under Israel, Egypt and Hamas. (The Forward)

David Ignatius says US officials fear Israeli pressure for a perfect deal with Iran could kill a good one. (Washington Post)

Ari Varon says Israel should embrace France as a key ally. (Ha'aretz)

Nahum Barnea says declining American power is becoming obvious in the Middle East. (YNet)

Abdullah Iskandar laments "American regression and Arab weakness." (Al Hayat)

Hassan Barari says, while Russia can't replace it, the US role is definitely declining in the Middle East. (Arab News)

Yaron Friedman says US policy towards Iran is driving Israel and Saudi Arabia to see each other as allies. (YNet)

Ammar Ali Hassan looks at the possibility the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood might turn to terrorism. (Al Hayat/Al Monitor)

Asharq Al-Awsat Interviews Christopher Chivvis of the RAND Corporation on post-Gaddafi Libya. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Hussein Ibish looks at new developments in Turkey's relations with the Kurds. (The National)

Mostafa Zein says Kurds should be careful not to be manipulated by Turkey. (Al Hayat)
 

News:

Palestinians say new Israeli settlement activity threatens to halt ongoing peace talks. (New York Times/Ma'an)

Israel says it is placing major new settlement plans on hold. (AP/Reuters/AFP)

The PLO and the Arab League endorse an investigation into the death of the late Pres. Arafat. (Xinhua)

Disturbances erupt in occupied East Jerusalem during the commemoration of the death Arafat. (Jerusalem Post)

Israel's military is accused of using Palestinians living under occupation as unwitting part of training exercises. (The Guardian)

An "unauthorized" and particularly violent Israeli settlement outpost near Hebron is quickly growing. (Ma'an)

Israeli intelligence officials say they're concerned about heavily armed Palestinian elements in occupied Hebron. (Jerusalem Post)

A planned protest movement against Hamas in Gaza fails to materialize. (AP)

Israeli police say a police officer has been stabbed in the north of the country. (AP/Ha'aretz)

Israel may halt the production and distribution of gas masks. (Xinhua)

Israel seems set to accept EU restrictions on funding projects in the occupied Palestinian territories. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian citizens of Israel are still struggling to integrate into the country's high-tech sector. (Times of Israel)

Private donors are making a huge impact on the war in Syria. (New York Times)

The Syrian conflict is giving rise to a wave of kidnappings in Lebanon. (AP)

Kurds in Syria say they have established a transitional autonomous authority but have no plans for independence. (Xinhua/BBC)

Egypt's secular parties continue to be bedeviled by disorganization and fragmentation. (Washington Post)

Egyptian Christians demand more action regarding ongoing kidnappings. (Christian Science Monitor)

Commentary:

Omar Shaban says Palestinians should pay more attention to the potential involvement of the EU in the peace process. (Al Monitor)

Hazem Saghieh says Sec. Kerry is not creating a good impression in the Middle East. (Al Hayat)

Hassan Barari says Kerry has too much on his plate to be successful. (Jordan Times)

Thomas Friedman says exploring negotiations with Iran is in the US national interest. (New York Times)

Rami Khouri says the exchange of accusations and recriminations between Iran and the US are a healthy sign. (The Daily Star)

Ben Caspit says PM Netanyahu is facing a potential lose-lose scenario on Iran and the peace process. (Al Monitor)

Chemi Shalev says Netanyahu sees the West's engagement with Iran in terms of 1938 Munich. (Ha'aretz)

Zvi Bar'el says Netanyahu is making Israel's relationship with Washington almost impossible. (Ha'aretz)

Henry Siegman says Netanyahu is clearly not committed to a two-state solution and another Palestinian uprising is inevitable. (Ha'aretz)

Alan Bauer says Sec. Kerry needs to hold Palestinians accountable. (Jerusalem Post)

Avraham Burg offers his vision of peace at Harvard University. (Harvard Crimson)

Ha'aretz says Netanyahu can't keep hiding behind Housing Minister Ariel on settlement expansions. (Ha'aretz)

The Jerusalem Post says Israel and Jewish Americans have a "shared destiny." (Jerusalem Post)

Nechama Duek says everyone should be grateful to Netanyahu for pushing the West to get a better deal out of Iran. (YNet)

Laurence Louër questions the "myth of the Shiite crescent." (Asharq Al Awsat)

George Semaan says the US may be able to secure six months of calm in Israel/Palestine, Iraq and Syria, but what after that? (Al Hayat)

Elias Harfoush says the West is harboring dangerous illusions about a political solution in Syria. (Al Hayat)

Diana Moukalled says Egyptian authorities are wrong to even consider graffiti and drawing a "crime." (Asharq Al Awsat)

Asharq Al-Awsat interviews historian Denise Spellberg on the surprisingly deep impact of Islam on the United States from its earliest times. (Asharq Al Awsat)