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News:

Palestinians plan to submit a statehood resolution to the UN. (Reuters/Ha'aretz/YNet)

Hamas condemns the Palestinian draft UN resolution.  (Ma'an)

A Palestinian youth is reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces near Nablus. (Ma'an/Times of Israel)

A Palestinian is injured in a confrontation with Israeli troops in Gaza. (Xinhua/Times of Israel)

Israeli forces open fire on Gaza fishermen. (Ma'an)

Hamas prevents 37 children from Gaza from going on a peace trip to Israel. (New York Times/AP/the Guardian)

Hamas accuses the Palestinian "unity government" of deliberately impeding reconstruction. (Ma'an)

Hamas head Meshal calls for Turkish-Palestinian unity in a surprise speech. (Ha'aretz)

Meshal is also set to visit Tehran. (Ha'aretz)

Eight PA ministers travel to Gaza. (YNet)

Israel is hopeful that the thaw between Egypt and Qatar will restrain Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

A Paris suburb honors jailed Palestinian figure Marwan Barghouti. (JTA)

An American arrested in Israel for seeking to destroy Muslim holy places in Jerusalem will be held until trial. (AP)

An anti-Arab group poses a legal and political dilemma for Israel. (Reuters)

In the battle against ISIS, the US is targeting its psychology. (New York Times)

Observers say ISIS has executed 2,000 people in the past six months. (Reuters)

Syrian government forces step up their attacks on ISIS-held areas. (BBC)

The capture of a pilot may threaten Jordan's role in the fight against ISIS. (Christian Science Monitor)

Iraqis wonder what's coming next in their fractured country. (Reuters)

A suicide attack on a funeral in Iraq kills 15. (AP)

Iran holds a funeral for a general killed in Iraq. (AP)

Pres. Obama doesn't rule out establishing an embassy in Iran. (AP)

A "chaotic stalemate" emerges in Syria. (New York Times)

The Syrian regime turns to harsh measures to build up its army. (Washington Post)

Egypt upholds a "debauchery" conviction in a crackdown against gays. (Los Angeles Times/AP)

Militants kill a policeman in Egypt. (AP)

The leading opposition figure is arrested in Bahrain. (BBC/Asharq Al Awsat)

Extremist groups are escalating their attacks in Libya. (The National)

Libyan officials say Islamist militias are seeking complete control of the country's oil supplies. (Asharq Al Awsat)
 

Commentary:


Hussein Ibish says Roger Cohen's recounting of Tzipi Livni's account of peace talks failure ignores the American narrative. (The National)

Uri Savir says the US and Europe will offer Israel the Palestinians economic inducements for peace. (Al Monitor)

The Media Line interviews PA Deputy PM Mustafa, who says it's high time for independence from Israel. (The Media Line)

J.J. Goldberg says Israel cannot afford to ignore the world any longer. (The Forward)

Ha'aretz says razing the Amona outpost is merely returning what was stolen. (Ha'aretz)

Mshari Al-Zaydi looks at "Jordan's ISIS Dilemma." (Asharq Al Awsat)

Eyad Abu Shakra says Tunisia is again an Arab pioneer with its free presidential election. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Khales Joumah asks if the Kurdish victory at Sinjar has turned the tide of ISIS war. (The Daily Beast)

Hisham Melhem says 2014 meant despair and disintegration for the Arabs. (Al Arabiya)

News:

A Palestinian injures two Israeli police officers in occupied East Jerusalem. (New York Times/AP)

Israeli soldiers shoot a Palestinian man trying to cross the Gaza border. (Ma'an)

An Israeli girl and her father are wounded in a fire bomb attack in the occupied West Bank. (New York Times/AP/Ma'an)

A 15-year-old Palestinian boy dies from injuries sustained in the summer's Gaza war. (Ma'an)

A Palestinian is injured by PA police in a raid in Nablus. (Ma'an)

Israeli forces seize guns and pipe bombs, and arrest Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. (Jerusalem Post/YNet)

Israeli naval boats open fire on Palestinian fishermen in Gaza. (Ma'an)

Hamas may be rebuilding its military positions in Gaza. (YNet)

Qatar may be preparing to temporarily halt financial assistance to Hamas. (YNet)

Corruption is hampering Gaza reconstruction efforts. (The Guardian)

Israel's Supreme Court orders a West Bank settlement outpost to be demolished. (Los Angeles Times/Ha'aretz)

Israel is halting gas mask production due to a perceived decline in the threat of chemical weapons. (Ha'aretz)

Israeli Amb. to the US Dermer reportedly "flouts regulations" by endorsing PM Netanyahu. (Ha'aretz)

High-tech businesses are thriving in Nazareth. (Bloomberg BusinessWeek)

Thousands gather in Bethlehem for Christmas Eve celebrations. (Ma'an)

Christians flock to Bethlehem for Christmas celebrations. (AP)

Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem find hope in Christmas. (Christian Science Monitor)

In Iraq, some Christmas traditions are only memories. (New York Times)

ISIS is trying to recruit entire families to build its new society. (Washington Post)

ISIS is apparently failing in its efforts to create a viable state in the areas under its rule. (Washington Post)

Serious differences are emerging within the ranks of ISIS. (Ha'aretz)

Fighters from other Syrian opposition groups are increasingly joining ISIS. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Kurdish fighters recapture villages from ISIS. (AP)

Human Rights Watch reiterates that the Syrian government is targeting civilians. (AP)

The Syrian war seems more fragmented than ever. (Reuters)

Syrian peace talks may start in Moscow next month. (AP)

The US says a Jordanian warplane crashed over Syria, and was not shot down by ISIS militants. (BBC)

The father of the Jordanian pilot captured by ISIS pleads for his release. (AP)

Jordan warns ISIS against harming the pilot. (New York Times)

New, independent publishing houses are springing up in Egypt. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Two women arrested for driving in Saudi Arabia are set to be tried in a terrorism court. (BBC)


Commentary:

Alan Phillips says Israeli policies are going to turn Bethlehem into a museum. (The National)

Amira Hass says Hamas knows the people of Gaza don't want another war with Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Ha'aretz says it's time to end the blockade of Gaza. (Ha'aretz)

Rana Askoul says Palestinians need to break free from the brutalizing pursuit of vengeance. (The National)

Roger Cohen thinks Tzipi Livni can explain why Israeli-Palestinian peace has failed. (New York Times)

Kai Bird says Israeli should focus on a national Israeli identity, rather than Jewish identity. (New York Times)

Akiva Eldar asks if an independent Palestinian state is the only way to stop Hamas. (Al Monitor)

Amos Harel says Egypt is strangling Gaza, but Israel gets the blame. (Ha'aretz)

Nir Hasson says Netanyahu is already reconciled to a divided Jerusalem. (Ha'aretz)

David Ignatius says the US has been slow to support Iraqi tribes in the fight against ISIS. (Washington Post)

Michael Jansen says the Iraqi government, too, must back Sunni tribesmen against ISIS. (Jordan Times)

Mshari Al-Zaydi sees interesting similarities in the situations in Egypt and Tunisia. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Avi Issacharoff says Tunisia's election was another defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood. (Times of Israel)

The New York Times says Tunisia's latest successful election means the country has won again. (New York Times)

Abdulrahman Al-Rashed asks if Tunisia's Islamists have "learned their lesson." (Asharq Al Awsat)

H. A. Hellyer asks if Egypt's opposition can learn to get along with each other. (Foreign Policy)

The Guardian condemns the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority states. (The Guardian)

News:

Hamas militants clash with Israeli occupation forces near the Gaza border. (New York Times/AP)

A Palestinian is reportedly killed, and an Israeli soldier injured, in the fighting. (Ma'an)

Israel approves 400 new settlement housing units. (Ha'aretz)

Pres. Abbas says the PA may "cut ties" with Israel if a draft Palestinian UN resolution fails. (Ma'an)

Israel's outgoing government is pumping millions of dollars into Jewish settlements ahead of national elections. (AP)

FM Lieberman declares that he is part of a "pragmatic national camp." (Jerusalem Post/Times of Israel)

Bethlehem prepares to celebrate Christmas Eve. (Ma'an)

Palestinian Christians in the occupied West Bank remain welcoming. (New York Times)

Palestinian Christians in Gaza face a bittersweet Christmas. (Ma'an)

Orphans in Gaza are still traumatized after the summer war. (The National)

ISIS extremists claim to have shot down a Jordanian jet from the US-led coalition, and has definitely captured the pilot. (New York Times/AP/Los Angeles Times)

Jordan confirms the loss of the plane and the capture of the pilot. (Xinhua/BBC)

ISIS is reportedly making slow progress in Syria despite US-led airstrikes. (The Media Line)

A suicide attack kills at least 24 people near Baghdad. (AP/Xinhua)

The search is on for a diplomatic solution to the war in Syria. (AP)

Kurdish forces are engaged in a fierce battle with ISIS extremists in Sinjar. (AP)

The price of oil sinks to a mere $60 a barrel. (AP)

Democracy activists in Jordan say the country is using a new antiterrorism law to stifle dissent. (Christian Science Monitor)

The UN says rival factions in Libya agree "in principle" to peace talks. (Reuters)

Tunisia's new president will focus on the economy. (AP)


Commentary:

Lieberman says PM Netanyahu's status quo approach has failed and Israel needs a peace agreement. (Ha'aretz)

Avi Shilon says Lieberman gives pragmatism a bad name. (Ha'aretz)

Dan Goldenblatt says a two-state solution has failed, and it's time to look at an Israeli-Palestinian confederation. (The Forward)

Zvi Bar'el says Israel should try recognizing, and negotiating with, a Palestinian state. (Ha'aretz)

Raphael Ahren calls the latest Palestinian UN initiative "capricious" and "possibly self-defeating." (Times of Israel)

Amira Hass says Abbas is a "monarch" and a "subcontractor of the occupation." (Ha'aretz)

Christian Caryl says it's a grim Christmas for Middle Eastern Christians, who face the destruction of their world. (Foreign Policy)

Rashmee Roshan Lall says ISIS' brutality portends its eventual defeat. (The National)

Omar al-Jaffal says ISIS is consolidating its control over Anbar province. (Al Monitor)

Osama Al Sharif says Jordan has a crucial role in the war against extremism. (Jordan Times)

Aaron David Miller says Pres. Obama is no lame duck on foreign policy. (CNN)

Joseph Kechichian says Tunisians have voted for security and accountability. (Gulf News)

Hussein Ibish says Nida Tunis may face lose-lose scenarios in victory, and Ennahda win-win ones in defeat. (NOW)

News:

Donor funds pledged for Gaza reconstruction remain largely undelivered. (Reuter/AP)

The PA forms a committee to examine taking over Gaza's crossings. (Times of Israel)

Israel issues demolition orders for five Palestinian homes in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma'an)

Palestinian shopkeepers in occupied East Jerusalem say Israel is cracking down on them. (Ma'an)

Israel indicts eight Palestinians from occupied East Jerusalem for "incitement" on Facebook. (Ma'an)

A prisoner being held on drug charges dies in Palestinian custody. (Ma'an)

With Israel's approval, Palestinians in Gaza are importing the machinery for a Coca-Cola plant. (YNet)

A German journalist says ISIS is "more dangerous than people realize." (CNN/BBC)

Women are abused and excluded from public life by ISIS. (AP)

Iraqi Yazidi girls abducted by ISIS endure horror and incredible abuses. (AP)

A video suggests ISIS executed for members for being even more radical than the main group. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In Baghdad, Christmas shopping is going on under the shadow of ISIS. (Washington Post)

ISIS extremists are pummeled in Kobane, but are holding on to parts of the city. (Christian Science Monitor)

Over 1000 Muslim extremists in Syria are estimated to have been killed in US-led airstrikes. (Reuters)

The Algerian army says it killed the man responsible for beheading a Frenchman. (AP)

Qatar suspends a TV station critical of the Egyptian government. (New York Times/BBC)

Iraq's cabinet approves next year's budget. (AP)

The UN says hundreds of civilians have been killed in recent months of fighting in Libya. (Reuters)


Commentary:

Roger Cohen says Israel's upcoming election highlights the choice between peace and annexation. (New York Times)

Chibli Mallat calls for a Jewish-Arab coalition against the Israeli-Palestinian impasse. (Daily Star)

Nahum Barnea looks at the "radical rabbis pulling the strings" of housing minister Ariel. (YNet)

Jason Horowitz asks if "liberal Zionists can count on Hillary Clinton." (New York Times)

Neri Zilber says Gaza is an explosion waiting to happen. (Politico)

John Whitbeck looks at the pros and cons of pro-Palestinian rulings by European parliaments. (Ma'an)

Fouad Hamdan and Shiar Youssef look at Iran's role as a "occupying force in Syria." (Middle East Institute)

Linda Heard says Egypt is making baby steps towards prosperity and democracy. (Arab News)

James Traub says the transformation of Alexandria from cosmopolitan hub to Salafist base is emblematic of broader changes in the Arab world. (Foreign Policy)

The CSM says Tunisia's election keeps hope alive for the Arab Spring. (Christian Science Monitor)

The Daily Star says Tunisia's election again sets the bar for the Arab world. (Daily Star)

News:

Sec. Kerry resumes US efforts to push for Middle East peace. (AP)

FM al-Maliki says Palestinians are making amendments to their proposed UN Security Council draft resolution. (Ma'an)

Sec. Kerry tells European diplomats action on the Palestinian draft resolution should wait until after Israel's elections. (Foreign Policy)

India may drop its traditional support of Palestine at the UN. (Ha'aretz/Jerusalem Post)

Serbian-Israeli ties are flourishing, despite tensions from the 1990s. (Ha'aretz)

A Palestinian man is arrested after a foiled attack on an Israeli soldier. (AP)

Stone-throwing Palestinians injure an Israeli boy. (AP)

Egypt allows travelers from Gaza into the country for the first time since October. (Reuters/Ma'an)

Experts say delays in Gaza reconstruction could lead to more violence. (AP/Xinhua)

A senior Hamas official in Turkey says the group has no interest in another conflict with Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Bethlehem is lacking tourists this Christmas season. (The Media Line)

PM Netanyahu is receiving hefty donations from US patrons. (YNet)

Pres. el-Sisi replaces Egypt's intelligence chief. (New York Times)

Egypt arrested almost 10,000 people in 2014. (AP)

A delivery of helicopters shows US-Egypt ties are mending. (Reuters)

Tensions continue between Qatar and other GCC states. (New York Times)

Kurdish fighters push deeper into the town of Sinjar, but face stiff resistance from ISIS extremists. (AP/Reuters)

A Belgian father is searching for his son, feared to join extremists, on the Syrian border. (Christian Science Monitor)

Lebanon says it needs French fighter jets to combat Muslim extremists. (Reuters)

Lebanon's Christians take up arms in the face of threats from ISIS extremists. (The National)

As Christmas approaches, Baghdad's Christians lament empty pews. (Washington Post)l

Secular leader Beji Caid Essebsi is confirmed as winner of Tunisia's first free presidential poll. (BBC)

Commentary:

Hussein Ibish says a compromise agreement on the draft Palestinian UN text is in everyone's interests. (The National)

The New York Times says the upcoming Israeli election will likely determine the future of a two-state outcome between Israel and the Palestinians. (New York Times)

Uri Savir says the US and Europe are trying to preserve Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation. (Al Monitor)

Mariam Barghouti describes Ramallah's "mean streets." (New York Times)

Oudeh Basharat says the Israeli right is hoping to deploy a divide and conquer strategy against Arabs. (Ha'aretz)

Asmaa al-Ghoul examines why Hamas won't label ISIS a "terrorist" organization. (Al Monitor)

Shlomi Eldar describes how Hamas scored a diplomatic victory in Europe. (Al Monitor)

Zvi Bar'el says warming ties between Egypt and Qatar may cost Hamas. (Ha'aretz)

Shimon Shiffer says Israel will get the future of peace or war that it chooses. (YNet)

Jeff Barak says economy Minister Bennett's vision for the future is truly terrifying. (Jerusalem Post)

The National says it remains to be seen whether or not Tunisians have just reelected the "old guard." (The National)

Amr Moussa says Egypt’s political parties are “weak” but not ineffective. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Salman Aldossary looks at the winners and losers in the Egypt-Qatar rapprochement. (Asharq Al Awsat)

The Gulf News says the Egypt-Qatar rapprochement will help fight terror. (Gulf News)

Mostafa Hashem warns that some of Egypt's youth are starting to embrace radicalism. (Daily Star)

Manaf Al-Obaidi says Mosul is a city living in fear under the rule of ISIS extremists. (Asharq Al Awsat)

Mshari Al-Zaydi says no one wants to share a world with ISIS leader Baghdadi and other violent extremists. (Asharq Al Awsat)

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