* In interview, Obama tries to set terms for US-Israel ties In a trial run for Friday's address at a Washington synagogue, US president offers little reassurance to doubters.
* Abbas: Israeli settlement expansion blocks any peace deal Palestinian president reiterates important of two states side by side; Peres: Majority of Israelis support two-state solution.
* Caught between rebels and Islamic State, Assad losing more ground in Syria Islamic State pushes Syrian army from last stronghold on Iraqi border, while al-Nusra Front cements holds on Idlib, home to most of Assad's Alawite sect.
* 'Obama is Meddling in Israeli Internal Affairs' Minister Levin strikes back at Obama's criticism of PM, calls on West to wake up and realize 'Israel struggles alone for future of world.'
* Senior security source: Massive arms deal with US 'not linked to Iran deal' Source denies linkage between $1.87 billion weapons sale, including bunker busters, and emerging agreement on Tehran's nuclear program.
* Gaza unemployment world's highest as 60% of youth find themselves jobless While about 43% of PA's expenditures are spent in Gaza, only 13% of its revenues come from Gaza.
* Israel exported 5.66 billion dollars of defense goods in 2014 Asia Pacific was region with most Israeli defense product purchases.
* Saudi Arabia attack: Islamic State claims Shia mosque bombing The Islamic State (IS) group says it was behind a suicide bombing on a Shia mosque in Saudi Arabia that killed at least 10 people.
* Islamic State 'seizes key Syria-Iraq border crossing' Islamic State militants have seized the last Syrian government-controlled border crossing between Syria and Iraq, a Syria monitoring group says.
* Yes or No? Ireland decides whether to legalize gay marriage Voters in once staunchly Catholic Ireland were deciding Friday whether to legalize gay marriage in what the government's equality minister called "a referendum like no other."