IRAQ: With Donkeys for Transport, All Is Well

A brave new attempt is under way to project that all is well now with Fallujah. Residents know better - or worse.

MIDEAST: Not Even the Desert Is Home Any More

Israeli police and security forces invaded the small Bedouin village of Taweel abu Jabral in the Negev desert last week, backed by bulldozers and dump trucks. Residents and human rights organisations reported that several homes were demolished as Israeli forces confiscated property and left families homeless in temperatures that soared above 40 degrees centigrade.

IRAQ: Too Many Search Hopelessly for the Kidnapped

Amidst the violence and chaos in Diyala province, kidnappings continue unabated, bringing an uncertain fate for the abducted, and unanswered questions for their families.

IRAQ: Families of Detainees Losing Hope

Hopes are fading for early release of the large number of Iraqis detained under the so-called surge.

MIDEAST: Bush Peace Plan Met with Scepticism

Last month, U.S. President George W. Bush called for an international summit aimed at reaching a final settlement of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But while most Arab capitals welcomed the proposal, unofficial reactions to Bush's newfound zeal to revive the Middle East "peace process" have been less sanguine.

IRAQ: Fallujah Finds a False Peace

Fallujah is quiet these days. After all the fighting and destruction of 2004, U.S. and Iraqi forces call this success. Many residents are not so sure.

MIDEAST: Not Another International Force

Since the Gaza Strip was taken over by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas in June, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has twice appealed for the deployment of an "international force" to the troubled territory. But with international contingents already deployed in hotspots from Lebanon to Afghanistan, some observers see the trend as a challenge to principles of national sovereignty.

IRAQ: Attacks on Yazidis Brings a Setback to the North

The deadly attack on the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq earlier this month is expected to worsen ethnic and sectarian tensions.

MIDEAST: Preparing for War, Talking Peace

Israeli officials have used almost every public platform over the last week to declare that Israel has no war-like intentions toward Syria. Officials in Damascus have made similar soothing proclamations, insisting they have no belligerent intentions toward Jerusalem. And, recently, senior officials from two Arab states passed on messages to Israel that Syria is not planning an attack in the coming months.

IRAQ: Another U.S. Military Operation, More Unrest

New U.S. military operations across Iraq appear to be worsening the situation.

LEBANON: Israel Strengthens Its Enemy

It has been especially difficult for Ali Nasrallah to tend to his garden this time of year. Nasrallah, a 40-year-old construction worker from Taybeh in southern Lebanon, lost his mother, father, brother and sister during last year's war between Hezbollah and Israel.

MIDEAST: When the Occupation Gets Really Filthy

In the orange glow of another sunset, Awad Abu Swai, 36, stands underneath a towering fig tree, a sample of its fruit in his hand. He peels back the bright green skin to expose crimson jelly and seeds inside

MIDEAST: Bush Could Have Given Fatah That Kiss of Death

Ever since the takeover of Gaza two months ago by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas, Washington and its allies have steadfastly supported the rival Fatah movement headed by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. But public support for Fatah, which has come to be seen by many as a stooge of Washington and Tel Aviv, has dropped off markedly.

MIDEAST: U.S. Arms Create New Divisions

Last month, Washington approved massive military-aid packages and arms sales to its Arab allies, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a number of smaller Gulf States. But while U.S. officials say the deals aim to bolster the "forces of moderation" in the region, some local commentators see the move as an unnecessary - and dangerous - provocation.

IRAQ: Caught Between the U.S. and Al-Qaeda

The major U.S. military operation in Baquba city north of Baghdad has ended, but it has left continuing suffering for residents in its wake.

IRAQ: Between the Two Rivers, Lack of Water Kills

The collapse of Iraq's infrastructure has created a worsening water crisis that is killing untold numbers of Iraqis.

RIGHTS-LEBANON: Israelis Airdrop an Occupation

With an estimated one million unexploded land ordnances meaning lack of access to their lands, many farmers in southern Lebanon see cluster bombs as an Israeli "occupation".

MIDEAST: Settlers Anchoring In

Israeli forces began Wednesday to bulldoze hundreds of trees on land owned by a Catholic convent near the city of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. This section of forest is being razed, according to Israeli plans, to complete a section of the separation wall, which continues to carve the West Bank into pieces.

MIDEAST: Pan-Arab Peace Overture Faces Uphill Battle

Despite the fractured state of the Palestinian national cause between resistance faction Hamas and the U.S.-backed Fatah movement, Washington's Arab allies continue to promote the so-called "Arab Initiative" in hopes of restarting the long-moribund peace process.

TURKEY: Gul’s Nomination Risky for Erdogan

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to nominate Abdullah Gul as candidate for the presidency of Turkey can only be labelled brave. Half of the country's population, joined by the opposition and the General Staff of the armed forces (TSK), had expected that another, moderate personality would have been put forward for the post.

MIDEAST: ‘Quiet Transfer’ Pushes Palestinians Out

Arab residents of East Jerusalem are finding themselves increasingly under threat of what one Israeli human rights organisation calls "quiet transfer."