‘Good News’ on Holocaust Anniversary

Israelis woke up in the morning of Holocaust Remembrance Day, switched on their radio, and heard unexpected "good news".

Amid Turmoil, a Nuke-Free Middle East May Be in Jeopardy

A proposed international conference on a nuclear weapons-free Middle East, tentatively scheduled for 2012, may be in jeopardy amid the growing political turmoil sweeping across the Arab world - and Israel's fears of negative fallout on its own security.

MIDEAST: Countdown to Birth of New Nation Begins

The countdown to the birth of an independent Palestinian state continues as September approaches. Although the new state will have the moral support of the majority of the international community, Israel’s lack of flexibility - supported by a possible U.S. veto - could stymie any recognition of permanent borders by the U.N. Security Council.

DEVELOPMENT: IBSA Fund Packs Small But Sustainable Punches*

Despite only three million dollars a year coming into the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, it aims to pack punches above its weight with small but sustainable projects.

Washington Failing to Understand Iran’s Opposition

The popular uprisings that have brought turmoil to Arab countries across the Middle East and North Africa have also underscored Washington's dearth of knowledge about forces on the ground in authoritarian states in the Middle East. One of the largest questions bedeviling policy makers has been the composition of various emerging opposition movements.

Friends or Foes, Syria’s Neighbours Wary of Assad’s Ouster

As Syria accelerates a violent crackdown on opposition demonstrators, the country's rising instability and uncertain future are already reverberating beyond its borders in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

MIDEAST: Israel Awaits Palestinian ‘Tsunami’

A small rally by prominent Israeli left-wing intellectuals in support of Palestinian statehood revived the dormant debate about the morality and sustainability of Israel's 43-year occupation. Neither the choice of site nor timing was coincidental.

U.N. Recognition of Palestinians Still Far Off

Despite massive support from the international community, the Palestinian quest for recognition as an independent and sovereign nation is unlikely to materialise soon, say political observers and diplomats here.

MIDEAST: Nablus Stands Beautiful and Unvisited

Palestine experiences a boom in tourism, as herds of tourists storm the cities of Jerusalem, Jericho and Bethlehem. Meanwhile, the West Bank city of Nablus, rich in historic and religious sites, hardly attracts visitors.

Arab Spring Stalls as U.S. Defers to Saudi “Counter-revolution”

As the so-called Arab Spring enters its sixth month, it appears to have run into seriously wintry headwinds.

Two-Faced Arab League Losing Ground

As the Cairo-based Arab League continues to back western military intervention in support of the popular rebellion in Libya, the League's failure to back similar uprisings in other Arab countries - most notably Bahrain - has led to charges of double standards.

Hezbollah Challenges Bahrain Govt

Hezbollah’s hardening stance in the Bahraini crisis has sowed discord between Lebanon and the Gulf island, currently home to about 5,000 Lebanese expatriates. As the situation escalates, many fear that the status of other Lebanese in the rest of the Gulf could come under threat.

EGYPT: Silence Shrouds New Security Agency

In mid-March, Egypt's transitional government formally dissolved the hated State Security Investigations (SSI) apparatus, meeting a longstanding demand of the opposition. But in the month since, authorities have remained tight- lipped about the SSI's planned successor agency, raising fears that the transformation will be in name only.

MIDEAST: In the Dark Over Murder of Peace Activists

Palestinians are reeling from the double-murder of two pro-Palestinian peace activists over the last few weeks, one in the West Bank and one in Gaza, with many believing that Israeli intelligence had a hand in the grisly killings, even if indirectly.

ISRAEL: Defenceless Against the Political Rocket

The 130,000 residents of this balmy Mediterranean city can breathe a sigh of relief. Their sky is now better protected against sporadic rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip, some 12 kilometres away.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Find Trade, Not an Economy

The Palestinian Authority is preapring to establish a state in near future. But the Palestinian economy remains strongly tied to Israel, and manufacturers are struggling to recover from the second Intifadah.

DEVELOPMENT: IBSA Fund Packs Small But Sustainable Punches

Despite only three million dollars a year coming into the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, it aims to pack punches above its weight with small but sustainable projects.

MIDEAST: War Clouds Back Over Gaza

After several days of intense violence, during which 19 Palestinians were killed and one Israeli wounded, a fragile calm has returned to Gaza. But political commentators argue that this could well be a precursor to Israel’s next war on the coastal territory.

Israel Leads the Electric Charge

A woman takes the driver's seat, turns on the radio, sliding through broadcasts of the tit-for-tat battles between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas till she finds a quiet music station.

MIDEAST: Egypt Softens Towards Hamas

Two months since the ouster of longstanding president Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's new transitional government is turning its attention to unpopular Mubarak-era foreign policies - with the ongoing Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Gaza Strip top of the list.

Israel Hits Roadblock over Dismissal of War Crimes Charges

The Israeli government and South African jurist Richard Goldstone may be heading for a political confrontation over war crimes charges against Tel Aviv and a subsequent selective retraction of some of those charges.