CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Darkness Surrounds Spotlight on Peace Talks

In the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference, foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates are finding considerable irony in Israel's Arab neighbours pressing for freedom for Palestinians while their own citizens continue carry a heavy burden of unrelenting political repression.

MIDEAST: Olmert Walks Razor’s Edge in Peace Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has issued a dire warning to his people. Failure to reach a negotiated two-state settlement with the Palestinians, he has declared, will mean the end of the State of Israel.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Why Annapolis Is About Iran

It was initially billed as a "peace conference" to decisively address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But as President George W. Bush's ambitious Annapolis gathering approached - his most intensive effort to restart peace talks in seven years - any prospect of a comprehensive breakthrough appeared as distant as ever, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders struggled to agree on a joint statement until the last minute.

Q&A: ‘Death Penalty Serves Interests of Despotic Regimes’

Syria strongly opposed the recently passed U.N. resolution calling for an immediate moratorium on executions and end to capital punishment. But Nedal Naeiseh - Syrian writer and journalist - believes the regime is close to the day when it will join the growing number of abolitionist nations.

LEBANON: Peacekeepers Tread Lightly in a Wounded Land

"We have to put boots on the ground, but at the same time we want to conquer hearts and minds," exclaims Lt. Col. Nicola Tereano, the young, charismatic base commander for the Italian peacekeepers in Zibqin, south Lebanon.

MIDEAST: Much Ado About Annapolis

The Middle East peace conference that began and ended here on this crisp, sunny Tuesday was lean on specifics for a lasting peace deal between Israel and Palestine and the formation of a Palestinian state.

MIDEAST: Christians And Muslims Coexist In Gaza

As Sunday dawns in Gaza City the traditional Islamic call to prayer mingles melodically with church bells.

LEBANON: Violent Politics Play Out in Packed Refugee Camps

On the edge of Beirut's suburbs lies Bourj al-Barajneh, a Palestinian enclave located at the heart of a Shiite neighbourhood, traditionally the domain of Iran-backed Hezbollah. Here, 17,000 Palestinian refugees are amassed on a minuscule swath of land, co-existing in a fragile truce among run-down buildings and muddy streets.

Q&A: ‘U.S. Politics Turning Communities Against Each Other’

"As long as the U.S. troops stay in Iraq there will be violence," warns Gilbert Achcar, professor of development studies and international relations at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

MIDEAST: Demolition Decimating Palestinian Village

Al Walajeh village was once a quiet but busy place. Just four kilometers from Bethlehem and 8.5 km from Jerusalem, its rolling hills filled with fruit trees, natural forests, and blooming vegetation made it a prime farming location. Easy access to large and consistent markets led its inhabitants to relative economic prosperity. Life was good.

MIDEAST: Likudnik Hawks Work to Undermine Annapolis

Despite near-universal scepticism about the prospects for launching a serious, new Middle East peace process at next week's Israeli-Palestinian summit in Annapolis, a familiar clutch of neo-conservative hawks close to the Likud Party leader, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, isn't taking any chances.

MIDEAST: Annapolis Watchers Fear Zero-Sum Game

With formal invitations to a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian leaders finally sent out Tuesday, many doubts and uncertainties linger about the substance of the conference and its potential effectiveness as a step towards lasting peace in the Middle East.

POLITICS: Palestine Protests Biased U.N. Reporting

The Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations has lodged a formal protest against the continued "misrepresentation" of facts in recent U.N. reports on the Israeli-occupied territories.

POLITICS-EGYPT: Al Qaeda Faction Alters Course

The ideology al Qaeda rests on to justify its activities suffered a major blow this week.

EGYPT: Mubarak Brings Up Peaceful Nuclear Programme Again

Late last month, President Hosni Mubarak reiterated Egypt's intention to launch a peaceful nuclear programme to offset rising domestic energy demand.

MIDEAST: Olmert Begins to Rival Abbas in Weakness

An oft-repeated argument in Israel against signing a peace deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is that he is a weak leader who lacks the political clout to implement an agreement. But anyone observing Ehud Olmert over the last few weeks might well be making similar assertions about the Israeli prime minister.

EGYPT: Presidency Closer Now to Inheritance

The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) concluded its ninth general congress earlier this month. Leading members articulated party policies and objectives. The event also saw a restructuring of the party's highest governing bodies, which critics saw as another step by Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak, towards presidential succession.

RIGHTS-LEBANON: Abolition Linked to Political Stability

Sonele Daas sits on death row in Lebanon's central Roumieh prison, found guilty of murder almost one decade ago. The 60-year-old Bangladeshi had travelled to Lebanon to work and send wages home to his family. However, after a dispute with a fellow compatriot, Daas was arrested, tried and convicted by a Lebanese court for his friend's subsequent death.

MIDEAST: Annapolis Could Fail Before it Begins

In the run-up to the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference, Cairo has continued to express guarded optimism that talks will achieve their stated aim of restarting final status negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

MIDEAST: All Not Quite Aboard for Annapolis

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has again paid a visit to the Middle East, held meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, spoken about the seriousness of the two sides in their efforts to revive the peace process, but has again left the region without issuing invitations to a planned U.S.-led peace summit in Annapolis, Maryland.

DEATH PENALTY-EGYPT: Controversy Swirls Over When to Execute

Egyptians are likely to watch the upcoming U.N. General Assembly vote on a moratorium on executions - to be held in the coming weeks - with interest. But while many in this majority Muslim country would welcome a resolution aimed at reining in the use of capital punishment, there remain serious reservations about making any pledges for the "total abolition" of the practice.