EGYPT: Reporters Fight for Right to Cover ‘Terror’

Parliament head Fathi Sorour set off a furore when he said earlier this month that planned anti-terrorism legislation could be applied to reporters covering news on "terrorist" organisations. The reported comments rattled journalists and rights activists.

LEBANON: Tempers Rise Over Reconstruction

Eight months after Israeli attacks left devastation across many villages in southern Lebanon, reconstruction comes with mounting anger towards both Israel and the central Lebanese government.

EGYPT: Saudis Seek New Arab Leadership

In these days of regional instability, Saudi Arabia has seized the initiative diplomatically, mediating in crises from Palestine and Lebanon to sub-Saharan Africa. While some see Riyadh's rising profile as a threat to Egypt's traditional role in the region, others say Saudi diplomacy merely complements Cairo's own foreign policies.

MIDEAST: Secrecy Surrounds Probe of Arab-Israeli Lawmaker

The Israeli leader of an Arab-nationalist political party is under investigation, but an Israeli magistrate has put a ban on detailing in the Israeli media just what charges he faces.

MIDEAST: Two Percent Israelis Do Trust Olmert

Two percent. That is the lowest-ever recorded trust rating achieved by an Israeli prime minister. And the new record holder is Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

EGYPT: Female Judge Appointments Stir Controversy

In a first for Egypt, last week saw a number of women appointed judges by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), the country's highest legal authority. Although a number of prominent judicial figures have spoken out against the decision, rights activists and SJC officials praised the move.

EGYPT: Israel Seen as Fighting Peace

Israel's rejection of the Arab peace initiative, which was reiterated at last month's Arab Summit, drew emphatic criticism from Egyptian commentators. Although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert later called for peace talks with "moderate" Arab heads of state, most local political observers say Tel Aviv wants to have its cake and eat it too.

POLITICS: Israel Urged to Seize Chance for Talks With Syria

Israel should take advantage of the opportunity to renew peace negotiations with Syria while there is a real chance of success, or risk further destabilising the Middle East, says a new report.

MIDEAST: Israelis Torturing Palestinian Children

Mohammed Mahsiri, a resident of Dheisheh refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, sits in a crowded café, a red kuffiyeh wrapped around his neck and an iconic portrait of Che Guevara emblazoned on his black t-shirt.

POLITICS: Elliott Abrams and Deja Vu All Over Again

It has an all too familiar ring to it.

EGYPT: ‘Return to a Police State’

The amendment of 34 articles of the constitution makes a "police state" of Egypt, opposition leaders say.

EGYPT: Democracy Declared, Not Practised

In a victory for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) of President Hosni Mubarak, amendments to 34 articles of the constitution were approved last week in a national referendum. While Mubarak described the vote as "a critical step towards the flowering of democracy", opposition groups and observers pointed out numerous voting irregularities, and decried the absence of judicial oversight.

POLITICS-IRAN: Lessons in Capture, Release of Britons

The drama surrounding the release of 15 British sailors and marines after 12 days in Iranian captivity was designed to convey two key messages that the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush would do well to heed, say experts here.

POLITICS: Arab Leaders Resurrect Land-for-Peace Deal

A legendary anecdote of wishful thinking relates to a Jewish merchant who keeps praying to God hoping to win a multi-million-dollar lottery.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Syrian Lion Back in the Arab Fold?

When Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi announced last week that she would visit Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, the White House called the trip "a really bad idea".

POLITICS-US: Tough Week for Bush Middle East Strategy

To the extent the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has a coherent Middle East policy, it took some serious hits this past week.

EGYPT: Alleged POW Killings Spark Diplomatic Row

Another diplomatic row has erupted between Cairo and Tel Aviv after a documentary film aired on Israeli television in February claimed that Israeli forces had executed hundreds of unarmed Egyptian prisoners of war (POWs) in the wake of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

MIDEAST: Possible Breakthrough Seen in Israeli-Arab Peace

As U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wound down her latest and most intense round of Middle Eastern "shuttle diplomacy" Monday, a star-studded international cast of former top-ranking diplomats and government leaders said they were "convinced there exists now a major opportunity to reach a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement."

FINANCE: Palestinian Economy Tumbles Under Sanctions

Under an economic embargo spearheaded by Israel, the European Union and the United States, the Palestinian economy shrank by five to 10 percent in 2006, after having experienced a modest recovery for the previous two years, an international report found Monday.

POLITICS-US: Film on “Radical Islam” Tied to Pro-Israel Groups

A controversial documentary on the threat of radical Islam, promoted by the two most-watched U.S. cable news networks, was marketed and supported in part by self-described "pro-Israel" groups, according to an IPS investigation.

POLITICS-US: Tentative Moves Toward New Palestine Govt

How seriously and to what ends is the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush willing to engage the new Palestinian government of national unity?