/ARTS WEEKLY/ARTS: “Pessoptimism” Colours Palestinian Experience

As the settlements lie in rubble, and Gazans reclaim the right to cross into Egypt and sell the first fruits and vegetables of the autumn harvest, Palestinian writers, directors and actors are reminding audiences far from the conflict that it's not quite time to pop the champagne cork.

POLITICS: Move to Shrink Palestinian Programmes Spurs Protest

The United States is leading a behind-the-scenes effort to eliminate or shrink "outdated" programmes and missions ostensibly to cut costs and prune the U.N.'s biennial budget.

EGYPT: Muslim Brotherhood Shows Its Muscle

Confirming its longstanding reputation as Egypt's strongest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood performed even better than expected in the latest round of parliamentary elections.

MIDEAST: Sharon Minus Likud Equals What

A reliable, pragmatic leader who is tough on Palestinian violence but willing to make calculated sacrifices for peace. A leader who does not trust the Palestinians, but understands that Israel's occupation of the West Bank cannot continue in its current form.

SYRIA: That Iraq Feeling Comes

The Rawda cafe in the centre of Damascus is reputed to be an opposition hang-out, and not many patrons are given to defending the Syrian government. The increasing international pressure from the UN investigation into the killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri has brought widespread dismay among the tea-sipping and backgammon playing crowd. "It will hurt Syria," was the consensus.

EGYPT: More Goods on the Israeli Bandwagon to the U.S.

An agreement to export Egyptian goods to the United States through Israeli quotas has been expanded.

MIDEAST: UN Flounders Amid Growing Troubles

The Lebanese Hezbollah movement used an annual anti-Israel rally Friday to send a defiant message to the international community. It was some indication how difficult it is for the UN to deal with the crises in the Middle East.

EGYPT: Bid to Get Syria Off the Hook

Egypt is engaging in intense efforts in a bid to ease pressure on Syria following publication of the preliminary UN report on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

MIDEAST: Geneva Plan Alive and Well, Say Authors

Geneva was decisive in prompting the Gaza withdrawal, and an active media campaign could turn it into an essential guide for future bilateral developments, proponents of the alternative Geneva peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict say.

US/ISRAEL: Evangelicals Get a Piece of the Promised Land

After more than 30 years of organising testimonial dinners for right-wing Israeli politicians, handing out checks to Israeli charities, and forming alliances with conservative Jewish leaders and groups, evangelical Christians may finally be getting a chunk of the "Promised Land".

MIDEAST: Sharon Leaves Everyone Guessing

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was doing his best to dispel the impression that another disengagement plan, from the West Bank this time, was in the works.

EGYPT: Unquiet and Uncertainty on Gaza Front

A new uncertainty has settled on Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip despite a resealing of the front.

EGYPT: At Least a Step Towards Elections

Two weeks after Egypt's first-ever multi-candidate presidential elections, people are scrambling to make sense of the implications of the contest for the long-term political landscape.

MIDEAST: Sharon Appears the Struggling Dove

In the last two weeks, they have become the most courted, the most polled and the best-fed group of people in Israel. For good reason: they hold the fate of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the ruling Likud party, and possibly even that of the state of Israel, in their hands.

POLITICS-US: Uncertain Anniversary for Iraq War Champions

It was four years ago today that a little-known group called the "Project for the New American Century" (PNAC) published an open letter to President George W. Bush advising him on how precisely he should carry out his brand-new "war on terrorism".

SYRIA: A New Iraq In The Making

Syria is almost visibly wilting under a double American onslaught.

TRADE: Saudi-U.S. Pact Eases Israeli Boycott

The United States and Saudi Arabia have concluded a trade deal that will help Riyadh join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), further open Saudi markets to U.S. goods, and partially lift the kingdom's decades-long boycott of the Israeli economy.

ISRAEL: Pakistan Takes a Controversial Step Closer

A surprise between the foreign ministers of Israel and Pakistan in Turkey has run into considerable disapproval in the Arab world. But many Arab nations are themselves reconsidering ties with Israel.

EGYPT: Unrest Brews in Sinai

Recent violence in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula has gone from the multiple car bomb attacks in Sharm El-Sheikh in July to attacks on the Egyptian police and the international peacekeeping contingent by the border with Israel.

EGYPT: Relief and Reservations Over Withdrawal

Egyptians are still trying to make sense of the political implications of the dramatic evacuation of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip.

MIDEAST: Behind the Spotlight on Gaza

As the cameras focus on the few Israeli settlers being moved out of Gaza, some are asking the world to look at the plight of the Palestinians living there, and what that means for peace.