Israel is “the most threatened country in the world”, said its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, last week. According to Netanyahu, who was addressing the closing session of the Israel Annual Conference on Aviation and Astronautics, rocket attacks on targets in northern Israel are “attacks not experienced by any other ... More

The new Lebanese government would do well to put high on its agenda one of the chronic stress points in the country, but one that now shows glimmers of hope of being resolved: Palestinian-Lebanese relations. This is one of the thorniest issues in a country that has been one of the most turbulent in the Middle East for the past ... More

There is growing frustration, inside and outside the United States, with the otherwise attractive Obama administration, primarily because of its failure to bring about any measurable change in U.S. policy especially in the Middle East. Hopes are continuously raised, but have yet to be fulfilled. The spirited American leader ... More

Time passes and peace in Palestine is not materializing. The consequences, both short and long term, are not in the interest of either the Palestinians or the Israelis. The violence that constantly erupts affects all, and the stalemate serves no one. On the whole, however, the Palestinians are affected more than the Israelis ... More

A British journalist, Brian Whitaker, has written a provocative and disturbing book about the Middle East. His title is the one I have put at the head of this article. His book is not kind to the Arabs, since it exposes the profound contradictions and weaknesses in their society. But it should, nevertheless, be translated into ... More

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has reverted to an old political trick by saying he will resign and not run for reelection when the next presidential elections are held in early 2010 - and then immediately arranging a series of staged “rallies” in which ordinary people appear to cheer him and demand that he ... More

"We want to be like Janus, the Greek god because we wish to combine different values. We want to be able to mourn our own Neda Agha-Sultan and be sad about people dying in Gaza." This is how Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the principal challenger to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad describes his "green ... More

When a person returns to their homeland, they should not be necessarily escorted by foreign journalists. But should this happen, like what took place with the return of Aminato Haidar to the Sahara provinces, the event becomes worthy of reflection, at least to add an exceptional character to an event that might have remained an ... More

I never was a fan of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former Egyptian president known for his socialist and pan-Arabist nationalist ideological legacy, and for his hostility against the West and Israel. But today I mourn him, for the first time, and it’s only now that I wish Egypt was still blessed with Nasser’s manhood and dignity. ... More

I always recommend reading Hassan Nasrallah's speeches rather than listening to them, because reading one of his speeches unemotionally allows one to read between the lines. The latest speech given by the Hezbollah leader was as if he were trying to compete with Mr. Amr Mousa for the position of Secretary-General of the ... More

An uneasy waiting game has begun involving the United States, Israel and the Palestinians. After weeks of failed diplomatic efforts to restart peace negotiations, the three parties are in a state of repose, each pondering the next move and preparing for a major event to happen. No one really knows what to expect and it is ... More

Following the G8 Summit, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh met with the U.S. President. During this meeting, President Saleh was briefed on information gathered by the CIA, specifically with regards to what is termed the Youthful Believers movement [Shabab al-Moumineen] which is led by Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. Al-Houthi ... More

As is the case with Arab politics, Arab sports competitions, especially when it comes to football, are full of difficulties, problems and disputes. The moment the draw places two Arab teams in the same group in any qualifications or continental or world championships, a climate of “the mother of all matches” begins to take ... More

Now, in the absence of a peace process in the Middle East, one feels compelled to discuss two main obstacles to conciliation that have been debated time and again to no avail. First, Israel will not proceed towards peace if the Americans are not on board. This explains the explicit demand, mainly voiced by the Arabs, that a ... More

It makes no difference whether France has become involved in the peace process, and particularly the Syrian – Israeli peace, in order to punish Turkey or not. What is important is the continuation of the peace process, and achieving peace between Damascus and Tel Aviv. This is something that I have written about repeatedly, ... More

It is almost impossible to adequately convey the present degree of Palestinian despair but the recent announcement that President Mahmoud Abbas might resign and that the rest of the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership may follow – in effect dissolving the PA – should provide some indication.This seems to many to be the ... More

At 11 a.m. on 11.11 a cannon boomed in London. For the uninitiated it was a puzzle edged with apprehension. For the British the moment was 91 years old. It marked the end of the bloodiest, till then, conflict in history. The last soldier died only seconds before truce as officers continued to waste “inferior” lives till ... More

There is still faint hope that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama will not capitulate to Israel in the standoff over settlements, but there is also talk that Washington would disengage itself from the Middle East peace process (which is almost dead anyway). The reasons cited for such a suggestion are several. ... More

“Anyone who rejects the two-state solution, won’t bring a one-state solution. They will instead bring one war, not one state. A bloody war with no end,” said Israeli President Shimon Peres, on November 7, 2009. One of the most commonly voiced objections to a one-state solution for Palestine/Israel stems from the ... More

To his supporters he is a voice of reform in a stagnant country. To his detractors he represents the ruling elite responsible for the stagnation of the Arab world’s most populous nation. However one looks at it, there is no denying that Gamal Mubarak is a powerful force in the National Democratic Party that has been in ... More