Calling Barak's bluff
By the end of this week, Ehud Barak could find himself without a majority government in Israel. If so, he only has himself to blame. Graham Usher reports from Jerusalem

Breaking taboos -- again
The diplomat in Algerian President Abdel-Aziz Bouteflika is on the move. Amira Howeidy examines his landmark visit to France"

New cabinet, same priorities
Jordan's most recent cabinet reshuffle was widely praised among Jordanians, Lola El-Keilani reports from Amman

Staying the execution
The failure of last week's meeting between the American and Palestinian presidents to move the peace process forward was received with gloom by most of the world. Not so the Palestinians in Lebanon. Graham Usher reports from Beirut

Lot in common
Syria has for many years acted as host for the main Palestinian groups opposed to Arafat. Will it continue to do so, now that Assad is dead? Khaled Dawoud, in Damascus, explores the conditions, and expectations, of Syria's Palestinian population

New leaf left unturned
As Bashar Al-Assad, son of the late Syrian president prepares to assume power in his country, the prospects of a thaw in relations with Iraq appear dim, writes Salah Hemeid

Borderline agreement
An agreement between Yemen and Saudi Arabia on their shared borders gives the former a chance to focus on other challenges, writes Nasser Arrabyee from Sana'a