Recruiting for Hamas
Israel's relentless war on Gaza is aimed at defeating Hamas in its strongest base. It is achieving the opposite, writes Graham Usher , in Jabalia

Obituary:
Ibrahim Makadmeh (1952-2003)- The price of freedom
Israel's assassination of Hamas political leader Ibrahim Al- Makadmeh in Gaza on 8 March appears to signal a turn for the worse in the confrontation that has raged since September 2000 between the Israeli army and Palestinian resistance groups...

Protection does not apply
Israel can demolish the homes of its Arab citizens and spray their crops with toxins because even the law does not recognise the rights of non-Jews. Jonathan Cook reports from Kafr Qassem

Maronite signals
Anticipation of a war on Iraq is uniting sectarian Lebanon -- even if only for a moment. Mohalhel Fakih reports from Beirut

Chronicle of an election foretold
Syrian parliamentary elections held few surprises. Sherine Bahaa reports

Jordan's precarious juxtaposition
War in Iraq and a subsequent reordering of power in the region have Jordanians anxious about what comes next, writes Lola Keilani in Amman

Assault on the economy
Reports by the World Bank and UN warn of the growing humanitarian crisis in the occupied territories. Annika Hampson reports from Jerusalem