Sharon widens the field
Israel attacked Syria because it says it backs groups like Islamic Jihad. Arabs fear Washington stands behind Israel in this assessment, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem

'No room for retaliation'
Israel's air raid on an alleged Palestinian Islamic Jihad camp near Damascus shifted Lebanese attention away from a prisoner exchange deal between Hizbullah and Israel. Mohalhel Fakih reports from Beirut

Crossing red lines
Imad Fawzi Shueibi argues that Israel is playing with fire through its violation of the 2nd Disengagement Agreement of 1974 with Syria

OT in Iraq
Orascom Telecom has won one of three licences to provide mobile telephone services to Iraq

Privatisation vs democracy
Plans to sell Iraq's state-owned enterprises is an undemocratic move, writes Salah Hemeid

Split down the Front
Competition over the coming presidential elections has turned the Algerian political scene into a circus. Amira Howeidy joins the audience

'A bird with just one wing'
As the US ups the pressure on Iran to divulge its nuclear capabilities, Tehran is hardly in a position to set terms, writes Mustafa El-Labbad

Down but not out
Despite emerging battered and bruised over the Iraq dossier, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is still set to hang on to power, writes Alistair Alexander from London

Selling America to the Arabs
A US State Department report on ways to enhance America's battered image in the Arab and Muslim world is high on rhetoric and low on substance, Arab pundits told Omayma Abdel-Latif

Egypt:

Opposition wants deeper reforms
The opposition welcomed recent NDP initiatives, but said the ruling party has not gone far enough to level the political playing field and bring true reform to the country. Gamal Essam El-Din investigates

A new page?
In a sign of historic reconciliation, three Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya leaders were released after 22 years behind bars. Jailan Halawi writes

Smugglers ring broken
Switzerland has helped Egypt crack on an international smuggling ring and bring its members to trial. Nevine El-Aref reports

Economy:

NDP's recipe criticised
Economic pundits claim that recommendations by the ruling party's first annual conference are by no means enough to tackle Egypt's economic woes. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Sporadic confidence
The Egyptian pound rose on the black market for the first time in eight months. Sherine Abdel-Razek investigates the reasons

Heritage:

Taking a seat in history
President Anwar El-Sadat is remembered in two museums. Amira El-Noshokaty compares them