The domestic Palestinian crisis is now entering its third week. It is going nowhere, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem

Arafat's desperate attempts to maintain control are unravelling by the day, reports Khaled Amayreh from Gaza

The conviction of one of America's most influential Muslims on charges of involvement in a Libyan plot to assassinate Saudi royalty casts a shadow on the future of Washington's budding relationship with Libya, writes Rasha Saad

The UN peace-keeping mission in southern Lebanon is extended for another six months. Mohalhel Fakih, in Beirut, examines the implications

Mediation between the Yemeni government and the rebel cleric's army has moved up a gear, but will the siege finally end? Peter Willems reports

Why are the Saudis coming to the rescue of the man who so completely allied his administration with Sharon, wonders Mohamed El-Sayed Said

The cycle of violence in Iraq grows, belying the effectivity of the transfer of power as civilians continue to be the main victims, Nermeen Al-Mufti writes from Baghdad

Ghassan Al-Attyia critiques the mechanisms of the Iraqi National Conference

As disparate Iraqi groups jockey for power and influence, uncertainty shrouds a planned national conference, writes Salah Hemeid