Vulnerable Fatah backbenchers are pushing for a postponement of the Palestinian parliamentary elections, reports Khaled Amayreh from the West Bank

There are many forces, argues Muwaffaq Rifai , seeking to Lebanonise Iraq

In contrast to the work of the international tribunals in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, the "national" trial of Saddam Hussein looks to be a legal travesty, writes Zaid Al-Ali

The Turkish president's visit to Damascus brings to an end an 87-year separation and conveys a clear message of defiance to Washington. Sami Moubayed deciphers the implications of the rapprochement

Violent clashes between the Turkish security forces and militants from the Kurdish separatist Kongra-Gel are aggravating ultranationalist hysteria in Turkey. Gareth Jenkins reports from Ankara

The Kuwaiti parliament narrowly avoids a vote of no-confidence and expected dissolution, but not for long. Sherine Bahaa reports

At the crossroads of a profound and complex political crisis, a new cabinet is finally formed under the auspices of Najib Miqati. But, is longer-term national unity really possible? Serene Assir investigates

As the Lebanese political map is redrawn, shifts in Hizbullah's direction grow increasingly imminent, writes Serene Assir

Long after the war that brought them into the Lebanese political spotlight, Palestinians in Ein Al-Helweh and Shatila talk about life in the camps today, Serene Assir reports

Nermeen Al-Mufti visits Al-Madaen, the city at the centre of last week's rumours of shia hostage taking, while Mohamed El-Anwar assesses the performance of the Iraqi leadership in Baghdad