As the Palestinians prepare to hold new legislative elections in January, the ongoing occupation and much-needed internal reform within Fatah emerge as top issues on the electoral agenda. Erica Silverman and Khaled Amayreh report from Gaza and the West Bank

Ariel Sharon's new Kadima Party looks set to win the Israeli elections while his actions augur the future beyond them, writes Graham Usher

Amid zero security and reports of torture and bribery, the Iraqi people watch "new Iraq's" politicians fall over themselves to insult each other, writes Nermeen Al-Mufti

Iraqis go to the polls on Thursday to choose their first full-term parliament since Saddam Hussein was ousted from power in 2003

The trial of Saddam Hussein is the lynchpin of America's bid for global hegemony and the verdict is already in: America looses, writes Ian Douglas

The assassination of Gibran Tueni, coinciding with the release of the second Mehlis report, dashed hopes for Lebanon's recovery, reports Hicham Safieddine

Once again, the Iranian president's comments on Israel have sparked controversy. Rasha Saad reviews the implications

The International Criminal Court is honing in on the perpetrators of slaughter in Darfur, writes Gamal Nkrumah