Continued moves by Fatah against Islamic charities and institutions in the West Bank are testament that reconciliation is a pipe dream, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

Digging tunnels between Gaza and Egypt is the only option for Gazans starved of medicine, fuel and basic supplies, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Despite a glowing visit, Lebanon's new president will find progress delayed on the substantive issues presented to Syria, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

A bomb in Tripoli last week showed that security in Lebanon remains precarious despite a crop of political settlements, Lucy Fielder reports

Ethiopia is stronger but can only lose in Somalia since historic precedents should trouble Addis Ababa, writes Gamal Nkrumah

The quandary of US regional policy now can be traced, in large part, to its ouster of a democratically elected Iranian liberal, writes Mustafa El-Labbad

A solution to Kirkuk's dispute will be elusive so long as conflicting parties pursue conflicting ethnic agendas, writes Saif Nasrawi

Tensions are rising to critical mass over the fate of oil-rich Kirkuk, reports Nermeen Al-Mufti