Despite all international efforts to stop settlement expansion, the Israelis are going on with their plans, reports Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem

ISRAEL this week said it was refusing to cooperate with a UN war crimes investigator who would look into war crimes perpetrated by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip during the brutal Israeli army offensive against the coastal enclave five months ago, reports Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem

Ramallah's assassination of a Hamas commander in the West Bank may be the straw that breaks the back of Palestinian national reconciliation efforts, writes Saleh Al-Naami

Lebanon votes next Sunday as polls suggest the opposition could emerge victorious, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif in Beirut

Lebanon's Christian regions will see the fiercest competition in this week's elections, Lucy Fielder reports from Metn

North Lebanon is the key battleground from which will emerge the next Lebanese prime minister, writes Omayma Abdel-Latif in Beirut

An outpouring of frustration and mistrust with Saudi Arabia contrasts with sunny vistas in Egypt, writes Salah Hemeid

Ahead of Lebanon's upcoming elections Syria feigns indifference, but observers underline how crucial they will be, Bassel Oudat reports from Damascus