Despite the show of rhetoric, Palestinians know that Fatah is in trouble having lost its fighting credibility as a force against occupation, writes Khaled Amayreh in Bethlehem

Hamas appears as softening to the West, but its flexibility will mean nothing unless the West -- particularly the US -- can rein in Israel, writes Saleh Al-Naami

The issue is broader than Lubna's apparel, says Asmaa El-Husseini

Whereas his predecessor was brash and outwitted, Obama's diplomacy is already upping the ante on Iran, writes Mustafa El-Labbad

Despite US pressure, there are no signs of much touted Iraqi reconciliation in the build-up to January's general election, writes Salah Hemeid