Middle East peace talks are as far off as ever as the new US administration appears helpless to press Israel to end its colonial intransigence, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem

The West's preferred Palestinian announces that he will build a state regardless of the outcome of peace talks. But what kind of state, asks Saleh Al-Naami

It's not the first time that Syrian-Iraqi relations have hit a bump, rues Bassel Oudat in Damascus

The Yemeni government has protested against what it alleges is Iranian support for the Al-Houthi rebels, writes Mohamed Al-Asaadi

An attempt on the life of the Saudi deputy interior minister failed this week, while attracting concern because of the status of the target, writes Sherine Bahaa

The youngest member of a powerful clerical dynasty, Abdel-Aziz Al-Hakim's death this week raises questions for the Iraqi Shia, writes Salah Hemeid

Barack Obama declared the need for a new direction in US policy in the Middle East, but at the first test his credibility collapsed, writes Ramzy Baroud