Attempting by all means, even fabrication, to deflect criticism, Israel is pouring fuel on the fire for its detractors, writes Khaled Amayreh in occupied Jerusalem

The siege on Gaza is a violation of norms of international humanitarian law. No state can justify the use of force to perpetuate an illegal situation, writes Curtis Doebbler

In standing so firm alongside one ally the United States may risk another, writes Graham Usher in New York

Turkish fury at Israel threatens to spill over into its ties with the West, notes Gareth Jenkins in Ankara

Turkey's noble stand can be undermined by Israel's behind-the-scenes friends, warns Sayed Abdel-Maguid from Erzurum, Turkey

In Istanbul, Dina Ezzat asks whether the blunt words of the Turkish government after the Mavi Marmara tragedy will be followed by appropriate deeds

As US forces prepare to withdraw from Iraq, members of the country's Sunni tribal militias are considering their future, writes Salah Hemeid

Dialogues and meetings by the new government reveal a changing constellation in Sudan, notes Gamal Nkrumah

While the sources of last year's post-elections trouble in Iran may not have dried up, calm prevails, with the protest movement fractured and ineffective, writes Amani Maged in Tehran

Syria's plan to divert the waters of the Tigris portends a long and bitter quarrel with Iraq, reports Bassel Oudat from Damascus

Disgruntled groups in the south of Yemen are still demanding separation from the north despite President Ali Abdullah Saleh's call for the formation of a national unity government, Nasser Arrabyee reports