Israeli triumphalism at the ending of a temporary ban on settlement construction contrasts with the muted, and confused, Palestinian and Arab response, writes Khaled Amayreh from the occupied territories

Cool heads are prerequisite in the debate over national unity, notes Gamal Nkrumah

Doaa El-Bey follows diplomatic efforts to keep Palestinian-Israeli direct negotiations on track

Al-Ahram Weekly pays tribute to a diplomat and a gentleman

Pope Shenouda III is sorry for comments made by a bishop questioning the authenticity of a Quranic verse, reports Reem Leila

An international conference puts a premium on birth certificates, reports Reem Leila

An unexpected verdict in an unexpected time was how the retrial of business tycoon Hisham Talaat Mustafa ended, writes Shaden Shehab

Opposition parties doubt the Higher Election Commission's ability to deliver a free and fair parliamentary poll, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

With the Palestinian political groups closer than ever to reconciliation, a successful outcome to the process will depend on an effective Arab role, writes Saleh Al-Naami

As Israel's bloody raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla last May is raked over by the UN Human Rights Council, so the far more damning Goldstone Report on the war on Gaza is being brushed under the carpet, writes Amira Howeidy

Disputes over the formation of a new Iraqi government are going from bad to worse, writes Salah Hemeid

Rasha Saad reports on Iran's daring cross-border raid into Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish insurgents

Sanctions, no S-300 missiles and now Stuxnet. Is this a declaration of "soft" war, asks Amani Maged

Southern Sudan daydreams its way to independence, writes Gamal Nkrumah

What should Egyptian policy-makers focus on in the coming period? Niveen Wahish reports on what connoisseurs had to say at this year's Euromoney conference

Is it possible for the private sector to provide for its growing energy demands? Sherine Nasr investigates

This Sunday, Venezuela's rightist opposition lost yet another chance to claw back political clout, concludes Gamal Nkrumah

Since 2001 the US government has consistently compromised the Cuban Five's right to a fair trial, writes Faiza Rady

The United States faces an impasse with Iran, possible collapse in the Arab-Israeli peace process and the prospect of war in Sudan, writes Graham Usher in New York

The new Ottomans and the new Byzantines are poised for an intercept as the US stumbles in the current Great Game, reports Eric Walberg

Ati Metwaly misses a director

Mohammad Shoair wonders why so many books are being banned

Egypt's arch-rivals Ahli and Zamalek chase each other in the local football league table, reports Ahmed Morsy

Ahli's tough upcoming clash with Tunisia's Esperance in the first leg semi-final of the African Champions League has hearts pounding