With gaps inside the Quartet, it looks unlikely that Abbas will get the conditions he is asking for to avoid unilaterally petitioning the UN for statehood, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

Having endured so much for so long, and having hoped, it now appears that the reconciliation deal the Palestinian people banked on is worth no more than the ink on its paper, writes Saleh Al-Naami

This Arabic saying explains how the PA sold out -- however unwillingly -- Palestinian unity, bemoans Ramzy Baroud

The struggle to free Palestine took on epic dimensions this summer, writes Kathy Kelly from Athens

There is much angst among people of conscience over the fate of Freedom Flotilla II, but by scuttling it, Israel is really just hammering more nails in its own coffin, says Eric Walberg

It seems there will be no thaw in Turkish-Israel relations any time soon, writes Graham Usher at the United Nations

Opposition forces have proposed a compromise where Saleh can remain as honorary president as power is transferred constitutionally, reports Nasser Arrabyee

Pressure is mounting on the Iraqi government to make a decision on the future of US troops in the country, writes Salah Nasrawi

Syria's opposition boycotted a consultation meeting sponsored by the regime last week, making any dialogue that took place one between the government and itself, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

The death of singer Ibrahim Qashush, one of the leaders of the demonstrations in Hama's Al-Assi Square, will only increase protests against the regime

Syria’s army has been prevented from storming the city of Hama as a result of a visit by the French and US ambassadors, against a background of fears of a repeat of the 1982 massacres

The new Republic of South Sudan is starting on a note of optimism with the hopes that the energies unleashed will be channelled into productive development, observes Asmaa El-Husseini in Juba

With unrest next door, the indictment of Hizbullah members is the last thing on people's minds, notes Lucy Fielder from Beirut

Iranians are looking to the Arab Spring for signs of a real change in the region, one that brings them in from the cold, says Amani Maged