3 - 9 July 2003 [645]
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Will peace prevail?
After months of intensive diplomatic effort Israel and the Palestinians begin implementing the roadmap, writes Khalid AmayrehBehind the blue door
The Americans claim attacks on their troops in Iraq are perpetrated by rogue officers from the old regime. But there are other causes, writes Graham Usher from Faluja
Edging forward
Cairo was upbeat this week as the Palestinians and Israelis took their first steps on the path leading to peace. Soha Abdelaty reportsMission American hearts and minds
Last week's US tour by Gamal Mubarak and a high-level Egyptian delegation was meant to explore and reinforce the strategic relationship between Egypt and America. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsFlighty future?
Recent adjustments to civil aviation laws are meant to improve safety standards near Egyptian airports, and provide vital support for the sector's ambitious development plans. Amira Ibrahim reportsAir Defense Day
To mark this week's 33rd Air Defense Day, Air Defense Commander in Chief Lt General Sami 'Anan announced the completion of mechanised command and control units meant to replace the older manual ones that have been in use for years...Heliopolis traffic upheaval
Not everybody is pleased with the major new traffic improvement project currently underway in Heliopolis. Gihan Shahine reportsAl-Sahhaf -- the sequel
Egyptians eagerly anticipating former Iraqi Information Minister Mohamed Said Al-Sahhaf's small screen comeback did not quite get what they had hoped for. Sherine Bahaa gauges reactions
Divide and destroy
Sharon sends bulldozers into Nazareth, but with an eye on Jerusalem. Jonathan Cook reports from Israel's only Arab cityBlowing the whole house down
The US House of Representatives once again dabbled in policies pertaining to the Middle East. Nevine Khalil examines whether Resolution 294 is a dud or a torpedo for the ongoing peace effortsRoadmap timeline
25 June: Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrest more than 130 Palestinian civilians in Hebron and bulldoze one house in Rafah...The last word
Encircled on all sides by its erstwhile "Great Satan", the Iranian regime is in no mood to listen to the domestic opposition. But can it afford to, wonders Mustafa El-LabbadCrackdown cuts no ice
The capture of the alleged mastermind behind the Riyadh bombings is doing little to pacify right-wing anti-Saudi voices in the Bush administration, writes John R Bradley from JeddahYemen fights its 'war on terror'
Government troops battled armed radicals in the mountains of southern Yemen, Nasser Arrabyee reports from Sana'aCumulative chaos
As attacks on US troops in Iraq mount, the country sinks further into chaos. Will the US reconsider its occupation strategy, wonders Salah HemeidThe writing on the wall
The walls of Iraq bear witness to the demands of the people. Nermeen Al-Mufti deciphers the graffiti in BaghdadCosmetics or conviction?
Turkey passes another EU reform package, but questions remain about the government's sincerity. Gareth Jenkins reports from AnkaraWMDs good and bad
A BBC documentary on Israel's nuclear programme has been hailed in the Arab world and condemned by Israel. Dina Ezzat reportsFor the love of planning
Talk by Arab governments about projecting a new image of the Arab world is not being matched with actionDefining repression
The definition of what constitutes a human rights violation in the Arab world depends on who you askIsolating Jerusalem
In this third of a four-part series addressing the main points of the Mideast roadmap, Jonathan Cook focusses on Israel's demographic war over JerusalemJerusalem facts
"We will never concede Jerusalem. Never. As the prime minister of Israel, I am proud of the right to be Jerusalem's protector." (Ariel Sharon, Ha'aretz 30 May 2003)Follow the oil
The US's pursuit of Iraqi oil is not only rapacious, but illegal as well, argues Ahmad Naguib Roushdy
Where Egypt needs to go
An Egyptian delegation was in the US last week to lobby for closer economic cooperation between the two countries. Gamal Essam El-Din reportsKiss of death
Egypt's recruitment industry cannot possibly survive if certain problems with the new labour law are not ironed out. Sherif Samy writesThe crux of the matter
Why are high levels of investment in the Arab world not being translated into high growth rates? Wael Gamal reviews a report that deciphers the mysteryTrading with tigers
For Egypt and South Korea, great trade prospects are waiting to be discovered, finds out Sherine Nasr
Berlusconi blunders
As Italy stands poised to assume the EU presidency, the country's prime minister faces corruption charges, reports Samia Nkrumah from RomeEmbarrassing facts
The fact that no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq is cause for much consternation in Britain and the US, reports Alistair Alexander from LondonCypriot predicament
Although Greek and Turkish Cypriots continue to celebrate their reunion as a people, the island's territorial reunification project remains stalled, reports Michael Jansen from NicosiaLiberia's eleventh hour
On the eve of the African Union summit, a hurriedly hashed-out cease-fire between Liberia's warring factions appears to be more of a détente rather than an entente cordiale, writes Gamal NkrumahAllegiance pays
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is reaping the reward for loyalty to Washington, reports Iffat Idris from Islamabad
Beyond the truce
The cease-fire announced by Palestinian factions marks a major breakthrough for the government of Abu Mazen, writes Ibrahim NafieOur cultured elite
The war against Iraq has divided the Arab intelligentsia in a curious manner. So bizarre is the polarisation, argues Azmi Bishara , that some now equate democracy with US hegemonyIs terrorism a world pole?
Mohamed Sid-Ahmed discusses the relevance of his assumption that terrorism can be categorised as a "world pole"Flawed vision
America's attempts at making peace in the Middle East face a number of internal obstacles, writes Diaa RashwanAnalyse that
US officials claim they want to reform Iraq's school system. Galal Amin questions their motivesBeyond the mirage
One state or two, the real issue is the ethnic exclusivity of the state of Israel, argues Paul EisenPolitics & imagination: after the fall of Baghdad
The new crusades are upon us, says Ammiel Alcalay . George W Bush's inscription at Auschwitz, "Never forget", was meant to accomplish exactly the opposite: to obliterate the idea of all memory other than newly minted official memory, to destroy any narrative that goes beyond idolatry, beyond the superficial image captured in a sound bite or an orchestrated video clipEditorial: Politics prevail
The Palestinians have chosen to hold to the course of peace in the face of Israeli aggression. The Israelis, for their part, have made important, albeit largely symbolic, gestures...Close up
Signs of haste
Egypt, under pressure from Washington, has signed a bilateral agreement exempting US citizens from the International Criminal Court (ICC)...
By Salama A SalamaSoapbox
Where has the wit gone?
Once again we had a glimpse of Mohamed Said Al-Sahhaf, not as Iraq's information minister, and not as a plastic doll mocking the man who promised the Americans a sad end in Baghdad, but as a face on Al-Arabiya Channel, and a changed man...
By Fadia El-Ghazali HarbCease-fire in Palestine
I was gladdened by the news of a cease-fire between the Palestinians and Israel...
By Naguib MahfouzBahgory One-line: CONDOLEEZZA RICE
From Red Sea to Dead Sea
Normalisation, more government employees and new leadership prospects were debated by the Egyptian press this week, writes Aziza SamiOut of the ashes
The Arab press was preoccupied with regional politics this week, writes Amina ElbendaryBottom Lines
Weekly quotes from the Arab press
Farewell maestro
Amal Choucri Catta attends Ahmed El-Sa'edi's final concert as director of the Cairo Symphony OrchestraPhoto caption
The French-language downtown bookshop Les Livres de France has reopened after a five-month hiatus due to an unsuccessful law suit, writes Sherif Iskander Nakhla...Plain Talk
I first got to know Peter Brook in the late 1940s, seeing two of his Shakespearean productions at Stratford-upon-Avon: Love's Labour Lost, and Romeo and Juliet. Immediately I could tell that he had his own, new approach to Shakespeare...
By Mursi Saad El-DinIn progress: Go East, young man
Mustafa El-Labbad, 37, is an independent researcher and editor-in-chief of Sharqnameh, a periodical concerned with Iran, Turkey and Central Asia and published by Dar Al- Mustaqbal Al-Arabi, Cairo...Unity in diversity
Nehad Selaiha reviews the artistic fare at The Independent Theatre Week at Al-Tali'aConfidence tricks
Youssef Rakha joins in the game
New age citizenship
Last week, four Arab communities declared their own leaders. Amira El-Noshokaty reports from Al-AqabaFirst woman: Hoda El-Awary
ROUGHLY a one hour drive from Luxor lies the hamlet of El-Awary, part of Hegaza Qebly village, Qena Governorate. Here is 32-year-old Hoda El-Awarys home...Young leaders: Abdallah Mustafa
IN AL-SHEIKH Haroun district, a gritty shantytown in Aswan, one of Egypts southern governorates, 18-year-old Abdallah Mustafa lives with his family...On the road: Soheir Abbas
A MODEST new road running along the railway tracks and then crossing into a small village enables fire engines and ambulances to directly access Al-Shadida, 20 minutes from the Upper Egyptian governorate of Aswan...Endless beginnings
It is the season, once more, for those amazing celebrations called "commencement"...
Double feature
Injy El-Kashef finds herself on the streetSteak Tournedos
Weekly recipe
By Moushira Abdel-MalekAffordable disillusionment
Youssef Rakha explores alternative summersReds are no longer blue
Ahli salvaged their reputation by capturing the football cup in a season-ending triumph. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reviews the dramatic finale.A big thank you
From Dublin, Inas Mazhar reports on the Special Olympics' closing ceremony which had the athletes dancing all the way homeOvershadowed by tragedy
The mood in the final of the Confederations Cup was sombre after the death of a star Cameroonian.Eric Asomugha describes the scenes of sadnessNew soccer site
The draw in football club competitions takes place next week at the new premises of African football in Egypt
Where's the work?
In 1932, Al-Ahram reopened the debate about unemployment among Egypt's educated youth. Despite the millions of unemployed in Europe, certain circumstances seemed to aggravate the situation for Egyptians. Articles in the newspaper blamed the monopoly that foreigners had over commercial, economic and industrial life, the shortcomings of the educational system and the allure of a civil service job. Professor Yunan Labib Rizk writes about jobs and job hunters
Asef Bayat: Not out of place
'It's OK to hold your girlfriend's hand'
Profile by Willa ThayerPack of Cards
By Madame Sosostris
Limelight
By Lubna Abdel-Aziz