ISRAEL, THE MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA :

See also Iraq, and Iran.

International Herald Tribune, 15 May 08, by Robert F. Worth
Lebanon reverses decisions that prompted violence
'Lebanon's governing coalition on Wednesday night formally reversed two decisions that had provoked the militant group Hezbollah, bringing the country a step closer to resolving the week-old political crisis that set off the worst factional violence since the nation's 15-year civil war.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by Robert F. Worth
Lebanese Army to intervene in sectarian fighting
'The Lebanese Army announced that it would start using force to stop fighting between supporters of the governing coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition, a step the army had not taken during almost a week of sectarian violence that recalled the country's 15-year civil war.'

Jerusalem Post, 12 May 08, by Herb Keinon and Yaakov Katz
Israel eyes dangers, opportunities in Hizbullah takeover of Lebanon
'If Hizbullah takes over Lebanon and uses it to stage attacks on Israel, Jerusalem would have no compunction about striking at Lebanon's infrastructure, something it was hesitant to do during the Second Lebanon War for fear of toppling the democratic government in Beirut, diplomatic sources said Sunday.'

Radio Free Europe, 12 May 08, by Andrew F. Tully
Middle East: Are Iran, Syria Playing Any Roles In Lebanon Fighting?
'The resurgence of violence in Lebanon has again raised the question of the motives and aims of Iran and Syria, which support Hizballah, one of the groups involved in the fighting. RFE/RL correspondent Andrew F. Tully put these issues before Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Cordesman is a leading Middle East authority who has served as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. State and Defense departments.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 08, by Ilene R. Prusher
Violence flares as Bush marks Israel's anniversary
'On his second trip to Israel, President Bush will address the issue of settlement building and try to push for progress on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.'

BBC News, 10 May 08
Hezbollah to end Beirut seizure
'Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its gunmen from Beirut after the Lebanese army settled tensions between the Shia group and armed government supporters.'

New York Times, 08 May 08, by Nada Bakri
Clashes in General Strike in Lebanon
'Supporters of the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah, trying to enforce a general strike called by labor unions, clashed with government supporters and blocked roads in Beirut on Wednesday, escalating tensions as the country remained mired in its worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 May 08, by Robert F. Worth
In democracy Kuwait trusts, but not much
'In a region where autocracy is the rule, Kuwait is a remarkable exception, with a powerful and truculent elected Parliament that sets the emir's salary and is the nation's sole source of legislation.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 May 08, by Ethan Bronner
For Israel's Arabs, 60 years of regret
'Better off and better integrated than ever in their history, freer than the vast majority of other Arabs, Israel's 1.3 million Arab citizens are still far less well off than Israeli Jews and feel increasingly unwanted.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 May 08, by Michael R. Gordon
Hezbollah trains Iraqis in Iran, officials say
'Militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to American interrogation reports that the United States has supplied to the Iraqi government.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 05 May 08
Weakened Olmert talks with Abbas
'The agenda Monday between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders included Israeli settlements and roadblocks in the West Bank, a Palestinian official said, two issues that were given prominent mention by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her latest diplomatic mission in the region over the weekend.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 May 08, by Isabel Kershner
Israeli tactics collide with peace process
'Suicide bombings in Israel have dropped off so significantly that the nation's security officials now dare to speak openly of success. But the very steps they are taking to thwart bombers appear to collide head on with the government's agenda of achieving peace with the Palestinians.'

Washington Post, 24 Apr 08, by Glenn Kessler
Israelis Claim Secret Agreement With U.S.
'Ehud Olmert, the current Israeli prime minister, said this week that Bush's letter [personally delivered to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon four years ago] gave the Jewish state permission to expand the West Bank settlements that it hopes to retain in a final peace deal, even though Bush's peace plan officially calls for a freeze of Israeli settlements across Palestinian territories on the West Bank.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Apr 08, by Isabel Kershner
Hints of progress toward a deal on the Golan Heights
'Peace overtures between Israel and Syria moved up a gear when a Syrian cabinet minister said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel had sent a message to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to the effect that Israel would be willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights in return for peace with Syria.'

Washington Post, 24 Apr 08, by Alia Ibrahim
Fearing a War, Lebanese Prepare by Buying Up Arms
'Potential for violence between religious sects leaves many anxious'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr 08, by Howard LaFranchi
At Kuwait meeting, U.S. hope for regional aid to Iraq
'The summit of Arab neighbors Tuesday is the third attempt to gain more support for Iraq's reconstruction from Sunni states. Baghdad's crackdown on Shiite militias may help.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Apr 08, by Robert F. Worth
Rice presses Iraq's neighbors to give it more support
'Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called for greater financial and diplomatic support to Iraq during a meeting with Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain on Monday, but she did not appear to have won any new commitments.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr 08, by Joshua Mitnick
Will Carter's Hamas foray bear fruit?
'After defying the US-led boycott on Hamas by meeting its leaders in Damascus, Syria, former President Jimmy Carter told Israelis in Jerusalem Monday that the Islamist militants assured him they would respect a peace treaty ratified by the Palestinian public.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Apr 08, by Eric Lipton
U.S. oil firms want Libya exempted from terrorism compensation law
'The American oil industry and the Libyan government, once a pariah in Washington, have hired high-profile lobbyists, buttonholed lawmakers and enlisted help from the Bush administration, all in an effort to win an exemption from a law that Congress passed in January that is intended to ensure that victims of terrorist attacks are compensated.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Apr 08, by Ilene R. Prusher
Palestinian moderates push for Fatah, Hamas to reconcile
'A Yemeni initiative aims to start a dialogue between the rival factions, a prospect that both Israel and the US have advised against.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Apr 08, by Ethan Bronner
Hamas undertaking a broad military buildup, Israeli study finds
'An Israeli study says that Hamas, the militant group that now controls Gaza, is engaged in the broadest and most significant military buildup in its history with help from Syria and Iran, restructuring itself more hierarchically and using more and more powerful weapons, especially longer-range rockets against Israel's southern communities.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 30 Mar 08
Syria's role in Lebanon causes bitter rift as Arab leaders gather
'Saudi Arabia has said that Syria should be punished for blocking a resolution to Lebanon's political crisis, escalating a dispute between U.S. allies and Damascus that has marred an Arab summit meeting.'

International Herald Tribune, 31 Mar 08, by Helene Cooper
Abbas to resume Mideast peace talks with Olmert
'The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, said Monday that he would return to the bargaining table for face-to-face peace talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel next week. The two have not met since the Israeli incursion into Gaza began a month ago.'

Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar 08, by Ilene R. Prusher
Israelis bolster new front line with Gaza
Ashkelon, an Israeli city 11 miles north of Gaza, has become a new target for Palestinian rocket fire.'

Asia Times, 13 Mar 08, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Israel raises the ante against Iran
'Last week, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's pressure on Israel "to honor peace obligations" fell on deaf ears and as far as Israel is concerned the so-called "Annapolis roadmap" - to have a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital - is a sideshow to a sideshow, with the central focus on the "Iran threat", just as it was on the "Iraq threat" a mere few years ago.'

Christian Science Monitor, 13 Mar 08, by Julien Spencer
Turkey offers reforms for Kurdish minority
'Long-simmering tensions with Kurdish militant separatists led to a week-long incursion into northern Iraq in February to target bases.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar 08, by Ilene R. Prusher
Is a third intifada brewing?
'Many Palestinians say they do not want to return to the regimen of daily violence.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Mar 08, by Robert F. Worth
Arab leaders threaten to boycott Damascus summit
'Several Arab leaders say they may boycott the annual Arab summit meeting scheduled for this month in Damascus because of anger at Syria over its role in Lebanon and ongoing links to Iran.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Mar 08, by Steven Erlanger
Palestinians divided by latest Hamas violence
'There is anxiety in Gaza about Hamas, which has moved swiftly to consolidate its power and whose armed policemen and military forces are visible in the streets. They provide order and have ended security chaos and much crime, but they are also an intimidating force ...'

BBC News, 06 Mar 08
Gaza conditions 'at 40-year low'
'Gaza's humanitarian situation is at its worst since Israel occupied the territory in 1967, say UK-based human rights and development groups.'

Washington Post, 06 Mar 08, by Griff Witte
West Bank Barriers Keep Rising Despite Promises of Relief
'The hope of Abbas and other participants in the Annapolis peace talks last November was that the Israeli-occupied West Bank would become a model for what negotiations could bring. ... But in the more than three months since the Annapolis talks, more barriers have gone up than have come down.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Mar 08, by Janine Zacharia, Bloomberg News
For Qatar, relations with West are a balancing act
'The Qatari strategy may be a peek into the future of international politics. As the U.S. and Europe increasingly rely on new sources of energy and capital, they may be dealing with more independent-minded countries like Qatar that play all sides to their advantage and favor no major power exclusively.'

See Israel, The Middle East and North Africa archive for past stories.