In December 2003, Israel's prime minister, Ariel Sharon, announced his intention of unilaterally disengaging from the Palestinians. Meanwhile Sharon has elaborated that the disengagement will not only include the construction of a separation barrier in the West Bank, but also the withdrawal from...

On November 27 and 28, 2005 the tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) was to be celebrated with a summit of heads of state and government in Barcelona. The high-level meeting was supposed to demonstrate Europe's closeness to and solidarity with its largely Muslim...

Following its unexpected landslide victory in the elections on January 25, 2006, Hamas will hold an absolute majority in the Palestinian Legislative Council (74 of 132 seats). After the result was announced, Hamas - which contested the election as a party under the name of 'Change and Reform' -...

In reaction to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian extremists in June 2006 and two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese Hezbollah in mid July, Israel has launched massive military operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. These have targeted not only the facilities of the militants...

In mid-June 2007, the »Islamic Resistance Movement« Hamas gained the upper hand in the Gaza Strip after a series of bloody conflicts. After seizing control of security facilities, Hamas and announced the beginning of »Islamic rule« in the Strip. Palestinian President and Fatah leader,...

It is encouraging that - after some seven years of violence and unilateral steps - parties to the Middle East conflict have started to talk to each other again. Results of these talks, however, have so far been sobering, and prospects for conflict settlement in the Middle East are bleak. It is...

At the end of May 2010, the Gaza blockade - having been in force for some four years - finally received the appropriate international attention, albeit in a tragic way. The blockade has led to a disastrous situation for the local population, which has become entirely dependent on international...

Following the fall of Tunisia's President and in light of the upheaval in Egypt, the spectre of domino effects has been raised. The lack of prospects for young people, social injustice and political repression - all causes that sparked the protests in Tunisia - are problems in virtually all Arab...

President Hosni Mubarak's ouster is a historical turning point for Egypt. The assumption of power by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces could bring about a political opening of the country, but this is by no means assured. Egypt's future is not, however, solely dependent on whether the...

This autumn the Palestinian leadership intends to apply for Palestine to be accepted as a full member of the United Nations and recognised as an independent state. It can rely on the support of the greatest part of the international community, but can also be sure to see an American veto in the...