Israel said on Thursday that its atomic expert met an Iranian official as part of Middle East nuclear talks, in the arch-foes’ first direct contact in 30 years, but Tehran den

An essential condition for the liberation of Palestine is the unity of all Palestinian parties and factions, but this point seems to elude both Fatah and Hamas. The two have behaved recklessly and resorted to force in the wake of Hamas’s sweeping electoral win in January 2006.

The US has launched a new effort to finalise terms for fresh negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
In talks with Israeli leaders, US envoy George Mitchell has been discussing the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank - a key stumbling block.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
Mr Netanyahu said work still needs to be done to narrow differences before peace talks can resume.