IPS correspondents bring you independent perspectives on what is happening in Iran, Iraq and across the Middle East.

MIDEAST: U.S. Pushing Beyond Settlement Freeze
Analysis by Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler
JERUSALEM (IPS) – “Nobody can usurp the right to determine the fate of the nation on their own – not the Palestine Liberation Organisation, nor anyone else. It is the will of the Palestinian people that must determine our future,” declares Hamas political leader in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48544

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POLITICS: Obama and Netanyahu Still Tussling over Priorities
Analysis by Helena Cobban*
NEW YORK (IPS) – As world leaders prepare to gather here for the all-star “general debate” at the U.N. General Assembly on Sep. 23, two of them – U.S. Pres. Barack Obama and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – are still tussling over whether to prioritise their anti-Iran campaign or the push for a Palestinian-Israeli peace.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48501

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MIDEAST: Widows and Children Begin to Beg
By Eva Bartlett
GAZA CITY (IPS) – There are few parks and green spaces in Gaza, and those that exist are crowded with people hungry for nature. Day and night, people of all ages flock to the Joondi, or the park of the Unknown Soldier, in central Gaza City.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48516

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POLITICS: Libya Brings Focused Agenda to U.N. Presidency
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, the newly-anointed president of the 192-member U.N. General Assembly, hails from a country with a mostly radical and far-reaching political agenda.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48484

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MIDEAST: Israel Struggles to Wriggle Out of the Dock
Analysis by Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler
JERUSALEM (IPS) – The Goldstone Commission has delivered an unremittingly scathing report on Israel’s 22-day war against Hamas in Gaza last December and January.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48463

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MIDEAST: Gaza’s Water Supply Near Collapse
By Mel Frykberg
RAMALLAH (IPS) – The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that Gaza’s access to safe supply of drinking water could cease at any time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says outbreaks of disease could be triggered as a consequence.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48464

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GULF: Gender Discrimination in Citizenship Rights
By Suad Hamada
MANAMA (IPS) – There is inequality in citizenship laws for women and men in the Gulf Arab states.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48473

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ENVIRONMENT: Cairo Sinking in Garbage
By Cam McGrath
CAIRO (IPS) – Garbage collectors in Cairo’s Giza district have resumed work, but it could take weeks to clear the 25,000 tons of garbage that accumulated during their month-long strike, and longer still to solve the underlying problems.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48491

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POLITICS: Libya’s Mercurial Leader Keeps U.N. Guessing
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi, who will be making his maiden appearance before the United Nations next week, has been described as a gadfly with a penchant for stirring up controversies.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48502

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MIDEAST: Textbooks Become a Dream
By Mel Frykberg
GAZA CITY (IPS) – A chronic shortage of school supplies, and severely overcrowded classrooms are crippling Gaza’s educational system as tens of thousands of children begin a new school year.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48479

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DON’T MISS IPS EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION.

U.S. President Barack Obama has inherited wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a tanking economy, and global crises like climate change. IPS reports on the implications of the new administration not just for U.S. citizens, but for the world.
www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/us_elections2008/index.asp

For more IPS reporting on the Middle East – www.ipsnews.net/middle.asp

Iraq: Beyond the Green Zone – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iraq/

Iran: The Parthian Shot – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iran/

Holy Land/Unholy War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/israel_palestina/

Afghan Divide – www.ipsnews.net/afghanistan/

Bush?s Legacy – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/warII/

IPS coverage of terrorism – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/terrorism/

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