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

MIDEAST: Netanyahu Plants Trees and More on Occupied Land
By Jerrold Kessel and and Pierre Klochendler
MAALEH ADUMIM, Occupied West Bank (IPS) – When Benjamin Netanyahu dug a spade here and in another West Bank settlement this week, some thought the Israeli Prime Minister was actually digging a hole into current United States-sponsored peace efforts.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50136

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POLITICS: Iraqi Body Softens Stance on Banned Candidates
By Mohammed A. Salih
WASHINGTON (IPS) – A decision by Iraq’s controversial Accountability and Justice Commission (AJC) Monday to remove 59 candidates from a list of over 500 candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections appears to be a sign that the AJC is softening its stance following widespread domestic opposition and a visit by U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden to Baghdad last week.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50113

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IRAQ: Kurdish Leader Voices Indirect Support for Mutlak
By Mohammed A. Salih
WASHINGTON (IPS) – The president of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, Massoud Barzani, has expressed indirect support for the removal of Salih al-Mutlak and possibly other Sunni Arab politicians from a list of candidates banned from running in the March parliamentary elections.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50130

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MIDEAST: Pray the PA Way or Face Arrest
By Mel Frykberg
RAMALLAH (IPS) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) is using West Bank mosques as a new battleground in its political offensive against its opponents within Hamas as well as critics from its own Fatah party.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50122

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MIDEAST: U.S. Policy in Gaza Remains Unchanged
By Charles Fromm and Ellen Massey
WASHINGTON (IPS) – One year ago Thursday, the last Israeli tanks were lumbering out of the Gaza Strip, ending the 22-day Gaza War and leaving in their wake a decimated landscape and population.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50075

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MIDEAST: Civil Society Takes On Israeli Settlements
By Jerrold Kessell and Pierre Klochendler
JERUSALEM (IPS) – Salam Fayyad turned civil society activist this week. In Salfit, on the West Bank, the Palestinian prime minister threw onto a giant bonfire goods made in Israeli settlements.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=50060

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IPS launches year of reporting on the World Social Forum

Ten years ago the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre burst onto the world stage giving social movements and civil society the space to challenge the orthodoxies symbolised by the World Economic Forum. Visit the IPS TerraViva World Social Forum 2010 site for independent news, analysis and commentary on up to 35 WSF events that will take place on every continent in 2010. What are the continuing challenges that drive social movements, and will the WSF stay relevant and innovative? Read IPS TerraViva to find out.
www.ips.org/TV/wsf2010/

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SIGN UP TO RECEIVE THE NEW IPS GenderWire:

Only about 22 percent of the voices you hear and read in the news are women’s. You can change your perspective – Read the new IPS Gender Wire.
ipsnews.net/_newsletter/genderwire.asp

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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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