The “third way” that secular intellectuals defend, condemns terrorism and supports the fight against it. However, the criterion it follows is a universal one. That is, support comes only if the US is prepared to censure Israel for its illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and all the crimes that come with it, and stops its support for imposed, corrupt dictators in the Arab world. Haider Eid comments for The Electronic Intifada. Read more about A third way 

The car bomb assassination in Damascus of Imad Mughniyeh has created a heightened state of tension in the region. Almost every commentator, no matter what perspective he/she comes from, expects the killing to spark a fresh round of deadly violence; as if the region had room for more. It is hard to speculate on the outcome of this serious development, but it is very unlikely that it will pass without dire consequences, for Lebanon and the region. Hasan Abu Nimah comments. Read more about A state of war and peace 

Commentary in the Lebanese press affirms that the regional dimension has become more important following the assassination of Hizballah figure Imad Mughniyeh, which could translate into a change in the rules of engagement of all parties to Lebanon’s brewing internal conflict. And in this new framework, the international tribunal’s inquiry into the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri will become more significant as a tool of international pressure and as a stage on which Syria is battling its rivals. Read more about Meet the Lebanese Press: A cold civil war 

I cannot remember a time, especially in the last three years, when the collective that comprises Lebanese social life was not anticipating some form of political violence, elevated at times to an outright expectation of civil war. Traversing through different parts of Lebanon the conversation is the same: will war break out? When? Who will start it? Who will fight? Sami Hermez comments for Electronic Lebanon. Read more about Living, but in denial 

How is Israel able to strangle the Gaza Strip when there is supposed to be an international crossing between Gaza and Egypt not controlled by Israelis? David Morrison looks at how the Agreement on Movement and Access, signed more than two years by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, allowed Israel to control the border without being physically present through the the agreement’s European Union third party mechanism. Read more about How the EU helps Israel to strangle Gaza 

The US and Israel — the two states committing the only military occupations in the region — are having an adverse influence on Lebanese internal affairs. But the people wait, unsure of what the future holds for Lebanon. The question for many is no longer if, but when will the situation quickly deteriorate into an armed internal conflict reminiscent of Lebanon’s recent history. EI editor Matthew Cassel comments. Read more about Lebanon's new proxy force 

Recently, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was reported to have suggested that the question of Jerusalem would be “left to last” in negotiations with the Palestinians. This was apparently on account of the issue being “too sensitive and complex,” as well as fears that talks on Jerusalem would cause the departure of religious right-wingers from Olmert’s ruling coalition. Domestic political considerations will certainly have played a part in the prime minister’s thinking, but there is another possible motivation for leaving this “final status issue” for further down the road. Ben White analyzes for EI. Read more about Jerusalem off the radar 

“The next logical step” for the Israeli government “will have to be a decision whether to target the top political leadership” of Hamas. So said an Israeli official quoted in The Jerusalem Post. Tzahi Hanegbi, a senior member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Kadima party and chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, echoed the call, arguing that “There’s no difference between those who wear a suicide suit and a diplomat’s suit.” Ali Abunimah comments. Read more about Israel's "next logical step" 

There are lots of “One Issue Voters” out here: those who decide to support a candidate based on the sole criterion of abortion, or taxation, or gun control, or crime. For those of us who fall into the “Pro-Palestinian Rights” category of One Issue Voter-hood, it’s a particularly lonely and dispiriting time. It’s as though there’s this big progressive celebration going on, but we haven’t been invited. Laurie King-Irani comments. Read more about The loneliness of the One-Issue Voter