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

MIDEAST: Hamas Flag Goes Up in Lebanon Camps

Anand Gopal
BADDAWI CAMP – There is a new look to the entrance of the Palestinian refugee camp Baddawi in northern Lebanon. Hanging above the armed man who guards the entrance are posters of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the slain spiritual leader of Hamas, and other fighters from the Palestinian guerrilla group. Nearby, a huge Hamas banner covers the side of a house, and down the road Hamas flags flutter in the wind.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39148

*****
IRAQ: With Donkeys for Transport, All Is Well

Ali al-Fadhily*
FALLUJAH – A brave new attempt is under way to project that all is well now with Fallujah. Residents know better — or worse.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39146

*****
U.S.-IRAQ: Haditha Probe Limps to a Close

Khody Akhavi
WASHINGTON – Last December, when the U.S. Marine Corps charged four infantrymen for the murder of 24 civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha on Nov. 19, 2005, the counts represented the most serious case of alleged war crimes committed by Marines in Iraq or Afghanistan.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39135

*****
MIDEAST: Not Even the Desert Is Home Any More

Nora Barrows-Friedman
AMRA – Israeli police and security forces invaded the small Bedouin village of Taweel abu Jabral in the Negev desert, backed by bulldozers and dump trucks. Residents and human rights organisations reported that several homes were demolished as Israeli forces confiscated property and left families homeless in temperatures that soared above 40 degrees C.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39132

*****
IRAQ: Too Many Search Hopelessly for the Kidnapped

Ahmed Ali*
BAQUBA – Amidst the violence and chaos in Diyala province, kidnappings continue unabated, bringing an uncertain fate for the abducted, and unanswered questions for their families.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39130

Baquba’s Children Starved of Childhood
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39113

*****
PAKISTAN: Taliban Taunt Musharraf by Detaining His Soldiers

Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR – The seriousness of the challenge to Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf?s authority in the remote tribal areas bordering Afghanistan was apparent this week when the Taliban captured 180 soldiers in two separate incidents.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39112

*****
Call to Halt EU Trade with Israel

David Cronin
BRUSSELS – Trade between the European Union and Israel should be halted in protest at human rights violations in the Palestinian territories, a United Nations conference has heard.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39109

Palestinians Poorer Than Ever
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39100

*****
U.S.: Grim GAO Iraq Report Belies Official Optimism

Daniel Luban
WASHINGTON – As the U.S. Congress prepares for a critical September assessment of progress in Iraq, a draft of an upcoming report by Congress’s nonpartisan investigative arm states that Iraq has met only three of 18 congressionally mandated benchmarks for progress, in contrast to an earlier White House report which claimed “satisfactory” progress on eight of the benchmarks.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39094

*****
IRAN: Headless Oil Industry Faces Crisis

Kimia Sanati
TEHRAN – Iran?s key oil industry could plunge into crisis, oil experts have warned, if President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad does not urgently appoint a replacement for Seyed Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh who was sacked as oil minister two weeks ago in a major cabinet reshuffle.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39072

*****
Abu Ghraib Justice Ends With Enlisted Soldiers

Eli Clifton
WASHINGTON – The acquittal of Lieutenant Colonel Steven Jordan on charges related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuses means that no officers have been found criminally responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners at the Iraqi prison near Baghdad.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39070

*****
Bush Indictment of Iran Tops Usual Rhetoric

Analysis by Trita Parsi*
WASHINGTON – The George W. Bush administration has seemingly taken advantage of the Congressional recess to escalate tensions with Iran.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39061

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

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

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

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

Afghan Divide – www.ipsnews.net/afghanistan/index.asp

Inter Press Service News Agency (IPS), the world’s leading provider of information on global issues, is backed by a network of journalists in more than 100 countries. Its clients include more than 3,000 media organisations and tens of thousands of civil society groups, academics, and other users.

IPS focuses its news coverage on the events and global processes affecting the economic, social and political development of peoples and nations.

Visit Inter Press Service at www.ipsnews.net