Libya's autocratic leader Muammar Qaddafi presents his plan for Middle East peace in a rare op-ed contribution to the International Herald Tribune.

This paper by Muriel Asseburg of SWP examines the divide between Fatah and Hamas in June 2007.

Synopsis of Anat Berko's book about Palestinian suicide bombers, as well as discloses personal information about the author.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) has issued a report on how to engage Hamas after the agreement with Fatah in Saudi Arabia (PDF).

The Washington Institute's Terrorism Studies Program has produced this guide to the Palestinian Legislative Council, with biographical information and other data on all PLC members, including Hamas legislators elected in January 2006.

This report from Human Rights Watch is based on field research conducted in the West Bank and Gaza in November 2005 and early 2006 and documents dozens of cases of violence against Palestinian women and girls.

A joint poll by the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah examines Israelis’ and Palestinians’ attitudes on the conflict in the aftermath of the second war in Lebanon. It tracks both publics’ attitudes regarding the resumption of a political process and their assessments of the impact of the war on the propensity for further violence in the Israeli-Palestinian arena.

This Human Rights Watch report documents the deterioration in the security of the estimated 34,000 Palestinian refugees in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. Since then, militant groups have targeted Iraqi Palestinians and have evicted them from their homes, largely because of the benefits these refugees received from Saddam Hussein’s government.

This report from the International Crisis Group pieces together the current crisis in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon and elsewhere, based on talks with officials and others, including Hamas and Hezbollah representatives. There are many dimensions to the explanation of why the capture of three soldiers has, so suddenly and so intensely, escalated at an extraordinary pace into a deep and widespread conflict: local ones like Hamas's struggle to govern and Hezbollah's desire to maintain its special status in Lebanon; regional ones, notably the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, Syria's interests in Lebanon, and the growing Sunni-Shiite divide; and wider international ones, especially the confrontation between Washington and Tehran.

The EU answers frequently asked questions on European policy towards Israel and Palestinians, including violence and terrroism, financial assistance to the Palestinians, alleged misuse of EU funds, Palestinian education, sanctions against Israel, settlements, separation barrier, refugees, etc.

Challenges from Iran and from the new Hamas-led Palestinian Authority pose particularly serious threats to U.S. interests and acute dilemmas for Washington and its allies, says the Washington Institute.

This paper examines the background to the Palestinian parliamentary election and the various factors behind the Hamas victory, before considering the reaction to the result and the possible implications it may have.

The United States Institute of Peace published a report on Palestinian public opinion, concluding that Palestinian public opinion is not an impediment to progress in the peace process, and the Palestinian public has become more moderate. Palestinian willingness to compromise is greater than it has been at any time since the start of the peace process. Increased willingness to compromise provides policymakers with greater room to maneuver.

“Unfortunately, Palestinians cannot pursue the Road Map alone. Implicit in the idea of the Road Map is that Israel and the Palestinians are partners in the journey to peace. Yet the Israeli government has not fully cooperated with my government, created obstacles in the face of a full and unconditional return to the negotiating table, and acted as if Israel can resolve the Middle East conflict unilaterally. In addition, the Israeli government has taken steps that undermine the Road Map.”

“The original timetable of the Middle East ‘road map’—the plan given to Israel and the Palestinian Authority three years ago with the aim of restarting the political process between them—is set to expire at the end of this year. While many, buoyed by Israel's Gaza withdrawal and the emergence of a seemingly more moderate Palestinian Authority, may believe there is still a future for the road map, the fact is that unless it is revised, the plan will serve primarily as a pretext for delay by those who don't want to return to the negotiating table.”