Middle Orient

Iraqi commandos raided the home of a Sunni Cabinet member Tuesday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, prompting outrage from Sunni politicians and dealing another blow to US-backed reconciliation efforts within the Shiite-led government.

An Israeli official on Tuesday promised “dramatic” action to improve life in the West Bank, and Palestinians expressed optimism that a high profile summit in Egypt a day earlier could lead to a resumption of long stalled peace talks.

Ishmael Haniya, premier of the PA caretaker government, on Tuesday affirmed that the Israeli policy of Premier Ehud Olmert aimed at driving a wedge in Palestinian national lines.

At least 10 people have died and thousands have fled their homes as a powerful tropical cyclone brought torrential rains and high winds to Pakistan’s Arabian sea coast.

Egypt has decided to resume its efforts to release kidnapped IDF Cpl. Gilad Schalit, a senior Egyptian government official here told The Jerusalem Post Monday.

Al Qaeda’s number two urged all Muslims in a tape posted on Monday to support the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in its battles with President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel, which he said was planning to invade Gaza.

Lebanon linked a bomb attack that killed six UN peacekeepers in the south of the country to a deadly standoff between Al Qaeda-inspired gunmen and the army in the north where two more soldiers were shot dead on Monday.

A suicide bomber killed six Iraqi tribal leaders opposed to Al Qaeda when he blew himself up at a busy Baghdad hotel, in one of four attacks on Monday that killed 50 people in all, police said.

King Abdullah on Monday called for launching a “real” Mideast peace process and an end to Palestinian-Israeli violence, following Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday he intended to free 250 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture to help President Mahmoud Abbas.