Mahmoud Darwish, the world’s most recognised Palestinian poet, whose prose gave voice to the Palestinian experience of exile and infighting, died today in Houston, Texas. He was 67.

WITH Gaza under the control of Hamas, pity poor Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah, who took over as president of the Palestinian Authority two-and-a-half years ago, after the death of Yasser Arafat.

At least 12 people were killed today when an Israeli warplane blew up the house of a leading Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.

ISRAEL shut down the office of a leading Palestinian moderate yesterday as top officials from the two sides met for a second day, bringing out contrasting trends in the 21-month conflict.