The barrier in the West Bank and East Jerusalem that separates Israelis from Palestinians continues to divide them – and not just in a physical sense. Israelis believe it is vital to their security, while Palestinians say it is a land-grab that cuts them off from their livelihoods. The Guardian's Rory McCarthy reports from Jayyus, a Palestinian village, and from Alfe Menashe, an Israeli settlement.
Al Ram, on the main route between Ramallah in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, was once a thriving market town. But it has been transformed by the wall into a ghost town, as Toni O'Loughlin reports for the Guardian.
The barrier hasn't prevented all violence; the two major attacks in Jerusalem in recent months were carried out by Palestinians from East Jerusalem, on the Israeli side of the wall. But as the Guardian's Middle East editor, Ian Black, explains, the barrier has made Israelis feel safer. Lior Ben Dor, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy in London, tells me what it means for Israelis' security.
The leaders of the G8 – the world's richest countries – are meeting this week in Japan. On the agenda: tackling rising food and fuel prices and global poverty. On Tuesday a breakthrough on climate change was announced. Larry Elliott, the Guardian's economics editor, reports from Hokkaido.
Old Etonian mercenary Simon Mann was sentenced to 34 years in prison in Equatorial Guinea for his role in an attempted coup in the oil-rich west African dictatorship. The Guardian's David Pallister reports.
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