Foreign Fighters Support Israel’s Settlements

Two weeks ago, an announcement appeared on a French website, calling for "militants with military experience" to participate in a solidarity trip to Israel between Sep. 19 and 25.

U.S.: Politics Throws Palestine Under the Bus

The right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could not be more pleased.

BAHRAIN: Elections Will Test Shia Resolve

Bahrain’s by-elections on Saturday are a test of will to see if majority Shias will turn out to vote in areas where they are dominant or heed a boycott call by the powerful opposition Al-Wefaq (National Islamic Society) party.

Defying U.S., Palestine Seeks U.N. Recognition for Statehood

If there were any lingering doubts the Palestinians would not be able to garner the support of an overwhelming majority of member states at the United Nations, they were laid to rest when the 193-member General Assembly Friday gave a rousing and rapturous welcome to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Looking for Democracy in Wake of Arab Spring

Civil society and government leaders gathered at World Bank headquarters in Washington on Thursday to debate the future direction of social and government accountability in the Middle East and North Africa.

Deadly Fighting Rages in Yemeni Capital

Deadly fighting has spread across Yemen's capital as tribesmen joined battles between rival military units, raising fears among residents the country is descending into civil war.

MIDEAST: As a Street Parliament Views Obama

"Welcome to our 'Palestine State Parliament'!" Nidal Bazbaz calls out to a friend who's passing by in between an assembly of older and younger Palestinians. They're seated on plastic chairs, lined up against opposite walls, in an alleyway of the walled Old City.

MIDEAST: Hamas Turning Away From UN Towards Arabs

In the face of the moves by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for recognition of an independent Palestinian state, the Hamas-led foreign ministry in Gaza is forming a new diplomatic strategy that looks to Arab countries in the region such as Egypt and Turkey to apply political pressure on Israel.

DEATH PENALTY: Not in the Name of the Quran

Islamic regimes look for provisions and precedents to carry out the death sentence in the name of Islam. But, says Dr. Mohammad Al-Habash, director of the Islamic Studies Centre in Damascus, they are not looking enough at 13 provisions within the Quran to commute the death sentence to a lesser punishment.

OP-ED: Palestine and the U.N.: A History of Double Standard

Failure to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Israel's 40-year occupation, in the words of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, would "continue to hurt the reputation of the United Nations and raise questions about its impartiality".

“Identities Do Not Have Borders”

Sep. 11, 2001 deeply affected the relations between the United States and Europe on one hand and North Africa and the Middle East on the other.

Post-War Libya Urged to Create New Human Rights Regime

As the United Nations celebrated the birth of a new democratic Libya, the National Transitional Council (NTC), which has been duly recognised as the legitimate government, is faced with new political demands - even before it could get off the ground.

Street Clashes Resume in Yemeni Capital

At least 21 people have been killed and over 100 injured in fresh clashes on the streets of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, a day after 26 anti-government protesters were shot dead and hundreds wounded by troops and gunmen loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

MIDEAST: Palestinians Prepare for Settler Attacks Over UN Vote

Amidst reports that the Israeli military is arming and training Israeli settlers in advance of the Palestinian Authority’s bid to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this week, Palestinian activists in the West Bank have organised emergency response teams to document settler attacks and prevent more from taking place.

MIDEAST: Europe Divided Over Palestinian State

Divisions that have surfaced within the European Union over recognition of the Palestinian Authority as an independent and sovereign state are unlikely to be resolved ahead of a crucial vote in the United Nations next week.

U.N. Security Council Fiddles While Syria Burns

"Syria is on fire," says one exasperated U.N. diplomat, "while the Security Council fiddles."

U.S.: Iraq Intelligence Failures Cast Shadow Over Iran Assessment

As the George W. Bush administration built the case for war with Iraq in the early 2000s, press accounts picked up bits of leaked intelligence that described a weapons of mass destruction threat from then president Saddam Hussein. But once the U.S. military entered Iraq, they found nothing.

Europe Confronts Its Borders

The influx of Tunisian migrants into Europe following the country’s ‘Jasmine Revolt’ has sparked a debate over the application of the passport-free Schengen Agreement.

Familiar Hawks Press Obama on Iraq Withdrawal

A familiar group of mainly neo-conservative hawks – many of whom championed the 2003 invasion of Iraq –released an open letter to President Barack Obama Thursday urging him to retain a substantial military force in that Middle East country beyond this year.

Concrete Impact of Palestine’s U.N. Bid Still Uncertain

Despite the frenzy of media attention bestowed upon Palestine's expected bid for statehood at the United Nations later this month, some doubt the impact it would have on the political complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict or the humanitarian issues and human rights abuses that many Palestinians face regularly.

U.S.-IRAQ: Hawks Fret Over U.S. Withdrawal

Eclipsed by the war in Afghanistan, growing tensions between Israel and its neighbours, and the continuing reverberations of the so-called "Arab Spring", Iraq is inching back into the news here as a debate over the future of U.S. military forces there gathers steam.