Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey on Friday said that a Syrian rebel force consisting of 12,000-15,000 will be required to push back extremists from the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria, a number that is three times the number of combatants that will be trained by the US. Dempsey offered the estimate and said …

Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Mahmoud Abbas on Friday demanded an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, and told the United Nations that it was time for Palestinian independence. He also promised to seek prosecutions for war crimes committed by Israel during the 50-day “war of genocide” in Gaza. Addressing the UN General Assembly in New York, Abbas …

The Russell Tribunal on Palestine in its session on Operation Protective Edge held in Brussels on Wednesday found evidence of crimes against humanity, crimes of murder, war crimes, termination and persecution and incitement to genocide. The tribunal’s proof comes on the heels of claims made by rights groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch and …

The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, on Monday urged its leaders and members to not travel to Israel as the party has expressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people, the party’s secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said. “(We are) joining the call for (a) cultural, academic and education boycott of Israel, including travel bans for members and leaders of …

American Muslim groups have denounced anti-Islamic advertisements which have been scheduled to run on New York City buses in the coming weeks, calling them vitriolic and hateful. Six advertisements, with anti-Muslim content, are slated to appear on buses from September 29th on 100 New York City buses and on two subway entrances. The advertisements will run for four weeks, the …

Several senior Islamic scholars and Imams have written an open letter to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of extremist group Islamic State (IS), spelling out how the actions of the Islamic State (IS) are forbidden under Islamic scripture and Islamic law. In the letter several scholars explain the teachings of the Quran and the Hadiths of the Prophet Mohammed must …

Around 70 social justice activists last weekend protested at the intersection of Maritime and 20th Street at Tampa, Florida against the docking of Israeli shipping company ZIM’s vessel Alabama.  They then marched to the port itself and successfully stopping the docking of the ship. Their actions were a part of the Block the Boat movement, which aims to put economic …

On Thursday, the United Nations denounced the public execution of Iraqi Human Rights lawyer Samira Saleh Al-Naimi in Mosul. She was reportedly killed by the IS in a kangaroo court after being found guilty of apostasy. “By torturing and executing a female human rights’ lawyer and activist, defending in particular the civil and human rights of her fellow citizens in …

On Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized Western powers on their blunders in the Middle East, but signaled Iran’s commitment in securing an agreement on its nuclear program. Speaking at the UN headquarters only days after the US widened its aerial campaign against Islamic State (IS) extremists from Iraq to Syria, Rouhani said that regional moderate forces with international backing …

Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas have made a breakthrough in their talks in Cairo aimed at breathing  life into their unity government, negotiators from both factions said on Thursday. Neither party provided any details of their talks, but said that they would make an official announcement later in the day. Both Fatah and Hamas representatives, speaking on the condition of …