الشرق الأوسط

Israeli plans to build new settler homes in east Jerusalem is likely to escalate into needless violence, a senior Palestinian official warned on Monday. “Such unilateral acts will lead to an explosion”, Jibril Rajoub, a senior member in Fatah, said at a press conference in Ramallah. Rajoub said that such a move might further inflame tensions in the city, which …

A car bomb exploded on an army checkpoint in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula on Friday, killing 17 and injuring 22 Egyptian soldiers. The attack took place near El-Arish, the biggest town in the Sinai province. The military sometimes operates in plain view in north Sinai, often setting up impromptu checkpoints. Extremists in Sinai have killed several soldiers and policemen since the …

Several acid attacks on women in the historic city of Isfahan has raised alarm and prompted rumors that the women were being targeted for not being properly covered. The Iranian police have declined to comment on the issue, but say that many suspects have been arrested and that an investigation is currently ongoing, General Hossein Ashtari was quoted saying by …

Houthi rebels reportedly stormed the Yemeni Interior Ministry headquarters In Sana’a on Wednesday, expelling employees from their offices. According to sources, the militants arrived in cars to premises broke in many offices, including the office of Mohamed al-Sherafi, the Undersecretary for Financial Affairs. The incident came on the heels of the Yemeni government failing to meet the deadline on the …

A new poll conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs suggest that 75% Jewish Israelis oppose a potential state of Palestine based on the international borders in 1967, the division of Jerusalem, and Israel’s withdrawal from Jordan Valley. The body has been conducting opinion polls on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process since 2005; according to the latest poll it conducted …

Iran has blocked access to a page on Instagram dedicated to the lifestyle of the young elite of Tehran that stirred strong displeasure and had spawned a rival page that showed how most people in Iran live. The “Richkidsoftehran” page was created in September on Instagram and had attracted around 90,000 followers, with its contributors stating that they wanted to …

On Friday, the FIFA’s top judge announced  that they will not be able to  release the full report about the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for legal reasons. Many people like Michael Garcia the former U.S. federal prosecutor who led the investigation for the report  asked FIFA  to  share  it with the public. Hans-Joachim Eckert, chairman of …

On Wednesday, Israeli policemen and Palestinian protesters clashed in Jerusalem after the authorities limited access to Muslim worshippers in at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound. Four Palestinians were held by the police, as three policemen were injured during the clashes, Luba Samri, a spokeswoman for the police, said. The police also reportedly used stun grenades at a crowd of around 400 …

Islamic State (IS) militants on Wednesday came closer to seizing control of Syrian Kurdish town Kobane and the Iraqi town Amriyat al-Fallujah, as the US warned that the fight against the group will be long and arduous. Kurdish militia have been able to resist the IS press in Kobane thanks to help from US-led air strikes, which seem to be …

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday warned against “provocations” as clashes broke out at Jerusalem’s holy sites, before condemning Israel for its settlement activity and calling for talks with the Palestinians. Ban was speaking at Jerusalem and Ramallah,where he met with Israeli and Palestinianleaders a day after the donor conference for Gaza was held in Egypt, where international donors …