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On Wednesday, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin defended the right of Palestinians to a “sovereign and independent” homeland, saying that he hoped that the Pope’s upcoming visit will lead to a “courageous decision” for peace. Cardinal Parolin’s role in the Vatican is equivalent to that of a country’s Prime Minister. “We know that the pope is going …

Defense for Children Palestine (DCI-Palestine) this past week released a shocking video which clearly showed that two young Palestinian men were killed by IDF soldiers last Thursday while they were walking near the Nakba Day protest site outside Ofer Prison in West Bank. Previously, IDF officials maintained that the Palestinian teens had thrown firebombs and stones at the IDF soldiers, …

The joint mission of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemicals had announced on Tuesday that Syria had destroyed its entire stockpile of isopropanol, a component used in the preparation of Sarin nerve gas. In a statement, the UN-OPCW mission said, “Now 7.2 percent of Syria’s chemical weapons material remains in country and awaits swift removal …

31-year-old Mashudur Choudhury on Tuesday became the first British person to be convicted on charges of terrorism connected to the conflict in Syria. Choudhury, a father of two and a former youth worker who hails from Portsmouth, was convicted of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts. He will be sentenced on June 13, and has been warned that …

Russia has said that it would veto any UN resolution which would refer the Syrian conflict to the International Criminal Court if it would come to a vote in the UN Security Council, after 58 countries announced their support for such a measure. The resolution would authorize the International Criminal Court to investigate allegations made against the Syrian opposition and …

Palestinian activists on Tuesday were critical of Pope Francis’ plans to visit the tomb of Zionist founder Theodor Herzl. Omar Barghouti, a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement called the planned visit “nauseating”. “Laying a wreath on the grave of the founder of Zionism, a patently racist ideology that has served to enable and justify the ethnic cleansing …

The Syrian Air Defense Chief General Hussein Ishaq was killed on Sunday in a military offensive against rebels near Damascus. General Ishaq was wounded on Saturday during the military’s assault on the town Mleiha to the east of Damascus, and succumbed to his wounds on Sunday. The military offensive aims to increase the area near the capital under the President’s …

Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Monday said that the death toll in war-stricken Syria has exceeded an astounding 160,000. The activist group said that it has documented exactly 162,402 deaths since the uprising began in March 2011. The number includes rebels, civilians, members of the military, members of militia like the Lebanese Hezbollah and foreign fighters involved in …

On Sunday, international advocacy group Human Rights Watch said that Palestinian Authorities are yet to take action and investigate on an assault by Palestinian security forces in April, having brought charges against the four victims. The organization said that several witness had given consistent accounts of police using disproportionate and unnecessary force against two men involved in a peaceful protest …

The UN Security Council is expected to put to vote next week a resolution which would call Syria to the International Criminal Court; the measure, however, will likely fail due to opposition from China and Russia. The resolution was drafted by France and aims to “send a message that there is accountability for the crimes committed in Syria”. According to …