In June, this reporter traveled to Israel and Palestine with a Sabeel delegation of individuals from the United States and Canada to explore the religious and political climate of the Holy Land. This article is the first in a series that will examine our findings and reflections. As Iraq and Syria disintegrate, the world watches with great trepidation. The group …

Volunteers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) operating in Gaza gave testified to witnessing execution of Palestinians by Israeli troops during the 50-day war at the Russell Tribunal on Palestine last week. Revered journalist Max Blumenthal provided the testimony to leading civil society members and jurists, saying that the executions were meant to humiliate. “Dan Cohen and …

The Syrian regime will not begin talks on ending the Syrian civil war as long as extremists are tearing through the country, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday. “We cannot start any political solution while terrorism is still rampant in Syria”, he said. His statement has seemingly ended the prospects for resuming peace …

The Canadian government is set to introduce a new law that will make it harder for immigrants to obtain Canadian citizenship. As things stand, a person needs to be physically present in the country for 1,095 days of the four years from their application date. If the remainder of Bill C-24, introduced by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris …

Lebanon-born British Human Rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin married American actor George Clooney in Venice on Saturday in a high-profile wedding ceremony, before spending the night partying with the actor’s A-list friends. “George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin were married today (September 27) in a private ceremony in Venice, Italy”, Stan Rosenfield, a spokesman for Clooney, said. The announcement was a surprise …

Expat Lebanese boxer 20-year-old Alaeddine Ramadan, was murdered in the city of Vancouver, Canadian media reported on Saturday; the motives of the murder are likely sport-related, the media reported. “Alaeddine Ramadan, a 20-year-old boxing champion in the Canadian city of Vancouver, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on Wednesday night. Local authorities believe that the shooting was premeditated”, LBCI …

The US-led coalition against extremists in Syria late on Sunday struck down the most important gas plant in the country, subtly warning militants from the Islamic State (IS) to abandon to establishment, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “The international coalition has for the first time struck the entrance and prayer area of the Coneco gas plant. It is under …

by Ramzy Baroud Netanyahu’s war-turned-genocide in Gaza has backfired badly – his strategy has helped resurrect Hamas, the very movement he tried desperately to crush Aside from being a major military setback, Israel’s war on Gaza has also disoriented the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu like never before. Since the announcement of a ceasefire on 26 August, his statements …

Muslims in Paris gathered on Friday to answer the call by Muslim leaders to condemn the “barbarism” of the Islamic State (IS), as flags all over France flew at half-mast after the beheading of a French citizen. Muslims in the country rallied to denounce the execution of Herve Gourdel, a 55-year-old mountaineer, this week by extremists in Algeria with ties …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday indicated that Turkey’s will play a more active part in the international coalition against extremist group Islamic State (IS), following the release of several Turkish hostages nabbed by the group. For the past few months, Turkey has frustrated global powers with its rather inactive participation in the coalition, but it has insisted that …