The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Tuesday said that the five Syrian pro-government activists were arrested for criticizing the Defense Ministry and Intelligence services over the deaths of soldiers and loss of important military bases. Rami Abdel Rahman, the observatory’s director, said that they were arrested on Friday “aftercriticizing the role of the defense ministry and the intelligence services …

Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday warned that Israel was slowly destroying international support towards it, after the United States also joined the chorus of criticism it has come under after its recent expropriation of Palestinian territory, the biggest such land grab since the 80s. Lapid said that the Israeli cabinet was not consulted about Sunday’s announcement regarding the …

Ramallah, August 21, 2014—Israeli soldiers repeatedly used Ahmad Abu Raida, 17, as a human shield for five days while he was held hostage during Israel’s ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Ahmad, from Khuza’a, near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, was just 16 years old when he was taken from his family on July 23. He was forced …

Advocacy Group Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday said that extremists from the Islamic State (IS) have been using clutter munitions in at least one location in war-ravaged Syria, and that the Syrian regime also continues to use the extensively banned weapon. The New York-based group cited reports and photographic evidence from local Kurdish officials, and said that IS extremists …

On Monday, Egypt denounced Israel’s plans to seize West Bank territory and said that the move would be in violation of international law and will be another obstacle to permanent Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts. Israel had on Sunday announced that it will expropriate 988 acres of Palestinian territory around Bethlehem, and allowed for appeal within 45 days. “This is not a …

On Monday, a court in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia upheld a 10-year prison sentence and 1,000 lashings handed to Raef Badawi, the founder of the liberal rights group Saudi Liberal Network, an activist said. Badawi was charged for “creating a website insulting Islam” and criticizing the role of religious police “which we all do” in the kingdom, the right …

On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously agreed to quickly dispatch an emergency mission to Iraq to investigate atrocities committed by extremist group Islamic State (IS), as Baghdad warned that the country was “facing a terrorist monster”. The 47-member UN human rights wing of the UN accepted a resolution urging an investigation presented by Iraq and supported by over …

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday announced tough measures against Britons intending to fight in Syria and Iraq, and against battle-hardened extremists who might return to the UK. The British premier said that his government will draw up plans to ban suspected British national extremists returning to the UK, while the police will get additional powers to temporarily seize …

Bosnian-Canadian Imam Zijad Delic, doing press rounds for his new book “Canadian Islam: Belonging and Loyalty” preaches the idea of the integral relation between Islam and Canada. The once-controversial imam, now seen as a progressive leader, said that Canada and Islam “complement” one another. “There is no contradiction”, he said. His new book comes hot on the heels of rising …

Teaming up with Assad against Islamic State is a very bad idea, writes Nehad Ismail. The beheading of the captured American journalist James Foley has focused attention on the danger posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, not just to those countries, but to the United States. The US is now considering action against ISIS’ main bases in …