MIDDLE EAST

On Tuesday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the Israeli “war crimes” in Gaza and urged donors to meet and discuss financial reconstruction of the Palestinian enclave. The OIC, after its second meeting in three days, said that it had condemned Israeli “in the liveliest terms” during the meeting and called Israel “the occupying force, for war crimes it …

On Tuesday, Israel lashed out at the United Nations after the UNHRC named the chairman of the team which will investigate Israeli war crimes in Gaza. William Schabas, aCanadian international lawyer, is all set to lead the commission – Schabas is widely regarded by Israel as being hostile to it. “This commission’s anti-Israeli conclusions have already been written, all it …

Late on Tuesday, negotiators in Cairo began to discuss Israel’s blockade on Gaza as they approached the 48-hour mark on the three-day ceasefire. Palestinian and Israeli negotiators continued their indirect talks in an attempt to find more permanent peace in the region. According to sources, Monday’s negotiations had lasted for 48 hours, and all parties involved felt reaching a permanent …

The United Nations on Monday said human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, Movie star George Clooney’s fiancé, is set to join other human rights experts and investigate the Israeli offensive in Gaza. The Lebanon-born British lawyer is one of three top human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council on a commission of inquiry to probe the aggression; the …

Tens of thousands of people in the Gaza Strip returned to run-down homes on Monday, hoping that the new three-day ceasefire will lead to more permanent peace as humanitarian workers and local officials began to inspect the damage in the Palestinian enclave. In Gaza City, which has a population of over 500,000, around 20-25% of the houses have been damaged, …

On Monday, US Secretary of State warned Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, telling him not to cause disturbances in the region as he backed newly-elected President Fuad Masum to combat the militants sweeping through the country. Kerry’s comments came after Maliki had, on state television on Sunday, announced that he will be registering a complaint against Masum. Masum was elected …

On Monday, Iraqi President Fuad Masum tasked Haidar al-Abadi, the first deputy speaker of parliament, with forming the new government. “The country is now in your hands”, Masum told Abadi during a brief ceremony which was aired live on television; only moments earlier, Abadi was picked by the Shiite National Alliance parliamentary bloc as a nominee for Prime Minister over …

On Monday, the Syrian government decided to ban domestic opposition groups from organizing a news conference. Activists have denounced the ban, calling it an unprecedented move. Two opposition groups which are allowed to operate in Syria were set to hold a joint conference in the city of Damascus of Monday. During the conference, the Front for Change and Liberation and …

On Friday, US aircraft struck extremist position in northern Iraq in what could potentially be a turning point in the two-month long crisis which Washington said was threatening to develop into genocide and expose United States assets in the country. US President Barack Obama’s order for the air strikes, the first strikes in Iraq since he ended the US occupation …

Moqtada Sadr, one the most influential Shi’ite clerics in Iraq, on Friday claimed that extremists were poised to attack Iraqi capital Baghdad and promised to send his men to fight for the capital. “There are terrorist groups that have completed their preparations for a breakthrough into Baghdad.We are ready to defend the city, we are ready to supply forces and …