Middle East

Eleven human rights defenders go on trial in Istanbul on October 25, 2017, facing terrorism charges despite the absence of any credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said today. The prosecution should ask for the defendants to be…

By Jordan Shilton Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an offensive by Iraqi army units and pro-government Shia militias Monday to capture the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and surrounding areas from the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The attack, which reportedly…

By Ali Abunimah Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy was on full display Thursday when the State Department announced that the United States is withdrawing from UNESCO over the United Nations cultural body’s supposed “anti-Israel bias.” Under President Barack Obama, the US…

Journey to Peace – press release, 2 October 2017 by Women Wage Peace

In the occupied West Bank, thousands of Israeli and Palestinian women marched to the shores of the Jordan River Sunday calling for an end to Jewish-only settlements and for a negotiated peace agreement. This is Israeli citizen Vivian Silver of…

By The Israeli Disarmament Movement. Following the appeal filed by attorney Itay Mack, representing 108 petitioners, the Supreme Court decided to hold a hearing by senior justices, headed by incoming chief justice Ester Hayut, Meni Maziz and Noam Solberg. The…

Joint NGO letter to Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations Human Rights Council Excellency, We, the undersigned nongovernmental organizations, urge you to support the creation of an independent international investigation into violations and abuses of international human…

Even as tensions between the United States and Russia fester, there is one surprising place where their military-to-military contacts are quietly weathering the storm: Syria. It has been four months since US President Donald Trump ordered cruise missile strikes against…

By Jordan Shilton An air strike launched by the United States on the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa in northeastern Syria Monday claimed the lives of 42 civilians, 19 of whom were children. It is the bloodiest incident thus far in…

By Jim Haber A new project in the rural hills of the West Bank, called Sumud: Freedom Camp, is the latest sign of a resurgence of strategic, nonviolent organizing in Palestine that is creating strong bonds between Palestinians and Jewish…