While most Israeli leaders are resistant to fully lifting the blockade of Gaza, Avigdor Lieberman, the right-wing foreign minister, is advocating that Israel abandon the Strip to international monitoring and economic rehabilitation. 　　The proposal, recently leaked to the Israeli press, does not amount to freeing Gaza but rather to placing... More

　　Talk of a 'hot summer' has increased among the Lebanese since the beginning of the year. But in Lebanon's case, a 'hot summer' does not refer to the weather. Nor does it refer to the many festivals, concerts, beach parties and hundreds of other 'hot events' taking place. 　　By 'hot... More

　　The number of civilians killed or wounded in Afghanistan has reportedly soared by 31 per cent in the first six months of this year. 　　More than 1,200 Afghans were killed and almost 2,000 injured in the first six months of the year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said... More

　　Israeli soldiers are routinely taking degrading photographs of dead and captured Palestinians and posting them on the internet, human rights groups have said. 　　The claims come a day after the Israeli military attempted to quell controversy over photographs showing a female soldier posing provocatively with blindfolded Palestinian detainees. 　　The Israeli... More

　　Hungry and thirsty, the survivors of the Pakistan floods wait in sodden tents for aid to get through, struggling to come to terms with the events of recent days. 　　In Nowshera, a culturally traditional part of Pakistan, women who do not normally mix with males outside their family must now... More

　　At least two of the five US soldiers charged in the deaths of three Afghan civilians had kept body parts taken from Afghan corpses and threatened subordinates, according to new documents released by the US army. 　　Five soldiers - Calvin Gibbs, Adam Winfield, Jeremy Morlock and Michael Wagon, Andrew Holmes... More

　　Amnesty International has said that tens of thousands of detainees are being held without trial in Iraqi prisons. In a new report, Amnesty said the prisoners face violent and psychological abuse, as well as other forms of mistreatment. 　　Amnesty said on Monday it believes that around 30,000 people are held... More

　　Avigdor Lieberman is at it again. The right-wing Israeli foreign minister wants the Palestinian Authority (PA) to effectively accept the expulsion of Palestinian-Israelis (or Israeli-Arabs as they are known inside Israel) as part of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. 　　Speaking to a government committee on Sunday, Lieberman said that the guiding... More

　　Ten years ago, Ariel Sharon marched on the symbolic heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, flanked by a 1,000-strong security force, and invoked one of the most famous phrases in Israeli history. 　　"The Temple Mount is in our hands," he said, reiterating the radio broadcast from June 1967, when Israeli forces... More

　　Expressing his support for the controversial loyalty oath bill - legislation that will require non-Jews to pledge allegiance to Israel "as a Jewish and democratic state" - Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, remarked: "Zionism established an exemplary national state, a state that balances between the national needs of our... More

　　You could easily miss the thin, gravel road that leads to Al Arakib, a Bedouin village in the north Negev. It is a bit ironic, given the enormity of the struggle there and its deep implications for the Jewish state. 　　Israeli forces have razed the village five times since late... More

　　In September 2007, an Iraqi in a car ventured too close to a US patrol in Baghdad. The soldiers honked their horns; when that didn't cause the car to turn away, one of the gunners fired a warning shot. The bullet - intended to harmlessly hit the pavement - instead... More

　　Israel's internal security service violated the human rights of Palestinian detainees, two leading Israeli rights groups said in a report issued Tuesday. 　　The report said the Palestinians are held in cramped, filthy cells, some with no windows and lighting that disrupts sleep. It said security agents bind detainees to chairs... More