US President Barack Obama stands poised to visit Saudi Arabia later in the month, to discuss "countering violent extremism" among other things. However, a report has revealed the US has kept secret an extensive study of Saudi textbooks, traditionally rife with Islamic extremism, since the end of 2012 - casting doubts over the seriousness of
One day after an Egyptian court sentenced 529 supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood to death, a further 682 Islamists are facing trial Tuesday. Among them is the Brotherhood's spiritual leader, Mohammed Badie, who was arrested last August after a brief spell in hiding, following the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi. Badie himself
US lobbying group J Street has once again thrown its weight behind the Obama administration and the Palestinian Authority, urging Israel to drop demands for the PA to recognize the country as a Jewish state. Israeli leaders have been adamant on the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, saying that far from being
At least one person has been killed and fourteen wounded in the Lebanese capital Beirut, in overnight gun battles between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The initial fighting reportedly broke out at 3 a.m. on Sunday morning between the pro-Assad Arab Movement and fighters aligned with the Future Movement, which supports
Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday hit out at those on the Israeli right who say that a Palestinian state already exists and that it is located in Jordan, Army Radio reported, citing an interview the King gave to the Al-Hayat newspaper. The King said that anyone who thinks that Jordan is Palestine is
Days before he is to step down from his position, Richard Falk, the UN’s “human rights expert” who probes Israel's conduct towards Palestinian Arabs, on Friday accused the Jewish state of a campaign of ethnic cleansing and apartheid policies. "The realities on the ground are worsening from the point of view of both international
As the West talks with Iran about a permanent deal regarding its nuclear program, an Iranian official recently chose to mock some Western officials. Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Iranian Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution, called the European Union’s Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton "that old lady" and made derogatory comments about
Eight days of Syria-linked clashes in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli have killed 24 people, a security source told AFP Saturday, as sniper fire forced the closure of the highway to Syria. Tripoli has been the scene of chronic sectarian fighting since the war in Syria erupted three years ago, with gunmen from
The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah, the faction of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, didn't let the peace talks with Israel deter their annual praising of the most lethal terror attack on Israel. Both groups reveled in the March 11 anniversary of arch-terrorist Dalal Mughrabi's horrific massacre. In 1978, Mughrabi led a group of terrorists
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction went on the offensive Thursday, claiming that Hamas in Gaza is corrupt and "doesn't represent the Palestinian people." Fatah Spokesman Ahmad Assaf told Erem News that Hamas's attempts to influence Egypt's inner workings are "unacceptable," noting the ties between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, both of
