The United Nations body responsible for preserving the world's most important cultural sites voted Friday to grant "world heritage" status to the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
Syrian security forces, soldiers and pro-regime militias used sexual violence to torture people in detention and sexually abused women and girls as young as 12 in raids, a new report said Friday.
After five years of trying, an international group of authors have achieved their aim of taking their Palestine Festival of Literature to Gaza for the first time.
Israeli security forces and intelligence officers raided a Palestinian television station overnight and took computers, tapes, transmitters and paperwork, the director of the station said Wednesday.
Hamas condemned Friday the arrests of two Palestinian lawmakers and called for a halt to recent peace talks.
To ring in the New Year, CNN's Belief Blog asked experts in religion, faith leaders, and a secular humanist about how the forces of faith and faithlessness will shape the world in 2012.
The Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations was effectively stalled Friday after the Security Council approved a report stating its inability "to make a unanimous recommendation."
A draft report from a U.N. Security Council committee studying whether Palestinians should be accepted as a U.N. member state was "unable to make a unanimous recommendation" to the council.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas formally requests official recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N.
The United States is cutting funding to the U.N. education and science agency UNESCO after the agency voted to accept a Palestinian bid for full membership, the U.S. State Department said Monday.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a three-country tour in Latin America in a bid to build support for U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state, met with the president of El Salvador on Sunday.
On a political level, it was a powerful Middle East nation playing host to a people whose cause it supports.
The U.N. speeches of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are behind us. There are doubts that Abbas will even be able to secure the necessary nine of 15 votes in the U.N. Security Council to support a resolution on statehood, regardless of the expected U.S. veto.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov talks about efforts by the Palestinians to be recognized by the U.N.
I have lived my entire adult life under Israeli military occupation. I snatch an approximation of freedom only when I travel and even then I know I am not truly free because my homeland remains controlled by a foreign power.
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu predicts the Palestinians' bid for statehood will fail. CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney reports
Brazilian filmmaker Julia Bacha looks at a village that staged a nonviolent protest to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Envoys with the Mideast Quartet met again Tuesday after failing Monday to reach an agreement on how to jump-start stalled talks between Israelis and Palestinians.
Top diplomats from the Middle East Quartet -- comprised of officials from the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia -- met Monday night hoping to kick-start stalled negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
Israel started sending home pro-Palestinian activists it detained while trying to enter the country last week, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government would block similar "provocations" in the future.
Israeli officials have detained dozens of people traveling to Tel Aviv as part of an organized pro-Palestinian protest, a police spokesman said Friday.
At six foot five, with his shock of blonde hair shaved into a fat Mohawk and talking in a languid Georgian drawl, Omar Jarun looks like he was once part of an all-conquering college basketball team.
West Bank artist Khaled Jarrar has created a Palestinian passport stamp in protest at Israeli travel restrictions.
When you pass through a country's borders, what does it mean to have immigration issue that authoritative stamp in your passport?
In a small showroom in the West Bank city of Ramallah, two Palestinian security guards carefully watch over a masterpiece by one of the most famous artists in modern history.
Palestinian leaders announced Sunday that they will go to the United Nations this September and ask to be recognized as an independent country, a move opposed by both Israel and the United States.
Why am I going on the Freedom Flotilla II to Gaza? I ask myself this, even though the answer is: What else would I do? I am in my sixty-seventh year, having lived already a long and fruitful life, one with which I am content.
The word "comic" typically conjures up images of muscly men in colorful tights who possess superhuman powers.
An Italian humanitarian activist and journalist who was kidnapped in Gaza has been found dead and one person is in custody, the Hamas Interior Ministry said Friday in a statement.
A controversial Facebook page calling for another Palestinian intifada has been pulled off the social media website, following complaints from the Israeli government that it incited violence against Jews.
CNN's Piers Morgan reminds his viewers about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's view on Palestine.
Hidden in a basement in central Tel Aviv, amidst the smell of sawdust and varnish, is a musical workshop whose owner and son have spent the past 15 years tracking down violins played by Jewish Holocaust victims and bringing the instruments back to life.
One man tells of his efforts to keep the memories of Holocaust victims alive through violins.
A revolt against the politics of despair is sweeping across the Arab and Muslim world -- signs of which are on full display from Afghanistan and Iran to Palestine and most spectacularly in Tunisia.
Ecuador is the latest country to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Construction has started for about 600 new housing units in the West Bank since the Israeli settlement freeze ended late last month, the group Peace Now said Thursday.
Iranian officials continued Sunday to trade barbs with the Palestinian Authority over its president's decision to renew direct peace talks with Israel.
The administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas lashed out at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday, a day after Ahmadinejad criticized Abbas for renewing direct peace talks with Israel.
President Mahmoud Abbas calls for Israelis to stop building settlements and allow for free movement.
Protesters gathered in Iran on Friday for a demonstration to observe an annual holiday that marks the country's solidarity with Palestinians and calls for the end of Israel occupation.
CNN's Dan Lothian looks at the long road ahead after Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to restart peace talks.
As a global community, we would probably like to believe that our ongoing human experiment has been driven by the enlightened advancement of collective human thought. Because as Mahatma Gandhi said, "I have nothing new to teach the world. ... Truth and nonviolence are as old as the hills."
It is without a doubt one of the most pressing issues for the Middle East region today, described by Queen Rania of Jordan as a "ticking time bomb."
The Islamic scholar who issued a powerful fatwa, or religious ruling, against terrorism and suicide bombers said Thursday that he was not afraid of reprisals from his enemies and did not fear for his life.
At least 36 people were killed and 71 hurt Monday in three vehicle bombings that rocked Baghdad, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
The Faisal al Husseini football stadium was packed, two hours before kick off, with a noisy sea of Palestinian flags and white hijabs. Football matches are always a big deal in the West Bank, but this game was more significant than most. 10,000 women had flocked to the stadium, on the outskirts of East Jerusalem and a mere few meters from the separation barrier that snakes around the West Bank, to watch a historic football match few would have believed possible just a few years ago: the Palestinian women's national team were to play Jordan in their first ever home international.
MME sat down with Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the PNA and asked his thoughts about how economics can potentially bring stability to the West Bank and Gaza.
By the end of World War II in April 1945, with about two-thirds of European Jewry wiped out, Jewish survivors stepped out of the darkness in search of a place to call home.
An audio message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has accused President Barack Obama of being unable to fulfil his election pledge to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.
The Palestinian Youth Orchestra (PYO) is just one example of the Middle East's many arts and music initiatives that are helping spread a message of peace and harmony.
The Palestinian Youth Orchestra (PYO) is just one example of the Middle East's many arts and music initiatives that are helping spread a message of peace and harmony.
When the final whistle blew after Iraq's 4-0 win over Palestine at the Al-Shaab Stadium it was abundantly clear this was not just any international friendly.
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called Israel's recent offensive in Gaza a "holocaust," according to a purported message from him posted on an Islamist Web site.
Amid all the fanfare about Cristiano Ronaldo at Monday night's FIFA World Player Gala awards in Zurich, Switzerland; a remarkable story emerged.
Thousands of demonstrators marched through cities across Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to Israel's attacks on Gaza.
An audio message attributed to Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest ranking former member of Saddam Hussein's regime still at large, salutes the "People of Palestine" and calls on them to fight back against Israel in Gaza.
South Africa will be ready for the World Cup in 2010 and, as much as is necessary, will be ready for the Confederations Cup this June. How South Africa will cope is, of course, another matter entirely.
A jury's conviction Monday of former leaders of an Islamic charity for helping finance Hamas was cheered as a success for the Bush administration. But it was assailed by First Amendment attorneys and international law experts who said the case was weak and overzealously prosecuted.
As more and more young Palestinians grow disenchanted with the two parties dominating their political landscape, they are going online to mobilize for change -- in politics and their lives
Running is a sport where relative success matters. A single group of striving runners can contain an individual for whom running at the pace of the pack is an act of utter laziness, and next to him or her, an individual for whom keeping up with that same pack is a heroic effort.
Countries at a one-day conference Tuesday agreed to commit more than $240 million to help strengthen the Palestinian Authority's police force and court system
Can religion help solve the world's many conflicts? Britain's former Prime Minister thinks so
With Egypt's GDP running at 7.5 percent and foreign direct investment above $11 billion, the Middle East's most populous country is on the economic upswing. MME's John Defterios (JD) talks with the man responsible for accelerating Egypt's economic reforms and creating a friendly business environment, Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif (AN).
An audio message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden -- the second in three days -- says Arab leaders "sacrificed" Palestinians and calls on bin Laden's followers once again to liberate Palestine.
A blunt new statement attributed to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urges his followers to liberate Palestine. The statement's release coincides with Israel's 60th anniversary.
Al-Jazeera broadcast on Thursday an audiotape on which a voice identified as Osama bin Laden declares "Iraq is the perfect base to set up the jihad to liberate Palestine."
On a videotape released Sunday, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn renounces his U.S. citizenship, destroys his passport and cites U.S. President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East.
Young Arabs are turning to hip-hop to express their feelings about conflicts in the Middle East
Arif Naqvi is CEO of Abraaj Capital, a Dubai-based investment firm specializing in private equity investments in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.
Most Iranians support nuclear inspections, a democratic government and normal relations with the United States, a poll by a U.S.-based organization has found.
The idea that poverty breeds terror appears obvious; how could it be otherwise? And people as different as the Archbishop of Canterbury, George Bush, Jacques Chirac and Pakistan's leader, Pervez Musharraf, have also noted a link between poverty and terrorism.
Al Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri released a new videotaped statement Wednesday in which he sided with Hamas' opposition to early Palestinian elections.
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
With news that the Democratic Party in the U.S. has taken control of both houses of legislature, major national papers are discussing how reverberations of the election results will be felt around the world.
The easing of a security crackdown in Baghdad's volatile Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City may be emboldening members of Shiite death squads, a Sunni leader said Wednesday.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he is surprised American politicians are so pro-Israel, and he again expressed doubt that the Holocaust is a historically established fact.
The Union of Arab Football Association (UAFA) is donating $1 million to help football development in Palestine, FIFA announced on Thursday.
In a videotape broadcast Saturday, Osama bin Laden's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, condemns published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that have sparked violent protests throughout the Muslim world.
The president of Iran has said it is his country's right to develop nuclear energy, and threatened to "revise" its acceptance of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) if Western countries attempt to interfere with that right.
Thinking about Big Oil and food this morning ...
What are Palestinians voting for?
Alleged race hate cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri made a speech condemning western leaders for behaving like sugar daddies to Israel because, he claimed, the country kept files on politicians for blackmail, a jury has heard.
Imprisoned former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein wrote in a letter published Sunday that he is prepared to sacrifice himself for the Arab cause, and called on other Arabs to follow his example.
A Kenyan judge acquitted three men on conspiracy charges Monday in the 2002 bombing of a Mombasa hotel that killed 15 people, a court official said. The magistrate cited lack of evidence.
President Bush -- making a five-day trip to Belgium, Germany and Slovakia -- spoke to European leaders Monday in a wide-ranging speech that called for Syria to withdraw troops from Lebanon, for Russia to embrace democracy and for greater cooperation between the United States and Europe. Here is a transcript of his speech:
The following is Palestinian reaction to the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat:
The Arabic language TV news network Al-Jazeera on Friday aired what it claims is a new audiotape from al Qaeda's No. 2 man, Ayman al-Zawahiri. CNN has not authenticated the tape. CNN's Senior Editor for Arab Affairs Octavia Nasr translated the its message.
The Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera Friday aired what it claims is a new audiotape from al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, issuing a call to action in the Muslim world.
An Islamic group with links to al Qaeda has claimed to have mounted explosions in Istanbul which killed two people Tuesday.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told cheering supporters Saturday that he has a message that the Israeli prime minister should hear:
CNNMoney: Techs fizzleupdated: Tue Mar 23 2004 14:53:00
Technology stocks ended modestly lower Tuesday after struggling much of the afternoon as lingering security fears cramped investor optimism.
Treasury prices rose Monday as investors looked to fixed-income securities amid concerns of further violence in the Middle East and political turmoil in Asia.
South Korea and Japan, co-hosts of the last World Cup finals, both made hard work of winning their opening Asian qualifiers for the 2006 tournament.
Divestment. If you're of a certain age--let's say on the wrong end of 35--that word conjures up a movement on American college campuses in the early to mid-1980s that tried to force university endo...
Fawaz Ismail heard the whooping sound of a police siren as he cruised his topaz Mercedes out of the parking lot of his favorite Afghan restaurant on a mid-September afternoon. It was just a routine...
SCATTERED from Amman to Atlanta, they form a global community of wealth and power united by a single cause. They are the Palestinian entrepreneurs, and no group has done more to press Yasser Arafat...
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