Bahraini activists urge Pope to address persecution, human rights abuses

The Al-Khalifa monarchy is known for its heavy persecution of the country's Shia majority, and for stripping dissidents of their citizenships

Amnesty International becomes fourth major human rights group to call Israel an ‘apartheid state’

The designation includes accusations of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian population

Protesters gather at Swedish embassy in Turkiye to condemn Quran burning

Cities across West Asia have also witnessed backlash to the recent Quran burning, including in Amman, Baghdad, and Saada in Yemen

Ghajar: The flashpoint town between Lebanon, Syria, and Israel 

The Syrian-Lebanese town of Ghajar, occupied by Israel since 1967, is fixed at the center of a regional geopolitical confrontation.

Drowning by sea or despair: Gaza’s two bleak choices

Israel’s blockade against the Gaza Strip has been instrumental in the mass exodus of Palestinians, with many opting for the dangerous voyage by sea for a better quality of life.

Ultra-orthodox groups ask to modify ‘Law of Return’ to disenfranchise migrants from ex-Soviet nations

Around three fourths of all recent immigrants to Israel under the rights granted by the 'Law of Return' were not Jewish, according to a new Israeli study

German government repatriates four women from Syria’s infamous Al-Hawl camp

The German government intended to repatriate five women along with their children, but one of them reportedly escaped

Britain’s surveillance of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’

A follow-up exposé into the British Foreign Office’s clandestine operations across Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps to undermine the sovereignty of the state

Turkish social media campaign seeks to prohibit Syrian dual citizens from voting

Turkish social media users have launched a highly discriminatory campaign against the voting rights of Turkish citizens from Syrian ethnic backgrounds

The unholy alliance: Hindutva and Zionism

The ideologies of Hindutva and Zionism have taken centre stage in India and Israel’s apartheid-based policies. They have a lot in common, probably more so than their supporters would like.

Tuberculosis outbreak strikes controversial Bahrain prison

Jau Central Prison in Bahrain is notorious for its inhumane conditions and the large number of political prisoners arrested on dubious charges

Bahrainis to defy ban on Friday prayers in Diraz for second week in a row

Bahrain's ruling authorities banned Friday prayers at the main mosque in Diraz in 2016, a move criticized for silencing political dissent from the pulpits of mosques

Bahraini spiritual leader: Elections might reinforce dictatorship under guise of democracy

The exiled spiritual leader suggested that a choice lies between free elections that represent the will of the people, or a boycott of the ballots

Israel under fire for imposing limits on non-Jewish Ukrainian refugees

Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked faces a judicial appeal by the Ukrainian ambassador in Israel to reverse migration restrictions

Israeli Knesset approves law banning unification of Palestinian families

The citizenship law joins the long list of many Israeli laws that discriminate against Arab citizens

Qatar’s first-ever election unsettles its neighbors 

Qatar's maiden Shura Council elections are being heavily scrutinized for their potential domestic and regional ramifications. While voter eligibility criteria has caused ripples within the country, some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors fear the Qatari vote will widen demands for representative government among their own citizens.