The Independent

The European Commission report warns that 'attempts to emphasise the Jewish identity' in Jerusalem 'threatens its religious diversity'

EU 'should block finance for Israeli settlements'

18 January 2012 12:00 AM

'Radical action' urged to tackle illegal expansion in Jerusalem

Arab League meeting to condemn Syria brutality

18 January 2012 12:00 AM

The Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad looked dangerously isolated last night, with a wall of regional opposition steadily building around him and Arab League sources suggesting his regime will face unprecedented condemnation when the organisation meets this weekend.

Syrian rebel chief asks world to stop bloodshed

17 January 2012 01:14 PM

A Syrian rebel army chief urged the world today to protect civilians in Syria, saying Arab peace monitors had failed to curb President Bashar al-Assad's violent response to a 10-month-old revolt against his rule.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman faces charges of money-laundering

Could corruption trial stop the rise of the black sheep of Israeli politics?

17 January 2012 12:00 AM

Described once by an American magazine editor as a "neo-fascist" and a "certified gangster", Israel's firebrand Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is no stranger to controversy. It has not stopped him from building up a devoted following that has propelled his party to the forefront of Israeli politics.

A dead body is pulled from the rubble of the collapsed building
yesterday

Poverty is main culprit as 19 die in slum tragedy

17 January 2012 12:00 AM

Building collapse highlights rental laws which have left Beirut's poorest tenants living in danger

Homs MP defies Assad to defect

17 January 2012 12:00 AM

A Syrian MP has fled the country to join the opposition against President Bashar al-Assad, saying the people are suffering sweeping human rights violations.

Death toll in Beirut building collapse rises to 18

16 January 2012 12:57 PM

Lebanese security officials said today that the death toll from the collapse of a five-story residential building in Beirut has risen to 18, most of them foreigners.

General Martin Dempsey: A former combat commander in Iraq, he became head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff last September

US military chief heads to Israel to avert attack on Iran

16 January 2012 12:00 AM

President Barack Obama's top military adviser will arrive in Israel this week amid deepening fears in Washington that the country is planning a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

The President of Syria Bashar al-Assad, who for the past ten months has faced a nationwide insurrection which shows no sign of fizzling out

Assad offers an amnesty to the 'criminals' of the Syrian uprising

16 January 2012 12:00 AM

Opposition groups scoff at pardon for protesters as calls grow for foreign military intervention

Nazi's lawyer helps Katsav

16 January 2012 12:00 AM

An Israeli lawyer who defended the convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk has joined the legal team of the disgraced former President, Moshe Katsav.

Norwegian UN worker kidnapped in Yemen

15 January 2012 10:36 AM

Norway's Foreign Ministry says a Norwegian man who was working for the United Nations has been kidnapped in Yemen.

Syria: Assad 'must stop violence'

15 January 2012 09:11 AM

The UN Secretary General today demanded that Syria's president stop killing his own people, saying the revolutions of the Arab Spring show that people will no longer accept tyranny.

Mourners at Friday's funeral of the nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, who was killed on Wednesday when two bombs were placed on his car

Tension at new high as Iran vows to punish West

15 January 2012 12:00 AM

Tehran threatens to close Straits of Hormuz if US enforces an embargo

Bomb kills 30 Shi'ite pilgrims in southern Iraq

14 January 2012 09:37 AM

A bomb killed at least 30 Shi'ite pilgrims near the southern port city of Basra today, Iraqi officials said. It was the latest in a series of attacks during Shi'ite religious commemorations that threaten to further increase sectarian tensions just weeks after the US withdrawal.