Ethiopian Christians celebrate the Holy Fire ceremony
By New Statesman - 17 January 9:21

On 22 January, Israelis will go to the polls. The world watches – but how much do we really know about the country that calls itself “the sole bastion of democracy” in the Middle East?

Syrian activist Anas al-Shogre hasn't been seen since May 2011.
By Eulette Ewart - 24 December 10:52

The Syrian activist disappeared in May 2011 and hasn't been seen since.

Egyptian opposition supporters shout slogans
By Olivier Roy - 13 December 7:37

Egypt and Tunisia aren’t sliding into chaos – they are simply learning how to be democracies.

New Statesman
By Kamila Kocialkowska - 03 December 17:51

Conflict reporting has always been the most dangerous branch of journalism - but in the changing political landscape of recent years, has it become even more so?

President Morsi at the UN General Assembly in September
By Mehdi Hasan - 29 November 8:44

Long live the Arab Spring - despite the murmurs about Morsi’s “pharaonic” decree in Egypt and the Syrian bloodbath, I refuse to lose faith in the people of the Arab world.

Demonstrators wave Israeli flags in London
By Keith Kahn-Harris - 23 November 11:25

The diversity of views that has developed has been temporarily obscured by Operation Pillar of Defence.

A Palestinian woman walks past destroyed tents near bombed smuggling tunnels
By James Rodgers - 22 November 10:50

There must be a limit, though, to how long bombs, bullets, and barbed wire can contain Gaza.

A television camera outside is positioned outside BBC Television Centre
By John Pilger - 22 November 8:33

We must understand the BBC as a pre-eminent state propagandist and censor by omission, says John Pilger.

Israeli soldiers pray at dawn at an artillery emplacement
By Jason Cowley - 22 November 8:07

Reporting from Tel Aviv and Ramallah as the latest rash of violence began to sweep Israel, Jason Cowley finds a nation implacably set on a course of war . . . and increasingly disconnected from the world.

Palestinians inpect the rubble of a destroyed house in Gaza.
By Phoebe Greenwood - 22 November 6:44

Phoebe Greenwood in Gaza reflects on the recent violence.

A Palestinian mourns the death of a relative. Photo: Getty
By New Statesman - 21 November 18:43

Despite the latest ceasefire, there is no way clear to peace. And there is no military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The ceasefire was announced at a press conference today.
By Martha Gill - 21 November 18:39

Bombardment to stop at 1900 GMT on 21 November, says Egyptian foreign minister.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photograph: Getty Images.
By George Eaton - 21 November 17:03

Israeli spokesman Mark Regev tells the NS that "a nuclear-armed Iran is something we will not accept".

Israelis emergency services inspect a destroyed building.
By Prof Alan Johnson - 21 November 12:51

Proportionality is not the same thing as symmetry. Israel must counter the developing threat from Hamas.

Labour lawyer and convoy organiser Haitham Mohamedain
By Bel Trew and Nada El-Kouny - 21 November 12:32

Bel Trew and Nada El-Kouney report from the civilian convoy that travelled into the violence in solidarity.

A Palestinian man inspects a damaged building.
By David Miliband - 20 November 16:12

The country needs to remember that self-defence is not the same as smart defence.

Albert Einstein in 1931
By Caroline Crampton - 17 November 11:42

Einstein declined, saying he lacked "the natural aptitude and the experience to deal properly with people" to do the job.

A plume of smoke rises over Gaza during an Israeli air strike
By Caroline Crampton - 17 November 10:55

Hamas HQ hit on fourth day of Israeli air strikes on Gaza.

A Sudanese displaced boy looks at a UN soldier. Photograph: Getty Images
By Magdy el-Baghdady - 16 November 12:37

Arab and Muslim nations condemn Israel but remain mute in the face of ongoing ethnic cleansing in Sudan.

Israeli missiles launched into Gaza
By Alex Ward - 15 November 16:20

President Mohamed Morsi bows to domestic pressure.

A plume of smoke rises over Gaza during an Israeli air strike, as seen from Sder
By Rachel Shabi - 15 November 13:38

Israel says the goal is not to remove Hamas but to reassert Israel’s “deterrence” capability.

Missiles are displayed during a North Korean military parade
By Alex Ward - 15 November 10:27

Pyongyang accused of violating UN sanctions to export missile technology to Assad.

Palestinians extinguish fire from the car of Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari.
By George Eaton - 15 November 9:05

Hamas military commander killed as Israel launches new Gaza offensive.

A rebel fighter rides a motorbike along a road near Aleppo
By Toby Muse - 01 November 14:18

Recent media coverage would have us believe Syria is now flooded with foreign extremists. On the ground, Toby Muse finds something quite different.

Syrian rebel fighters celebrate on top of a captured tank
By Charlotte Rachael Proudman - 30 October 11:05

The International Criminal Court should act to bring Syrian officials to justice without Security Council authorisation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photograph: Getty Images.
By David Patrikarakos - 30 October 10:25

An Israeli war game recently imagined the fallout from a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. David Patrikarakos reveals what he learned when he received exclusive access.

A Sunni woman mourns the death of Lebanese intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan.
By Alex Ward - 25 October 8:00

Outbreaks of sectarian violence expose Lebanon’s vulnerability to outside forces.

The Tomb of the Patriarchs
By Edward Platt - 09 October 11:19

Telling the story of Hebron, cradle of monotheism.

Turkish soldiers on the Turkish-Syrian border. Photograph: Getty Images
By New Statesman - 05 October 15:43

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish leader, says the countries are "not far" from war.

New Statesman
By Tam Hussein - 05 October 9:22

Ripples of the Arab Spring felt in the Gulf States.

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