Israel Sunday agreed to halt new settlement construction projects in the West Bank, according to a joint statement issued after a summit in Aqaba. The agreement is significant, as Israel’s recent retroactive approval of further construction and expansion in the West Bank has been widely criticised. However, senior Israeli government officials interpreted the agreement differently. [...]

The Israeli government and Palestinian Authority Sunday affirmed a “commitment” to work towards “a just and lasting peace” following successful talks in Jordan. The joint statement expresses the parties’ confirmation of a “readiness” to work towards peace measures as well as advance “confidence-building measures and strengthen mutual trust…through direct dialogue.” The Aqaba Joint Communiqué is [...]

Israeli ministers Sunday advanced a bill that would reinstate the country’s death penalty in a push led by the far-right to counteract terrorism. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted to advance the bill, which has been welcomed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s extremist Otzma Yehudit party. “We have now passed the death penalty [...]

James Joseph is UK Senior Correspondent for JURIST. The Government introduced a new Holocaust Memorial Bill to Parliament last week on February 23rd. The bill, called the Holocaust Memorial Act 2023, was launched under section 19(1)(a) of the Human Rights Act 1998. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said the Bill would update [...]

Activists on Saturday called on South Sudanese authorities to clarify the fate and whereabouts of an opposition critic who was allegedly detained in Kenya on February 4 by South Sudanese government actors and forcibly returned to his home country before disappearing into custody. International human rights organization Amnesty International and legal justice group the Pan-African [...]

US District Judge Robert Pitman Friday ruled that Texas abortion funds cannot be prosecuted for aiding women who travel out of Texas to get abortions. In August 2022, numerous abortion funds, pro-choice groups and non-profit organizations brought the lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. They claimed that after Roe v Wade was overturned in June [...]

The Council of the European Union Saturday imposed additional sanctions and measures against the Russia-affiliated Wagner paramilitary group for human rights abuses taking place in their areas of operation. This follows previous EU sanctions against the Wagner Group introduced in 2021 over the group’s alleged human rights violations. The Wagner group is a Russian private [...]

The Supreme Court of Kenya Friday declared discrimination against the LGBTQ community unconstitutional and affirmed their right to association after a 10-year legal battle. In a 3-2 majority decision, the court ruled that article 27 of Kenya’s Constitution—which protects every person from discrimination with an open-ended list of grounds—protects sexual minorities as well. The court said: [...]

US federal prosecutors Thursday announced charges against 13 members, including three leaders, of MS-13. The members were accused of terrorism, racketeering and murder charges, spanning over 20 years, in the US, El Salvador and Mexico. The US District Court in the Eastern District of New York issued an indictment to all 13 members in September 2022 [...]

The ACLU of Missouri and two state librarian associations Thursday sued state prosecutors over a state law that bans “sexually explicit materials” from public schools and libraries, arguing that the law violates the state constitution. The case is in the Circuit Court of Jackson County. The plaintiffs filed a petition for injunctive and declaratory relief over [...]