The Argentine Jesuit’s first 6 overseas trips reflect not just Francis’ distinction as the first pope from the developing world, but also a constant theme of his papacy: reaching out to the world’s “peripheries” or “fringes,” meaning his favorite type of people: the poor and the vulnerable.

In a move that heightened tensions with Israel and could lead to cuts in U.S. aid, the Palestinians on Friday delivered to U.N. headquarters documents on joining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and other international treaties.

Debate, diplomacy, and dynamism: 2014 was a headline-generating year for Pope Francis and the Catholic Church. The pope encouraged open debate about controversial topics, stepped up his diplomatic game on the world stage, and continued to shape the Church in his unpredictable yet wholly entertaining style.

Palestinians intend to submit a final draft of their statehood resolution calling for an end to the occupation and the creation of a state by 2017 to the United Nations Security Council, senior Palestinian Authority officials said Monday.

Pop-music icon Janet Jackson was in Palestine on Sunday during a visit to Occupied Jerusalem with her Qatari billionaire husband Wissam al-Mana.  Jackson, also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, posted pictures on her Twitter account of herself posing with “beautiful Palestinian students.”

The mass media have a deeply important role in conflict situations or their resolution; they can determine the rise on violent episodes and on distrust, or the other way around. Mass media are also fundamental in determining people’s perceptions about the conflict or their engagement and confidence in a peace process.

The question is, then, why is Israel’s propaganda falling so short? The strategic answer is simple. Israel is fighting a total war which has a number of facets. 

European nations, Israel’s largest trading partners and a historical bastion of support, are taking stronger measures to support Palestinian sovereignty and condemn what many see as aggressive, expansionist Israeli policies.