International Criminal Court

Israel will resume the transfer of tax revenues levied on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which had been suspended since January.

The re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified this move with rising humanitarian concerns, the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and the rise of extremism.

Israel will release to the Palestinian Authority tax funds it collects on its behalf and withheld as punishment for its move to join the International Criminal Court, the premier's office said March 26.
      

The UN Human Rights Council on March 27 harshly criticised North Korea for the "systematic abduction" of foreigners, after a UN investigation found the country had snatched up to 200,000 foreign nationals.
      

The Palestinians slammed Israelis on March 18 for voting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, saying they had chosen "occupation and settlement building" over peace talks.
      

Benjamin Netanyahu swept to a stunning election victory on March 18, securing a third straight term for an Israeli leader who has deepened tensions with the Palestinians and infuriated key ally Washington.

The Syrian government killed more than 100 civilians in a series of "ruthless air strikes" on a bastion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last year, Amnesty International said on March 17.
      

A Turkish has court ordered a fresh examination of the ?Mavi Marmara? ship that was raided by Israeli soldiers while trying to break the blockade on Gaza in 2010, as a part of an ongoing case against four Israeli commanders changed in absentia with the killing of nine Turks.

Israelis vote next week in an election seen as a referendum on the tenure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who could lose but still secure a new term in power.
      

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) decided on Thursday to suspend security cooperation with Israel, which is part of 1993 peace accords.

This move was retaliatory measure against Israel's decision to suspend the transfer of taxes to Palestinians after their application to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), the BBC reports.

The head of UNESCO has condemned the destruction of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), saying it amounted to a "war crime."

"I condemn with the strongest force the destruction of the site at Nimrud," Irina Bokova said in a statement.