For anyone who has been critical of the Western narrative on Syria, the ongoing diplomatic circus begs a very basic question: How can the countries that have bankrolled and armed the insurgency honestly broker a meaningful peace deal? Well, they can’t.

THE HAGUE —  The International Criminal Court's prosecutor said on Tuesday that she would open a preliminary examination into events surrounding the 2010 Israeli raid on a humanitarian aid flotilla bound for the Gaza strip, in which nine Turkish activists were killed.

WASHINGTON — The surprise accord reached by the U.S. and Russia in Moscow Tuesday to try to convene an international conference to resolve the two-year-old civil war in Syria as soon as the end of this month has been greeted with equal measures of hope and skepticism.

Expressions of angst over Syria have entailed several themes, one of which concerns possible “spread” of the Syrian civil war into nearby states. Lebanon, for reasons of physical and ethnic geography, is most often mentioned as a locale of such spreading.

LONDON - A rare 18th century painting of the footprints of the Prophet Muhammad, painted during the 18th century Ottoman Empire, will take center stage at British auction house Mullock’s on the 21st of May.

TORONTO - On Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 7:00 PM, the Toronto Palestine Film Festival (TPFF) will commemorate Al Nakba’s 65th anniversary with the North American premiere of Ahmed Damen’s documentary "The Red Stone". The premiere will take place at Beit Zatoun, 612 Markham St., Toronto, ON. Admission is a $5 suggested donation.