Middle East

World News

Access To Holy Places In Jerusalem Sparks Violence

2:51pm October 23, 2015

by Alice Fordham

A spark for Israel's current violence is access to al-Aqsa Mosque. A look at failed efforts to share sacred places across the Holy Land shows why neither side trusts the other to keep promises.

Queue Listen Now

Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.

Live Blog: Partisan Sniping Flies As Clinton Testifies Before Benghazi Committee

11:27pm October 22, 2015

by Jessica Taylor

The Democratic presidential candidate faced tough questioning from Republicans over the 2012 attack that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

Why Does The U.S. Accept So Few Syrian Refugees?

5:26pm October 22, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Anne Richard, who handles Syrian refugee issues for the U.S. State Department, about why the U.S. has taken so few Syrian refugees relative to the scope of the crisis.

Queue Listen Now

U.S. Soldier Killed In Hostage-Rescue Raid On ISIS Prison In Iraq

4:52pm October 22, 2015

by Tom Bowman

American and Kurdish forces raided an Islamic State prison in northern Iraq on Thursday. About 70 captives were freed, and one U.S. service member died in the effort.

Kerry, Netanyahu Discuss Recent Violence In Israel

4:29pm October 22, 2015

by Michele Kelemen

Secretary of State John Kerry meets Israel's prime minister Thursday in a bid to calm Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Kerry also huddles with major players on Syria, a day after Russia hosted Bashar al-Assad.

Foreign Ministers To Meet In Vienna, Discuss Syria

4:29pm October 22, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to international order and strategy expert Jeremy Shapiro about Friday's planned meeting on Syria held by Secretary of State John Kerry and foreign ministers from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

A young girl is among many migrants, most of them Syrian, resting at a sports stadium near Turkey's western border with Greece on Sept. 22. Turkey has taken in some 2 million Syrians fleeing war in their homeland. But Turkey rarely allows the migrants to

World News

Turkey's Migrant Policy: They Can Come, But They Can't Settle

4:29pm October 22, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

The EU wants Turkey to keep more Syrian migrants from flooding into Europe. But the Syrians don't want to stay in a country that won't give them work permits or citizenship.

An Odd Group Of 5: Roommates Welcome Syrian Refugee Into Toledo, Ohio, Home

1:55pm October 22, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

The house on Alvin Street in Toledo, Ohio, has five roommates. Four of them are American students or recent graduates, and the fifth is a 22-year-old butcher from Syria who barely speaks any English. Yet somehow they get along. Mohammed's family remains at a refugee camp in Jordan, waiting for visas.

Queue Listen Now

World News

Israeli Hummus Cafe Cuts Bill In Half For Jews And Arabs Who Break Bread Together

1:54pm October 22, 2015

An owner of a hummus bar in Israel offers a 50 percent off discount when Israeli Jews and Arabs dine together.

Queue Listen Now

Odel Bennett, a 22-year-old Israeli woman, lies on a hospital bed as her mother Miriam Gal holds Odel's son Natan, 2, at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. Bennett was stabbed in an Oct. 3 attack by a Palestinian that killed her husband and lightly

World News

As Attacks Mount, Israelis Describe Lives Lost And Families Shattered

11:07am October 22, 2015

by Emily Harris

Several recent Israeli victims of Palestinian attacks recount the violence and how it is fueling tensions in the long-running conflict.

Queue Listen Now