Middle East

World News

Report Cites Abuses By Iraqi Militias

12:23pm March 18, 2015

Human Rights Watch offers new photographic and video evidence that shows Iraqi militias looting property and burning homes and villages of Sunni civilians in areas formerly controlled by ISIS.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to supporters Tuesday at his election campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv. If he succeeds in forming a coalition government, he would begin a historic fourth term.

World News

Netanyahu Defeats Center-Left Rival In Israel's Parliamentary Election

2:46am March 18, 2015

by Mark Katkov

If he succeeds in forming a coalition government Netanyahu would begin a historic fourth term as prime minister of Israel.

Netanyahu Hopes To Win 4th Term In Israeli Election

8:18pm March 17, 2015

by Emily Harris

Polls are now closed in Israel's parliamentary elections. NPR's Emily Harris says that voter turnout was a little higher than expected Tuesday.

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An Israeli woman votes with her daughter at a polling station in the coastal city of Haifa on Tuesday. Israel faces an unpredictable election to determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain in power.

World News

Israel's Election: Exit Polls Show Netanyahu's Likud, Opposition In Tight Race

6:53pm March 17, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Two exit polls show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and Isaac Herzog's Zionist Union each with 27 seats in the Knesset. Another shows Likud with 28 and the Zionist Union with 27.

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World News

U.S. Loses Control Of Drone Over Syria

6:43pm March 17, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

The Syrian government said it shot down the drone. A Pentagon official said though it wasn't clear that had happened, the claim was being investigated.

A Palestinian family leaves the visitors center at Rawabi.

World News

A New Community Rises In The West Bank ... And It's Not Israeli

10:23am March 17, 2015

by Steve Inskeep

Much of the new building in the territory involves Jewish settlements. The Palestinians now have a new city, but the project has been slowed because until recently Israel did not allow a water hookup.

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World News

Benjamin Netanyahu Faces A Big Test As Israelis Head To Polls

9:24am March 17, 2015

by Emily Harris

The Israeli prime minister has warned his party may lose in Tuesday's election. That's despite his recent speech before the U.S. Congress that was expected to give him an advantage.

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World News

A History Of West Bank Settlements

7:25am March 17, 2015

As Morning Edition wraps up its series on the role of land and identity in the Israel-Palestine conflict, Steve Inskeep talks to Israeli author Gershom Gorenberg about the history of the settlements.

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As Nuclear Talks Resume, Iranian Negotiators Consider Republican Letter

8:01pm March 16, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

U.S. officials say that during nuclear talks, Iranian negotiators discussed the controversial letter Senate Republicans sent to Iran last week.

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Israel's light rail runs through Jewish areas in East Jerusalem, then into Palestinian neighborhoods and on to old Israeli communities in West Jerusalem. On occasion, it has been a target for violence.

World News

A Rail Line That Crosses Jerusalem's Divide, But Can't Unite It

1:43pm March 16, 2015

by Steve Inskeep

The city's light rail has attracted Israeli and Palestinian riders. But it has also been a source of controversy in a conflict where even the trains are freighted with political significance.

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