All Middle East
- How oil price slump is putting a squeeze on Hezbollah, Iran's Shiite ally
In the second half of 2014, the price of oil fell by 50 percent. Hezbollah, which last fought Israel in Lebanon in 2006, is starting to tighten its belt as its patron Iran feels the impact of lower oil revenues and sanctions.
- Iran's Khamenei tweets his views on US police brutality
Mr. Khamenei used the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #Ferguson in a series of tweets that suggested the hypocrisy of the US at Christmastime.
- How pilot's capture threatens Jordan's position in Islamic State fight
Islamic State reportedly is asking a steep price for the captured pilot. Jordanians, who only narrowly support the bombing campaign, want the government to do 'whatever it takes' to get him back.
- Christmas in Bethlehem: For Palestinian Christians, a time of needed hope
Facing political strife and a poor economy in Bethlehem this Christmas, Palestinian Christians say they are finding hope in Jesus’s message of peace and justice.
- To put food on the table in Turkey, enterprising Syrians sell 'taste of home'
Syrian refugees in Turkey are importing coffee, cigarettes, and other simple and inexpensive products from their homeland to sell to fellow refugees. The extra income barely covers costs for many households.
- Jordan using new antiterror law to stifle dissent, democracy activists say
Since September, dozens of political activists have been arrested. Jordan said Friday that a Jordanian warplane had crashed in Syria and its pilot had been captured by Islamic State, which claims to have downed the aircraft.
- In Kobane, Islamic State takes a pounding, but holds on
Despite losing hundreds of fighters to US airstrikes and confronting Iraqi Kurdish fighters, the Islamic State has resisted eviction from Kobane, and its foes fear the fight will drag on.
- Israel elections 101: Can revitalized Labor stop country's shift to the right?
For years, a discredited and distrusted Labor party has been sidelined as Israel has moved to the right. But a surprise alliance with Tzipi Livni is reaching for the center and outpolling Netanyahu's Likud.
- Homegrown jihadis: On Syrian border, Belgian father tracks his wayward son
Dimitri Bontinck, a Belgian ex-soldier who retrieved his own son from the Islamic State, goes back to the Turkish-Syrian border to help another anguished father. But luring away jihadis is hard work.
- Iraqi Kurds seize Mt. Sinjar from Islamic State in major victory
Iraqi Kurdish fighters have broken the Islamic State's siege on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq with the help of US-led airstrikes, freeing hundreds from the Yazidi minority who were trapped there for months.
- A Palestinian’s journey from stone-throwing to conflict resolution
Aziz Abu Sarah became embittered as a kid during the first Palestinian intifada but had an extraordinary transformation – in Hebrew class.
- In northeast Iraq, flashes of resistance against Islamic State militants
A combination of Iraqi Army units and Kurdish and Shiite paramilitaries has flushed Sunni militants from much of Diyala Province. But tribal leaders run a lethal risk for defying militants and joining the resistance.
- On Turkish-Syrian border, a baby Obama is born
'Only Obama helped us in our time of need, so I named my son after him,' says a Syrian refugee who goes by the name of Abu Obama. US-led airstrikes on his hometown of Kobane have helped its defenders to resist an Islamic State offensive.
- In Iraq, Sunni tribes pay heavy toll for joining fight against Islamic State
Leaders of Sunni tribes in Iraq who have joined the battle against the Islamic State say jihadist sleeper cells in their tribes are undermining their ability to fight back.
- FocusIs it time for Israel to talk peace within the region?
With the shared regional threat of the Islamic State and a nuclear Iran, some top Israeli security officials say now's the time for peace talks with Israel's moderate neighbors.
- FocusBuilding a shared Jerusalem: One design firm takes up the task
Studio Aya has produced detailed renderings of nearly every key challenge involved in dividing Jerusalem between Israel and the future Palestine.
- FocusJerusalem crisis: Amid violence, seeking paths to peace
The question of how to govern a shared Jerusalem, sacred to both Jews and Muslims, often seems intractable. But many potential solutions are already under consideration.
- Israel elections 101: Was early vote gambit riskier than Netanyahu wanted?
Israeli public opinion polls show Benjamin Netanyahu, who precipitated early elections, is favored to win a fourth term as prime minister. But support for him is falling, and he is vulnerable.
- In tense West Bank city, she secretly meets Israelis to talk peace
Haya, a Hebron college student, has stopped telling friends about peace and started boycotting Israeli products. But she meets twice a month with Israelis and says one day she might be Palestinian president.
- Could official's death mean the end of Palestinian security ties with Israel?
Ziad Abu Ein died after clashing with Israeli forces at a West Bank protest. Amid popular calls to cut off key security cooperation and to retaliate, some leaders are calling for calm.