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Hannah Allam

Syrian rebel group swears allegiance to al Qaida, complicating Western military aid

The jihadist group at the forefront of Syrian rebel gains on Wednesday pledged allegiance to al Qaida leader Ayman al Zawahiri, underscoring the bind U.S. and Western European governments are in even as they move toward broader military support for moderate elements of the Syrian opposition. | 04/10/13 17:49:28 By - By Hannah Allam

John Kerry: Israel, Palestinians to push West Bank economy as step to peace

Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday that Israeli and Palestinian officials had agreed on a plan to boost the dismal economy of the West Bank, the first concrete measure to emerge from an ambitious new U.S.-led push to restart peace talks after a four-year deadlock. | 04/09/13 18:58:32 By - By Hannah Allam and Sheera Frenkel

Despite U.S. concerns, little prevents Islamists from joining Syria fight

For all the Obama administration’s vocal concern about Islamist extremists fighting in Syria, neither U.S. officials nor regional allies have taken significant action to stem the flow of jihadists to rebel ranks. | 04/08/13 16:52:36 By - By Hannah Allam and David Enders

Kerry confirms start of ‘quiet strategy’ to revive Mideast peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday that the “festering absence of peace” between Israelis and Palestinians only fuels extremism and that the time is right for renewed efforts toward resolving the decades-old conflict. | 04/08/13 16:44:09 By - By Hannah Allam and Sheera Frenkel

Kerry pushes for Turkish role in peace talks, but Israelis, Palestinians say ‘no’

Amid fears that a U.S.-backed reconciliation between Israel and Turkey might unravel, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkish leaders Sunday that it was vital for peace in the region that the two close U.S. allies get their relations “back on track in its full measure.” | 04/07/13 18:11:35 By - By Roy Gutman and Hannah Allam

Obama’s Syria policy in shambles as Assad opposition squabbles

The Obama administration’s Syria policy was unraveling Monday after weekend developments left the Syrian Opposition Coalition and its military command in turmoil, with the status of its leader uncertain and its newly selected prime minister rejected by the group’s military wing. State Department officials said they still planned to work with the coalition, to which the United States has pledged $60 million, but analysts said the developments were one more sign that the Obama administration and its European allies had no workable Syria policy. | 03/25/13 19:26:26 By - By Hannah Allam

‘Sorry’ says Israel’s Netanyahu, opening way for diplomatic relations with Turkey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized Friday to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ending a nearly three-year-long feud in a phone call brokered by President Barack Obama. | 03/22/13 18:22:45 By - By Sheera Frenkel, Hannah Allam and Roy Gutman

UN refugee chief: Aid agencies overwhelmed as Syrian crisis worsens

With the dramatic increase in Syrian refugees outpacing international funding to deal with the crisis, some aid agencies could be paralyzed within weeks, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees warned Wednesday. | 03/20/13 16:49:31 By - By Hannah Allam

Think you know the facts about Iraq War? Think again.

A decade after the beginning of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, myths and distortions persist about how the conflict evolved into the current incarnation of Iraq as a fragile, highly sectarian state with a domestic political crisis that’s only exacerbated by volatile neighbors Syria and Iran. | 03/19/13 17:54:40 By - By Hannah Allam

Obama will face pressure on Middle East trip to do more on Syria

President Barack Obama will hear plenty about Syria when he steps off Air Force One in the Middle East next week, very likely facing new pressure from worried allies to help rebels oust Syrian President Bashar Assad but carrying no change in U.S. policy that could calm fears of the crisis spreading across borders and destabilizing the region. | 03/14/13 18:36:13 By - By Lesley Clark and Hannah Allam

U.S. pledge to help Iraqis who aided occupation largely unfulfilled

Ten years after the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and set off a sectarian war that continues to this day, thousands of Iraqis are eligible for resettlement to the U.S. because they risked their lives to help the war effort as interpreters, cultural advisers and other support staff. But of the allotment of about 25,000 “special immigrant visas,” just 4,669 cases have been approved since 2008, and the program is scheduled to end in September. | 03/14/13 13:48:12 By - By Hannah Allam

Obama nominates first U.S. envoy to Libya since deadly Benghazi attacks

A veteran diplomat who’s served in Syria, Kuwait and Turkey will return to the Middle East as the new U.S. ambassador to Libya, President Barack Obama announced Wednesday. | 03/13/13 18:15:01 By - By Hannah Allam

State Department withdraws honor for Egyptian activist over anti-American, anti-Semitic tweets

The State Department on Thursday backed off its decision to honor a young woman for her bravery in the Egyptian uprising after it emerged that she’d quoted Adolf Hitler on Jews, celebrated a suicide bombing and posted anti-American commentary on her Twitter account. | 03/07/13 19:01:34 By - By Hannah Allam

U.S. vow of non-lethal aid for Syrian rebels fails to satisfy Assad opposition

For the first time in the two-year push to topple President Bashar Assad, the United States said Thursday that it will send food and medicine directly to armed Syrian rebels. | 02/28/13 19:48:13 By - By Hannah Allam and David Enders

Ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman in North Korea; Obama administration shrugs

Former NBA superstar Dennis Rodman, known for his vivid hair colors and flamboyant fashion, seems to be reviving his bad-boy persona, arriving Tuesday in North Korea on a surprise trip to the pariah state. | 02/26/13 18:52:54 By - By Hannah Allam

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