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Described as the "Palestinian Rothschild," Munib al Masri hopes to turn his sprawling West Bank estate into a museum and research center. He also has founded a lobbying group focused on promoting dialogue among warring Palestinian factions.
Despite pledges to freeze construction, Israel has continued building in West Bank, watchdog says.
Arab leaders have gathered for a summit, but more attention is being paid to those not there.
March 31, 2008 · Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is wrapping up her latest mission to the Middle East with separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. As part of the visit, Israel pledged to remove 50 roadblocks in the West Bank, and Palestinian officials vowed to do more to stop attacks on Israel.
March 25, 2008 · Al Jazeera, the Arabic TV news network, is facing a de facto boycott from the Israeli government, which calls the network a "tool of Hamas." In turn, Al Jazeera calls the boycott anti-democratic and an affront to basic press freedoms.
March 19, 2008 · After a visit to the southern Israeli town of Sderot, a frequent target of rockets fired from the nearby Gaza Strip, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, says he sees little point in negotiating with Hamas.
March 19, 2008 · During his Middle East tour, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) blames Iran several times for training al-Qaida in Iraq, before correcting himself to say Iran was training Shiite militants.
March 18, 2008 · Conservatives have won a majority of seats in the recent Iranian elections — but which conservatives are they? Incomplete and contradictory information from Iran's Interior Ministry makes the results — and the potential impact on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — unclear.
March 18, 2008 · Israeli government policy remains that Israel will not have any direct, or indirect, contacts with Hamas, which it sees as a terrorist organization. But more and more Israelis say Hamas is here to stay and Israel should hold at least indirect negotiations with the group.
March 18, 2008 · Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) voted to go to war with Iraq in 2003, but last summer he called for complete withdrawal of troops by the end of the year. Shays explains what changed his mind
March 18, 2008 · Five years ago, the United States invaded Iraq amid mass demonstrations across the country. If the United States is still in Iraq today, does that mean the anti-war movement has failed altogether?
March 14, 2008 · The 2003 plan dubbed the "road map" was supposed to point the way to a two-state solution for Palestinian-Israeli peace. But the life of a Palestinian plumber reflects the shortcomings of an effort backed by the U.S., Russia and the EU.
March 14, 2008 · Iranians are voting Friday in a parliamentary election with limited choices. Many pro-reform politicians were barred from running as candidates. Conservatives are split over the policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
March 12, 2008 · The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East is resigning. Adm. William Fallon's decision to step down follows an Esquire magazine article suggesting he opposes President Bush's policy on Iran. Falon has also differed with the administration by calling for more troops in Afghanistan and pulling some forces out of Iraq.
March 10, 2008 · In Jerusalem, more ultra-Orthodox Jews are leaving their cloistered neighborhoods for cheaper housing in the suburbs. In one suburb, that has led to rising tensions and sporadic violence with their modern Orthodox and secular neighbors.
The question of whether a nuclear Iran should be tolerated is the focus of a public-policy debate.
Chart military and civilian deaths in Iraq and hear key moments from the war.
Because of intense interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, NPR makes free transcripts and streaming audio of its coverage available online.
