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    • An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a sign depicting the Dome of the Rock Mosque, in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)
      Israel to discuss military draft reform proposal JOSEF FEDERMAN - AP - 5 hrs ago

      JERUSALEM (AP) — An official Israeli committee on Thursday handed the government its proposal for ending a contentious system that grants Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary … More »Israel to discuss military draft reform proposal

      An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walks past a sign depicting the Dome of the Rock Mosque, in Jerusalem, Sunday, May 19, 2013. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

      JERUSALEM (AP) — An official Israeli committee on Thursday handed the government its proposal for ending a contentious system that grants Jewish ultra-Orthodox seminary students automatic exemptions from military service, setting the stage for what could become the first major conflict in the new Israeli coalition gove …

    • In this image from amateur video obtained by a group which calls itself Ugarit News, shows rebel fighters celebrating after purportedly capturing an army base in Nairab, northwestern Syria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. The video is consistent with independent AP reporting. Rebel fighters captured an army base late Wednesday, a rare victory after a series of battlefield setbacks, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition group said. The group said scores of pro-regime troops and more than a dozen rebels were killed in the battle for the base, near the northwestern town of Nairab. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)
      Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover ZEINA KARAM - AP - 6 hrs ago

      BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the … More »Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover

      In this image from amateur video obtained by a group which calls itself Ugarit News, shows rebel fighters celebrating after purportedly capturing an army base in Nairab, northwestern Syria, Thursday, May 23, 2013. The video is consistent with independent AP reporting. Rebel fighters captured an army base late Wednesday, a rare victory after a series of battlefield setbacks, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition group said. The group said scores of pro-regime troops and more than a dozen rebels were killed in the battle for the base, near the northwestern town of Nairab. (AP Photo/Ugarit News via AP video)

      BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the worst fighting in the port city of Tripoli in years.

    • Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague, left, listens to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint news conference before their meeting in Jerusalem, Thursday, May 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun, Pool)
      Israel says Iran unaffected by world pressure AP - 7 hrs ago

      JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran's suspect nuclear … More »Israel says Iran unaffected by world pressure

      Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague, left, listens to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a joint news conference before their meeting in Jerusalem, Thursday, May 23, 2013. (AP Photo/Ronen Zvulun, Pool)

      JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister says a new report by the U.N. atomic agency shows that international pressure is having no effect on halting Iran's suspect nuclear program.

    • In this photo taken Sunday, May 12, 2013, Egyptians walk by the medieval fortress wall in the historic Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets. But its rich history and contributions to Islamic art has languished. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
      AP PHOTOS: Egypt's languishing Islamic antiquities NASSER NASSER - AP - 7 hrs ago

      CAIRO (AP) — Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets. More »AP PHOTOS: Egypt's languishing Islamic antiquities

      In this photo taken Sunday, May 12, 2013, Egyptians walk by the medieval fortress wall in the historic Fatimid Cairo, Egypt. Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets. But its rich history and contributions to Islamic art has languished. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

      CAIRO (AP) — Cairo, the Arab world's most populated city, is often referred to as an open-air museum of Islamic antiquities and the city of 1,000 minarets.

    • In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani waves to media as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, while his daughter Fatemeh, right, looks on, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry in Tehran, Iran. A hardline news website says Iran's election overseers have rejected a pair of powerful and divisive figures from running in next month's presidential election. Tasnimnews.com say Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who still wields enormous influence, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confident of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been barred by the Guardian Council. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
      Iran's Rafsanjani blasts clerics, says report NASSER KARIMI - AP - 8 hrs ago

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Banned from upcoming elections, Iran's former president has leveled harsh criticism at the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers, saying they are doing … More »Iran's Rafsanjani blasts clerics, says report

      In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani waves to media as he registers his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, while his daughter Fatemeh, right, looks on, at the election headquarters of the interior ministry in Tehran, Iran. A hardline news website says Iran's election overseers have rejected a pair of powerful and divisive figures from running in next month's presidential election. Tasnimnews.com say Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former president who still wields enormous influence, and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei, a close confident of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been barred by the Guardian Council. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Banned from upcoming elections, Iran's former president has leveled harsh criticism at the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers, saying they are doing a poor job running the country, an Iranian pro-reform website reported late on Wednesday.

    • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Thursday, May 23, 2013. The United States and Israel are raising hopes for a restart of the Middle East peace process after more than four years of hardly any talks. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)
      US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart BRADLEY KLAPPER and JOSEF FEDERMAN - AP - 8 hrs ago

      JERUSALEM (AP) — The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. … More »US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart

      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem Thursday, May 23, 2013. The United States and Israel are raising hopes for a restart of the Middle East peace process after more than four years of hardly any talks. (AP Photo/Jim Young, Pool)

      JERUSALEM (AP) — The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's two-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

    • Gunmen kill 7 Iraqi soldiers in central Iraq SINAN SALAHEDDIN - AP - 9 hrs ago

      BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen killed at least seven soldiers in central Iraq on Thursday, officials said, in the latest episode of violence to hit the country in a particularly … More »Gunmen kill 7 Iraqi soldiers in central Iraq

      BAGHDAD (AP) — Gunmen killed at least seven soldiers in central Iraq on Thursday, officials said, in the latest episode of violence to hit the country in a particularly bloody month.

    • FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2012 file photo, Mahmoud, a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of Syria, rests in a field hospital after he was found with three gunshot wounds in the town of Anadan on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. Mahmoud, who would give only one name, described being the only survivor of a massacre in which he and 10 other men were blindfolded, beaten and sprayed with bullets. Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians — descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago — and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday, May 23, 2013. The Palestinians in Syria are particularly vulnerable because of their refugee status, Filippo Grandi, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, told The Associated Press in an interview. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)
      AP Interview: Syria conflict uproots Palestinians ALBERT AJI - AP - 10 hrs ago

      DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians — descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century … More »AP Interview: Syria conflict uproots Palestinians

      FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2012 file photo, Mahmoud, a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of Syria, rests in a field hospital after he was found with three gunshot wounds in the town of Anadan on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria. Mahmoud, who would give only one name, described being the only survivor of a massacre in which he and 10 other men were blindfolded, beaten and sprayed with bullets. Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians — descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago — and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday, May 23, 2013. The Palestinians in Syria are particularly vulnerable because of their refugee status, Filippo Grandi, head of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, told The Associated Press in an interview. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra, File)

      DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria's fighting has uprooted more than half of the country's 530,000 Palestinians — descendants of refugees from a Mideast conflict half a century ago — and their situation is becoming increasingly desperate, the head of a U.N. aid agency said Thursday.

    • Report: Rafsanjani blasts Iran's rulers AP - 12 hrs ago

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has blasted the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers, declaring it impossible for them to do a worse … More »Report: Rafsanjani blasts Iran's rulers

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has blasted the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers, declaring it impossible for them to do a worse job running the country, an Iranian pro-reform website reported Wednesday.

    • A Sunni gunman fires his machine gun during clashes that erupted between pro and anti-Syrian regime gunmen, in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Thursday, May. 23, 2013. Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving five people dead in what was described as some of the heaviest fighting there in years, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo)
      5 dead in Lebanon clash of Assad foes, backers KARIN LAUB - AP - 12 hrs ago

      BEIRUT (AP) — Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving … More »5 dead in Lebanon clash of Assad foes, backers

      A Sunni gunman fires his machine gun during clashes that erupted between pro and anti-Syrian regime gunmen, in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon, Thursday, May. 23, 2013. Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving five people dead in what was described as some of the heaviest fighting there in years, officials said Thursday. (AP Photo)

      BEIRUT (AP) — Opponents and supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad traded heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells in the Lebanese port city of Tripoli, leaving five people dead in what was described as some of the heaviest fighting there in years, officials said Thursday.

    • Iran denies its drone entered Bahrain's airspace AP - 12 hrs ago

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian semi-official news agency reports the country is denying that an unmanned drone violated the airspace of Bahrain, the strategic Gulf kingdom … More »Iran denies its drone entered Bahrain's airspace

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — An Iranian semi-official news agency reports the country is denying that an unmanned drone violated the airspace of Bahrain, the strategic Gulf kingdom that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

    • Gunmen kill 4 Iraqi soldiers north of Baghdad SINAN SALAHEDDIN - AP - 13 hrs ago

      BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say gunmen have shot dead four soldiers at an army checkpoint north of Baghdad. More »Gunmen kill 4 Iraqi soldiers north of Baghdad

      BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say gunmen have shot dead four soldiers at an army checkpoint north of Baghdad.

    • Syria opposition welcomes support for Assad ouster AP - 17 hrs ago

      BEIRUT (AP) — A spokesman says Syria's main opposition bloc welcomes renewed calls by its foreign supporters that Syrian President Bashar Assad give up power at the start … More »Syria opposition welcomes support for Assad ouster

      BEIRUT (AP) — A spokesman says Syria's main opposition bloc welcomes renewed calls by its foreign supporters that Syrian President Bashar Assad give up power at the start of any political transition aimed at ending the country's civil war.

    • FILE - In this Wednesday, April 28, 2010 file photo, relatives of the 26 suspected Hezbollah members, accused of plotting attacks on tourists and shipping in the Suez Canal and sending operatives and explosives to Gaza to help militant groups there, waves to prison vehicles carrying them outside Emergency State Security Court in New Cairo, Egypt. It was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt's 2011 revolution: Attacks on prisons that broke out more than 20,000 inmates, among them Hamas and Hezbollah militants and Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the man who is now the country’s president, Mohammed Morsi. Now a court case is trying to uncover for the first time who was behind the attacks, raising political headaches for Morsi. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
      2011 jail breaks become political issue in Egypt HAMZA HENDAWI - AP - 18 hrs ago

      CAIRO (AP) — It was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt's revolution: orchestrated attacks on prisons around the country that broke out more than 20,000 inmates … More »2011 jail breaks become political issue in Egypt

      FILE - In this Wednesday, April 28, 2010 file photo, relatives of the 26 suspected Hezbollah members, accused of plotting attacks on tourists and shipping in the Suez Canal and sending operatives and explosives to Gaza to help militant groups there, waves to prison vehicles carrying them outside Emergency State Security Court in New Cairo, Egypt. It was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt's 2011 revolution: Attacks on prisons that broke out more than 20,000 inmates, among them Hamas and Hezbollah militants and Muslim Brotherhood leaders, including the man who is now the country’s president, Mohammed Morsi. Now a court case is trying to uncover for the first time who was behind the attacks, raising political headaches for Morsi. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

      CAIRO (AP) — It was one of the most perplexing events of Egypt's revolution: orchestrated attacks on prisons around the country that broke out more than 20,000 inmates while police were tied down with the massive popular protests that swept autocrat Hosni Mubarak from power.

    • File - In this April 14, 2011 file photo, a boat is by the jetty of the Capernaum National Park in the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The monumental structure, made of boulders and stones with a diameter of 70 meters, was found through a sonar scan at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee in 2003. Now, archaeologists are beginning to put together grant proposals and funding requests in a bid to permit them access to the submerged stones.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
      Submerged structure stumps Israeli archaeologists TIA GOLDENBERG - AP - 19 hrs ago

      TIBERIAS, Israel (AP) — The massive circular structure appears to be an archaeologists dream: a recently discovered antiquity that could reveal secrets of ancient life … More »Submerged structure stumps Israeli archaeologists

      File - In this April 14, 2011 file photo, a boat is by the jetty of the Capernaum National Park in the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. The monumental structure, made of boulders and stones with a diameter of 70 meters, was found through a sonar scan at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee in 2003. Now, archaeologists are beginning to put together grant proposals and funding requests in a bid to permit them access to the submerged stones.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

      TIBERIAS, Israel (AP) — The massive circular structure appears to be an archaeologists dream: a recently discovered antiquity that could reveal secrets of ancient life in the Middle East and is just waiting to be excavated.

    • This image made from video broadcast on Egyptian State Television shows members of the Egyptian security forces after their release by kidnappers, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Six Egyptian policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants in the volatile Sinai Peninsula last week were freed by their captors Wednesday after successful mediation, the country's military spokesman said. (AP Photo/Egyptian State Television) EGYPT OUT
      Egypt leader claims victory in captives' release SARAH EL DEEB - AP - Wed, May 22, 2013

      CAIRO (AP) — The safe release Wednesday of seven conscripts kidnapped by suspected militants in Sinai brought a victory for Egypt's Islamist president after months of … More »Egypt leader claims victory in captives' release

      This image made from video broadcast on Egyptian State Television shows members of the Egyptian security forces after their release by kidnappers, in Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Six Egyptian policemen and a border guard kidnapped by suspected militants in the volatile Sinai Peninsula last week were freed by their captors Wednesday after successful mediation, the country's military spokesman said. (AP Photo/Egyptian State Television) EGYPT OUT

      CAIRO (AP) — The safe release Wednesday of seven conscripts kidnapped by suspected militants in Sinai brought a victory for Egypt's Islamist president after months of criticism that his government is mismanaging the country.

    • In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei wave to journalists as they arrive at the election headquarters of the interior ministry for registering Masheaei's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, in Tehran, Iran. By now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is well accustomed to enduring blows from Iran's ruling clerics as his reputation fell from favored son to political outcast. But their intended parting shot _ barring his chief aide from the presidential race _ may be just the opening act in Ahmadinejad's reinvention as a self-styled opposition force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
      Iran's Ahmadinejad looks to outsider options ALI AKBAR DAREINI and BRIAN MURPHY - AP - Wed, May 22, 2013

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — By now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is well-accustomed to enduring blows from Iran's ruling clerics as his reputation fell from favored son to political … More »Iran's Ahmadinejad looks to outsider options

      In this picture taken on Saturday, May 11, 2013, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and his close ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei wave to journalists as they arrive at the election headquarters of the interior ministry for registering Masheaei's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election, in Tehran, Iran. By now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is well accustomed to enduring blows from Iran's ruling clerics as his reputation fell from favored son to political outcast. But their intended parting shot _ barring his chief aide from the presidential race _ may be just the opening act in Ahmadinejad's reinvention as a self-styled opposition force. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

      TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — By now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is well-accustomed to enduring blows from Iran's ruling clerics as his reputation fell from favored son to political outcast. But their intended parting shot — barring his chief aid from the presidential race — may be just the opening act in Ahmadinejad's reinvention …

    • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, right, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
      Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels BRADLEY KLAPPER and BASSEM MROUE - AP - Wed, May 22, 2013

      AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem … More »Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels

      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, right, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

      AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.

    • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, right, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
      Kerry: US, allies, ready to step up aid rebels BRADLEY KLAPPER and BASSEM MROUE - AP - Wed, May 22, 2013

      AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem … More »Kerry: US, allies, ready to step up aid rebels

      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, right, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

      AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.

    • U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, not pictured, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)
      Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH - AP - Wed, May 22, 2013

      RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership … More »Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort

      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart, Nasser Judeh, not pictured, in Amman Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Secretary of State John Kerry says the United States and its Arab and European allies will step up their support for Syria’s opposition to help them “fight for the freedom of their country” if President Bashar Assad’s regime doesn’t engage in peace talks in good faith. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

      RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

     

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