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Sunday

His call for empathy has made this Jewish studies professor feel isolated

Students from Hunter College chant and hold up signs during a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the entrance of their campus in New York earlier this month. Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Enlighten Me with Rachel Martin

His call for empathy has made this Jewish studies professor feel isolated

A professor of Jewish history at UCLA has tried to stake out some middle ground, where Jews and Palestinians on campus could safely stand and grieve for one another.

His call for empathy has made this Jewish studies professor feel isolated

Listen · 10:01
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Friday

From Israel, writer Etgar Keret talks about the role of fiction in times of war

Etgar Keret says writing both protects him from reality and can create the bridge to reality. Lielle Sand hide caption

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Lielle Sand

Middle East crisis — explained

From Israel, writer Etgar Keret talks about the role of fiction in times of war

Etgar Keret says writing both protects him from reality and can create the bridge to reality.

From Israel, writer Etgar Keret talks about the role of fiction in times of war

Listen · 7:58
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Thursday

Here's what Biden's trip to Israel did and didn't achieve

President Joe Biden, center left, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center right, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday. Miriam Alster/Pool Photo via AP hide caption

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Miriam Alster/Pool Photo via AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Here's what Biden's trip to Israel did and didn't achieve

The president's high-stakes visit served simultaneously to show the limits and the strengths of U.S. influence in the region, and the importance of America's long-standing relationship with Israel.

Lots of U.S. presidents have pushed for Middle East peace. Progress has been elusive

President Joe Biden speaks as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in an expanded bilateral meeting with Israeli and U.S. government officials, Wednesday in Tel Aviv. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Lots of U.S. presidents have pushed for Middle East peace. Progress has been elusive

President Biden is the latest in a long line of presidents to place himself in the middle of a Middle East conflict. U.S. efforts have seen failed starts, wrong turns and dead ends, but some progress.

Children make up nearly half of Gaza's population. Here's what it means for the war

A girl tries to collect usable belongings amid the wreckage of vehicles after the explosion at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images hide caption

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Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

Children make up nearly half of Gaza's population. Here's what it means for the war

The population of Gaza is one of the youngest in the world. Here's why, what it means for this war, and what it means for the future.

Biden walks a fine line between support for Israel and empathy for Palestinians

President Biden is seen through the window of the Oval Office of the White House during his address to the nation on Thursday night. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Middle East crisis — explained

Biden walks a fine line between support for Israel and empathy for Palestinians

In his Oval Office speech, President Biden reiterated his strong support for Israel in the wake of a deadly attack by Hamas. But it isn't making political waves in a deeply divided America.

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

A rabbi and imam in conversation on how they're counseling their communities

An imam and rabbi spoke of what they're telling their congregations, and what they would like to say to each other. Hanan Isachar/Getty Images hide caption

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Hanan Isachar/Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

A rabbi and imam in conversation on how they're counseling their communities

The conflict in Israel and Gaza has brought grief and pain to many Jews and Muslims in the U.S. We invited a rabbi and an imam to share how they are counseling their congregations here in the States.

A rabbi and imam in conversation on how they're counseling their communities

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Friday

How ancient seeds in Lebanon could help us adapt to climate change

Mariana Yazbek, Genebank manager, shows fava beans that are packed inside bags in the large freezer room where the seeds are stored to dry at the ICARDA research station in the village of Terbol, in the Bekaa valley, east of Lebanon, Wednesday, December 21, 2022. Dalia Khamissy for NPR hide caption

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Dalia Khamissy for NPR

Short Wave

How ancient seeds in Lebanon could help us adapt to climate change

In the Bekaa Valley region of Lebanon, there is a giant walk-in fridge housing tens of thousands of seeds. They belong to the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). Scientists from around the world use the seeds for research. ICARDA seeds have improved food security in several countries. They've transformed Ethiopian agriculture to use more drought-resistant crops. A new chickpea can be planted in winter. And now, NPR's Middle East correspondent Ruth Sherlock has found that some scientists are turning to the seed bank for answers to a hotter, drier planet. They're hoping ICARDA seeds will lead to breakthroughs in certain crops' resilience to the effects of climate change.

How ancient seeds in Lebanon could help us adapt to climate change

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Friday

Biden's national security adviser is hopeful war over Taiwan can be prevented

NPR's Steve Inskeep interviews U.S. President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 5, 2023. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption

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Catie Dull/NPR

World

Biden's national security adviser is hopeful war over Taiwan can be prevented

In an exclusive interview at the White House, Jake Sullivan spoke with NPR's Steve Inskeep. They discussed China-Taiwan tensions, the war in Ukraine, and his upcoming trip to Israel.

Biden's national security adviser is hopeful war over Taiwan can be prevented

Listen · 7:46
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Saturday

Friday

Biden says the U.S. will work to improve Palestinians' lives

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in east Jerusalem on Friday. Biden announced a U.S. investment of $100 million for a network of hospitals. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Middle East

Biden says the U.S. will work to improve Palestinians' lives

President Biden says that he's committed to the two-state solution for Israel and an independent Palestinian state. But with that goal out of reach, he said, the U.S. will look to help Palestinians.

Tuesday

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

A child receives a polio vaccine in Kampala, Uganda, on Jan. 14, 2022. Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

Countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia are counting more cases of vaccine-derived polio. Now there's a likely U.S. case. Researchers are looking for ways to stop it.

How the U.S. case might tie into the global upswing in polio

Listen · 4:27
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Sunday

Russia's war on Ukraine is dire for world hunger. But there are solutions

A driver sits in the cab of a combine harvester during the summer harvest in a field of wheat in Varva, Ukraine. Ukraine accounts for more than 10% of the global wheat market. Russia's war threatens to disrupt the spring planting season. Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Russia's war on Ukraine is dire for world hunger. But there are solutions

Both countries are huge suppliers of grains and other essential foods. And with widespread hunger and high food prices already, the war couldn't have come at a worse time.

Russia's war on Ukraine is dire for world hunger. But there are solutions

Listen · 3:48
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