WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry brushed aside criticism of Obama administration Middle East policy Thursday, taking exception to assertions Washington has been too passive in the face of surging terrorism in the region. Kerry noted the failure of the United States to secure a continuing military arrangement with Iraq’s government after U.S. combat forces left. “We didn’t have operational theater capacity at the time” of the surge in violence spawned by al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State militants, he said in an interview on NBC. On the broader issue of Mideast policy, Kerry said the administration has been “deeply engaged” in the region and is the largest source of humanitarian…
Israel arrests 30 Palestinians as search for teens continues
Thu Jun 19 , 2014
Jerusalem/Ramallah, June 19: Israeli security forces arrested 30 Palestinians in predawn raids in the West Bank as they continued searching for three Jewish youths abducted in the area a week ago, the Israeli military said Thursday. Previously, some 280 Palestinians have been rounded up since the manhunt began last Friday. […]