Natasha Mozgovaya

By passing a bill banning American adoptions, Russian is accused of hurting its neediest children for to settle a petty political score.

Russian Parliament approves bill to ban adoption of Russian children by American parents in response to the American Magnitsky Act barring Russian human rights violators and their capital from the U.S..

How do the people with the most at stake feel about the conflict at this point? A new survey sheds some light.

The new inter-agency body will be led by Vice President Joe Biden and present its recommendations next month.

Israel supporters have come out against the possible nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel for the Secretary of Defense post – and this isn’t a first.

Palestinians call plan 'dangerous and alarming'; Jerusalem panel reduces number of homes planned for construction from 1,700 to 1,500, after hearing objections lodged by Palestinian residents of area intended for expansion; Prime Minister's Office: This is not the beginning of construction, just another stage in existing project.

At memorial service for Connecticut school shooting victims, Obama pledges effort to reduce gun violence across the nation. 'These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.'

A law enforcement official says that the shooter brought three guns into the school where he killed 26 children and adults, and that the weapons were registered to his slain mother.

Body of gunman found in school; U.S. media reports say shooter's mother worked at the school, and was killed in the incident; Obama: No parent in U.S. doesn't feel overwhelming grief after shooting.

Some 600 Jewish community leaders took a break for a traditional Hanukkah reception at the White House.

Rice came under fire following her explanation of the September Benghazi attack; tells Obama nomination process would be too 'lengthy, disruptive and costly.'

The divide among American Jewish organizations is clear as evident from different reactions to Israel's announcement of further settlement construction.

The American Jewish community commemorates the 1987 March on Washington that brought 250,000 people to demonstrate in support of Soviet Jewry, while the Palestinians are enjoying international support.

Netanyahu sent reps to Amman twice in the last two months, fearing Jordan's response if Israel went ahead without approval, Jeffrey Goldberg writes in The Atlantic.

Former PM says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is the best partner Israel has had for peace, yet failed to accept the 'most far-reaching and daring plan ever proposed.'

In a farewell interview with Haaretz, retiring U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman calls for Palestinian elections, American military aid for Assad's opponents and an end to Congress' partisan feuds.

U.S. secretary of state says Israel's security is a personal matter for her, and that she hopes to visit as a citizen one day with a grandchild.

In pictures: Avigdor Lieberman, Ehud Barak, and Tzipi Livni schmooze at Washington gathering.

A recent poll released by the Saban Center of the Brookings Institution says that 51 percent of Israelis think lasting peace with Palestinians will never happen.

Attending the premiere of a documentary about his own work, Fayyad expresses hope that UN recognition will help bolster Palestinian independence.

138 countries voted in favor, 9 against, and 41 abstained; Abbas in UN speech: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation; Netanyahu says Abbas speech at UN 'full of lies.'

At least 150 countries expected to vote 'yes' on resolution to recognize Palestinian state; Abbas: Stop the aggression, the settlements, the occupation; Prosor: Don't help the Palestinians in their 'march of folly'; Turkey FM: Davutoglu: Our vision for justice will not be achieved until Palestine is full UN member.

State Department statement comes after Israeli official says efforts to soften wording of General Assembly resolution on Palestinian status have failed.

Contributors to a new book on the peace process weigh in on prospects for the region following recent escalation in the Gaza Strip, and a reelected President Obama.

At least 10 people were wounded when a bus was blown up on a main street in Tel Aviv after days of military exchanges between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's government called it a terrorist attack.

If Obama is thinking about acting without waiting for ideal conditions, as he has done on a number of other issues, this is the right time to present his plan.

The enthusiasm is waning, and the news from Israel is eroding what idealism remains.

What will Clinton discuss with Israel in her coming visit? Like the misbehaving pupil, who continues to annoy the teacher the more she preaches to him, Israel is only reinforcing its status as a country that draws its influence from its problematic nature.

Winston Churchill, who used to speculate about his place in history, once said, ?History is written by the victors.? Any way you look at it, Bush does not emerge a winner in the two wars that have become the legacy of his administration.

Winston Churchill, who used to speculate about his place in history, once said, ?History is written by the victors.? Any way you look at it, Bush does not emerge a winner in the two wars that have become the legacy of his administration.

The situation is so dire in some neighborhoods of Detroit that it's hard to believe that you're still in the world's strongest superpower.

In the meantime, the suspense among those on the long list of Obama's faithful, who are waiting for a phone call from the transition team people, is now becoming unbearable.

Two-thirds of Americans say they are scared about the way things are going in the United States today, and three-quarters say they are angry.

When the fervor of the elections dies down and the bumper stickers are forgotten until the first disappointment, America and its new leader will enter one of the most complex periods in its history.

The inhabitants of a homeless shelter have the right to vote, but for decades now some of them do not believe their vote will change anything from their standpoint.

It appears that U.S. President George W. Bush has reconciled himself to playing the role of scapegoat, of both the Democratic presidential campaign and that of his fellow Republican, John McCain.