Your morning global affairs speed-read

President Obama is in Israel for his first official trip to the Holy Land. He was greeted by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his arrival at the airport before touring an Iron Dome battery.

Obama vowed an “eternal” alliance with Israel on his first visit of his second term, which is expected to focus largely on the threats from Iran; Syria and the stalled peace process with the Palestinians. Check the Global Affairs blog for updates throughout the week.

Syriana: The House Foreign Affairs Committee examines the U.S. response to the civil war in Syria on the conflict's second anniversary. The hearing with Ambassador Robert Ford comes as lawmakers of both parties are increasingly calling for a tougher response.

Aid reform: Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, releases a progress report on its reform initiative USAID Forward. Watch it live here.

Today on Capitol Hill: The House Foreign Affairs panel on terrorism holds a hearing on Hezbollah's global threat; and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee examines the evolving threat of terrorism with former Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.). 

“We stand together because peace must come to the Holy Land,” Obama said.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) on Wednesday pressed the Obama administration to act quickly against Syria amid reports that President Bashar Assad’s government may be using chemical weapons.

Calls for greater action by the administration had begun to percolate before Tuesday’s reports. 

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is joining President Obama on his first official trip to Israel.

Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) will represent Congress on the president's first trip of his second term, flying with the president on Air Force One and participating in meetings with Israeli officials. He's also expected to attend the president's speech to university students in Jerusalem on Thursday, as well as the state dinner hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres. 

“Israel is one of our closest allies in the world and President Obama’s visit is a powerful reminder of the unbreakable bonds between our two nations,” Engel said. “Israel continues to thrive as a nation, even as it is forced to confront a wide array of threats to its security, including Iran’s nuclear weapons program, the terrorist group Hizballah, and the civil war in neighboring Syria. 

The two lawmakers were briefed and said they believe Syria's president has used a chemical weapons on his own citizens.

The Israeli Embassy to the United States published a video to YouTube on Monday, featuring a cartoon rendering of a press conference between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Obama on Tuesday nominated Second Lady Jill Biden's chief of staff to be ambassador at large for global women's issues, a role he created during his first term.

“Cathy is a longtime advocate for justice and fairness and has worked on preventing violence against women here in America and around the world,” Obama said in a statement. “She served as Chief of Staff to Dr. Jill Biden for my entire first term, and has worked tirelessly alongside Michelle and Jill to make sure our military families get the honor and support they’ve earned. I’m certain that Cathy will continue to be a powerful advocate for women and girls in her new role.”

Russel served as staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee under then-Sen. Biden in 1994 when the Violence Against Women Act passed. If confirmed, Russell will replace Melanne Verveer, who served as Hillary Clinton's chief of staff when she was first lady.

The senators say Obama should warn Palestinians not to use UN status to take action against Israel.