CNN Middle East News- Suicide blast kills Yemeni troopsA suicide bomber dressed in a military uniform set off a blast that killed more than 100 soldiers, authorities said, in what appears to be the deadliest attack ever on troops in Yemen. […]
- Syria troubles spill into LebanonThe impact of Syria's troubles have spread to Lebanon. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports from Beirut. […]
- Soldiers shoot anti-Assad clerics in LebanonThe international community called for restraint Monday after deadly clashes were triggered in Beirut by the deaths of two religious clerics, both of whom were opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. […]
- NATO shuns intervention in SyriaThe U.S. ambassador to NATO says the alliance has no plans for military intervention in the Syrian crisis, as reports of deaths mount by the dozens and diplomatic efforts have yet to stymie the bloodshed. […]
- Ex-Yemeni President Saleh hospitalizedFormer Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh was admitted Sunday to a military hospital in Sanaa, the second time that he's been to a hospital this month, a government official said. […]
- Suicide blast kills Yemeni troops
Author Archives: Ilan Ben Zion
The Stranger in Thine Midst
This morning Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the construction of a camp by the Egyptian border to reign in and crack down on the “swelling wave [singlepic id=423 w=320 h=240 float=right]threatening Israeli jobs, a wave of illegal migrants that we must stop because of the harsh implications for Israel’s character”, stated Netanyahu. The cabinet’s decision to crack down on migrant workers by placing them in a detention camp will have various deleterious and far-reaching consequences.
What Israeli character is Netanyahu talking about? No longer do Israelis toil in the fields to make the dry earth bloom. The Israeli in the fields is an
Something is Rotten in the State of Israel: On a Constitution, or Lack Thereof – By Ilan Ben Zion
Civil liberties in Israel are under assault. In December 2009, Anat Kamm was placed under house arrest. Kamm, a reporter for Israel’s Walla news, allegedly [singlepic id=403 w=300 h=200 float=right]stole sensitive defense ministry documents and gave them to a Ha’aretz journalist who ran an article about IDF violation of Supreme Court orders. An Israeli court issued a gag order, silencing the Israeli media and government officials, inhibiting free speech.
Until the foreign press got hold of the story, the entire incident was under wraps.
Richard Silverstein, an American journalist at the forefront of breaking the news, queried: “In what kind of country does a journalist simply disappear with
Fundamentalisms Compared in Israel and the Palestinian Territories – By Ilan Ben Zion
Fundamentalism is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “strict maintenance of ancient or fundamental doctrines of any religion”. Anthony Giddens [singlepic id=402 w=320 h=240 float=right] elaborates that fundamentalist groups are typified by “a refusal of dialogue in a world where different traditions are brought into regular contact as never before.” Perceived encroachment by an out-group’s norms or culture on traditional values results in entrenchment and transformation of the traditionalist group into fundamentalists.
Fundamentalists are further categorized by their adherence to “but one true avenue for finding meaning,” whether religious or political. Religious fundamentalists seek to reawaken a sense of religious community and reincorporate into it traditional lifestyles and values. In adding a layer of nationalism
