I’M a Palestinian who was born in the Israeli town of Lod, and thus I am an Israeli citizen. My wife is not; she is a Palestinian from Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Despite our towns being just 30 miles apart, we met almost 6,000 miles away in Massachusetts, where we attended neighboring colleges. A series of walls, checkpoints, settlements and soldiers fill the 30-mile gap between our hometowns, making it more likely for us to have met on the other side of the planet than in our own backyard. Never is this reality more profound than on our trips home from our current residence outside Washington. Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion International Airport is on the outskirts of Lod (Lydda in Arabic), but because my ... Continue reading →
The search for him, once hopeful, was turning desperate. Weather stoked the fear. The missing man was wearing only shorts, a T-shirt and running shoes. It was late March. Daytimes were warm, but the cold scythed through the spruce forest in the depth of night, the temperatures cutting into the 20s. For three days, rescue teams had fanned out for 50 yards on each side of the marked trails. Riders on horseback ventured through the gnarly brush, pushing past the felled branches of pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine. An airplane and a helicopter circled in the sky, their pilots squinting above the ridges, woodlands, river canyons and meadows. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, and this guy could be anywhere,” Tom Bemis, the rescue coordinator appointed ... Continue reading →
By Mike Mount Video surveillance provided by a U.S. drone and given to the Turkish military was used in a Turkish airstrike that killed 34 civilians late last year, according to Pentagon officials. The airstrike, meant to hit rebel fighters, sent shockwaves and ignited protests throughout Turkey, which is a NATO ally of the U.S. The airstrike also raises questions on how U.S. partners use information given to them by U.S. drones. During a routine air patrol over northern Iraq last December, a U.S. military team monitoring a Predator drone video feed identified a number of people and pack animals moving suspiciously toward the Turkish border with Iraq where Turkey has been battling the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK. The U.S. team, working jointly ... Continue reading →
Syrian dedicated to clearing landmines injured in blast By Ivan Watson, Gul Tuysuz and Omar al Muqdad updated 12:33 PM EDT, Wed May 16, 2012 STORY HIGHLIGHTS Mazen Hajisa dedicates himself to removing mines from the Syria-Turkey border He and five others were injured by a landmine on a trail between the two countries Hajisa says it's his duty to help refugees flee the Syrian regime Hatay, Turkey (CNN) -- A Syrian activist devoted to de-mining the border between Syria and Turkey was among six injured Saturday by a landmine placed on a trail that criss-crosses the two countries. Mazen Hajisa is a 25-year old Syrian activist who has conducted an improvised campaign to remove scores of Soviet- and Russian-made anti-personnel mines that the Syrian ... Continue reading →
Up close with Syrian resistance - CNN.com Video Continue reading →
Over the past decade, followers of the mysterious Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen have opened scores of charter schools in the U.S., inspired by a man who is as powerful as he is reclusive. Lesley Stahl reports. Continue reading →
