Old problems in Jerusalem’s Old City

IRIN, November 23, 2015 Faten Ghosheh, a 33-year-old Palestinian mother of five, stands on the roof of her partially demolished home in Jerusalem’s Old City, the Al-Aqsa Mosque visible behind her. She recalls the moment five years ago when Israeli forces arrived at 5am to tear down the two rooms and bathroom that her husband …

Eat the breakfast of a king and the dinner of a pauper

Roads & Kingdoms, November 16, 2015 One can learn much about labneh—that is, the version of the breakfast food that appears in Palestinian homes—through the word itself. Both the name and the substance labneh are derived from laben, yogurt. But it also shares a root with “block,” as in the substance used to build. And …