Pariah dogs of the Middle East No, not
these two jokers, but the
real thing:
Canaan dogs. Like the more refined
Saluki,
Sloughi,
Azawakh,
Afghan Hound and "barkless"
Basenji (among
many others), Canaan dogs have been known for thousands of years. They guard herds for
modern Bedouins like they did for ancient Israelites. During the 1930s, when traditional "war dogs" were having trouble adapting to Palestine, Zionists carefully
redomesticated the semi-wild animals, turning them into
seeing eye dogs and guards for
isolated settlements. Canaan dogs became one of the first breeds trained to detect mines effectively, although their use for bomb-sniffing remains a
touchy subject [LAT, reg'n]. You also might enjoy pondering the provocative question raised by this detailed essay: Why have all three major monotheistic religions considered dogs
"a threat to the authority of the clergy"?
posted by mediareport
on Jul 15, 2002 -
8 comments
Non-religious Israeli settlers are financially trapped, argues a sympathetic Tel Aviv University professor. He slams
Ha'aretz Daily for constantly urging Jewish settlers to
just move out, "as if people who somehow managed to buy a cheap housing unit in a settlement could simply leave it behind and buy another house somewhere else." Seems that for a lot of settlers,
financial benefits like reduced income taxes and generous loans are more important enticements than
appeals to
biblical righteousness. Too bad the "doubly cheated" and heavily villified settlers can't get any
financial help when they decide to move back. The solution? "Jews in America and world-wide should therefore use their money to support settlers who wish to leave the occupied territories and return to Israel."
posted by mediareport
on Jun 25, 2002 -
11 comments
