http://www.al-monitor.com/cms/render/live/en/sites/almonitor/home/rssfeeds/culture-society-rss/maincontent/nrc-culture.html Culture-n-Society Jahia 6.6.0.0 r40429, http://www.jahia.org 8b0f41de-0588-462c-9ae5-99a8edf6bf18 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/geneva-syria-iran-conference.html What are the conditions for the success of the Geneva II conference? 5/20/13 12:53 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/geneva-syria-iran-conference.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_geneva-syria-iran-conference/Syria society.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A man rides a bicycle with a child along a damaged street full of debris in Deir al-Zor, May 19, 2013. Nassif Hitti 5/20/13 8:37 AM c0a010d1-98da-45a7-937d-6bd4fe99f312 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/israel-separation-wall-palestine.html A group of 20 Palestinians drilled a hole in the separation wall near Jerusalem to reconnect two Palestinian villages. 5/20/13 12:26 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/israel-separation-wall-palestine.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_israel-separation-wall-palestine/168808508.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A Palestinian youth climbs Israel's separation wall during clashes with the Israeli army during Nakba Day on May 15, 2013, near the Qalandia checkpoint at the outskirts of Ramallah, West Bank. Linah Alsaafin 5/20/13 3:59 AM 59ce502d-bdbc-401d-a138-261e5af5914f http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/algeria-opposes-hostage-ransom-payments.html In its constant effort to combat terrorism both at home and abroad, Algeria demonstrates that it is more opposed than ever to allowing ransoms to be paid to hostage takers. 5/20/13 12:18 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/algeria-opposes-hostage-ransom-payments.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_algeria-opposes-hostage-ransom-payments/1-RTXUXGC.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Residents from the Berber region and regional party officials display a banner that reads, "Stop the Terrorism," in a protest against extortion tactics employed by al-Qaeda's north African wing, in Freha village, in the mountainous Kabylie region, 130 km east of Algiers, Nov. 22, 2010. Kaci Racelma 5/20/13 12:22 AM 3b0e6ac8-bc49-4223-9d46-d6ec5cfdd9a8 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/regional-security-dialogue.html The need for security dialogue among the states of the Middle East region is more urgent than ever. 5/20/13 8:33 AM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/regional-security-dialogue.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_regional-security-dialogue/1-RTXZ7RU.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A signpost, part of an art installation near Kibbutz Merom Golan in the Golan Heights, shows the distance from Israel's northern border to other destinations, May 2, 2013. Emily B. Landau and Shimon Stein 5/19/13 10:53 AM 6e187f68-8235-49e9-9ba6-4a2894ac8f7f http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/05/hamas-palestine-islamize-gaza-society.html Hamas has stepped up efforts to Islamize Gazan society and impose Islamic law upon the region’s residents. 5/20/13 7:55 AM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/05/hamas-palestine-islamize-gaza-society.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_hamas-palestine-islamize-gaza-society/RTXZGGK.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A member of Hamas security forces stands guard during a rally welcoming Egyptian cleric and chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi (not pictured) in Gaza City May 9, 2013. Khaled al-Houroub 5/19/13 12:01 PM http://www.al-ayyam.com/article.aspx?did=215359&Date= 0940d733-47e4-4e18-bdb5-94a273962105 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2013/05/enlarging-the-israeli-workforce.html The reforms that will encourage ultra-Orthodox men and Arab women to enter the workforce are the upside of the tough new budget. 5/20/13 7:47 AM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2013/05/enlarging-the-israeli-workforce.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_enlarging-the-israeli-workforce/yairlapid.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid attends the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem May 13, 2013. Mickey Peled 5/19/13 2:33 PM http://www.calcalist.co.il/local/articles/0%2c7340%2cL-3602364%2c00.html c8e5acd4-71a9-4683-b227-4d1d676ba808 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/lebanon-delay-forming-government.html Lebanon must settle the dipute over its electoral law and form a new government. 5/20/13 7:20 AM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/lebanon-delay-forming-government.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_lebanon-delay-forming-government/1-RTXZG0A.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati speaks during the opening of the Arab Economic Forum 2013 at a hotel in Beirut, May 9, 2013. Clovis Maksoud 5/19/13 12:45 PM 099b8fb5-8ba2-42d3-b229-0319055e95d5 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/yemen-houthi-dialogue.html Mohammed Nasser Al-Bakhiti, representative of Ansarullah (the Houthis’ movement) to the National Dialogue talks, discusses his party’s vision for Yemen in an exclusive telephone interview with Al-Monitor. 5/19/13 10:31 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/yemen-houthi-dialogue.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_yemen-houthi-dialogue/houthi.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Protesters loyal to the Shi'ite al-Houthi rebel group shout slogans during a demonstration to protest against what they say is U.S. interference in Yemen, including drone strikes, after their weekly Friday prayers in the Old Sanaa city April 12, 2013. Haytham Mouzahem 5/18/13 6:14 PM 9bed40ab-4a14-4e18-8bc3-46f445076b65 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/iraq-alcohol-vendors-attacks-extremism.html On May 14, 2013, 12 employees of an alcohol shop in Baghdad, 10 of whom were Yazidis, were killed by armed assailants amid increasing religious extremism in the country. 5/19/13 8:53 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/iraq-alcohol-vendors-attacks-extremism.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_iraq-alcohol-vendors-attacks-extremism/baghdadalcohol.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A shopkeeper arranges bottles in a shop in the Zayouna area of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on May 15, 2013, the day after gunmen armed with silenced weapons shot dead 12 people at a row of alcohol shops in the Zayouna area of the capital. Ali Abel Sadah 5/18/13 6:34 AM 2a2e39d1-3563-415b-a004-4f546720e35d http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/will-israeli-eviction-order-sidetrack-kerry-peace-plan.html A day before the arrival of US Secretary of State John Kerry to the region, Israel's Supreme Court will rule on the eviction of a Palestinian family in East Jerusalem. 5/19/13 8:32 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/will-israeli-eviction-order-sidetrack-kerry-peace-plan.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_will-israeli-eviction-order-sidetrack-kerry-peace-plan/sheikhjarrah.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A Palestinian protester waves a Palestinian flag in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, May 17, 2013, during a weekly demonstration against Jewish settlements and the possible eviction of a Palestinian family from their home. Akiva Eldar 5/19/13 12:36 PM 7417ae97-19e0-4489-b6cb-d4243ce3c3dc http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/child-labor-gaza-tunnels-egypt-rafah.html The Israeli-imposed blockade on Gaza is helping the smuggling tunnels flourish, with many children choosing to work in these tunnels out of necessity despite the danger. 5/19/13 8:30 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/child-labor-gaza-tunnels-egypt-rafah.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_child-labor-gaza-tunnels-egypt-rafah/Gazatunnel.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A working tunnel, which is used to smuggle people from Egypt to Gaza, is seen in the Egyptian border city of Rafah, May 13, 2013. Khaled Kraizim 5/19/13 11:54 AM 1655e1a8-d26c-4b09-a62d-4a99e40bc82e http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/reyhanli-bombing-watershed-moment-for-turkey.html Those who blame Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for the Reyhanli bombing are immoral and irrational. 5/19/13 8:23 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/reyhanli-bombing-watershed-moment-for-turkey.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_reyhanli-bombing-watershed-moment-for-turkey/Kilicdaroglu.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu as they meet in Ankara, June 24, 2012. Mustafa Akyol 5/18/13 7:51 PM da7bdb8a-bf5b-40b4-8cc2-ec2cc7ac39a9 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/democracy-egypt-future.html Egypt’s military chief wisely dismisses calls for a coup against President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. 5/19/13 8:23 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/democracy-egypt-future.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_democracy-egypt-future/1-RTXYY5F.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi stands with Defense Minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi after laying a wreath during his visit to the tomb of former President Anwar al-Sadat and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the commemoration of Sinai Liberation Day in Cairo, April 24, 2013. Bassem Sabry 5/19/13 12:44 PM 8027b025-94b7-4f08-8929-5c47fe958eee http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/05/saudi-arabia-mecca-destroys-heritage.html Saudi Arabia has destroyed many historical sites in Mecca, claiming that these are necessary measures to accommodate the millions of pilgrims that arrive annually. 5/19/13 8:22 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2013/05/saudi-arabia-mecca-destroys-heritage.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_saudi-arabia-mecca-destroys-heritage/mecca.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba and pray at the Grand Mosque during Tawaf al-Wadaa (Farewell Tawaf) on the last day of the annual haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca Oct. 29, 2012. Ahmad Dohman 5/19/13 1:42 PM http://arabi.assafir.com/article.asp?aid=874&refsite=assafir&reftype=home&refzone=slider edbd7507-5bee-410d-9ae2-2a438f9c4c23 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/shattered-israeli-assumptions-on-the-war-in-syria.html The sudden change in assumptions on the Syrian war should invite us to wonder about the basis on which they were made. 5/19/13 8:19 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/shattered-israeli-assumptions-on-the-war-in-syria.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_shattered-israeli-assumptions-on-the-war-in-syria/1-RTXZLY6.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a news conference at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, May 14, 2013. Shlomi Eldar 5/19/13 2:28 PM e3388962-f283-4fd5-8fd5-7e1f9857f1cc http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/jerusalems-wailing-wall-where-orthodox-judaism-excludes-is.html After winning in the judicial arena, “Women of the Wall” prepare for the political battle over the ability to pray freely by the Western Wall.  5/19/13 7:59 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/jerusalems-wailing-wall-where-orthodox-judaism-excludes-is.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_jerusalems-wailing-wall-where-orthodox-judaism-excludes-is/womenofwall.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Members of "Women of the Wall" group wear prayer shawls and one (C) wearing Tefillin, leather straps and boxes containing sacred parchments, that Orthodox law says only men should don, during a monthly prayer session at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City May 10, 2013. Mazal Mualem 5/19/13 12:49 PM 8039b786-adce-43b4-ac07-2a53d9a642bd http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/iran-us-geneva-ii-talks.html The United States should invite Iran to the Geneva II talks on Syria and consider it a start for a more expansive regional dialogue. 5/19/13 7:54 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/iran-us-geneva-ii-talks.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_iran-us-geneva-ii-talks/assad.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Damascus Sept. 19, 2012. Week in Review 5/19/13 10:58 AM 964257cd-07b8-48d4-a5a6-8b94901506ea http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-iraq-ties-pkk-worsen.html Iraq is protesting the relocation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters from Turkey to Iraq. 5/19/13 7:01 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-iraq-ties-pkk-worsen.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_turkey-iraq-ties-pkk-worsen/1-RTXZLM9.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, withdrawing from Turkey, walk to their new base in northern Iraq, May 14, 2013. Wladimir van Wilgenburg 5/19/13 10:50 AM faabac86-649d-4a05-90c1-883d765849c6 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/al-nusra-syria-jihadists-divisions.html What appears to be divisions among the leadership of terrorist allies Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda in Iraq may signal greater difficulties in controlling radical jihadists in Syria. 5/19/13 7:00 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/al-nusra-syria-jihadists-divisions.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_al-nusra-syria-jihadists-divisions/Jabhat al-Nusra.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Fighters from the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra take their position on the front line during a clash with Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al Assad in Aleppo, Dec. 24, 2012. Ali Hashem 5/18/13 6:02 PM 16aa6ff5-fe1e-455a-9580-2212bdeba927 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/erdogan-gulen-struggle.html A power struggle with Fethullah Gulen, Turkey's most powerful Sunni cleric, could sway Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's political fortunes. 5/19/13 6:36 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/erdogan-gulen-struggle.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_erdogan-gulen-struggle/Gulen.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Children play at the garden of Fatih College in Istanbul, April 16, 2008. The 640-pupil school is run by followers of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish Muslim preacher who advocates moderate Islam rooted in modern life, and whose teachings have inspired millions of Turks to forge a powerful socioreligious community active in publishing, charity and above all education. Amberin Zaman 5/19/13 11:47 AM ed7170ed-16cd-417f-a370-4c77274c0fd5 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/intervention-syria-danagers.html Advocacy for military intervention in Syria may be well-intentioned, but can it achieve the true objectives? 5/19/13 5:24 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/intervention-syria-danagers.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_intervention-syria-danagers/Syrian airplane.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A Syrian Air Force fighter plane flies over the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain during an airstrike, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, Nov. 13, 2012. Kip Whittington 5/18/13 5:49 PM d299184b-facb-4f71-8d70-275bf6df6087 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-military-pkk-peace.html The Turkish military still has its questions about the Turkish-PKK peace process. 5/19/13 5:24 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-military-pkk-peace.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_turkey-military-pkk-peace/PKK militants.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 A member of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) works on her laptop in northern Iraq, May 14, 2013. The first group of Kurdish militants to withdraw from Turkey under a peace process entered northern Iraq on May 14, and were greeted by PKK comrades, in a symbolic step toward ending a three-decade-old insurgency. Lale Kemal 5/17/13 1:47 PM 15ee91bf-fe13-45df-9410-239de24507a0 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/geneva-uncertain-road.html If it happens, the Geneva II Conference on Syria will only be a  start in bringing peace to Syria. 5/19/13 5:23 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/geneva-uncertain-road.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_geneva-uncertain-road/Action Group on Syria.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria Kofi Annan (R) speaks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before a dinner hosted by the Swiss authorities after a meeting of the Action Group on Syria at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, June 30, 2012. Geoffrey Aronson 5/19/13 10:55 AM d492586e-2506-4b3f-91a7-407b0817137c http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-adjusts-syrian-policy.html Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan came to Washington to convince Washington the red line had been crossed in Syria, but he came up short. 5/19/13 4:23 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/turkey-adjusts-syrian-policy.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_turkey-adjusts-syrian-policy/Obama-Erdogan-shake-hands-Rose-Garden.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 President Barack Obama and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) shake hands at the end of their joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, May 16, 2013. Semih Idiz 5/18/13 1:45 PM 63afb1a0-c4b9-4f6a-b9a5-c537ab82dd21 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/bassem-youssef-egypt-comedian.html The Egyptian comedian challenges and provokes a conservative culture, and President Mohammed Morsi, with his sharp wit and racy language. 5/19/13 4:23 PM http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/05/bassem-youssef-egypt-comedian.html http://www.al-monitor.com/files/live/sites/almonitor/files/contributed/jnt_news_bassem-youssef-egypt-comedian/Bassem-Youssef-photo-by-RabeaMalah.jpg?t=thumbnail_278 Bassem Youssef's show returned to the air May 17. This photo was taken on May 16, 2013, in Cairo. Abeer Heider and Zenobia Azeem 5/17/13 5:21 PM