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Among the medically most important snakes in the world, the species belonging to the genus Daboia have been attributed to the highest number of human envenomings, deaths and disabilities. Given their significant clinical relevance, the venoms of Russell's vipers (D. russelii and D. siamensis) have been the primary focus of research. In contrast, the composition, activity, ecology and evolution of venom of its congener, the Palestine viper (D. palaestinae), have remained largely understudied. Therefore, to unravel the factors responsible for the enhanced medical relevance of D. russelii in comparison to D. palaestinae, we comparatively evaluated their venom proteomes, biochemical activities, and mortality and morbidity inflicting potentials. Furthermore, the synthesis and regulation of venom in snakes have also remained underinvestigated, and the relative contribution of each venom gland remains unclear. We address this knowledge gap by sequencing the tissue transcriptomes of both venom glands of D. palaestinae, and comparatively evaluating their contribution to the secreted venom concoction. Our findings highlight the disparity in the venom composition, function and toxicities of the two Daboia species. We also show that toxin production is not partitioned between the two venom glands of D. palaestinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores another reason for the omission of the Girgashites in most lists of Canaanite nations in the Bible. It explores what/who the Canaanite nation might be by justifying the disappearance of the Sidonians from all Canaanite nation lists. A Midrashic insight into understanding the nature of the pre-Israelite occupants of the Holy Land and their Canaanite affiliations is also tackled.

The article presents a study which offer a critical analysis of lists of those Canaanite nations who occupied the Holy Land before the Israelites took hold of it comparing them to each other and to the genealogical list of Canaan's sons. It mentions that the study focuses more on traditional Jewish sources, rather than on academic scholarship. It informs that The Bible closes its description of the Canaanite families with the phrase.

The selection of an ambush-cum-foraging site and proper prey are indispensable for maintaining an adequate energy intake by sit-and-wait predators to optimize survival and future fitness. This is important for snakes, where an ambush site has suitable ambience. We studied the foraging strategy of the Palestine Saw-scaled Viper ( Echis coloratus ) at an avian migratory stopover site. Following initial observations, we hypothesized that vipers are able to discern the body mass of a perched bird and hunt accordingly. We implemented an experiment where vipers chose between four groups of migratory Blackcaps with different body mass. Prey choice by vipers of both age classes was not random and adults focused on Blackcaps with the lightest body mass. Juveniles displayed a variability of prey choice but selected mainly birds from the lightest categories. We concluded that Saw-scaled Vipers hunt prey based on thermal cues; juveniles practice on different prey groups prior to perfecting their foraging techniques i.e., hunting is a learned process; and that they prefer birds with the lowest body mass. The last because Blackcaps, when on migration, save energy by entering a state of deep torpor in which they sacrifice their vigilance capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with a small number of bilingual Palestinian authors and poets writing and publishing in Hebrew, in addition to their Arabic writing. The phenomenon--generally limited to writers belonging to the Druze and Christian minorities--took on some significance only in the 1980s, when Anton Shammas, who is a Christian (b. 1950), and Nacim cArayidi, a Druze (b. 1948), began to make a name for themselves in Hebrew. Both of them went through the formal Israeli educational system purposely set up to produce an "Arab Israeli" intelligentsia which would be willing and able to identify with the Jewish-Zionist state. Nevertheless, Palestinian, bilingual writers have protested against the ethno-cultural norm that identifies each Hebrew author as a Jew. They focus on "un-Jewing" Hebrew, that is, "deterritorialization," and the simultaneous "reterritorialization" of the language. However, that there are Palestinians who write in Hebrew and have found a limited Jewish-Israeli audience does in no way mean that the Jewish-national borders that demarcate the literary canon of modem Hebrew have somehow slackened. That would require a change in cultural norms of Hebrew literature, which is to say, the creation of a new culture, common to both Jews and Arabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attempts to outline the historical development of the Palestinian theatre on the margins of the Egyptian cultural center. Palestinian theatrical activity before the 1970s; Harsh judgment of Palestinian critic Hanan Mikha'Il Ashrawi in the middle of the 1970s that Palestinian literature cannot boast of a single written play of any merit, despite several attempts; Distinctive traits and characteristics of contemporary Palestinian theatrical activities; Attempt to present in some detail one of the most prominent of the pioneering printed plays in the final phase of the development of the Palestinian theatre; Analysis of the play which also provides an introduction to the nature of the theatrical movement among the Palestinians, its main thematic and poetic traits and its major sources of influence.