A Terrorist Attack in Beit Shemesh
A couple of days ago a female soldier was attacked by an angry mob, chasing her, throwing stones and other objects at her and preventing her from boarding a bus. Another terrorist attack in Jerusalem or the West bank? A terrorist attack maybe, but not by Palestinians. The attack took place in the center of […]
Public Transportation and the “Jewish Character” of Israel
Public transportation in Israel is well developed and includes both an extensive network of bus lines and a (slowly) expanding train service. The system allows people to travel to their work and to their study, and takes every week thousands of soldiers home from their bases and back. However, going to the beach on Saturday […]
The Two-State Solution and Reality
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid caused quite a stir this week, when in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, he declared that the best solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the creation of an independent Palestinian state. He stated that still a significant majority of the Israeli people stands behind the “Two-State solution”, […]
A Haredi time bomb that nobody wants to diffuse
A time-bomb is ticking in Israel and the government is not willing (or able) to do something about it. And, no, it is not a terrorist bomb or a Palestinian attack. Israel has a growing population of Ultra-orthodox Jews (Haredim) who do not have the means to take care of themselves and of their families, […]
Jewish Supremacy: A Path into Darkness
Israeli elections will take place in less than eight weeks and it appears that the only real issue this time again will be Netanyahu and his chances of again becoming Prime Minister. While on the left side of the political spectrum Meretz and the Labor party are haggling over running on a joint slate for […]
Labor Disputes Affecting Us All
In Israel, this week two very basic services to the public are in danger of being seriously interrupted. The primary school and kindergarten teachers, who have been negotiating with the Finance Ministry for months, are threatening to strike on September first and not opening the new school year. The organization of high school teachers has […]
When you are Hungry, the Iran Problem Fades
Last week the NGO “Pitgon Lev” (Open Heart) sent 120 empty food baskets to the members of the Israeli Knesset, to remind them that in Israel, still, people are going hungry and approximately 2.3 million Israelis do not know where their next meal will come from and one in every three Israeli children goes to […]
Big Pharma and Big Money
News headline this week: “TEVA leaps after announcing opioid painkiller settlement in U.S.” Investors felt they could relax after it was made public that the Israeli pharmaceutical giant had reached a $4.35 billion settlement with the majority of the States, Counties and Cities in the U.S. that were suing TEVA for its role in the […]
Religious Freedom in the Jewish State
Last Friday it was “Rosh Hodesh”, the first day of the new month of “Av”, in the Jewish calendar, and, as has been the case for months now, the ceremonies held by the “Women of the Wall” organization were violently disrupted by hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox men and women. The religious ceremonies held for the beginning […]
An Israeli “Hero” in Saudi Arabia
Last week, a commercial Israeli television channel proudly broadcasted a report filed by one of its journalists, from Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A story with no journalistic value except to provoke and embarrass. The city of Mecca, and the adjacent Mt. Arafat, the holiest places of Islam, are off-limits to non-Muslims and this rule is […]
