A recent bill proposal is being promoted by Netanyahu, and would drastically alter the status of lands in Israel. The legal status of land in Israel is not simple matter. In a nutshell, 93% of the land in Israel is not privately owned (owned either by the state or JNF), but is leased by the state for [...]
Posts under ‘Israel’
Things I Want to Do in Israel
Speak Hebrew.
Go hiking.
Sit outside a bar and drink Goldstar.
Walk down the street from the bar, drinking my beer on the street.
Hitchhike.
Eat at Falafel Gabbai in Tel Aviv.
Return to my favorite parts of the shuk in Jerusalem, and explore more of that labyrinth on a crazy Friday afternoon.
Walk in the middle of a big city at [...]
Terrorism Pays
The arrest of an allegedly abusive mother. That is the excuse for the continued Haredi summer riots in Jerusalem, following the ones over a parking lot.
The mother, a member of the anti-Israel Neturei Karta faction, was released from custody today, and placed under house arrest. This decision was made by the Jerusalem Magistrate Court, despite [...]
On the Importance of Arabic
Israel is in the Middle East. The Middle East is largely an Arabophone region. These two facts are undisputed. However, Israel insists on behaving like a western outpost in the Orient. While it does so with regards to its foreign policy, it is equally true, and just as foolhardy, with regards to domestic issues.
While many Israelis would like [...]
Zionist Crime
The level of violent crime in Israel is much lower than in most cities in the West, but it is quickly becoming a serious problem. Teenagers kill each other. Organized crime is on the rise. And the authorities are nowhere to be found. Regular police patrols in crime-ridden areas are few and far between, and [...]
On the Importance of Hebrew
One of the most important steps in pre-statehood Zionism was the revival of the Hebrew language. In 2,000 years of exile the Jewish people has developed many languages of its own, but they do not serve an overarching national purpose. Yiddish and Ladino have an important cultural and historical place, but do not unify us [...]
The OU and Aliyah
A Jewish community fair was held in New York recently, in order to “to lure Orthodox Jews from New York City to towns and other cities where emerging Orthodox communities are eager to reinforce their numbers.”
Sponsored by the Orthodox Union (OU), this fair is an attempt to bolster “emerging Orthodox communities.” Many small Orthodox Jewish [...]
J Street Dislikes Israelis’ Opinions
A recent poll found that 56% of Israelis support continued construction over the green line. If this finding was not enough evidence that Israeli public opinion stands in opposition to Obama’s vision for the Middle East, another poll shows that only 6% of Israelis view his administration as pro-Israel. Apart from the initial question (who [...]
