Israel’s largest demonstration ever
An aerial shot of the more than 400,000 demonstrators in Israel. Photo by: Marc Israel Sellem
Last Saturday night marked the largest demonstration ever held in Israel’s 63-year existence. More than 400,000 protesters rallied in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and other cities to demand that the Israeli government take measures to alleviate the economic burdens the majority of the population faces due to the increasingly high cost of living.
Given the number of people who participated in this demonstration, it’s clear that Israelis are just as concerned about their economy as they are about the Palestinian Authority’s bid to gain recognition of a Palestinian state in the U.N. General Assembly later this month.
Considering that Israel’s population is about 8 million, the 400,000 who came out on Saturday night to demonstrate would be the roughly the equivalent of 15 million protesters at one rally in the United States. The magnitude of Saturday night’s protests could have easily led to civil unrest, yet not one incident of violence or arrest was reported.
In Egypt, Syria, Tunisia, and Libya, thousands of lives have been lost the past few months in protests against repressive governments. Meanwhile, in Israel, our people joined hands in protest without lifting a hand in violence, demonstrating how a free and united people can gather peacefully to voice our concerns.
Comments (2) »Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 1:48 PM | Amichai Farkas
PM promises reforms amidst social protests
As demonstrations continue across Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledges further action to curb high housing prices and the soaring cost of living:
Comments (5) »Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the current social unrest over affordable housing and the rising cost of living, saying that “the issues arising from the street are justified. We must tend do them without causing damage to the business sector.”
Speaking at the Likud faction meeting, the prime minister added that the current government is “accomplishing things that haven’t been done in decades. We have succeeded in lowering unemployment to it’s lowest level in 30 years,” which was at a record low of 5.7 percent in May.
Netanyahu continued to outline the way in which the government is addressing complaints about the soaring cost of living in Israel, explaining “We are tackling these issues in two ways: The first thing being addressed are cartels, as well as government and private monopolies. The other issue lies in the taxation system. It’s good that [this social movement is] happening now, these important issues deserve our attention.”
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011 at 1:52 PM | David Kuner
P.A. to pay salaries to terrorists in Israeli prisons
According to reports by the Palestinian Media Watch, the Palestinian Authority passed a law last month granting a monthly salary to all P.A. residents and Israeli Arabs imprisoned by Israel.
Where does the funding for Palestinian salaries come from? The U.S., the E.U., France, Britain, Ireland, Norway, Japan, India, and the World Bank have all given money to the P.A. for its general budget in 2010-2011. The report suggests that it is very likely that this money has been unintentionally funding salaries for terrorists:
Comments (4) »According to PMW, the PA has defined by law which residents and Israeli Arabs would be deemed “prisoners” as: “Anyone imprisoned in the occupation’s [Israel's] prisons as a result of his participation in the struggle against the occupation.”
In other words, all PA residents in Israeli prisons for terror crimes are officially added to the PA payroll. According to the definition in the PA law, PA car thieves in Israeli prisons will not receive a salary, but Hamas and Fatah terrorist murderers will.
The PA also gives a salary to Israeli Arabs convicted of terror crimes against Israel – the country of which they are citizens. PA benefits to Israeli Arab terrorists, in fact, are greater than the ones extended to PA resident terrorists.
Additionally, those serving more than 20-year sentences will receive a greater PA salary than prisoners serving shorter sentences, the new PA law establishes. Salaries are to be paid from the day of arrest until release.
Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at 11:44 AM | David Kuner
Israel’s desert — and ocean — is blooming
Up until Israel’s establishment in 1948 many believed that the Holy Land held no natural resources. Oil and gas deposits were still undiscovered, and even water sources were — and continue to be — sparse.
When Jews began streaming into Israel after the country’s founding, they quickly got to work dealing with the scarcity of resources. God promised the Jewish people in the Bible that when they settled the Holy Land the desert would bloom, and, thanks to innovative methods of irrigation and other scientific wonders developed by Israelis, that is exactly what happened. Previously barren desert was, and continues to be, transformed into forests and fertile land filled with fruits, vegetables, and other crops planted by Jewish farmers.
Now we see that God’s promise is broader than we thought – God has made the ocean bloom as well and provided the Jewish people with a rich supply of natural gas. For the first time in the Jewish state’s history, Israel might finally become a real competitor in the Middle East for exporting this modern gem of natural gas. God indeed keeps his promises and will always provide for His nation of Israel!
Comments (10) »Thursday, December 30th, 2010 at 12:32 PM | Amichai Farkas
Shop for Israel today!
In response to the boycott planned against Ricky’s, a New York store that carries Israeli-made Ahava products, several pro-Israel groups have declared November 30 to be Buy Israeli Goods Day. They encourage people to shop at local stores and request Israeli-made products, particularly those targeted by boycotters.
To find stores in your area that carry products made in Israel, visit www.buyisraelgoods.org.
Comments (0) »Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 at 7:28 AM | David Kuner
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