The environment and mailing lists

For those interested in the intersection between Judaism and/or Zionism and the environment, a growing body of resources (organisations, publications websites, etc.) exists. Two resources that shouldn’t be overlooked take the form of good old fashioned e-mail lists.

Kol-Chai is the COEJL's (Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life) E-Mail Discussion List.

COEJL seeks to expand the contemporary understanding of such Jewish values as tikkun olam (repairing the world) and tzedek (justice) to include the protection of both people and other species from environmental degradation. COEJL seeks to extend such traditions as social action and g’milut hasadim (performing deeds of loving kindness) to environmental action and advocacy. And shalom (peace or wholeness), which is at the very core of Jewish aspirations, is in its full sense harmony in all creation.

You can subscribe to the list here:

Join COEJL's E-Mail Discussion List

MidEastEnviroNet is not specific to Israel/Judaism/Zionism, but instead covers the Middle East.

MIDEASTENVIRONET - The MIDDLE EAST ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK for research and information on environmental issues in the Middle East. MIDEASTENVIRONET is intended to make the discussion of core issues in the Middle East better informed by attention to current developments in such areas as resource management, pollution, sustainability development, and environmental conflict. MIDEASTENVIRONET is not intended to present "the environment" as something separate from other issues in the Middle East.

MIDEASTENVIRONET@YORKU.CA

A useful feature of this particular list is that the full archives can be accessed here:

Archives of MIDEASTENVIRONET@YORKU.CA

I am a regular “copy ‘n paste” contributor to both of these lists.

Storm in a fruit bowl (Cont.)

I posted an entry regarding this issue earlier in the month, which you can find here:

Altneuland: Storm in a fruit bowl?

I can’t say whether the farmers’ refusal to pay these levies is justified or not (my guess would be that it is). From my lifelong interest in things agricultural, however, I do know that farmers (“producers”) have enough to contend with, without having to battle their own agricultural ministry.

An export deal agreed upon by a Russian businessman and plum growers from Yesod Hamala could not go ahead last week due to Agriculture Ministry refusal to grant export license.

Forty tons of plums and nectarines scheduled for export to Russia were held up in Israel, as the Agriculture Ministry refused to approve the export license as long as the farmers involved have not paid their fees & levies to the Plant Board.

The growers were protesting last week the high fees levied on them for what they consider minimal return.

If the exports are not approved within the next few days, the export deal will be cancelled and the fruits will be sold on the local market and prices should drop.

Agriculture Ministry refuses to approve plum export to Russia

Representing Israel with honour

Most of us would have seen headlines and stories such as this one from the Jerusalem Post. The fire fighting crew truly does "represent Israel with honor".

A team of 51 Israeli firefighters arrived in Greece on Monday morning, heading to historic Ancient Olympia to help local crews in the battle to control massive wildfires that have killed more than 60 people.

With local firefighting crews struggling to get the dozens of fires under control, the head of the Israeli delegation was quoted as saying that the team was ready to "represent Israel with honor" in helping a regional neighbor in its hour of need.

While the more than four dozen firefighters - most of them cadets - arrived in Greece on Monday, an Israeli medical team was wrapping up a week of work in Peru, following the earthquake on August 15 that left over 500 dead and over 1,000 injured.

You in turn can show your support for Israel’s firefighters by making a donation here:

Friends of Israel Fire Fighters > Home
http://www.foif.org/

Or go direct to the donations page here:

Join us and make a difference!
http://www.foif.org/Default.aspx?tabid=41

Israeli firefighters join battle against Greek blazes
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1188197171503&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Expanded role for the Israeli Navy?

According to this article on the Omedia website,

The Israeli navy also wants two new American LCS (Littoral Combat Ships) warships, only launched in 2006, costing hundreds of millions of dollars each. The new warships which carry two helicopters, special forces and vehicles, and large numbers of troops, can operate in shallow waters for coastal battles and in deeper waters. If supplied to Israel, the ships will be fitted with Barak anti-missile weapons systems.

I don’t know exactly why they need them, but hey, I approve. Israel faces threats on every front, including those over the horizon, and the (too-long neglected) Israeli Navy needs to play a greater role in countering these threats and protecting Israel’s interests.

Omedia : The Security Agenda- IDF Discussing Buying New Planes and War Ships
http://www.omedia.org/Show_Article.asp?DynamicContentID=2541&MenuID=603

Does Israel have a foreign policy?

It’s sometimes difficult to believe that Israel has a consistent, rational foreign policy, but that’s not what this piece is about. I just think that one of the cornerstones of Israeli foreign policy should be to create and reinforce a network of relationships with all non-Arab and/or non-Muslim ethnic groups in the region. These relationships and alliances could be either overt or covert (depending on circumstances), and should include both state and non-state actors, e.g. both the Armenians (who have a state) and the Kurds (who currently don’t). Some of these relationships have existed in the past, and have generally ended in ways that do not reflect credit on the Jewish state. Let’s give it another go.

Remembered in Kurdistan
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/894499.html

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=24728871&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haaretz.com%2Fhasen%2Fs+pages%2F894499.html

International crossings and other fantasies

The headline reads: "Abbas denies West Bank-Gaza route included in land swap plan"

I’m no expert on politics, Israeli or otherwise, but like many people, I get nervous when I hear strenuous official denials on any subject. Once again, like many, I tend to suspect that these “leaks” and the corresponding denials are a deniable way of testing the reaction to an idea. Here’s a few of the things that trouble me about this particular item:

The office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday rejected a Haaretz report that Israel had proposed a route between the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would be part of a land swap in a bilateral agreement.

Why is Abbas doing the denying rather than the appropriate Israeli spokesperson?

Israel proposed that safe passage for the Palestinians from the West Bank to Gaza be included in an exchange of territory in the framework of the agreement of principles now being formulated ahead of the upcoming regional summit.

Under the terms of the plan, the Palestinians would receive control of the route, but Israel would maintain sovereignty and it will only begin to operate after the Palestinian Authority, under its present leadership, reasserts control over the Gaza Strip.

A system of international crossings such as this was first proposed as part of the 1947 UN partition plan for Palestine. It died when the Arab side rejected the plan and the suggestion to revive it should be totally rejected instead of apparently being embraced by the Israeli side.

Jerusalem believes that the move will help Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad garner public support in Gaza, which will see the Hamas government as an obstacle in renewing communication with the West Bank.

The idea that we should be “helping”, bolstering, strengthening or making concessions to Abbas, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad, Fatah or the PA is one of the most pernicious and dangerous ideas ever to have gained mind-share in Israel. It goes back to the Oslo-era idea that Israel should be willing to pay a “price for peace” and needs to be stripped out of the language of discourse around the “peace process”. Both sides have as much to lose or gain from peace or the absence thereof, and if one party needs to be constantly propped up even before negotiations have begun, there is little chance that he will be able to fulfil his commitments.

My prediction? There is more chance of Hamas asserting control over the West Bank than of Abbas or the PA asserting control over Gaza.

Abbas denies West Bank-Gaza route included in land swap plan
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/896623.html

Another Zionist icon taking strain?

According to this article on the Telfed (The South African Zionist Federation (Israel)) website:

The teaching of Hebrew in Israel is in crisis. A government study has shown that even after five months of intensive Hebrew study at ulpan, sixty percent of new immigrants over the age of thirty cannot read, write or speak Hebrew at a minimum level. The situation amongst the Russian immigrant population is even more dire with seventy percent of immigrants not being able to understand the Hebrew television news.

As a result of this study, the Knesset has set up an inter-ministerial committee to study the situation and make recommendations to improve and change the ulpan system.

This suggests a couple of things to me, some of which will no doubt be addressed by this committee:

The ulpan system has been around for a long time, and while the system has been successfully used to teach Hebrew to generations of Olim (immigrants), perhaps it's time that new models and techniques were investigated.

Some of the most promising new approaches are the work of private enterprise. One hopes that this aspect will not be neglected when options are investigated.

Perhaps a number of alternatives should be offered to new immigrants in addition to the venerable ulpan/kibbutz-ulpan models. Different people learn best in different ways…

Lastly, this points again to the need for conversational Hebrew to become a fixture of the curricula for all Jewish day schools throughout the Diaspora. Multilingualism was once taken for granted in (especially) European Jewish life. Perhaps it's time to demand that graduates of these schools be reasonably fluent in Hebrew, as well as the vernacular of their country of origin.

How difficult is Hebrew for a new Immigrant?
http://www.telfed.org.il/showpage.php?pageid=188
http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=24718435&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.telfed.org.il%2Fshowp+age.php%3Fpageid%3D188

Is civilian national service a good thing?

According to a breaking news alert on the JTA website:

Israel set up a government administration for non-military national service.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office announced this week that it had formed an administration to accommodate Israelis who, upon reaching draft age, prefer a civilian version of national service to the standard military conscription.

The administration, which begins operations next year, will mostly cater to Israeli Arabs, fervently Orthodox Jews and draft-age youths who cite personal or political reasons for not wanting to wear a uniform. It is expected to offer them options such as community service or medical posts, with similar commitment periods and benefits as conscripted soldiers.

Israelis who do national service enjoy later perks such as tax breaks and student stipends. The civilian service route will also allow those Israelis who avoid the military to also avoid being branded as shirkers.

So, is this a good thing? My answer would be a cautious yes, provided that it has the effect of allowing fewer to slip through the net of conscription, which places an unfair burden on those who do perform service in the IDF. If it simply entrenches and institutionalises draft-dodging by entire sectors of the population (such as the Haredim), then I would be opposed.

As a condition for the formal introduction of non-military national service, all current discriminatory legislation and regulations allowing for blanket deferments and exemptions from military service should be repealed. With these options in place, a “zero-tolerance” approach towards evading the draft needs to take hold, with the choices being conscription, civilian national service, or jail.

Where will these non-military national servicemen and women be deployed? I would suggest that the greatest benefit for both Israeli society and the youths themselves would result from service in the following areas:

The civilian Police (in addition to the existing Border Police option)

The Magen David Adom (MDA)

The Israel Fire-fighters and related emergency/rescue services such as ZAKA

The Ministry of the Environment’s Green Police

The Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA)

The JNF, in roles such as forest guards

Working with youth groups and other social/welfare roles

Some form of merchant navy cadet scheme

In all cases, it is essential that a rigorous selection, training and work-based learning process be put in place, to ensure that both the state and the conscripts receive value from their service. From an equity perspective, the term of service should be a full 2-3 years, the same as those who in many cases are risking their lives in the course of service in the IDF.

It is also important that those performing alternative forms of national service do so as groups rather than as individuals (although their eventual postings might be on an individual basis) and that an ethos or spirit is a part of what is imparted.

Olmert promotes civilian national service
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/103722.html

Although scholarship alone won't win the war...

While good scholarship alone won't be enough to deter Iran from its genocidal course, it's good to know that at least the work is being done. This impressive paper deals sensibly and factually with the tepid response to what is possibly the single greatest threat Israel has faced since its establishment.

Iran has in recent years continued flouting international law with impunity. Iranian President Ahmadinejad's repeated urging that Israel be wiped off the map violates both Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and the Genocide Convention's prohibition of direct and public incitement to commit genocide. Yet no sanctions have been imposed.

Please download the full article .PDF and forward it to your "e-brigade".

SSRN-Emboldened By Impunity: The History and Consequences of Failure to Enforce Iranian Violations of International Law by Orde Kittrie http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=991043

So, which one is it?

According to the Port2port Web Portal (http://www.port2port.com):

The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry said last Tuesday that Israel will join the development phase of the European Union's SESAR (Single European Sky ATM (air traffic management) Research) project.
SESAR is the European air traffic control infrastructure modernization program, which aims to develop a new generation air traffic management system capable of ensuring the safety and fluidity of air transport worldwide over the next 30 years.
SESAR officials invited Israel to join the project as a technology consultant. The Sesar project will overhaul current technologies used to keep planes at safe separations, and allow pilots to fly their own routes and altitudes. The new automated system would shorten individual flight journeys, reducing fuel use and pollution.

This doesn't quite square with the recent spate of reports regarding the state of Israel's civil aviation, such as this brief JTA breaking news alert:

Israel's civil aviation is rife with safety problems, a commission of inquiry found.
The Lapidot Commission released an interim report Wednesday decrying antiquated technologies and a lack of runways at Ben Gurion Airport. It further said that a lack of airspace for civilian traffic -- given the needs of the military -- and pirate radio broadcasts endangered planes coming into land.
"We are in a state of emergency with everything concerning aviation safety in the State of Israel," Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz told reporters in response to the report.
Mofaz pledged to implement the commission's remedial recommendations by next year and negotiate with the Israel Air Force on expanding areas in which civil aviation can operate.

I guess the fact that great technologies are being developed in Israel or by Israelis does not necessarily mean that these same technologies (or disciplines) are being applied there. Still, it would be great if, in this case, Israel itself could be the showcase for its products.

Israel to join EU's SESAR project
http://www.port2port.com/Index.asp?CategoryID=46&ArticleID=1454

Israel sounds aviation alarm
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/103647.html

This would seem familiar to those living in Africa

Anyone who has lived or spent time time just about anywhere in Africa will also be familiar with scenes such as this, but I guess we'd always hoped Israel would be different somehow.

Maybe we'd feel differently if we believed Olmert was doing as much for the safety and security of Israel's people as they are doing for his!

As the prime minister's well-guarded convoy zoomed toward the entrance to Jerusalem last week, it hit and injured a girl who was crossing the street. According to media reports, which have so far not been denied, the convoy crossed the intersection on a red light, while the girl crossed the street on a green light. When procedures intended to protect the life of the prime minister begin to endanger the lives of citizens, clearly, something needs to change.

Isn't this a little premature?

According to a recent Breaking News Report on the JTA website (Israel dumping bus guards):

Israel reportedly plans to do away with guards for its public buses.

Ma'ariv reported Thursday that because of the radical reduction in Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel over the past two years, the government plans to disband its public-transportation guard unit by Sept. 1.

The Transportation Ministry had no immediate comment on the report, which prompted an outcry from the Egged bus cooperative given ongoing efforts by Palestinian terrorists to enter Israel from the West Bank and carry out attacks.

Israel credits its security fence and other counter-measures for the recently improved security.

I would like to think that they know best, but isn't this just a little premature? Rather than totally disbanding the unit , would it not be better to rather scale down its operations, while still retaining the capacity to act in need? In addition, is this even something that should be publicly announced? My suggestion would be to retain guards on the more vulnerable routes, as well as posting them randomly on other routes.

Perhaps we should even be considering the introduction of a Transit Police force, such as those in many western countries, states or metropolitan areas? Maybe not a force in its own right, but a division of the Israeli Police or Border Police? It would need to perform the dual roles of crime prevention/investigation, as as well as the current "sky marshall" role.

In South Africa, a separate Railway Police existed until it was merged with the South African Police (SAP) in the mid-80s. The "stasie blompotte" (station flowerpots) were once a familiar and reassuring sight on the country's transport infrastructure. Twenty years on, a railway policing unit has now been reintroduced in this country!

Israel dumping bus guards
http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/breaking/103665.html

Update

The story was also reported on by the Jerusalem Post, who said:

The public transportation security unit, established during the second Intifada in order to prevent suicide terror attacks against Israeli buses, will be shut down due to the sharp decline in such attacks in recent years, Maariv reported on Thursday.

According to the report, a number of days ago commanding officers in the unit were given notice and were apprised of the decision to put an end to their activities as of September 1.

The report said sources in the Transportation Ministry attributed the closedown to the Finance Ministry, which reportedly cited the program's cost as the grounds for its termination. Bus companies such as Egged, as well as Israel Police, expressed their opposition to the shutdown of a unit that has been commended for its excellence in preventing attacks and generating deterrence amongst terror groups.

To me, this is like clinging to a ledge and saying "well, we've been here a while and we haven't fallen yet, so I guess it's OK to let go...".

Bus security guards given notice
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557462672&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=24382973&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fservlet%2FS+atellite%3Fcid%3D1186557462672%26pag+ename%3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Rudolf Kastner a hero?

Another excellent piece from Caroline Glick in THE JERUSALEM POST, dealing with the long overdue recognition given to the The Bergson Group for their efforts to rescue European Jewry during the Holocaust. She also deals with the touchy issue of the activities of Rudolf Kastner during the same period:

MORE IRKSOME than the abiding hostility toward Bergson is Yad Vashem's decision last month to hold a ceremony where it accepted the personal archive of Rudolf Kastner and extolled as a "hero" the man who served during the war as the deputy head of the Labor Zionist-affiliated Relief and Rescue Committee of Hungarian Jews.

Kastner may have been many things, but he certainly was not a hero.

For those who still believe Kastner to be a hero, Ben Hecht's Perfidy still makes a gripping (and shocking) read. You can get it on Amazon here:

Perfidy

Our World: History's unsettling verdicts | Jerusalem Post
Our World: History's unsettling verdicts | Jerusalem Post

Storm in a fruit bowl?

I am shocked that - in a country where agriculture was once sacrosanct - we have a situation where fruit farmers are denied access to labour and markets because of their protest against what appears to be an unfair tax (according to the article, “The annual tax is equal to roughly 20 to 30 percent of a farmer's yearly income and is paid directly to the Plant Growers Council in monthly installments from May to September.”). Worse still, this is being done by the Agriculture Ministry, the very body that should be assisting the beleaguered agricultural sector, not placing obstacles in its path.

While I understand that farming is no longer the mainstay of Israel’s economy and of her national ethos, we cannot afford to simply scrap the agricultural sector. In the era of global Climate Change, each country will increasingly have to become self-sufficient and rely on local sources of food (what every one of us needs to eat every day in order to survive), rather than on food flown half-way around the globe. At the same time, farmers will need to adapt to producing more for local markets and less for the overseas ones. We must preserve our farming communities and infrastructure for that day. High-tech may well be the wave of the future, but it does not need to happen at the expense of another sector.

Every nation-state needs to nurture its rural and agricultural sectors in order to remain centered. This imperative is doubly important for Israel, where increasing international isolation may result in markets and imports being denied to us by external factors.

From a Zionist perspective, it would be a good thing to reduce (even if we can’t do away with) our reliance on foreign labour. What are some of the ways this might be achieved?

Encourage volunteers. While we may never see the golden age of Kibbutz volunteers again, it may still be worth the while to encourage both Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers from abroad to spend time on a Kibbutz or Moshav.

MASA. Many of the MASA programs might benefit from exposing participants to a stint of fruit picking and packing as part of their overall Israeli experience.

Youth groups, Israel Scouts, schools, family outings. Trips to the countryside don’t have to just be about hiking, camping and sightseeing. During peak picking times, organised groups could play an important role in bringing in the harvests. In some countries there is even still a culture of “city folk” pitching in to help out with this seasonal work.

Encourage those who still wish to enter farming. Not all of us were cut out to be high-tech gurus or entrepreneurs. The country also needs jobs for the rest of us, and agriculture should be on the menu of choices. The apprenticeship for this calling should include helping established growers at these critical times

Mechanisation? Sadly, the demand for labour in the agricultural sector will probably always outstrip the supply. We therefore need to leverage what labour is available to us by continuing to mechanise and automate, hopefully without damaging the product, the workers’ experience or the way of life.

License dispute may harm fruit growers manpower | Jerusalem Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557443066&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=24185313&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fservlet%2FS+atellite%3Fcid%3D1186557443066%26pag+ename%3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Revenge of the Left?

The extract below is from an article reproduced in a recent edition of the IMRA Daily Digest

Uri Elitzur - from column in Yediot Ahronot titled Duchafit as an Omen 10 August 2007

In these two years the impression strengthens that the State of Israel plucked, expelled and destroyed flowering communities, set to fire synagogues and study halls and removed the dead for their graves mostly for one purpose: revenge of the Left against the settlers. In moments of candor, some of the spokespeople of the Left and leading opinion makers openly admit it. Others cover it over with high words about the rule of law and the holiness of democracy, but the truth comes out from between the lines of their words then and now. This is a holy war, a secular jihad, against religious Zionism.

The secular left elite has brought to bear all the tools in its possession in the service of this holy war - the power of the media, its almost complete control of the justice system, their tremendous influence in the academic world - while it is willing to forego all of its other principles for the sake of the jihad against the settlers - among them the rule of law, the war against corruption, human rights, and democratic fairness.

Disparaging the "secular left" seems to have become almost an article of faith amongst certain sectors in Israel. Those tempted to join in the commie/pinko/liberal-bashing fest should remind themselves that we - the entire Jewish People - owe this antiquated secular leftist ideology our eternal gratitude for having given us our greatest national treasure, the State of Israel.

They managed to do this while at the same time clinging to a whole bunch of quaint beliefs about human nature, just societies, labour and property and whether the end justified the means. They also did this at a time when religious Zionism to all intents and purposes did not exist; when the religious sector was almost universally opposed to or indifferent to Zionism.

It is almost impossible to imagine Jewish life in the world without the State of Israel. Within living memory, Jewish life across an entire continent all but ceased to exist for the lack of that same Israel. The settler enterprise may or may not have inherited the mantle of Zionism from the secular left, but there would be no shops in Hebron to divide the nation over without that precious gift of Israel.

IMRA - Saturday, August 11, 2007 Uri Elitzur: The Secular Left Engaged In Holy War against Religious Zionists
http://imra.org.il/story.php3?id=35624

AJL's The Special Green Issue

Hat tip to Richard H. Schwartz (inter alia, President of Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) and Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV)) for posting this important and comprehensive article to the KOL-CHAI mailing list (The COEJL list for Jewish environmental action and discussion).

The Special Green Issue was also highlighted in the JTA Daily Briefing for Aug. 13, 2007. Said JTA:

AJL's first Green Issue includes an apocalyptic look at the effect of climate change on Israel and an award for Green CEO to a Jewish coffee magnate. (American Jewish Life)

From the article:

Hot summers are just the beginning. Israel is on the verge of agricultural devastation and increased flooding among any number of global warming related disasters. Welcome to a whole new Holy Land.

Israel has a lot to worry about. Nuclear threats from Iran, a seemingly intractable stalemate with the Palestinians, the resurgence of global anti-Semitism -- not to mention a prime minister with an approval rating, as of this writing, of an astonishingly abysmal 2%. But according to a small but growing consensus of scientists and environmentalists, there's another looming crisis to add to the list: climate change.

That's right. The “inconvenient truth” may be more than just inconvenient for Israel. According to the Israeli government's report to the UN Convention on Climate Change, the potential effects of global climate change on Israel include a 4-8% drop in precipitation, a shortened rainy season, and increased severity of “extreme climate events.” That's bad news, obviously, for a country perched on the edge of a desert, and with water scarcity already a serious environmental - and political - issue.

APOCALYPSE NOW:
http://www.ajlmagazine.com/theyadablog/2007/08/apocalypse-now.html

American Jewish Life Magazine
The Special Green Issue:
http://www.ajlmagazine.com/archives/2007/julaug.html

“Search for Israel” Google toolbar

If your browser window is not already too crowded with add-on toolbars (and hey, maybe even if it is), here's one you might want to consider.

Please download and install it (versions are available for both IE and Firefox), thereby helping the JNF to replant the forests devastated during the 2006 war. I can't say it any better than they can:

I just downloaded the new “Search for Israel” Google toolbar. It keeps me connected with Israel as I browse the web, by providing the latest in news, travel, streaming audio, and more.

For every downloaded toolbar, HAS Advantage and the JNF plant a tree in forests devastated by this summer’s war. In addition, for every 180 searches they will plant an additional tree. To view how many trees they already planted from people just using the toolbar click here: http://www.hasadvantage.com/searchforisrael/

To get your FREE Toolbar and Plant a FREE Tree click here: http://www.hasadvantage.com/searchforisrael/

Where is the Israeli equivalent?

From the article:

Iran has begun industrial-scale production of its first domestically manufactured fighter jet, state-run television reported Monday, part of Teheran's efforts to become militarily self-sufficient.

The plane was first tested in 2006 and was derived from the reverse engineered components of US combat aircraft.

According to previous reports, the Azarakhsh, or Lightning, was designed for close air support.

No, I don't think Iran is much of an example to follow in any respect, and I realise that Israel has an arms industry that is probably the envy of many countries. I would, however, like to see Israel become just a little bit more independent when it comes to arms and munitions production. Recall these incidents?

• Henry Kissinger delays delivery of vital munitions to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War
• The role of Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger in the demise of the Lavi project
• Emergency airlifts of munitions to Israel during the First Hezbollah War in 2006

Israel's interests are not always 100% aligned with those of even its closest allies, and at times it needs the ability to pursue a somewhat independent course of action (or prosecute a war to its logical conclusion). At those times, it would really be useful to have a greater degree of autarchy with regard to core armaments. I would like to hear compelling reasons why Israel can't achieve this, perhaps with the single exception of its first-line strike aircraft.

Iran begins producing 1st fighter jet Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066394031&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=24085955&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fservlet%2FS+atellite%3Fcid%3D1186066394031%26pag+ename%3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Red-Dead Canal or Med-Dead Canal?

The World Bank public hearings into the "Terms of Reference for the Feasibility Study of the "Red Dead Canal" in Jordan, Israel and Palestine" were to have taken place over the period August 8, 9, 12, 2007.

I'm still trying to wade through the relevant documentation (much of it referenced here), but my own view is that, if there's to be a canal (or aqueduct), it should run from the Med (not the Red). It should begin in the vicinity of Acco/Haifa due East to Lake Kinneret, entirely through Israeli territory and via the shortest route. The water should be desalinated at the intake, using the difference in heights to generate the necessary power hydro-electrically.

The desalinated water should hopefully alter the character of the river system only for the better, and the increased inflow would help to rehabilitate both the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, as well as keeping Lake Kinneret "topped up" and perhaps even contribute to drawings for the National Water Carrier. The advantage of having the aqueduct running entirely through Israeli territory is that the project could never be held hostage by Israel's neighbours in the event of the political climate changing.

I have started making notes for a longer piece to deal with my proposal in more depth.

August 8, 9, 12, 2007 - Red Dead Canal / World Bank Public Hearings
EcoPeace / Friends of the Earth Middle East - Events
http://www.foeme.org/events.php?ind=42

New job for the Israeli PM?

The headlines read:

PM: Israel, PA to expand talks on establishing Palestinian state as soon as possible

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting in the West Bank on Monday he would push for the establishment of a Palestinian state as "fast as possible."

I have to say that I find it hard to understand why the Israeli Prime Minister considers it his job to push for the establishment of a Palestinian state as soon as possible.  Surely we should be hearing this from Abbas, not from Olmert?  I (and many others) have grave doubts as to whether the Palestinians even WANT their own state in Palestine west of the Jordan;  it has frequently been pointed out how many opportunities to establish a state have been missed, from 1937 all the way through to 2000.

Assuming he still considers himself to be the Israeli Prime Minister (and not some roving peace ambassador), perhaps he should even be tossing around ideas like disbanding the PA altogether as a failed experiment, or otherwise doing whatever it takes to protect Israeli lives and interests.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890318.html

To obey or not to obey?

Do I have anything new or useful to say about this issue? As someone living in the (relative) safety and comfort of the Diaspora, probably not. (I say relative because Johannesburg is not very safe.) I will therefore confine myself to these observations:

Israel cannot survive in the Middle East without a strong, motivated IDF.

No defence force, particularly one called upon to face as many threats as does the IDF can tolerate anything like this level of refusal, insubordination and outright mutiny.

Those encouraging and fomenting this behaviour should face even harsher penalties than those exhibiting it, because they are abusing the trust placed in them.

Anyone choosing to live in an area not formally or legally part of the territory of the State of Israel must be prepared to face the consequences of such a choice. I’m not commenting on whether Jews have a right to live in the disputed territories or not.

The IDF cannot tolerate a situation where the views of “religious commissars” from the Hesder and other structures carry a veto over the chain of command. With regret, these units need to toe the line or vanish in their present form.

The issue of whether the IDF or the police should handle these evacuations is beside the point; following legal orders is the issue.

Dismantle the refusal front

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890548.html

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23758750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haaretz.com%2Fhasen%2Fs+pages%2F890548.html

Orthodox soldiers jailed for refusal to evacuate Hebron settlers

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066390493&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23758728&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fservlet%2FS+atellite%3Fcid%3D1186066390493%26pag+ename%3DJPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

Israel building share and confidence in EU fish market

Useful article on the rise of the Israeli fish '"industry".

Fish is a very important part of Israeli economy and its agriculture industry. In the past five years, the state has become one of the leading exporters of fish to the European Union, a development that has boosted its economy.

Israel building share and confidence in EU fish market
http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/4842/israel-building-share-and-confidence-in-eu-fish-market

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23757190&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thefishsite.com%2Ffis+hnews%2F4842%2Fisrael-building-sha+re-and-confidence-in-eu-fish-m+arket

Organic farming in Judea & Samaria (the West Bank, if you must)

Good article covering the challenges and successes of organic farmers in Judea & Samaria. I just can’t help thinking, though, how much stronger and less divided Israel might be had these farmers chosen instead to make their homes within the Green Line…

Good eggs from the West Bank

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888412.html

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23713789&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.haaretz.com%2Fhasen%2Fs+pages%2F888412.html

Does this apply to Israel as well?

Having spent most of my life in Johannesburg (supposedly the largest man-made urban forest in the world), I’ve always thought of urban trees as A GOOD THING. After reading this recent article in TIME magazine, however, I now have a much better understanding of how important tress are to the ecology of our cities.

Every tree that's subtracted from a city's ecosystem means some particulate pollution that should have been filtered out remains. In Washington, that amounts to 540 extra tons each year. Simply replanting does not suffice because small, young trees require decades to grow to full size. "A big tree does 60 to 70 times the pollution removal of a small tree," says David Nowak, a project leader with the U.S. Forest Service's Northern Research Station in Syracuse, N.Y. The crown of a large tree is also a freestanding antiflood reservoir, in some cases intercepting so much rainfall that more than 1,500 gal. a year evaporates instead of hitting the ground. Chop down the tree, and you increase the volume of storm water a city must manage--something that affects older cities with aging drainage systems especially severely.

But it's the thermometer that most noticeably reflects the loss of trees. A high canopy prevents sunlight and heat from ever reaching the ground; by contrast, unshaded asphalt soaks up thermal energy and radiates it back, creating what is known as heat islands. In Atlanta, where developers bulldozed 380,000 acres from 1973 to 1999--much of it heavily forested--temperatures have climbed 5º to 8º higher than in the surrounding countryside, according to NASA, which studies global hydrology and climate…

Is there a central body to look after the interests of city trees in Israel? Seeing that the JNF has managed to do a pretty good job of restoring some of Israel’s forest cover to her, perhaps it could also be charged with the task of seeing that the urban forests (pavements and parks) also have someone to speak for them.

Why Cities are Uprooting Trees

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1635842,00.html

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23662560&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.time.com%2Ftime%2Fprint+out%2F0%2C8816%2C1635842%2C00.html

Civil marriage for Israel?

At last! Civil marriages for Israelis! No, apparently not. This sick joke allows for civil marriages only for couples in which both partners are not considered Jewish, i.e. the Rabbinate doesn't give a damn about them anyway!

The agreement between Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann would allow civil marriages for Israelis who are not considered Jewish by Halacha, or rabbinic law...

The civil option would be available only to couples in which both partners are not Jewish.

Liberals, Russians Boo Civil-Marriage Deal

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23662166&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forward.com%2Farticles%2F11247%2F

A dose of common sense from JINSA

A dose of common sense from The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) website:

Saudi Arabia claims to want to attend the “peace conference” being arranged by Secretary Rice for the Middle East...

Saudi Prince Faisal said the conference had to address “substantive issues,” which he says, are “justice for the Palestinians” and “dismantling Jewish settlements.” The Prince is in synch with Dr. Rice, who said there is a “deepening of the dialogue...that will lead ultimately to the founding of a Palestinian state.” Likewise in synch is the Israeli government. Ha’aretz reports that the Israeli Cabinet is looking for principles to take to the conference; The Washington Times says it will be, “borders, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees who left...during the 1948 war.”

Are we the only ones who think this conference should address the failure of the Arab states to recognize the legitimacy of the State of Israel? President Bush has in fact said the Arab states have to drop the “fiction” that Israel does not exist. This is, in our view, the perfect time for the Government of Israel to insist that the Arab states demonstrate acceptance of UN Resolution 242, drop their states of war against Israel and accept the “legitimacy and territorial integrity of all the states in the region.” If it doesn’t, who will?

I agree with JINSA. I also believe that recognition by the Arab states of the legitimacy of the State of Israel should be a pre-condition for the peace conference even to take place with Israeli participation. Instead of which, it will more than likely be one of the scraps to be tossed to Israel in return for what will no doubt be massive concessions to the Arab cause.

JINSA Online -- #692 Notes for a Friday in August

http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/650/documentid/3884/history/3,2359,650,3884

The real demographic threat?

Friday’s online edition of the Forward carried two excellent pieces (one news, one editorial) dealing with the challenges presented by the demographic growth of the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector of Israeli society.

From its establishment, Israeli society and its leaders - from Ben-Gurion through to his nemesis Begin - made the mistake of treating the Haredi sector as a sort of picturesque relic or curiosity (perhaps something that made Jerusalem’s older neighbourhoods more photogenic). With the passage of time, it has become increasingly apparent how mistaken this view was, and that the Haredi explosion may in fact be the real demographic threat to the nature, and even the survival of Israel.

Despite their impressive birth-rate, this problem did not just happen by itself. It was aided and funded by Israeli society at large; aided by the nature of the Israeli political system and funded by the long-suffering Israeli taxpayer. The genie can only be put back in the bottle by means of the political/constitutional processes, which in turn should bring this subsidised growth-rate back to normal levels.

The peculiarities of the Israeli political system make it extremely difficult to address the issue holistically. In addition, any measures taken should not violate Israel's democratic nature by discriminating against the Haredim, but rather by ensuring that they are treated in an equitable manner, and that any special privileges and concessions are removed.

In my view, there are four interlocking and inter-related components at work here:

The Israeli welfare system, that allows the indigent Haredi lifestyle and birth-rate to flourish at the taxpayers’ expense

The subsidising of the Haredi school system at the expense of the state school system, making the former more attractive to the latter to many

The system of deferments and exemptions that allows the bulk of Haredi school-leavers to dodge service in the IDF

The political concessions, compromises and simple blackmail that make this all possible

What kind of changes would be required in order to reverse the development? I suggest that the following might be a starting point:

The phasing out of all welfare grants and subsidies that make it possible to choose and maintain an indigent lifestyle coupled with a high birth-rate. Welfare benefits should be reserved for genuine welfare cases; work-seekers, the temporarily unemployed, the disabled, etc.

An end to any and all subsidies for non-state, i.e. private schools. As in the rest of the world, those who choose to send their children to private schools should be expected to foot the bill. Private school systems should not be privileged at the expense of the public school system! In addition, those schools that do not provide pupils with appropriate life skills or do not teach the public school core curriculum should simply be closed down.

An immediate end to all blanket deferments or exemptions from military service on the grounds of religious study. Each request for deferment or exemption should be dealt with on its own merits. The menu of choices should be limited: service in the IDF, alternative national service in one of the other security or emergency services, or jail. A review of Hesder and other special arrangements in IDF should also be undertaken to determine whether they are still suitable or appropriate. Issues around Kashrut, single-sex units etc., should also be dealt with. In addition, subsidies to all yeshivot and kollelim not approved by the education authorities should be ended, while, study at any of these should not be cause for deferment/exemption.

Finally, a basic law that will prevent any of these perversions of democracy to be reintroduced into Israeli society, whether by means of legislation or through dirty little coalition deals.

With these inequities removed from Israeli society, the ultra-Orthodox sector will be able to take its rightful place, and make a meaningful contribution to Israeli society, the Jewish people and humanity as a whole.

Rapid Rise of Israel's Orthodox Schools Sparks Fear of Army, Work Force Shortage

http://www.forward.com/articles/11290/

http://www.furl.net/search?search=cache&id=23661286&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forward.com%2Farticles%2F11290%2F

Israel's Hidden Crisis

http://www.forward.com/articles/11292/

http://www.furl.net/search?sear