Peace with Israel: Not In The Best Interest of Palestinian Leaders.

It's been a LONG time since Oslo, and the Israeli Palestinian situation is no closer to resolution than it was the day Arafat launched the 2nd intifada in 2000. Some blame can always be laid at Israeli leaders feet of course, although when you consider what we now know that former PM's Olmert & Barak were prepared to offer for a solution, it's hard to understand why peace couldn't be achieved.

To this day Palestinians make plenty of noises about peace and negotiations, but always manage to find a reason to not even meet with Israel, imposing shifting conditions on participation, knowing that at best Israel will want to negotiate on those very points, not agree before reaching the table. Recent Jordanian attempts were scuppered when the Palestinian delegation simply refused to turn up. Meanwhile their propoganda machine churns out story after story creating an image of gun wielding settlers stealing land in the night, and apartheid era images from S. Africa that bare no relationship to the real situation on the ground. These stories make Israel's position weaker, and serve to encourage international aid, despite clear Palestinian Authority human rights violations occurring under the noses of the family of nations. Combine that with the high levels of corruption that means much of the aid disappears, the constant Nazi style antisemitism on aid funded PA media, and the recent clamp down on Palestinian press freedoms, and it is unlikely the PA would get these levels of international aid without the negative propaganda about Israel.

The question remains therefore, why the PA doesn't devote more energy to genuinely seeking peace with Israel? Why on earth would the Palestinians leaders not want peace? The answer is clear: it isn't in their interest! Not for the same pure hatred reasons of the Hamas led Gaza Palestinians, but because peace with Israel would probably lead to an end to their personal gravy train & perhaps their downfall! Does anyone believe that it was only Arafat who got rich off the conflict, with a personal wealth of $1.3 BILLION when he died, with at least $900,000,000 'diverted' from foreign aid according to the IMF?

The aid from the UN, the EU and the US is on shaky ground as I explain above, with the PA doing so many things that in other circumstances would cause nations to think twice in these difficult economic times, and if Palestine becomes a country and continues (as it almost certainly will) with the blatant human rights violations, anti-democratic practices & rabid corruption, then aid will dry up. Couple that to the fact that a future Palestine would be a tiny place, with few resources (thanks to the fact that the vast majority of what should have been Palestinian land under the 1947 UN plan is not The West Bank, but rather Jordan, and nobody is even suggesting they be part of a land deal for the new Palestine) and the Palestinian leaders (and defacto their people) would be in afar more difficult position than they are today. They would still be totally dependent on Israel for water, and power (as Israel is about to become a net exporter of natural gas & electricity, and the Egyptian supplies are totally unreliable thanks to Islamist sabotage). Meanwhile Israel (not to mention Jordan & other Arab states) would be unlikely to supply this new state with resources for free, and one can imagine that with the corruption levels we can expect , Palestine is unlikely to mirror Israel's success story.

This failure would probably open the door for the fall of the PA and the reunification of the Palestinian people under Hamas. A Hamas Palestine would once more look to Israel as the source of all it's problems and only a fool (like British MP George Galloway) can imagine they would honor any settlement with Israel reached with the PA. We'd be back to square one, with the real losers being once more the Palestinian people, who in all this will not have had their voices heard or their needs addressed, just as their are not addressed today by either the PA or Hamas who use the Palestinians as their ticket to power and riches.

Therefore Palestinian leaders avoid true negotiations, because for the fat cat Palestinian leadership successful negotiations would be a disaster. The status quo means they can continue to get rich on aid, and they can vilify Israel as an obvious scapegoat, while aiming crude Nazi levels of antisemitic propaganda at their people to keep them angry, as well as killing anyone who dares sell land to Jews (the first law the Palestinian Authority enacted!), and arresting Palestinian journalists who dare to criticize. It all leads to the clear conclusion that they don't want peace, not for the good of Palestinians, but because the status quo is good for them.

Yair Lapid: Part of The Problem

Yair Lapid left his successful Israeli TV journalist career behind to enter politics, promising to be something different from the career politicians we are so weary of here, a new type of option for a frustrated voting population, but to be honest Lapid has so far proven he is exactly the same as the others, and in his short (and so far unelected career as a politician) become part of the problem, not a solution.

The main sign of this is that he set up a new party, 'Yesh Atid' ('There is a future'). Perhaps this should have been called 'Yesh Lapid', but anyway one thing Israel has no shortage of is political parties & factions, many of which come and go over the life of a single Knesset, promising to change the face of Israeli politics and leaving behind a trail of 'more of the same'. Lapid, if he continues to enjoy his honeymoon period as a politician, would probably get a handful of seats in the next Knesset (despite Facebook polls suggesting he'd get as many as 20 MKs in a 2012 election) and then he would bargain away his principles to join a new unstable coalition, where he could wield far more power than his vote count or experience should give him. This might explain his current angry statements aimed at PM Bibi Netanyahu & Shaul Mofaz for forming the new unity government, because as I said in my remarkably prescient blog a few days ago, if they succeed in changing our electoral system, Lapid's bid for power is down the drain, and even this outbreak of political unity has delayed elections and put his nascent political career in jeopardy.

The result of a change in our system would be a more stable political stage, comprising of 3 or 4 strong broad parties. Lapid may well find a home in one of those, perhaps a revitalized Labour Party, but then he'll have to put in years as a working politician, representing ordinary people's problems, gaining respect and hopefully a reputation for honesty and hard work, while his high profile as a TV anchor will dim in the public mind. If he's lucky then at some point he may get to serve his country as a minister and we can all judge his worthiness to be a leader of Israel. What he won't be able to do is enter the Knesset and immediately barter his way to a position of power he does not have the experience or mandate to fill.

I for one am hoping that Bibi & Mofaz succeed.

Starting a Campaign for Public Holidays in Israel

I started writing this piece the day before Bibi surprised us all by canceling elections, that he had originally surprised us by almost announcing ! I know Israel faces existential threats to it's existence; divisions in society between Jew & Arab, ultra orthodox & secular (Tal Law); a flawed education system and harsh cost of living costs for our income levels, but I'd like to add a vital item to the list of priority issues facing the next Israeli government: public holidays ! One virtually universal reaction I've heard to Bibi's new unity government is "oh no...what about our election day public holiday???" !!

Trivial? Perhaps not life & death, but in terms of quality of life I'd say essential! We must be one of the only western countries that does not have a true weekend, with with many people working 5.5 to 6 days per week (not to mention several weeks reserve army duty each year as well). This long working week is tough for everyone, particularly for religious Jews such as myself, because Friday (if we even have it off work, which my wife for example does not) is about preparing for Shabbat, and Shabbat itself while a wonderful experience, doesn't readily allow us to do leisure activity or even spend the kind of quality time with our kids we'd like to enjoy, because Shabbat & erev Shabbat is all about cooking, cleaning, guests, synagogue, etc.

To be honest, my long term goal is not a fewextra public holidays, but to see a Sunday weekend law passed in Israel, however being realistic, that's probably a few years off, so what about quarterly public holidays? Yom Haatsmaut in the Spring is the sole one that exists now, so I'm talking adding just 3 days a year! Three days when parents can have some quality time with their kids, when families can enjoy a long weekend, and when leisure enterprises from hotels to garden centers can do some bumper business! Make them a Thursday or Sunday and we can have a long weekend option. These days would not be a drain on the economy, far from it, as they provide a boost to local tourism, and business such as garden centers, BBQ suppliers, and so on.

At this point you might be agreeing with me in principle, thinking to yourself that this is a very nice idea, but not exactly the necessity I described in the opening sentences. Well I disagree: The stress levels in this country are palpable and families are suffering. I know very few Israelis that don't struggle to make ends meet with both parents working long hard weeks, and for what? To not have time to be with their kids? Lets make this a priority for our new unity government, lets write to Knesset members, set up Facebook groups, and contact the media. So come on Bibi - give us a Ben Gurion day or make Herzl day (which already exists on the calendar) into a real holiday, for the sake of our national mental health and our families!

democratic change

Israel is about to once again express the ultimate manifestation of a democracy: general elections. As soon as he ends the Jewish mourning period for his late father, incumbent prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is expected to call elections early in September. For all of Israel's neighbors this basic act of democracy would be something of huge import, with elections in the Mid East a rare, and generally tainted exercise. Not in Israel however, where regular elections, combined with a free press and a court system, are symbolic of this young country's genuine democratic nature. All Israeli's over 18 have the vote: male & female, Jew & Arab, religious & secular. Israel's often raucous Knesset is a collection of small parties with the largest holding around 30 of the 120 seats.

Israels government is therefore by necessity always a broad coalition, often (as in the outgoing Netanyahu government) made of strange bedfellows from right and left.This is, of course to Israel's credit and is a level of democracy seen as natural in Europe & The US, but unheard of in the Mid East, it is however a democratic system that for the good of Israel needs reform. In our current system too many small parties have inflated influence, because of the need to include them in coalitions. At the same time, ordinary citizens lack local representation. Knesset members represent their parties, but not geographic areas and therefore I have no MK of my own to call when issues occur locally. Parties are often formed to represent demographic groups such as Shas (representing poorer Sefardi Israelis) or the Ultra Orthodox groups & arab parties. This representation has been important over the past few years, forcing governments to listen to the needs of these communities, but at the same time, it has allowed tiny parties, representing a small percentage of Israelis to have the ability to hold coalitions to ransom: "build here or we walk.... propose that bill and we are out".
The solution (and I have heard is that Bibi himself wants this) is to reform the system, but these very small parties will block any moves to do that, in order to protect their power base. In simple terms, any proposal would lead to the collapse of a coalition, because Shas and the others will walk out. What has been needed is a coalition of the major parties (and again I've heard in off the record discussions with people 'inside' is that of all the larger party leaders only Tzippi Livni would not 'play ball'). Such a coalition of Likud, Labor, Yisrael Biteinu, & Kadima would not need the tiny parties and would be able to pass the difficult reforms needed and then call fresh elections.
I believe as a result of this, political figures, instead of constantly setting up yet another party or Knesset list, would be forced to either form power block within the larger parties or non governmental pressure groups as happens in other democratic states. The type of system they create is open for debate: a two tier Knesset perhaps, with half the member representing geographic areas and half elected as they are today is one idea that I have heard, but whatever system is chosen, it has to happen, because the present system, while it is excellent for dealing with security and foreign policy issues, does not create governments able to tackle the various social problems that plague Israeli society.
It is incumbent on all of us to put pressure on the parties during this election cycle to work together to make this change, because this is the period when they are most open to being influenced by the electorate. This is perhaps the single most important thing any future Israeli government might achieve

Israel: Nation or Dysfunctional Family?

This morning Israel commemorated the holocaust with its annual minute of silence, accompanied by the haunting sound of the country's air raid sirens. I stood outside my Jerusalem apartment and watched cars pull over and drivers stand by open doors, buses stop, old ladies with shopping baskets stand with heads bowed and even the kindergarten teachers opposite my home made a valiant attempt to have their young charges stand quietly. The atmosphere was palpable: an entire country joining together in collective respect and even grief for the generation of European Jewry that was wiped out by Hitler & his Nazi followers.

The minute ended with the siren fading, and immediately normal life started up: car doors closed, children started to laugh & squeal and pedestrians walked on. I turned to go in to my apartment when the air was split with the raucous sound of car horns and angry shouts as two Israeli drivers engaged in the national pastime of driving badly, then loudly blaming the other driver for any near miss that may occur.

How can a nation bow its head in grief one moment and then have its citizens start berating each other the next? What happened to the feeling of unity and shared experience that had bound us all together moments before ? Perhaps the answer lies in a biblical name for the Jewish people, 'Bnei Yisrael', the Children of Israel. We are not simply 'Am Yisrael', the people of Israel, who by pure chance happen to be citizens of the same country, but we are also the descendants of a single family who lived in this area long ago, and in some ways after all these millennia we still are one large extended family and like most families, we are a little dysfunctional!

This explains a lot about some of the quirks of Israeli society: We have our disagreements, we irritate each other, and we often take the feelings of our fellow Israelis for granted, but we equally love to celebrate each others 'simchas' and share each others pain. We can stand and shed a tear together and then shout at each other a moment later, because like most families we care deeply about each other, but we don't always get on that well! This perhaps goes to explain other aspects of Israeli society like 'protexia', where who you know can open doors, perhaps unfairly, but after all, we'll all try to help out family... right?? The way we drive, always wanting to be in front even when there is nothing to be gained, is that any different to siblings who just have to beat each other to the most trivial things? The way we Israelis stick our nose into discussions and disputes that are none of our business, who doesn't have family members who do just that?

To the outsider then, Israeli society may often seem torn by divisions, and bad behaviour toward each other, but to those visitors I'd suggest you watch our shared grief when the memorial sirens blare; look at our shared concern and care for the young people we see as almost our own, as they give up years of their lives to serve our army, or observe the genuine joy every Israeli feels on hearing of an engagement or birth even concerning total strangers.

So next time you get yelled at by an Israeli driver who just cut you up, don't let it get to you, simply honk back and smile, after all who drives us more crazy than our own family?

Isratransfer

There are basically two ways to legally transfer money in and out of Israel (discounting money belts, which tend to itch on long flights!):
1. You can do a bank to bank transfer
2. You can use the services of a private money change business in Israel.
Both methods have their drawbacks: Israeli banks basically gouge their customers by wracking up the charges and offering a poor exchange rate far below the interbank rate, and the reason they are able to get away with this is because they are aware of the drawback with private money changers in Israel, which is they may be far less expensive and offer much better rates, but they are simply not as secure.
In recent years there have been high profile cases of money change firms going bust and of clients in the middle of a transfer losing their money. This happens because basically when your funds arrive in Israel, they land in the money changers accounts, and they then transfer the money to wherever you want it sent, but before they do, they have full control of the funds, which means the clients has to trust they money changer to do the right thing, which obviously they must do or nobody would use them again... unless you happen to pick the day they go out of business!!
There is however a money changing firm that have voluntarily added a layer of protection, arguing that clients shouldn't have to trust them, but rather they should be able to trust the system. That has always been the bank's advantage: I mean who really trusts bankers, but on the whole, we do trust the banking system.

I found out about Isratransfer's system when I was doing my daily radio show here in Israel. One of the founding partners did the financial news for me, and the system of transferring money was actually developed in partnership with the radio station's parent organization,  a highly respected non profit called The AACI (the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel).

Essentially what happens is that the AACI act as an independent 3rd party, approving transfers.Without the AACI approving a money release, Isratransfer are unable to do anything with their clients money. As soon as money arrives in the account, it is immediately released to the destination specified by the client when the money was sent and there is absolutely nothing else that can happen to the money. In fact, even if Israetransfer was to collapse while your money was in transit, it would still have to go where it was supposed to.
So with this system you get peace of mind and you don't have to pay the ridiculous bank charges and poor exchange rates of the banks. How much do I believe in what I say here? I have used Isratransfer myself  on multiple occasions and saved a lot of money, not to mention aggravation (the one thing Israeli banks give you that Isratransfer doesn't!) and now I'm trying to encourage people to use their services.
If you want more info, click here and I'll try to help

Israel's Middle Classes Rise Up

Israel is experiencing a summer of discontent: Tent cities have sprung up in response to rising housing costs; Dairy products have suffered mass boycotts that have turned that industry upside down; doctors & nurses have been involved in industrial action for over 120 days and now parents with strollers have protested the prohibitive costs of child rearing in Israel.
First, lets dispense with that these protests are not: they are not an Israeli 'arab spring'. The Arab Spring demos are about fighting for basic democratic rights. Autocratic arab states have been prepared to kill these people rather than allow them say in the way their country is run. Here in Israel it could not be more different, because Israelis have enjoyed those democratic rights since the founding of the State of Israel. In fact, these demos are a reflection of the vibrancy of our democracy. No, the Summer of Discontent in Israel is about the Middle classes: People who's education and careers would normally lead them to basic financial security, but in Israel they find themselves increasingly unable to move forward with their lives: Wages don't stretch so hard working people find themselves working two jobs and spending even less time with the families they are working to support; house costs in cities where they make their homes are rapidly becoming prohibitive leading to a generation of Middle Classes facing the prospect of never getting a foot on the housing ladder; early child care is so expensive that it is hardly worth both parents going to work, and yet impossible to make ends meet if they do not both have jobs; and the cost of basic utilities keeps rising whilst wages more often than not, stay static. This then is the root of the Summer of Discontent: the middle class of Israel feeling squeezed, overburdened and as a social class, burnt out.
There are many ideas floating around, and I do not pretend to have the economic or political knowledge to say what we should do, but I do know,as a member of this middle class in Israel, that we have to do something soon! Ideas that listeners have suggested include state support for early child care (Mishpachtonim) so that going back to work after maternity leave does not mean a drastic cut in take home pay; reducing the number of flat taxes such as VAT (Ma'am) and increasing means based taxes; less child support emphasis on larger families (aimed at the poorest HAredi & Arab sectors) and more on smaller families; rent control for cities like Jerusalem where the middle classes find themselves priced out of the market by wealthy absentee overseas owners and Haredim moving into areas making them inappropriate for other sectors; Increasing local and purchase taxes for overseas owners as well as incentives for absentee owners to rent or sell to locals.
My fear is the result of all this dissent will be either a 'band aid' over the concerns - some type of appeasing gesture that does not address the genuine pressures on the Israeli Middle Class or it will being the Netanyahu government down which will almost certainly dispel the anger and cause the tent cities to be taken down, but will then lead to business as usual. This is Bibi's fault, but it's also Olmert's Sharon's, Peres's, Rabin Shamir and Begins ! This has been 25 years in the making, but if we don't want to see the growing Middle Class exodus of Israeli's and Anglo Olim then it needs to proper long term policy decisions to be made a sea change in thinking toward Israel's Middle Classes.