· May, 2008

Stories about Israel from May, 2008

Syria: Golan Cherries for Export

  31 May 2008

From Syria, Sasa writes: “Syrian farmers living under Israeli occupation have asked Israel to allow them to sell their cherries inside Syria. Living under occupation means they can not travel to Syria or visit their families, and they certainly can't send shipments of their produce into Syria.”

Israel: Diplomatic Relations Don't Extend to Soccer Field

  27 May 2008

“I guess the Egyptians would rather quit than fight,” remarks Israel Matzav's Carl in Jerusalem. “An Egyptian soccer team which included diplomats from the country who are stationed in Rome decided to boycott a soccer tournament after a lottery determined that they would play an Israeli soccer team consisting of...

Israel: Making Peace from the Ground Up

  27 May 2008

“They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more,” says the Bible. Prof. Alon Tal of Ben-Gurion University and Dr. Muhammad Said Al-Hmaida of Bir Zeit University have taken matters into their...

Israel: Shekels Friendly to the Blind

  27 May 2008

“Israeli currency has been accessible to the blind since 1975,” reflects Josh of Blogs of Zion, responding to a US federal court cases arguing that American money discriminates against the blind. Unlike US dollars, Israeli paper money has raised vertical and horizontal lines that help blind people differentiate between bills.

Israel: Crop Graffiti Celebrates Israel's 60th Birthday

  27 May 2008

“I am a man of the land and deeply connected to this country. The field is my canvas, and my tools are the paintbrush,” says Israeli farmer Peter Viner, who grew his fields to read “Israel at 60″ in honor of the country's 60th anniversary. “Apparently, no-one’s ever done this...

Israel: Going Green with Gore

  25 May 2008

Former Vice President Al Gore added his name to the list of political luminaries visiting Israel in recent months. Gore joined the Board of Governors celebrations at Tel Aviv University this week to accept the $1 million Dan David Prize for environmental activism.

Israel: Tel Aviv Transport Goes Hybrid

  25 May 2008

Green cabs are coming to Tel Aviv, says Isrealli, who writes that “the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Israeli Taxi Drivers Association have agreed on a plan to transition much of the city’s taxi fleet to hybrid cars.”

Israel: Religious Communities Object to “Sex” in Advertising

  25 May 2008

“[Blank] in the City?” An Israeli media company is protesting advertising promoting the release of the new “Sex and the City” movie, claiming the word “sex” is offensive and should be removed. “You really don’t know whether to get angry or just laugh at the ridiculousness of this whole thing,”...

Israel: We Have No iPhones Today

  25 May 2008

“Apple finally sells the iPhone in the Middle East but not in Israel. Who cares?” asks Ouriel Ohayon. “On average [every] 1/3 person I meet has an iPhone here… Well done Steve Jobs!”

Israel: Success at Last

  20 May 2008

From Israel, Haim Watzman celebrates the success of his son at school – after a lot of hard work and the frustrations of being different.

Israel: 1000 Days Since the Gaza Strip's Evacuation

  19 May 2008

Jameel at The Muquata reflects that it has been 1,000 days since Israeli citizens and military forces left Gaza as an occupying force. “The blatant callousness of the Israeli government and of Disengagement supporters who do not spend every second of their days trying to help the solve the refugee...

Egypt: A Taxi Driver's Words of Wisdom

  19 May 2008

Israeli-American blogger Daniel Lubetsky, traveling in Egypt, interviews his taxi driver on leading figures in the Middle East. “I asked him to rank people or countries, thumbs up or thumbs down. Here were his rankings on 24 questions from Bush to Ahmadinejad, from Olmert to Nasrallah, from Bin Laden to...

Israel: New World Record for Biggest Hummus Plate

  19 May 2008

Weighing in at 400 kilos (880 pounds) on a plate that was 4 meters (4.35 yards) in diameter, Hummus Tzabar became the Guinness Book of World Record's official title holder for the biggest plate of hummus served at last week's Independence Day celebrations. The experts at Hummus101 report that Israelis...

Israel: Bush's Final Presidential Visit

  19 May 2008

On the heels of its 60th birthday celebrations, President Bush visited Israel this week, marking his second and last presidential visit to the Middle Eastern state. Maya Norton tunes into the Israeli blogosphere to bring us the latest reactions.

Palestine: One State Solution

  19 May 2008

From Jordan, Ali Dahmash writes: “I’m one of a few who believe in a One state solution since either side can't get rid of the other. As crazy as it may seems, but a two state solution is simply impossible and all that effort put on unrealistic Peace process is...

Blog for Palestine Day

  16 May 2008

Blogger za3tar has organized Blog About Palestine Day for today, May 15, the anniversary of the Nakba and Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations. Bloggers around the world were invited to blog for Palestine, as noted by Global Voices here. Many bloggers chose to participate in the event; here is a selection.

Palestine: Sixty Years of Al Nakba

  15 May 2008

Celebrations are under way to mark Israel's 60th anniversary - but for millions of Palestinians whose grandparents and parents were made refugees in the process, today marks Al Nakba - a day they were forced to flee their lands or were forcefully expelled from their homes as the State of Israel was born. Following is a cross-section of reactions from Arab bloggers.

Israel: Iranian Grad Missiles Hit Ashkelon Mall

  15 May 2008

Hours after President George W Bush arrived in Israel, Iranian Grad missiles penetrated the roof of an Ashkelon mall. Four people, including a mother and her toddler, were seriously wounded. In addition, 87 others were transferred to a hospital. Gilad Lotan brings us the reactions of the Hebrew blogosphere.