Deep Inside The Plucky Country (Great Article About Israel - MUST READ!)

The Australian ^ | 1/19/2008 | Greg Sheridan

[goldstategop]

Although Israel is a physically small country - it's one-third the size of Tasmania - most of its seven million people distribute themselves over incredibly diverse cities.

Jerusalem is an eternal city: the centre of Judaism, the fountainhead of Christianity and an important site for Islam. Visually it is stunning, its character maintained by the most enlightened civic ordinance on record: that all new buildings must be constructed of white Jerusalem stone. Like most Israeli cities it has several diverse communities: ultra-orthodox religious Jews who don't serve in the army and often don't work, Arab Muslims, Arab Christians (a small and diminishing minority), secular Jews, and national religious Jews who serve in the army and participate in the modern economy.

Tel Aviv, Israel's biggest city, is entirely different. It is a sensuous Mediterranean city that offers every decent amenity of any cosmopolitan European city. Its hedonism and its sensuousness are tempered by the strategic gravity of Israel's situation, by everyone doing their military service and by the cultural depth of Judaism, the traditions of the book. Tel Aviv is predominantly secular Jewish, with very few Arabs and ultra-orthodox Jews.

Haifa, the port city to the north of Tel Aviv, is different again. It has the largest Arab minority of a big Israeli city and is where Arabs and Jews most easily and fully mix together, although such mixing occurs all across Israel. Haifa is also the world headquarters of the Bahai faith, which was founded in Iran and has suffered terrible persecution there and so has fled to two countries where religious minorities are not persecuted: Israel and India.

[goldstategop]

A great article ABOUT Israel. Most media stories don't focus on the world's only Jewish State, its seven million people, its great cities and its amazing people and culture. As well as its incredible landscapes. The country itself needs to be better covered by journalists. For such a small country, its amazingly packed with drama, fascination and human interest.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[flowerplough]

Interesting and refreshing that The Australian doesn’t seem to be trying to slight, impugn, or deprecate Israel and its Jews. Most western media do.

[MplsSteve]

BUMP for later reading.

[Lee'sGhost]

Excellent! Thanks for posting.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel. or WOT [War on Terror]

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[Convert from ECUSA]

Pro-Israel article in main-stream media ping!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks for the pings, C from E.

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[Fred Nerks]

About the Author:

Greg Sheridan

After 25 years in the field, he is a veteran of international affairs who has interviewed leaders all over the Asia Pacific and America.

He began journalism in the late 1970s at The Bulletin magazine. His first trips into Asia were to cover the Vietnamese refugee stories in the early 1980s.

In 1984 he joined The Australian as an editorial writer. In 1985 he was appointed Beijing correspondent, and in 1986 and 1987 was Washington correspondent.

[dervish]

Thanks SC. As it happens I just returned from a quick mini trip to Israel.

As always what strikes me is the juxtaposition of normal modern Western life with 18 year olds of both sexes walking in the streets, shops and hotels in khakis toting weapons as large as they are. Also the hyper current Israeli tech saavy society against the backdrop of ancient Jerusalem. My cab driver had a talking GPS to navigate the street of old Jerusalem.

[Convert from ECUSA]

I noticed the same things when I visited Israel in 1986. No GPS then, but the Israelis had the very latest technology everywhere.