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Israel
Located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is the only Jewish-majority state in the world. It has a total land area of 22,072 sq km with an estimated population of approximately 7.7 million as of 2010.
6,421 Questions
Why is Israel threatening a new Holocaust?
It's not, when people say that, they are taking words out of Context. It was a quote by Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai saying that Hamas is bringing a bigger Shoah upon themselves. Shoah is the Hebrew word for disaster, that is also used to describe the Holocaust in Germany. Vilnai said disaster, not Holocaust.
What is the state of palestine willing to give up in order to achieve peace?
Fisheseses lots and lots
Israel is a small country in south-western Asia, on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Neighbouring countries include Lebanon to the north, Syria and Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the south-west.
What are the four occupied territories and from whom israel took them?
-- Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt during the 6-days war in 1967,
and returned it to Egypt in 1979 with the signing of the peace treaty.
-- Israel occupied southern Lebanon, and moved its forces out of there at the request
of the UN.
-- Israel occupied and controlled the Gaza strip, and moved all of its military and all
Jewish settlers out of there in 2006.
-- Israel occupied the Golan Heights since 1967. It has never been annexed, (made a part
of Israel), and will undoubtedly be returned to Syria, as soon as Israel can get some
assurance that it won't turn into a shooting gallery as it was before, with Israeli farms
in the adjacent valley as the targets.
-- Israel captured East Jerusalem in 1967, and began admitting all visitors to
the Temple Mount, whether they are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or whatever.
Before that time, the controlling authorities denied Jews the privilege of visiting
the entire old city of Jerusalem.
-- The original UN partition map in 1947 included the "West Bank" in the Jewish-administered
section. That area was captured by Jordan during the Arab invasion after Israel declared
itself a country in 1948. Israel recaptured it in 1967, and felt that it was necessary to
maintain some control over it, as that area was always a launching ground for
infiltration and suicide attacks against Israel. But apparently it can't be too
tyrannical an "occupation", since the whole Palestinian government is located
and operates there, the whole police and security structure in that region is
Palestinian, the local governments in all of the West Bank cities, towns, and
villages are Palestinian, Arabs from the West Bank have brought land-use suits
against Israel to Israeli courts, and have on occasion won their cases against
Israel in Israeli courts.
What is the skin color of israel people?
Depends. The Israeli people do not have a particular skin colour. But many people
in Israel are of white or beige-coloured skin.
The present population of Israel comprises immigrants or their descendents from
more than 100 countries. Skin colors include 'white', 'olive', 'black', and 'yellow'.
What was the new name of the hebrew kingdom?
It was called Eretz Yisra'el (×רץ ישר×ל), which means "the Land of Israel."
Were the Kings of Israel forbidden to own horses?
Yes and no.
They were prohibited from breeding horses or acquiring many horses. Nowhere does it say that they could have absolutely no horses whatsoever, although it may be implied.
Horses in those days were used for primarily two purposes: warfare and pomp. The Kings were warned not to put their trust in "horses and chariots", both literally and symbolically meaning armies, but rather to trust in God for deliverance in war. The surrounding heathen nations made use of horses in warfare, and often believed that they were the key to success in battle.
Likewise, the use of horses for pomp (displays of wealth and power) would have been distasteful to the Israelites at the time.
Do more people celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas in Israel?
Hanukkah is a National holiday in Israel, celebrated by about 6 million people. Christmas is only observed in private, by the tiny Christian minority of about 140,000 people.
Also, Christian tourists often visit bethlehem during Christmas in large numbers, but bethlehem is in the Palestinian Territories.
What is the Holy Land in Rome and why is it important?
Vatican City, home of the Pope and religious center of the Roman Catholic church, is considered to be the "holy land" located in Rome.
Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (March 24, 1795 - October 16, 1874) was an Orthodox German
rabbi and one of Zionism's early pioneers in Germany.
He proposed:
- To collect money for this purpose from Jews in all countries;
- To buy and cultivate land in Palestine;
- To found an agricultural school, either in Palestine itself or in France; and
- To form a Jewish military guard for the security of the colonies.
To these and similar Zionist ideals he gave expression in his Derishat Zion,
containing three theses:
- The salvation of the Jews, promised by the Prophets, can come about only in a natural way - by self-help;
- Colonization in Palestine;
- Admissibility of the observance of sacrifices in Palestine in the present day.
The appendix contains an invitation to the reader to become a member of the colonization societies of Palestine.
The second part of the book is devoted to speaking to "the nations" who believe
in the bible and the prophets, and persuading them, that this new course in history
is a logical one, and that they too can hope for the salvation of the Jewish nation
as part of the salvation of the entire world.
What are important Israeli products?
Aviation and aerospace
computers; hi-tech; research and development
electronics
agriculture and processed foods
processed diamonds
chemicals and petrochemical industry
software
communications
tourism
defense
medical equipment
pharmaceuticals
solar and geothermal energy
water technology
shipping
transportation
metalworking and heavy industry
Why do Mormons feel that Israel has the right to kill Palestineans?
They don't. That might be the opinion of a few Mormons, but not most Mormons. The Church itself has said nothing on the matter. Mormons are encouraged to form their own political opinions.
How did geography influence the settlement of Israel?
rivers and mountains kept ancient Isrealies in the spot they are in today but many wars have almost fled them out
What is the distance in miles from Israel to Cairo?
The distance between the above places is 226. miles. This distance is point to point straight distance as seen on the map. The actual distance covered by a flight may vary according to the flight path chosen. Also this is not the airport to airport distance.
How do you access a map of northern Israel?
When you open up the homepage of the site listed in the Related Links below, you will see a map of Israel that is divided into various sections. Click on the section of your choice; an enlarged map of that area will appear on your screen.
Is the Karbala Located in Jerusalem?
Karbala is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad.
Jerusalem is a city in Israel, located more than 850 km from Baghdad.
Why did the tribes of israel need to become a nation?
During the era of the Judges, the Israelite Tribes were united only through their Torah. Politically, they were a very loosely-bound confederation. They sought to establish a monarchy that would have the power to put an end to the repeated depredations of neighboring nations (see 1 Samuel 8:20).
The Israelites at that time were coming to the end of an era which was unique in world history. They had undertaken a grand experiment: whether a nation could govern themselves for centuries without a king or organized government.
Instead, there were the officers of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands (Exodus ch.18), and the court of Elders (Sanhedrin), who were Torah-scholars that provided Torah-rulings and guidance. Each of the leading Judges (Gideon, Deborah etc.) was a private citizen (not a head of government) who led the nation only during a brief episode of battle. (See: The Judges)
During that era (of the Judges, about 360 years), when someone raised the possibility of having a king, the answer was: God will rule over you, not a king (Judges 8:23). The events of the Exodus and the Giving of the Torah were so fresh in the nation's memory that they didn't need a king; God was their King. (The missteps which did take place in that era, is a subject beyond the scope of the present question.)
In Samuel's old age, over four centuries after the Exodus, the people (including their Torah-scholars) felt that the time had come to take a regular government. The Torah itself permitted this (Deuteronomy ch.17); and they saw that Samuel's sons didn't seem to have reached his spiritual level (1 Samuel 8:2-3).
Their usage of the expression "like the other nations around us" need not be a problem, since they were deliberately quoting the Torah itself (Deuteronomy 17:14).
What then was their mistake (why did Samuel criticize them)?
According to the Malbim commentary (on 1 Samuel), they should have waited at least until Samuel was too old to function.
According to the K'li Yakar commentary (on Deuteronomy), their precise choice of language ("for us," instead of the "over us" which the Torah had said), hinted that they wanted a king who might be affected by public pressure (which later happened with Rehoboam). See Talmud, Yoma 22b.
According to Samuel himself (1 Samuel 8:10-18), they were taking a regrettable risk because later kings might be overbearing.
One more point: in Judaism we have a general rule which is called "the descent of the generations." This means that according to our tradition, the earlier a generation lived, the higher was their spiritual level (Talmud, Shabbat 112b). No Talmud-sage would dare to negate a verse of the Prophets; and no later Rabbi would dare to belittle a Talmud-sage.
For this reason, we must not judge that generation. And concerning Saul, our tradition explicitly states that he was a righteous man (Talmud, Moed Katan 16b; and Midrash Breishit Rabah 54:4); and he unified the Israelites and defeated their enemies round about (1 Samuel 14:47).
See also:
Why is israel considered to be an outlier?
Israel is adjacent to Africa but not part of it. Israel is European in some ways and is not far from Europe but is not part of it.
Israel is at the far (western) edge of Asia and is unlike many Asian countries.
Israel is a coastal country.
Israel is at the far edge of the Syrian and Sinai Deserts and parts of it share some of their characteristics.
What are the Palestinian demands in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
General Overview of Demands
At one extreme, Palestinians would like the Israelis to move out of Palestine and give back the land they have taken since 1948. A more moderate demand is for Israelis to give back only the land they have taken since 1967. The most basic demand in Gaza is for Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza coast. Even small fishing boats have been attacked by the Israeli navy.
Specific Discussion of Demands
1) Hallowed Land: Palestinian Moslems consider Jerusalem holy because of Mohammed ascending to Heaven on the Buraq over Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The Arabs want to ensure maintenance and access to the sites which they feel have been limited by the Israelis who arbitrarily close off access to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The City of the Jerusalem is considered by many Palestinians to be their city and representative of their historical identity.
2) End of the Palestinian Exodus & UNRWA: This is probably the most thorny issue between Israel and Palestine. During the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9 (in which Palestinian militias also participated), many Palestinians were forced out of their homes by Israeli soldiers due to brutal atrocities. In addition, many left because they feared similar outcomes. Also Arab leaders encouraged the exodus, because they believed that they could destroy Israel and safely return all of the Palestinians after the conflict. However, this did not happen and a large number of Palestinians (some estimate four million) are in UNRWA Refugee Camps and there is a large Palestinian Diaspora. They have not forgiven Israel for not allowing them to return after the War and greatly desire the Right for Palestinians to return to what is now Israel.
3) End of the Occupation of the West Bank & Gaza: In 1967, Israel fought the Six-Day War against the Arab States and took over control of the West Bank and Gaza. These territories did not come under Israeli Civil Authority and have been instead militarily controlled. Palestinians who live in these territories have to contend with Israeli checkpoints, military provisions, and incoming settlers (from the Hallowed Land section). This occupation is perceived by Palestinians to be a repression of their Right to a State and their ability to lead normal productive lives. Settlers in the territories act in a very cavalier fashion (similar to cowboys in the Wild West) and steal property owned by Palestinian families for generations in the name of Religious Zionism. Zionist Squatters are a huge problem in cities like Hebron where these individuals have "liberated" over a quarter of the city from its Palestinian inhabitants and begun to drive a wedge into those communities.
4) End of the Blockade of Gaza & Dependence of the West Bank: Due to the militancy of Hamas, Israel has found it necessary for defense to form a blockade around Gaza and to only allow certain materials into the territory. This has resulted in a Human Relief Crisis in the Gaza where the average Palestinian caught in the struggle barely has enough food, heat, and light to adequately survive. On a different token, the West Bank (as controlled by the Palestine Authority) is a patchwork of separate unconnected jurisdictions. As a result, the West Bank leaders depend on Israel for defense coordination, tax collection, and assurances of safety from settlers. This creates a secondary occupation-dynamic where the Palestinian government is bound to the desires and wishes of the Israeli people in addition to its actual constituency. Palestinians in both cases want governments that are able to make their own decisions without an Israeli say-so to lift a finger.
