All I know about Israel is the conflict. Does anyone know anything about Israeli society?
963133
Sure.  Israel is a predominantly Urban society like many industrial countries.  It is cosmopolitan.  There are people there with roots from all over the world.  Despite having a religious charter, it is one of the most secular societies in the world.  Though this is changing rapidly as right wing religious Jews are quickly re populating the country.  The Israeli's are technocrats.  They have a lot of high tech businesses that fabricate software and high tech devices.  They are clever at re-engineering things (like the Japanes after WW2 who gained ascendency over the German camera industry).  Look for more Israeli high tech gadgets in the near future.  The country has a mediteranean climate and Israeli's love to take the sun at beach resorts with their families.  They have lots of outdoor cafe's like in Europe, open air markets that rub shoulders with more recent offerings like discos.  There is an Arab minority who are native and are Israeli citizens, but they make up a sub-class and often get cheated on their rights.  There is also a rural aspect.  The origanal settlers lived on Kibutz, which are still active.  These are a microcosm of socialist labor.  They make fine produce that is exported to the capitals of Europe.  Of note is the fact that psychological studies have been done on the kibutzim, as they are called.  They can not re populate themselves as the youth, even though not related, are too tightly bonded.  They get the same creepy feeling about dating each other as people would dating their sisters.  This is called the Kibutz effect.  That should be good for a snapshot.  Thanks.
1106285
that is so true... zionists also make it seem like if u are anti-zionist then u are also an anti-semite exactly how that rude man behaved. Ive seen many jews like the rabbi, they are actually really nice. and it all makes sense. Zionism is terrorism, zionism is rascism, zionism is fascism. Zionism may be the root of all evil in the world. Thanks for the video. one last message... JUDAISM YES! ZIONISM NO! THE STATE OF ISRAEL HAS GOT TO GO!
765395
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syria\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran
1015911
israel and israel lite?
249842
its completely normal! It's a real country with freedom of press, religion, and the right to hold office for all its citizens, regardless of religion, ethnicity, race or whatever. The citizens of israel, yes including the 1,000,000+ israeli arabs enjoy more rights, privledges and freedoms than do any of their arab brothers in any of the 22 arab league nations.\nWhat is NOT normal is a continued 60+ year war by the 57 muslim nations against one tiny little jewish state
752984
Less---\n\nIsrael-Palenstinian issues have not been resolved\nIraq is a mess and less stable\nIran is a destabilizing force-- moreso than 6 years ago
620437
I knew about all of these and tell other people.  Unfortunately, people ignorantly give Israelis a permanent "get out of jail free" card regardless of how repugnant, murderous and terroristic their actions are.\n\nNo doubt you have been call "anti-semetic" as much as I have for saying these things, and no doubt you defend Israel's right to exist, as I do.\n\nOh, that's right: any criticism of Israel means you're a "nazi", no matter how factual your words are....
171062
Myths & Facts Online\nA Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict\nBy Mitchell G. Bard\n\nhttp://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths/mftoc.html
288188
hate to tell you this but israel is in for war.  they are trading land for empty promices of peace.  this is known as appeasal.  if you look back in your history books  EVERY TIME this has been tried it has resulted in invasion.  al it does is wet the appitite of the aggressors (in this case the palistinians) (who oddly enough arent even a country or ethnic group incidentally)  eventually Israel will be invaded.  \n\nI say the land for peace thing is empty promices because the palistinians DO NOT WANT PEACE WITH ISRAEL!  THEY WANT TO WIPE ISRAEL OUT OF EXISTENCE!!\n\nthe proof happened when during one of the "peace talks" Israel offered the palistinians EVERYTHING THEY WANTED including Jerusalem as thier capitol.  Yassir Arafat (i believe) the palistinian leader was offered everything they had been demanding and he refused then he stormed out of the summit without offering a reason as to why the offer was refused.\n\nlike i said they dont want peace they want Israel wiped out!\n\nIf you don't agree with the historical perspective then try the religeous\n\n\nIt's all there in your Bible as well if you read it you will find that it says in the end times ALL NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL COME AGAINST ISRAEL!  we are in the biblical end times.  the bible says the generation that sees israel become a nation once again will not pass before the time of the second coming of the messiah.  the bible defines a generation as 72 years.  since israel became a nation again in 1946 that means some time between now and 2018. thats 12 years.  so Biblically speaking we are in the end times.  Israel (biblically speaking) will soon be going to war.\n\nSO  if you want to go to Israel to work... Go prepared for WAR  because it is coming.  and so is the Messiah.  Are you saved.  Are you ready for his return.  \n\n\nJohn 3:16 "For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son.  That whosoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
881040
The conflict started when Palestinians (who were not called that then, because they had no nation EVEN THEN) were just tribal people.  After the Holocaust, the United Nations gave the unwanted land to the Israeli's for their own Nation.  On the FIRST DAY it was attacked by 7 nations and Israel won the war.  Since then, the other nations (except Jordan who has "backed off" until it is now neutral) have had it in for Israel, claiming they took over Palestine (when in fact, there never was a Palestine.)  They are just anti-Israel and are carrying on the fight to kill Israeli's and nothing else.  Its just pure school boy, immature hatred for someone thats different.  Israeli's are just "tired" of getting on busses and having their loved ones die instead of come home.
917550
first.. i can't call it israel... it is Palestine\nbut your question should be answered as it is...\n\nand here it is\n\nIsrael is bordered by Lebanon in the north, Syria and Jordan in the east, and Egypt in the south-west. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean in the west and the Gulf of Eilat (also known as the Gulf of Aqaba) in the south.\n\nDuring the Six-Day War of 1967, Israel captured the West Bank from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria, Gaza Strip (which was under Egyptian occupation), and Sinai from Egypt. It withdrew all troops and settlers from Sinai by 1982 and from the Gaza Strip by September 12, 2005. The future status of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights remains to be determined.\n\nThe sovereign territory of Israel, excluding all territories captured by Israel in 1967, is 20,770 km² (8,019 mi²) in area (1% is water). The total area under Israeli law, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, is 22,145 km² or 8,550 mi²; with a little less than one per cent being water. The total area under Israeli control, including the military-controlled and Palestinian-governed territory of the West Bank, is 28,023 km² (10,820 mi²) (~1% water).\n\nThe climate of the coastal areas can be very different from that of the mountainous areas, particularly during the winter months. The high mountains in the north, like Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, can get cold, wet and often snowy and even Jerusalem experiences snow spells every couple of years. The coastal regions, where Tel Aviv and Haifa are located, have a typical Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy winters and hot, dry summers.\n\n Beach of Tel Aviv at sundown.\nMetropolitan areas\nSee also: Districts of Israel and List of cities in Israel \nAs of 2006, The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics defines three metropolitan areas: Tel Aviv (population 3 million), Haifa (population 980,600) and Jerusalem (the capital; population 706,368).
503572
Israel is the only country in the middle east that has a Judeo-Christian ethic and belief system.  Many Christians and Jews in the US support them because of that.  Also, they are of strategic importance to us militarily.
161112
Israel will exist until the apocalypse.. Their possesion of nuclear weapons insures that.. \n\nThe major factors for their existence are outlined in the bible.. They're living in their 'holy land'.. Their birthright ordained by God.. \n\nThe Palestinians are a people being brainwashed by extremist clerics that have high-jacked the islamic religion for their own hateful purposes.. They teach hatred and revenge.. This mentality is destroying the Palestinians lives.. They cannot develop socially or economically until they have EXORCISED this evil..
636922
start with\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli-Palestinian_conflict\n\nand follow the links as far as you wish to go
808320
You claim to be ex-military yet you still manage to be totaly clueless about the realities of war.\n\nAfter Israel pulled out of the Gaza, sudden peace did not ensue in case you did not notice.\n\nGaza was, and is, a hotbed for terrorism. This has neccessitated that Israel go back into Gaza and do something about it.\n\nCurrently, one of the major issues is that dozens of tunnels were dug and are being used to smuggle all kinds of weapons from Egypt. Israel has the full right to do something about it.
608440
That's a pretty poor understanding of history.\n\nThe Jewish people are one of two Israel-ish people to emerge from the bronze age into Iron age Canaan. Current archaeology shows that the legendary kings, David and Solomon, were truly historical person who lived about three thousand years ago in the area. Some Bedouin-style tent sites show that the inhabitants of Judaea (at around this time) had stopped eating pork - the only bronze age people to do so. \n\nThe ancestors of the modern Jewish people were conquered by the Babylonians from 2700 to 2500 years ago - Israel first, then Judaea next. The Judaean fall - which is better attested to, appears to have been the less traumatic in fact, since the people survived the seventy year period of exile from their ancestral lands, and were restored to it in living memory of the elders.\n\nThe Jewish people would come to be occupied by the Romans 2,060 years ago, following a period of alliance between Rome and the Hasmoneans (the Maccabees.) Eventually, the Jews revolted, first 1,930 years ago, and then 1,870 years ago. The first revolt resulted in the destruction of Herod's temple. After the second revolution, the Romans razed Jerusalem and expelled the Jews from jerusalem.\n\nRome and its successors held Jerusalem for another 500 years, then were thrown out by Muslim conquerors. Conversion to Islam or Christianity played almost no role in the waning Jewish demographics of the land - Jews throughout history have been largely immune to forced conversion, as the Maccabean revolt and babylonian captivity showed. Constant war and persecution are what drove Jews from their own land.\n\nZionism is, like any other aboriginal land rights movement, the effort to restore land to its original and idigenous people. Despite the biblical motif, there is every reason to believe Jews are descended natively from people of Canaan, and are the only living people who can rightly claim to be ancestral to the land. It should be theirs, as the United Nations decreed it to be in 1948.\n\n"Palestine" is in fact Jordan. That is where self-identified Palestinians were meant to live in the 1948 agreements. As to what happens in the occupied lands of the 1967 war, that should be solved politically between all the stakeholders, and not resolved through strange claims about converting to Christianity or Islam.
687540
israel is jewish land, and has been since 3300 years ago. long before arab/muslim occupiers came to the area. End of story.