2005/6

This past year there were 6 successful suicide bombings in Israel, one of them
took place Thursday when a Palestinian blew himself up at a checkpoint
outside Tulkarm. He was apparently intending to infiltrate Tel Aviv and the
unexpected checkpoint caused him to detonate prematurely, thus saving many
lives. One IDF soldier was killed, as were 2 Palestinians and about 10 were
injured. This was one of nearly 50 warnings of suicide bombings received by
the IDF that day. Last year there were 59 suicide bombings, so the number is
considerably down, but they are certainly still trying.
Although there have been altogether ca. 250 rockets fired into Israel from the
Gaza strip this year, very little damage has been caused. The initiation of
operation "blue sky", the code name for the security zone in northern Gaza
intended to stop Kassam rockets being fired at Ashkelon, has certainly made it
more difficult for the terrorists to launch their rockets. Friday the IAF
destroyed more roads leading to the uninhabited area. There has also been a
sudden upsurge in Katyusha attacks from Lebanon, but effective IAF responses
seem to have quieted that down. According to statements issued neither the
Lebanese Government nor the PA want to see an escalation of violence, and the
Quartet has been talking to them.
Maybe the comparative lull in security incidents explains the increase in
tourism and immigration (aliyah). Tourism is up so much that this Hanukkah
the room capacity in Jerusalem and north and central Israel has been ca. 90%.
Because of a foul-up I got the last room in a moderately sized hotel in
Jerusalem on Tuesday night. For our family from Beersheva, the Silvermans,
who we could not accommodate in our apartment because the Greens are
coming,it was hard for them to find a room in Netanya. There are many tourist
buses around, and we have seen groups of French and Russian tourists.
2005 saw an upsurge in immigrants from the USA! Over 3,000 immigrants came
thru the Nefesh b'nefesh (soul to soul) program, that was started as a private
initiative to help Americans immigrate by providing financial help, and has
now blossomed into a full-fledged ongoing program. A planeload of 250 olim
arrived Thursday, many of them young couples with children. It's so great to
see
them coming with such enthusiasm, it overcomes all other negatives about
Israel. A similar program has been started in France and this year also a
record number of olim, ca. 3,000 came from there. Altogether Israel received
23,000 olim in 2005, a small town.
It has been reported that Donald Trump has decided to invest in Netanya.
Representatives of his companies have apparently been negotiating with the
Mayor and have bought parcels of land in Netanya. There is a plan to develop
a location on the coast north of the town as a kind of "riviera." The cliff
top there is being worked on now, to extend the tayelet (promenade) and two
other sections are planned this year. This will mean that one could walk ca.
5 km continuously from south to north along the cliff top.
Economically, the Israeli economy is looking up and the investment by Trump
indicates confidence in the Israeli economy, despite the security situation,
which must be compared to elsewhere. Last year there were terrorist
bombings in London and Muslim riots in Paris, not good signs for the future.
In Iraq, Americans continue to be killed in the Sunni insurrection, although
there is hope due to the recent election of a new Government.
Politically, 2005 was a bad year in that there was the tenuous Gaza
disengagement, and the PA once again showed itself incapable of organizing a
mini-state. With elections coming in January in the PA and in March in Israel
many things can change. But, what seems likely is that PM Sharon will
win the election and continue in office, and we don't expect any cooperation
from the PA in stopping terrorism. If Sharon gets a plurality we may see
further unilateral moves by Sharon to establish permanent borders for Israel
in the West Bank.
Overall, 2005 was a bad year for natural disasters, the Indian Ocean
tsunami that killed ca. 230,000 people, Katrina, that practically destroyed
New Orleans, a major US city of 1 million people, and the earthquake in
Kashmir. By comparison we aren't doing so badly. Let's hope 2006 will
be a better year for everybody. Happy New Year.