|
|
August 30, 2013
It’s been a very eventful year
Despite some conflict, tourism was up in Israel, its economy good.
EDGAR ASHER ASHERNET
Rosh Hashanah corresponds this year to Sept. 5, the earliest occurrence of the festival since 1899. As we look back at the last year (5773, or 2012-2013), it has been a dramatic one indeed. It included a national election, yet another war with one of our neighbors, a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, the start of the pumping of gas from the Mediterranean and the 90th birthday celebration of President Shimon Peres.
As the year began to draw to a close, talks began in the United States between Israel and the Palestinians over a possible peace deal. At the same time, there was public disquiet that once again the Israeli government had agreed to free from jail some of the most violent Palestinian terrorists as a “gesture of goodwill.” There was no reciprocal gesture recorded on the Palestinian side.
The January election to the Knesset, the 19th such election since the foundation of the state in 1948, brought in many new faces and political combinations. In the final counting of votes, only a coalition was possible and, as a result, several politically inexperienced personalities were able to demand cabinet posts for which they had no qualifications.
Public officials from all levels have come under scrutiny like never before. Government ministers and local mayors have found themselves in court having to justify their actions or financial dealings. In May, Avigdor Liberman had to step down from the post of foreign minister, following his indictment for breach of trust. The case is still not resolved and, for the time being, foreign affairs is being handled by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
On Independence Day in April, Israel’s population stood at 8,018,000. Of that number, 6,042,000 were Jewish.
Despite the hostility to the Jewish state, expressed in such actions as boycotts and trade sanctions, the Israeli currency held strong and tourism was at an all-time high. June saw the retirement of Stanley Fischer as governor of the Bank of Israel. His period at the helm of managing Israel’s fiscal policies was an undoubted achievement. His chosen successor, Jacob Frenkel, himself a former Bank of Israel governor, was forced to withdraw his nomination within weeks of being named, over an alleged shoplifting incident in Hong Kong’s airport in 2006. To date, no other person has been appointed to the post.
In June, Barbra Streisand and former U.S. President Bill Clinton were just two of the rich and famous who came to Israel to celebrate the 90th birthday of veteran politician Peres.
Israel is a healthy democracy and this manifested itself in the many protests and parades seen during the year. In June, there were several demonstrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv over the government’s intention to export 53 percent of the natural gas that had been found in the Mediterranean. Later, the government amended the figure to 40 percent, still too high in the opinion of many.
In July, there was bewilderment that the government was going to release some one hundred Palestinian terrorists as a precursor to peace negotiations with the Palestinians. At the end of July, two new chief rabbis were elected: one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi, both sons of former chief rabbis. Despite the popularity of the rabbis, there was concern in many quarters that the Chief Rabbinate was out of tune with the needs of a predominantly secular population, particularly when it came to the question of marriage in Israel.
July also saw the inauguration of the 19th Maccabiah Games, and some 8,000 Jewish athletes from 78 countries came to Israel to participate in the quadrennial sporting festival. The first Maccabiah was held in Tel Aviv in 1932, when 400 athletes from 18 countries took part.
Archeological finds, particularly in Jerusalem, have been revealed with incredible regularity. The quality of the finds has enabled archeologists to build a picture of the complex history of the region. A 3,000-year-old pottery fragment found in Jerusalem’s Old City was inscribed with lettering that was thought to be one of the earliest examples of Hebrew script.
The Palestinian Authority has routinely destroyed archeological evidence, particularly in east Jerusalem, as a means of delegitimizing the Jewish connection to the city. However, the knowledge of biblical archeology is now being shared with anybody who has access to a computer, as the unique Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, have been scanned and put online so that their study is now open to all.
On the religious front, there has been controversy at the Western Wall (Kotel). It has turned into something of a theatre of the absurd as the group Women of the Wall have tried to pray in the women’s section of the Kotel, some with traditionally male religious paraphernalia, and some ultra-Orthodox have reacted violently. The confrontation between the groups has necessitated at times the calling in of the police to regain order.
^TOP
|
|
