Good News

Hello, Salaam! Hello, Shalom! Hello, Peace!

There is a new conversation breaking out between Israelis and Palestinians, thanks to a new, toll-free telephone service, Hello, Peace! (Hello, Salaam! in Arabic and Hello, Shalom! in Hebrew). Large numbers of Arabs and Jews are picking up the phone and talking to people “on the other side” about reconciliation, tolerance, and peace. Over 48,000 calls were placed in less than three months.

Exports from Israel Up, Up, Up!

Israeli exports to the European Union (EU) rose 21.9% in the three-month period comprising November 2004 to January 2005, in comparison with the same period a year earlier, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported in February. The EU remains Israel’s most significant trade partner, with 37% of the country’s imports and exports involving the European continent.

El Al to Provide In-Flight Internet

In February, El Al said that it was investing US $3 million to provide in-flight, high-speed Internet service to passengers using laptop computers. The airline signed an agreement with Boeing subsidiary CBB (Connexion By Boeing) to install the Internet service in all El Al Boeing 747-400 and 777 planes.

Yad Vashem Database Reunites Sisters

Sixty years after the Holocaust, survivors, who thought their loved ones were lost forever, are still rediscovering each other. In November 2004, Yad Vashem made its central database accessible to the world via the Internet. This has provided the tools for many survivors or their family members to find out the fate of loved ones.

Tourism Ministry Plans Christian Center

In March, Tourism Minister Abraham Hirchson said that the government was planning on building a major Christian visitor center in the northern Galilee to boost the number of Christian tourists coming to the Holy Land. The plans for the nondenominational Christian Center are indicative of Israel’s ever-growing interest in the Christian world at large and the staunchly pro-Israel evangelical Christian community in particular.

Danger of Temple Mount Collapse has Passed

The immediate danger of the collapse of the eastern wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount has passed, after badly needed repair work was carried out by Jordanian engineers inside the ancient compound, Israel's top archaeological body said in late November.

Earlier last year, the head of Israel's Antiquities Authority, Shuka Dorfman, had warned that the unstable 2,000-year-old eastern wall of the Temple Mount, further damaged from a recent earthquake, was in danger of immediate collapse, which could cause a “domino effect” and bring down other sections of the bitterly contested ancient compound.

Israel’s Citrus Exports Growing

The Israeli Plants Production and Marketing Board, which includes citrus, is optimistic about citrus exports this winter season. It predicts a 36% growth in exports, by volume, to 188,000 tons, and a 40% increase in value, to US $162 million.

Children in Israel

Children aged 17 and under make up a third of Israel's population, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics reports. The numbers show that of the 2,253,800 Israelis under age 17, over a quarter (27%) are Arabs, while just under two-thirds are Jewish. This does not tell the full story, however. Nearly half the Arab population is under 17, while in the Jewish population, it's only 30.4%. Minor relief can be found in the fact that the proportion of children in other Western countries is said to be 18% to 26%.

Tourists Rank Israel 4.2 out of 5

A Ministry of Tourism–sponsored survey says foreign visitors were satisfied with their stay in Israel. Some 80% described their stay in the country as “very good” or “excellent.” Former Tourism Minister Gideon Ezra says the survey proves that Israel is an attractive destination for travelers and that tourism is the fastest-growing sector of the economy.

Intifada Casualties Down 44% in 2004

According to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) figures presented last December, the number of Israeli civilians killed in terror attacks and the number of troops killed in battle in the territories dropped by 44% in 2004, compared to the previous year’s figures.