Once a barren strip of desert, the Arava today has some 600 farms supplying more than 60 percent of Israel’s exports of fresh vegetables and 10% of ornamentals. How many peppers can Peter Piper pick? Well, if the protagonist in the old tongue twister were picking them in Israel’s Arava Desert, the surprising answer is about 150,000 tons. Once a deserted 112-mile strip of land stretching from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, the Arava now has some 600 farms supplying more than 60 percent of total Israeli exports of fresh vegetables and about 10% of ornamentals. In addition to dozens of varieties of peppers, Arava farmers produce tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, melons, watermelons, table grapes, herbs and dates – many raised organically and all with minimal pesticides. Other Arava agriculturists specialize in flowers or aquarium fish such as the “Nemo” clownfish. ZOA urges U.S. address Egypt Developments NEW YORK — Following last week’s Egyptian first round of voting in the country’s presidential election, which has seen the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohamed Mursi, win a plurality of the vote (44%), the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has pointed to continuing, alarming developments in Egypt. The ZOA is urging the US to address these developments, not to ignore or dismiss them, as the State Department spokesman, Victoria Nuland, has been doing. The ZOA has pointed to a list of negative developments in Egypt, including viciously anti-Israeli and anti-American statements and goals enunciated by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) leadership even before last year’s toppling of the Hosni Mubarak regime: Israel will consider using military action to intercept the transfer of advanced weaponry or chemical weapons from Syria to a terrorist organization like Hezbollah, OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan said on Wednesday. Speaking at a conference marking the 30th anniversary of the First Lebanon War at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Golan said that the first challenge for Israel would be to obtain intelligence that such a transfer has taken place, but that once Israel knew it would need to consider action. Related: “Would it be wise to intercept such a transfer or would this be nonsense,” Golan asked, presenting the dilemma Israel would face. The senior officer said that Syria was a “failed state” and that terrorists were already “flourishing” within the country. “Terror is already flourishing in Syria... Last week in the Syrian city of Houla,108 people—mostly women and children—were killed, reportedly by the security forces of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. As this crisis enters its newest chapter, Foreign Affairs provides three different takes on the prospect of international intervention to end the violence. No End in Sight, Unless…—Former Syrian general Akil Hashem argues in an interview that the stalemate between the Syrian government and the anti-government rebels “will not end unless the international community intervenes militarily.” Hashem adds that he “cannot believe that the United States, Britain, and France, with all of their intelligence capabilities, do not realize that the Syrian military is weak.” Assad Is More Popular Than We Think—Former U.S. assistant secretary of stateRichard W. Murphy writes in a Snapshot that “the regime has its supporters in all walks of life... By Pinhas Inbari While the presidential elections in Egypt are a significant and groundbreaking domestic issue, they are also subject to a web of foreign involvement and the conflicting interests of Middle Eastern powers. The Gulf state of Qatar, home to al-Jazeera, has thrown its support and influence behind the Muslim Brotherhood and its candidate, Muhammad Mursi. The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has stood behind Dr. Abd al-Mun’im Abu al-Futuh who quit the Muslim Brotherhood and ran without its blessing. In addition, the Saudis sympathized with the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces favorite, Ahmad Shafiq, who previously served as prime minister under deposed president Husni Mubarak and who succeeded to reach the final round of elections alongside Mursi. Obama paying for African illegals to defecate in Israel’s streets, but much of the money is disappearing The Israeli web site Kr8 (link in Hebrew) reports that the Obama administration is sending between $1,000 and $2,000 per month per illegal immigrant to Israel via the United Nations. Why this money is being sent via the UN is not clear, but what is clear is that a lot of it is being skimmed off the top. Kr8 reports that Israel is paying NIS 1,500 per month for rent, and approximately NIS 180-200 per month for health insurance. Both items should cost a lot more than that. Moreover, at current exchange rates, $1,000 is approximately NIS 3,850 and $2,000 is double that. An awful lot of money is disappearing. Where is it going? And why is Israel...
Israel makes the desert bloom
Peppers growing in the Arava. Photo by Eyal Izhar
Arava greenhouses. Photo by Eyal Izhar ...ZOA: State Dept. Dismisses Egypt’s MB’s anti-Israel Statements
The MB leader, Muhammad Badi’, has spoken enthusiastically of jihad and called for a state based on Islamic law. He also spoke optimistically about the U.S. heading for a collapse.
The MB’s...IDF may act to stop transfer of advanced or chemical Syrian weapons
Arms smugglers thrive on Syrian uprising
IDF boards ship allegedly smuggling arms to GazaThree Takes on Syria from Foreign Affairs
Read here: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/hashemThe Internationalization of the Egyptian Election
The Sunni states’ influence is countered by Iran’s domestic and external involvement in Egypt’s affairs. During the course of the presidential campaign, the Egyptian Army intercepted a weapons’ delivery...What did Israel promise for Obama’s money and why?
Israel Matzav
In case you’re wondering why many Israelis aren’t happy about our illegal immigrants, take a close look at the picture in the top left corner of this post. It was taken on the streets of Tel Aviv….More Recent Articles
Ted Belman
Jerusalem, Israel
Thursday, 31 May 2012
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