h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

hi everyone i'm doing a report on the israeli-palestinian conflict, and i need to know about daily life in israel. if anyone lives there/has been there, could you please tell me about it? and also views on the situation would be appreciated.

I can help you with that. I live here for more than 10 years now. It's a lovely place once you get used to it. Your every breath can be the last one you take. You are being attacked from left and right. Everyone pretends something, time in and time out. You can't disguise friends from your foes. Sun usually don't shine. Wind batters your face. Should I go on? My dear friend so anxious to know, to experience it first hand, to live through it all, I have a simple advice for you. If you are so curious, just pack a bag of your stuff and move, come live with us. I'm sure you'll have plenty to write home about. Cheers and please, next time think before you ask...

Sheesh, what's your problem. The guy asked a legitimate question.

If you want a slightly less tetchy response, try Lady Pennywhistle - U250656 .

RF

Is right Xanatic. I lived in Israel 82-84. It seemed to be all oranges and Uzi's then, just about everyone but the religious zealots wanted to get the plane and go and live in the States. Two things happened: America brought in strict immigration quotas and the Soviet Union fell which led to a large increase in the Israeli population. Whilst I was there half a million people took part in a protest march against Israel's occupation of Southern Lebanon - that's around 10% of the total population - you would be lucky to get five hundred for a similar protest now.
Israel has gone hi-tech now, big and very advanced IT industry, electronics and so forth. Economic growth is in double figures most years, it is becoming rich and prosperous. The entranchment against the Palestinians and the neighbouring Arab states reflects this. In other words, they can stand without US money and the attitude of the average Israeli reflects this. Take the violence and the zealots away and Israel is a lovely place though.

thanks for the info, guys! and cosmicdreamer, i apologize if i offended you with my question; i didn't mean to.

Thanks for making that reference, RF!

Hm, well, let's see... you don't go small, do you? Right for the big questions. What's it like to live in Israel? Alright, I've been living here not one or two or ten years but my whole life (22 years at last count), and, well, it's complicated. Living here, that is. I came up with a definition today that I think is pretty good: it is like living in a constant moodswing. There is not a day when I don't think how incredibly lucky I am to live in such an amazing city like Jerusalem, and there isn't a day when I don't think that things here are hopelessly screwed up.

I cannot possibly sum up everything in one post; I doubt if anybody could, about life anywhere. The point is that basically, life here is normal. You go to school or Uni or work or whatever it is you've got, you go downtown, you go shopping, you go out with your friends, you read in the paper about the latest Israeli film and wonder if it's as crap as it seems (or alternately if it's as good as the reviews make it), you talk to somebody on the bus about how great it is that some local football team managed to move up to national leage (or alternately, what a disgrace the last match was and why the manager should be fired), you hang around at home wondering if there's anything better you can do, you watch the news and think that the government is a bunch of nitwits that don't know what they're doing (or alternately - no wait, they are)... whatever else you'd consider a normal life.
Some things are different. Like the doormen checking your bags anywhere, in the supermarket, bank, cafes, Uni, practically everywhere. Like the fact that because military service is cumpulsory, pretty much everybody went to the army. Hell, my best friends are the ones I made in the army. Like the fact that yes, there is a certain chance that you will be blown up next time you go out. Most people don't think of that too much - no point really.

That's pretty long, isn't it? Still seems like simplifying things a bit though. I guess to really understand it all you have to be here.

Or ask more specific questions maybe.

thanx, that's helpful, especially that bit about the bags being checked everywhere...yeah, i was pretty general i guess, but at the time i was't really sure what kind of information i was looking for so i just left it open for everything...here's a specific one: how old do you have to be to get a job? like as a cashier or something at the mall. for that matter, are malls generally big or small, outdoor or indoor (or both)? or are they pretty much like american ones?

somewhat odd question, i supose.

Yeah, kinda. *shrug*

Malls? There are lots and lots of those around... much too many in my opinion. They're all big indoor American-style malls, though loud and crowded in a very Middle-Eastern way (you can tell I don't really like them, can't you?). There are of course markets and 'shopping districts' downtown etc, but those aren't considered malls.
As for working, I think you need to be at least 16-17 - I'll go check that officially though. However, most places usually look for people after their military service.

ok, thanks . i have another question (sorry i'm being annoying)
are there any cities, well suburbs or whatever, that are mostly populated by Palestinians/Arabs that are not in the west bank/golan hieghts/other disputed teritory?

That's alright, you're not annoying.

But this question you've asked is quite tricky. There are Israeli Arabs; they are citizens of the State of Israel - quite often discriminated against, unfortunately, but nontheless citizens. Whether they are considered Palestinians or not is a controversial subject even amongst themselves.
Anyway, if you do not include the occupied territories and the Golan Heights (which you might also consider occupied territory, but I'm not getting into _that_ now), the Arab population in Israel mostly lives in villages. Part of that though is the fact that the state won't recognise them as cities even when they're big enough to be ones... that's a complicated bit. There _are_ some Arabic cities though, like Umm al Fahem or Nazareth; and some cities that are mixed, like Jaffa or Haifa or Jerusalem (things are actually a bit diferent here in Jerusalem as there's the Eastern City which is basically Arabic and the Western City which is basically Jewish, which I think goes back to the time between '48 and '67 when the city was divided between Israel and Jordan).
Any more details you need about this?

Interesting beans...

Yeah, I think so too.

I've actually got a one million shekel note. It is worthless - and wasn't much better when it was legal tender before the New Israeli Shekel (about 1985 I think) which is the currency now. Inflation was so bad the prices would go up whilst you were in the shop, coffee bar or whatever. I still think of myself as a millionaire though

That's pretty neat... I have to ask my parents about that.

'Half a shekel? For my whole bleedin' life story? Just half a shekel?'

This is great stuff, thank you! And m'Lady why haven't you written an entry about Jerusalem or Israel in general? I *have* to know why you *did* write this one:
A2947881 (Honesdale, Pennsylvania, USA)

I have been in the process of trying to write an entry about Jerusalem ever since I got to this site... I just don't really know where to start (and if that's just the city imagine how the whole country would be puzzling). I did write a short historical entry, and I'm now talking with two American researchers who are now in Jerusalem about doing a collaborative entry, so...

The Honesdale one is because I've spent the last two summers as a camp counsellor in the area. And as it's a bit smaller than Jerusalem it was easier to write about.

>> I still think of myself as a millionaire though <<

If you want to be a millionaire, go to Turkey. Take 40p with you.

RF

Actually I've just read today that they're now getting rid of all these excess zeros...