Cricket in Israel has been popular since the time of the British mandate, and is keenly played today among Israel's 80,000 Indian Jews who immigrated to development cities in Israel such as Lod, Ramle, Ashdod and Beersheva, bringing with them their love for the gentleman's sport.
Israel 21C reports that although a number of Israeli teams head to European competitions every year, the Israel Cricket Association, which organizes them, is yet to see an Arab or Bedouin member of Israeli society join the sport.
A new immigrant to Israel plans to change the way cricket is played in Israel, and hopes to bring all members of the country on board while using it as a vehicle for reconciliation. Unlike soccer, football or rugby, cricket is a competitive but non-combative sport. It requires reflection, patience and skill, and gives players an opportunity to relate to each other as they wait up to 15 minutes of time for play.
The idea to connect Israeli Bedouin kids to their Jewish neighbors through cricket came from within, and was catalyzed by a UK group Cricket4Change. A teacher from the Bedouin town Hura, in the Negev Desert had contacted the cricket development officer in Israel. The teacher said that he was keen to teach cricket to his kids at school. The Hura teacher was given a cricket set, pamphlets, a booklet and coaching course on how cricket is played.
The children fit into two groups - from 9 to 12, and from 15 to 18. About 60 have been involved until now he says. There are additional effects built into the idea: Many of the older kids from the Bedouin population are problematic kids, who've been in jail before. Organizers believe their involvement is an opportunity to help them reform, as they learn to be coaches and mentors to the younger kids.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Learning in an Emergency
It has been strange not to have written the blog with the frequency that I did in the past. However, with the heart attack behind me, I do now feel ready to start again.
One of the objectives of this blog was to bring to the wider world, news from Haifa where possible. In restarting, a wonderful story has emerged how the city council has reacted to the potential lack of education in the children of the city in any emergancy situation.
When the Haifa Mayor asked his wife if they would have sent their daughter to school during the Second Lebanon War, she responded with a firm "no way."
Since Hizbullah rockets from southern Lebanon pounded the country's north during the summer, when pupils were out of school, The Mayor's question was a hypothetical one, but one that gave him cause.
"I realized, if we weren't going to send our 16-year-old to school during such a situation, how could I expect anyone else to?". "We would have had to close down all of the schools in the city, and it got me thinking - how could we ensure the continuation of schooling, even during emergency situations?"
The Mayor raised $1 million in donations from Israel and abroad and this led to the creation of "Learning From Afar," the Haifa Municipality's latest education initiative, which will allow students to learn from home during times of crisis.
The program, which is called a type of "e-learning," draws heavily on the Internet, where Haifa-area teachers have built up a virtual schoolhouse, complete with a wide of array of lessons, instruction and worksheets, homework and even games and extracurricular activities for their pupils.
Pupils log on from their home computers, as teachers - who, would likely sit in a fortified area within the school during an emergency - administer the classes, teaching pupils interactively, and even monitoring attendance from their computer screens.
The program's first test run was held last week. Some 450 students from 12 Haifa schools - elementary, middle and high schools from the secular, religious and Arab sectors - logged on and continued their studies on-line.
"It's really just an exceptional program, which went off without a hitch last week," the Mayor said. "We're going to keep testing it in all of Haifa's 126 schools, and we plan to be 100 percent ready by the start of the school year next fall." The program is moving along smoothly it's been such a success, that teachers have asked to use the system for sick pupils,"
However, "Learning From Afar" requires that pupils have a computer and an Internet connection at home, and the city is trying to assure that. "We did a survey and found that among the 40,000 pupils in the Haifa Municipality's jurisdiction, only 339 did not have computers," he said. "For us, it makes sense to purchase those computers and make sure that everyone is up to speed, rather than look for other alternatives."
Teachers are excited about the possibilities presented by the new program, in part because they helped design it, and were able to customize the instructional methods for their classes.
"The ability to include professional colleagues in the building of the system certainly improves the quality level of learning, and allows each pupil to express themselves individually, to take part in the lesson and succeed, which is amazing for an Internet-based program," said one Haifa high school teacher and recipient of the Rothschild Prize for teaching. "As a teacher, I see this as not only a tool to assist all pupils, but a way to help those same pupils who may have trouble expressing themselves in the classroom."
One of the objectives of this blog was to bring to the wider world, news from Haifa where possible. In restarting, a wonderful story has emerged how the city council has reacted to the potential lack of education in the children of the city in any emergancy situation.
When the Haifa Mayor asked his wife if they would have sent their daughter to school during the Second Lebanon War, she responded with a firm "no way."
Since Hizbullah rockets from southern Lebanon pounded the country's north during the summer, when pupils were out of school, The Mayor's question was a hypothetical one, but one that gave him cause.
"I realized, if we weren't going to send our 16-year-old to school during such a situation, how could I expect anyone else to?". "We would have had to close down all of the schools in the city, and it got me thinking - how could we ensure the continuation of schooling, even during emergency situations?"
The Mayor raised $1 million in donations from Israel and abroad and this led to the creation of "Learning From Afar," the Haifa Municipality's latest education initiative, which will allow students to learn from home during times of crisis.
The program, which is called a type of "e-learning," draws heavily on the Internet, where Haifa-area teachers have built up a virtual schoolhouse, complete with a wide of array of lessons, instruction and worksheets, homework and even games and extracurricular activities for their pupils.
Pupils log on from their home computers, as teachers - who, would likely sit in a fortified area within the school during an emergency - administer the classes, teaching pupils interactively, and even monitoring attendance from their computer screens.
The program's first test run was held last week. Some 450 students from 12 Haifa schools - elementary, middle and high schools from the secular, religious and Arab sectors - logged on and continued their studies on-line.
"It's really just an exceptional program, which went off without a hitch last week," the Mayor said. "We're going to keep testing it in all of Haifa's 126 schools, and we plan to be 100 percent ready by the start of the school year next fall." The program is moving along smoothly it's been such a success, that teachers have asked to use the system for sick pupils,"
However, "Learning From Afar" requires that pupils have a computer and an Internet connection at home, and the city is trying to assure that. "We did a survey and found that among the 40,000 pupils in the Haifa Municipality's jurisdiction, only 339 did not have computers," he said. "For us, it makes sense to purchase those computers and make sure that everyone is up to speed, rather than look for other alternatives."
Teachers are excited about the possibilities presented by the new program, in part because they helped design it, and were able to customize the instructional methods for their classes.
"The ability to include professional colleagues in the building of the system certainly improves the quality level of learning, and allows each pupil to express themselves individually, to take part in the lesson and succeed, which is amazing for an Internet-based program," said one Haifa high school teacher and recipient of the Rothschild Prize for teaching. "As a teacher, I see this as not only a tool to assist all pupils, but a way to help those same pupils who may have trouble expressing themselves in the classroom."
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
My last blog was written on the day I came out of hospital following my heart attack, three weeks ago. Since then I have tried lead a calm, easy-going life style until I can get my fitness up to par again.
I had taken short walks on the beach, eaten small meals regularly as advised by the doctors and swallowed pills, it seems, without end on a daily basis. There is a pill for this and a pill for that, not forgetting a pill for the other. All this plus another pill, all in the aid of science, that I don’t know whether it is a placebo or not, to provide a drug company with the data that will hopefully result in a pill for increasing the “good” cholesterol (HDL) in one's body.
So having got used to the “new” regime, I arrived this week, Monday afternoon, going again into hospital to have one more stent inserted. Since, I am now familiar with the procedure; I entered the hospital with an “air” of confidence.
I was received in the cardiology department like a long lost friend and acquaintances with the nursing staff renewed. And then, to get undressed and into hospital pyjamas that never seem designed to fit anyone and into bed for checking for this, that and the other.
Patiently waiting my turn in the operating queue, I was then asked to go and wait by the entrance to the catheterization room. As the nurse said, “you can go there under your own steam but we will wheel you back in your bed”.
Getting on to an operating bed which is designed to be so narrow that there is a danger of rolling off, one uses one’s arms rather like a tight rope walker to maintain one’s balance. When the staff was ready I was told to put my arms behind my head and relax. Now tell me, as a patient, how does one relax in an operating theatre? A local anesthetic was applied and during the 20 minutes of the “procedure” I was able to “enjoy” an interesting conversation with the surgeon, one Dr Machoul, yup, one of our wonderful Israeli Arab doctors, who was interested to improve his use of the English language.
It all seemed to be over before the whole thing had started and a few minutes later was back in my room. The time now was 4:30 pm. At 5:45 am the next morning (of course one doesn’t go into hospital to sleep!!) a nurse arrived to remove the bandage and by 7:15 am, I was told to get up (slowly to avoid dizziness), get dressed and go home.
Now that to my mind is efficiency.
I will be continuing with my gentle walking on the promenade (boardwalk) at the beach until mid July when I am signed up for the heart rehabilitation department at the hospital and they will give me a personally designed fitness program to bring me back to normal, or is it average?
I have written this detailed account because it seems to me that many consider a heart attack a cause to go into depression. As the surgeon said to my wife after the latest procedure when she commented on how good I was looking, “it is a matter of being optimistic and not pessimistic” – here endeth the lesson!!
I had taken short walks on the beach, eaten small meals regularly as advised by the doctors and swallowed pills, it seems, without end on a daily basis. There is a pill for this and a pill for that, not forgetting a pill for the other. All this plus another pill, all in the aid of science, that I don’t know whether it is a placebo or not, to provide a drug company with the data that will hopefully result in a pill for increasing the “good” cholesterol (HDL) in one's body.
So having got used to the “new” regime, I arrived this week, Monday afternoon, going again into hospital to have one more stent inserted. Since, I am now familiar with the procedure; I entered the hospital with an “air” of confidence.
I was received in the cardiology department like a long lost friend and acquaintances with the nursing staff renewed. And then, to get undressed and into hospital pyjamas that never seem designed to fit anyone and into bed for checking for this, that and the other.
Patiently waiting my turn in the operating queue, I was then asked to go and wait by the entrance to the catheterization room. As the nurse said, “you can go there under your own steam but we will wheel you back in your bed”.
Getting on to an operating bed which is designed to be so narrow that there is a danger of rolling off, one uses one’s arms rather like a tight rope walker to maintain one’s balance. When the staff was ready I was told to put my arms behind my head and relax. Now tell me, as a patient, how does one relax in an operating theatre? A local anesthetic was applied and during the 20 minutes of the “procedure” I was able to “enjoy” an interesting conversation with the surgeon, one Dr Machoul, yup, one of our wonderful Israeli Arab doctors, who was interested to improve his use of the English language.
It all seemed to be over before the whole thing had started and a few minutes later was back in my room. The time now was 4:30 pm. At 5:45 am the next morning (of course one doesn’t go into hospital to sleep!!) a nurse arrived to remove the bandage and by 7:15 am, I was told to get up (slowly to avoid dizziness), get dressed and go home.
Now that to my mind is efficiency.
I will be continuing with my gentle walking on the promenade (boardwalk) at the beach until mid July when I am signed up for the heart rehabilitation department at the hospital and they will give me a personally designed fitness program to bring me back to normal, or is it average?
I have written this detailed account because it seems to me that many consider a heart attack a cause to go into depression. As the surgeon said to my wife after the latest procedure when she commented on how good I was looking, “it is a matter of being optimistic and not pessimistic” – here endeth the lesson!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
A Heart Attack? Really?
It is really quite amazing, if that is the right word to describe it, how one’s plans can be so dramatically altered within minutes.
Having enjoyed a long weekend in Jerusalem with our eldest daughter and attended the first part of a ceremony for one of the grandchildren preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, we returned to Haifa with plans to attend a meeting in Herzliya during the week and also a couple of lectures. All this whilst maintaining contact with so many of you around the world who have an interest in Israel and ask questions that need answers.
Come Monday morning 6:00 am, I awoke in a cold sweat and with some tenseness across the chest, yes, sure enough the symptoms of a heart attack. My first thought, of course, was to wake up my wife and get her to call the “intensive care” ambulance from Magen David Adom (MDA)- specially designed for dealing with such problems - but somehow I couldn’t believe it was happening. After all we live quite a healthy life style. We exercise a lot by walking on our local Dado promenade, http://www.wheretoisrael.com/Haifa.html now with the added attraction of the continuing Hecht promenade.
But the realization eventually sunk in after a few minutes and my wife awoke to arrange for the ambulance. Now I don’t know what reaction times are in the various countries around the world from phoning in for an ambulance and actually have one arrive at the front door but I believe they arrived at our apartment in less than 7-8 minutes. The crew was so efficient in dealing with the first phase of the attack that it seemed that in no time we were already on the way to hospital. Since we have 3 major hospitals here in Haifa, I was able to express my preference, on this occasion, Bnei Zion.
Within 2.1/2 hours of arrival, I had been checked in, taken directly to the cardiac catheterization room, fitted with stents http://www.heartsite.com/html/stent.html and returned to the ward. There I spent 3 days in recovery and today Thursday, came home.
Now the next recuperation phase means no driving for 6 weeks, taking life very easy for a couple of weeks before starting to exercise a few minutes a day gradually working up to 45 minute stretches.
So rushing down to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem by car, bus or train is out of the reckoning for now. The intense sessions in front of the computer have to be restricted. But, it is no good dwelling on what might have been. I need to look forward, life goes on.
Thankfully I cannot compare from personal experience what goes on in different countries but let me just say that the team work of Israeli doctors, both Arab and Jew, the ever smiling and cooperative nursing staff from all walks of Israeli life, makes me feel good.
Having enjoyed a long weekend in Jerusalem with our eldest daughter and attended the first part of a ceremony for one of the grandchildren preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, we returned to Haifa with plans to attend a meeting in Herzliya during the week and also a couple of lectures. All this whilst maintaining contact with so many of you around the world who have an interest in Israel and ask questions that need answers.
Come Monday morning 6:00 am, I awoke in a cold sweat and with some tenseness across the chest, yes, sure enough the symptoms of a heart attack. My first thought, of course, was to wake up my wife and get her to call the “intensive care” ambulance from Magen David Adom (MDA)- specially designed for dealing with such problems - but somehow I couldn’t believe it was happening. After all we live quite a healthy life style. We exercise a lot by walking on our local Dado promenade, http://www.wheretoisrael.com/Haifa.html now with the added attraction of the continuing Hecht promenade.
But the realization eventually sunk in after a few minutes and my wife awoke to arrange for the ambulance. Now I don’t know what reaction times are in the various countries around the world from phoning in for an ambulance and actually have one arrive at the front door but I believe they arrived at our apartment in less than 7-8 minutes. The crew was so efficient in dealing with the first phase of the attack that it seemed that in no time we were already on the way to hospital. Since we have 3 major hospitals here in Haifa, I was able to express my preference, on this occasion, Bnei Zion.
Within 2.1/2 hours of arrival, I had been checked in, taken directly to the cardiac catheterization room, fitted with stents http://www.heartsite.com/html/stent.html and returned to the ward. There I spent 3 days in recovery and today Thursday, came home.
Now the next recuperation phase means no driving for 6 weeks, taking life very easy for a couple of weeks before starting to exercise a few minutes a day gradually working up to 45 minute stretches.
So rushing down to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem by car, bus or train is out of the reckoning for now. The intense sessions in front of the computer have to be restricted. But, it is no good dwelling on what might have been. I need to look forward, life goes on.
Thankfully I cannot compare from personal experience what goes on in different countries but let me just say that the team work of Israeli doctors, both Arab and Jew, the ever smiling and cooperative nursing staff from all walks of Israeli life, makes me feel good.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Unfavourable Views of Jews in Europe
Ethnocentric attitudes are on the rise in Europe. Growing numbers of people in several major European countries say they have an unfavorable opinion of Jews, and opinions are more negative than they were several years ago. The elitist opinions and the constant media Israel bashing agenda must have had some effect on these figures. So many newspapers find all types of insidious ways to express their feelings, thus passing these views on to their readers.
Recently the European song festival was held in Russia. Israel’s entry was performed by one Israeli (Jewish) and another Israeli (Muslim), surely this shows the multiculturalism of the country. Not so for the Times of the UK, the performance was by “a Jew and an Arab”. No reference whatsoever to the fact that the “Arab” was Muslim and Israeli. But then that doesn’t fit the charge of racism, does it?
A spring 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/262.pdf finds that
- 46% of the Spanish rate Jews unfavorably compared to 21% in 2005.
- 34% of Russians compared to 21% in 2005 and
- 36% of Poles, 27% in 2005
Somewhat fewer, but still significant numbers of the Germans (25% compared to 21% in 2005) and French (20% compared to 18%) interviewed also express negative opinions of Jews. These percentages are all higher than obtained in comparable Pew surveys taken in recent years.
In a number of countries, the increase has been especially notable between 2006 and 2008. However, Great Britain stands out as the only European country included in the survey where there has not been a substantial increase in anti-Semitic attitudes. Just 9% of the British rate Jews unfavorably, compared to 7% in 2005.
Relatively small percentages in both Australia (11%) and the United States (7%) continue to view Jews unfavorably.
Anti-Jewish opinions are most prevalent among Europeans on the political right.
Yes there is a feeling that the 1930"s are being repeated but let's hope some sense will prevail.
Recently the European song festival was held in Russia. Israel’s entry was performed by one Israeli (Jewish) and another Israeli (Muslim), surely this shows the multiculturalism of the country. Not so for the Times of the UK, the performance was by “a Jew and an Arab”. No reference whatsoever to the fact that the “Arab” was Muslim and Israeli. But then that doesn’t fit the charge of racism, does it?
A spring 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project http://pewglobal.org/reports/pdf/262.pdf finds that
- 46% of the Spanish rate Jews unfavorably compared to 21% in 2005.
- 34% of Russians compared to 21% in 2005 and
- 36% of Poles, 27% in 2005
Somewhat fewer, but still significant numbers of the Germans (25% compared to 21% in 2005) and French (20% compared to 18%) interviewed also express negative opinions of Jews. These percentages are all higher than obtained in comparable Pew surveys taken in recent years.
In a number of countries, the increase has been especially notable between 2006 and 2008. However, Great Britain stands out as the only European country included in the survey where there has not been a substantial increase in anti-Semitic attitudes. Just 9% of the British rate Jews unfavorably, compared to 7% in 2005.
Relatively small percentages in both Australia (11%) and the United States (7%) continue to view Jews unfavorably.
Anti-Jewish opinions are most prevalent among Europeans on the political right.
Yes there is a feeling that the 1930"s are being repeated but let's hope some sense will prevail.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
A Kiwi's View of Israel
I received the letter below from a visitor to Israel from New Zealand. Once again it shows that when people do make the effort to visit and see life as it really is through their eyes, suddenly the polemic outbursts of those with anti Israel opinions, usually not based on facts, I have to say, show Israel in a totally different light.
Dorothy Finlay lives in Tauranga writes;
I have spent nearly 35 years of my life in the Middle East. As a Christian with close friends among Arabs and Jews, I am literate in Arabic and can communicate in Hebrew. I have nursed in the Christian Arab sector of the Old city, in St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, and Nasir Eye Hospital in Gaza in 1999. I have also worked in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and taught in the Arab Bethlehem University. I recently returned from Jerusalem, where I was part of an expat team helping Arab children with congenital heart disease who receive life-saving surgery from Israeli paediatric cardiac surgeons.
I know how issues related to Israel are always inflammatory to those who have prejudice — both religious and political. I have even seen charges of Israel's ‘oppression’ of Arabs and ‘apartheid’. I can say, on the basis of my own experience and that of others, that such charges have no basis in fact.
Following is an account of a typical day (January 20, 2009) during my most recent stay. What I saw, on this day — and all other days — was quite the opposite of ‘oppression’ and ‘apartheid’.
Today is another busy day for the team from Shevet Achim, an NGO that coordinates care for children from Iraq, Gaza, and the West Bank who need urgent heart surgery in Israeli hospitals.
As I walk through the corridors of Wolfson Children's Hospital near Tel Aviv, I see nearly as many Arab children with their mothers as Israelis. You could see they are all good friends, sharing concerns for their children. Hebrew, English and Arabic languages are interwoven in the hum everywhere as parents discuss their children with no thought of their origins.
Wahaj was first into the theatre for repair of a critical congenital heart condition. This bouncy two-year-old and his mother had travelled from northern Iraq to Jerusalem and had been waiting for a week for the ‘big day’. Now it is history and soon he will be able to return home with a new heart and future.
Havan, a very small 11-month-old from Iraq, is scheduled today for heart catheterisation. This little boy, who nearly succumbed to pneumonia en route through Jordan, now has a perpetual smile.
Today six children from Gaza with serious heart problems are being transported from the Erez Israel/Gaza crossing to Israeli hospitals for assessments, examinations and surgery. Last week there were ten such children in one day. Palestinian doctors, who depend on Israeli hospitals to treat these children, referred them to Dr Tamir, head of the Israeli NGO ‘Save a Child's Heart’ (SACH). Israeli surgeons with SACH provide the high tech surgery at no charge to the children.
Last night I accompanied a little six year old boy, Hizam, with his father back to the Gaza border, twelve days following radical heart surgery. While at the border, as we were depositing him and his father, the alarm came over the intercom for us to leave quickly. There was a loud noise and in the sky we saw a rocket that had been launched in the direction of S'derot, an Israeli town 10 km from Erez. It fell short and landed in a field. It gave me a small sense of the fear and tension that is felt every time HAMAS fires at Israel, sometimes 10-20 times a day.
I asked Hizam's father about his attitude to coming to Israel from Gaza. He was so happy. ‘Everyone is willing to help a sick child’, he said.
Today there are also several Palestinian children from Hebron to be examined and treated by sensitive and loving Israeli nurses and doctors who provide skilled professional care, served with a generous dollop of kindness and compassion.
Abdullah Siam is a close relative of a senior Hamas leader who was operated on earlier. He is now packed up waiting to return to Gaza following life-saving heart surgery. Yes, even as Hamas is launching rockets at Israel and as the war in Gaza is pounding away, this child received the same loving care as the other children.
Dorothy Finlay lives in Tauranga writes;
I have spent nearly 35 years of my life in the Middle East. As a Christian with close friends among Arabs and Jews, I am literate in Arabic and can communicate in Hebrew. I have nursed in the Christian Arab sector of the Old city, in St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem, and Nasir Eye Hospital in Gaza in 1999. I have also worked in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem and taught in the Arab Bethlehem University. I recently returned from Jerusalem, where I was part of an expat team helping Arab children with congenital heart disease who receive life-saving surgery from Israeli paediatric cardiac surgeons.
I know how issues related to Israel are always inflammatory to those who have prejudice — both religious and political. I have even seen charges of Israel's ‘oppression’ of Arabs and ‘apartheid’. I can say, on the basis of my own experience and that of others, that such charges have no basis in fact.
Following is an account of a typical day (January 20, 2009) during my most recent stay. What I saw, on this day — and all other days — was quite the opposite of ‘oppression’ and ‘apartheid’.
Today is another busy day for the team from Shevet Achim, an NGO that coordinates care for children from Iraq, Gaza, and the West Bank who need urgent heart surgery in Israeli hospitals.
As I walk through the corridors of Wolfson Children's Hospital near Tel Aviv, I see nearly as many Arab children with their mothers as Israelis. You could see they are all good friends, sharing concerns for their children. Hebrew, English and Arabic languages are interwoven in the hum everywhere as parents discuss their children with no thought of their origins.
Wahaj was first into the theatre for repair of a critical congenital heart condition. This bouncy two-year-old and his mother had travelled from northern Iraq to Jerusalem and had been waiting for a week for the ‘big day’. Now it is history and soon he will be able to return home with a new heart and future.
Havan, a very small 11-month-old from Iraq, is scheduled today for heart catheterisation. This little boy, who nearly succumbed to pneumonia en route through Jordan, now has a perpetual smile.
Today six children from Gaza with serious heart problems are being transported from the Erez Israel/Gaza crossing to Israeli hospitals for assessments, examinations and surgery. Last week there were ten such children in one day. Palestinian doctors, who depend on Israeli hospitals to treat these children, referred them to Dr Tamir, head of the Israeli NGO ‘Save a Child's Heart’ (SACH). Israeli surgeons with SACH provide the high tech surgery at no charge to the children.
Last night I accompanied a little six year old boy, Hizam, with his father back to the Gaza border, twelve days following radical heart surgery. While at the border, as we were depositing him and his father, the alarm came over the intercom for us to leave quickly. There was a loud noise and in the sky we saw a rocket that had been launched in the direction of S'derot, an Israeli town 10 km from Erez. It fell short and landed in a field. It gave me a small sense of the fear and tension that is felt every time HAMAS fires at Israel, sometimes 10-20 times a day.
I asked Hizam's father about his attitude to coming to Israel from Gaza. He was so happy. ‘Everyone is willing to help a sick child’, he said.
Today there are also several Palestinian children from Hebron to be examined and treated by sensitive and loving Israeli nurses and doctors who provide skilled professional care, served with a generous dollop of kindness and compassion.
Abdullah Siam is a close relative of a senior Hamas leader who was operated on earlier. He is now packed up waiting to return to Gaza following life-saving heart surgery. Yes, even as Hamas is launching rockets at Israel and as the war in Gaza is pounding away, this child received the same loving care as the other children.
Monday, May 11, 2009
More Roadblocks Removed
It was reported that yesterday, May 10, two roadblocks in the Ramallah area were removed, one located near the village of Ras Karkar and the other near the village of Ein Yabrud.
The removal of the Ras Karkar roadblock allows free movement of vehicles between the city of Ramallah and the villages to its west, while the removal of the Ein Yabrud roadblock allows for traffic between Ramallah and villages to its east.
The roadblocks were removed in accordance with security assessments and as part of the relief plan authorized by the Minister of Defense and the IDF Chief of the General Staff.
This relief plan includes the opening of a number of central roads and the removal of checkpoints, especially in the areas of Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm.
These steps improve the overall Palestinian quality of life, allowing for increased freedom of movement. As part of this plan, over 140 checkpoints have been removed throughout Judea and Samaria in the last year.
The army is continuing to act according to decisions made by the political echelon, in accordance with security assessments. These actions are meant to further ease the routine life of the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria, while continuously fighting terror and maintaining the safety of the citizens of the State of Israel.
So we see that as security improves so does the day to day life of the Plaestinians, it is all a matter of action and reaction.
The removal of the Ras Karkar roadblock allows free movement of vehicles between the city of Ramallah and the villages to its west, while the removal of the Ein Yabrud roadblock allows for traffic between Ramallah and villages to its east.
The roadblocks were removed in accordance with security assessments and as part of the relief plan authorized by the Minister of Defense and the IDF Chief of the General Staff.
This relief plan includes the opening of a number of central roads and the removal of checkpoints, especially in the areas of Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm.
These steps improve the overall Palestinian quality of life, allowing for increased freedom of movement. As part of this plan, over 140 checkpoints have been removed throughout Judea and Samaria in the last year.
The army is continuing to act according to decisions made by the political echelon, in accordance with security assessments. These actions are meant to further ease the routine life of the Palestinian population in Judea and Samaria, while continuously fighting terror and maintaining the safety of the citizens of the State of Israel.
So we see that as security improves so does the day to day life of the Plaestinians, it is all a matter of action and reaction.
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