Things we were never told about Israel
“In America we were made to believe that everything in Israel was shiny and new, progressive. That is, except for the old temples that were mentioned in the Bible. We thought the Palestinians were just backwards, rock-throwing luddites. We thought Israelis were all smart, educated, and wealthy. But the picture of Israel as perpetuated in America was a lie.”
As with any article criticizing the State of Israel this article will be met by Zionist trolls shouting whataboutisms as the attempt to falsely debunk what I’ve presented with accusations that things are worse here in the USA. It’s a common tactic used by Zionists who wish to change the conversation in their favor by changing the argument to something they think they can win. In order to save all of us a lot of time and trouble I’ve decided to do the whataboutisms for them.
Americans of my generation were raised believing that Israel was one of the best places in the world to live and that rock throwing Palestinian children were the worst problem Israelis faced. We just thought it odd that the IDF would shoot the kids rather than just throw rocks back at them. I mean, we had rock fights here too, right?
In America we believed stories about the IDF being invincible, and Mossad agents with invisibility cloaks and superpowers that exceeded the abilities of James Bond and the other spies from the movies. How were we to know they were more like Maxwell Smart helping America in the battle against KAOS?
In America we were made to believe that everything in Israel was shiny and new, progressive. That is, except for the old temples that were mentioned in the Bible. We thought the Palestinians were just backwards, rock-throwing luddites. We thought Israelis were all smart, educated, and wealthy. But the picture of Israel as perpetuated in America was a lie.
According to the OECD, education in Israel is lacking,
“Israelis can expect to go through 15.6 years of education between the ages of 5 and 39, less than the OECD average of 18 years and one of the lowest levels in the OECD.”
And,
“The average student in Israel scored 465 in reading literacy, maths and sciences, below the OECD average of 488.”
According to columnist Dan Ben-David at Haaretz,
“Israel is characterized by scholastically substandard schools linked to ultra-Orthodox and religious parties, where indoctrination substitutes for education among population groups with extremely high fertility rates. This has created a huge — and quickly growing — adult population living in a biblical bubble that isolates them from the need to contend with reality.”
In comparison, in the United States, a country that is not at the top of the scale, we average 17.3 years of education, closer to the OECD average of 18 years, with a 495 (above the OECD average of 488) in reading literacy, maths and sciences, and 92% of adults have completed upper secondary education compared to 88% in Israel.
While often believed to be a rich nation which many desire to move to, Israel has one of the highest poverty rates in the developed world, second only to Costa Rica. From the Israeli National Insurance department,
“In 2021, the poverty line is around NIS 2,849 for an individual, and NIS 5,698 for a couple. A couple with 2 children will be considered poor below NIS 9,117, and below NIS 12,108 for a couple with 4 children. This year in Israel, there are nearly 1.95 million poor people, among them — 853.9 thousand poor children representing 28% of the population, and 212.4 poor pensioners — who make up nearly 17.6% of the Israeli population. The depth of poverty (to assess the severity of poverty) increased from 38.7% in 2020 to 39.4% in 2021. The poverty dimension increased in families from 20.6% to 21%, in individuals from 20.5% to 21%, and in children from 27.2% to 28%.
Wages are low on average with Welcome-Israel.com reporting,
“As for 2023, the average salary in Israel is around $3,300 or 11,000 shekels per month. Income varies based on industry and region. Statistics show a roughly 25% increase in incomes over the last decade. Those working in sectors related to mining are seeing an increase in revenues. The average family income is about 15,500 shekels. If both partners work full-time, the total income is around 20,000 shekels.”
The same report shows income tax rates as high as 50%. According to Expatistan.com, the cost of living is quite high, among the highest in the world. As explained in Wikipedia, capital gains, interest, and dividends are taxed at 25–32%. Ouch! With almost everything in Israel having an 18% VAT (Value Added Tax) there’s little left. We don’t have a VAT anywhere in the USA so the 8% retail sales tax we have here in North Carolina is looking pretty good, especially considering that the VAT is accessed both at retail and at wholesale as the VAT is added each time a product changes hands from manufacturer to distributor, to wholesaler, to retailer, and eventually to the end buyer. American sales taxes are only assessed when the product is sold the last time.
According to Shomrim, as of October 20, 2022, “16.2 percent of Israeli families — including around 665,000 children — suffer from food insecurity.” Those numbers do not include Palestinians and others who do not have Israeli citizenship.
As it turns out, living the Israeli dream is to become enslaved for the rest of one’s life,
“It’s not cheap to live in Israel. While Israel is one of the most technologically advanced societies in the Western world, it is also one of the most expensive; the lack of market competition and monopolies produced by a handful of companies are increasing the gap between the wealthy and the poor, causing Israel’s Middle Class to slowly disappear. An unusually low minimum wage, stagnant salaries, ever-increasing costs for food & services, and high taxes are choking Israel’s average citizen, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better any time soon.
Compared to the United States and Europe, the price of consumer goods and services is approximately double in Israel. Food products alone can cost anywhere from two to three times as much as in other Western countries. Owning a car in Israel can cost six times as much as one’s salary! And let’s not fail to remember that all goods and services come with a 16% VAT (Value Added Tax), causing even the most moderately priced item to become suddenly expensive. This wouldn’t be so problematic if the average salary was enough to compensate for such high costs, but the sad fact is that the average monthly salary is only $2,500, or $3,400 for a two-income household.
So, how do Israelis survive amid such grim numbers? They live on borrowed money — everything in Israel, from cars to vacations to groceries can be paid in monthly installments. Gone are the days when one could actually pay cash for anything; Israelis are swimming in monthly debt just to buy groceries and pay their utility bills. While this may seem irresponsible, it is for many, the only way to survive.”
Compare that to average monthly wages in the United States of $4,500 for a single worker. Despite government subsidies, as of June 10, 2024, gasoline prices in Israel averaged $2.066 per liter, among the highest in the world compared to $0.987 per liter in the USA, and $0.029 in Iran. Public transportation in Israel is considered lacking and a housing shortage loomed large even before October 7, 2023.
The crime rate in Israel is over twice that of the United States. In terms of crime, Israel has a crime index of 32.4 and a safety index of 67.6 ranking 132nd most in the world. The higher the ranking the more crime. The USA came in with a crime index of 49.3, a safety index of 50.7 coming in as the 58th most crime in the world, but I have to wonder if war is excluded from those numbers.
Pedophillia and rape culture are apparently welcome in Israel.
“Netanyahu’s response to the accused sex criminals in his midst has been nothing short of accommodating.”
And before anyone says it, Jeffery Epstein was Jewish, had connections to Israeli politicians, was connected to Mossad, and owned an Israeli defence contractor known as Carbyne.
“Epstein had long-standing connections to Ehud Barak, a former prime minister of Israel. Barak publicly acknowledged visiting Epstein “more than ten but much less than a hundred” times, including one visit to Epstein’s private estate in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
If an American with outstanding warrants or a criminal record attempts to enter Canada he will be arrested and held for deportation. Not so in Israel. According to the CBS News report, How Jewish American pedophiles hide from justice in Israel, it is commonplace for pedophiles and rapists to hid in Israel where they continue their crimes.
“A CBS News investigation has found that many accused American pedophiles flee to Israel, and bringing them to justice can be difficult.”
According to the Cradle,
“Tel Aviv’s dubious rape allegations against Hamas conceal Israel’s own shocking domestic sexual violence crisis, in which 260 Israeli women and minors are raped each day.”
The article goes on to point out a cover-up,
“On 8 February, Haaretz brought to light a harrowing revelation: 116 separate files detailing instances of sexual assault and domestic violence against women and minors among Israelis ‘displaced’ from their illegal settlements due to the ongoing military conflicts with Gaza and Lebanon.”
And goes on to say,
“In addition to being a regional hub for human trafficking and a haven for pedophiles, Israel consistently ranks the highest in West Asia for documented cases of rape and sexual assaults.”
So much for women’s rights in Israel. Even former Israeli president Moshe Katsav was found to have raped an aid, and sexually harassed other women. It’s hardly a wonder Donald Trump is so fond of Israel. Then there are Jeffery Epstein's connections to Mossad.
“Menashe’s book also mentioned Ghislaine Maxwell, linking her to Mossad, the website reported, stressing: “Ben-Menashe alleges they ran a “honey-trap” operation, providing young girls to politicians for sex and then using the incidents to blackmail them for Israeli intelligence.”
According to the Jewish publication, Forward, forced marriages are still a thing in Israel. Then there’s the inbreeding,
“Among the Habbani Jews in Israel, 56% of marriages are between first cousins. The Samaritans also had very high rates of inbreeding, with 43% of marriages between first cousins and 33.3% between other cousins.”
Personally, I can’t see why anyone would want to live there, especially women with children.
According to Weather Spark the average daily temperatures for most of Israel are great, but “Israel is expected to experience a 10% reduction in overall rainfall by the end of the 21st century” in a country that is already lacking in fresh water, and sea level rise is expected to be as much as 5 meters (16.4 feet) by the year 2150 while fresh water continues to be harder to get. Meanwhile, “populations living in the West Bank, Gaza, and Negev desert are more susceptible to the effects of climate change.”
So much for building that home in Gaza after they run the Palestinians out. That is, if they ever do.
You often hear that Israel is the “start-up nation” reflecting the idea that Israel is #2 in the world behind California. Problem is, California is one of 50 US states, not a nation. Nationwide, 5,481,437 new businesses were started in the USA in 2023.
“On average, there are 4.7 million businesses started every year.”
I wasn’t able to find numbers for 2023, but in 2022 there were 9,000 new start-ups founded in Israel. In terms of per capita funding for start-ups Israel is #3 worldwide, but how much of that money will stay in Israel?
You see, it is very easy to play with the numbers. I could say Israel is near the bottom of the list at 9,000 new businesses, or that Israel is #3 in new start-ups and both would be true. Speaking of money staying in Israel, there is this from August 2023:
“A recent poll from the non-profit “Start-up Nation Central” (SNC) found almost 70% of more than 500 startups surveyed are taking steps to shift money, workers and even their headquarters outside Israel as a result of the overhaul. Some are even laying off staff.
At the same time, money going into Israel’s 7,000 startups is plunging, says Ari Strasberg, SNC’s Vice President of Strategy. “Investments in Israel are declining significantly,” he says. Between last year and this year, there has been a 70% drop in investments, he says.”
Israel is bleeding money. Billions upon billions of American tax dollars are given to Israel every year and big chunks of that money is used to bribe American politicians to keep the money flowing. From the Guardian,
“About 82% of Congress members were more supportive of Israel, and just 9% more supportive of Palestine during this period. The remainder had “mixed” views. Legislators categorized as supportive of Israel received about $125,000 on average during their last election, while those supportive of Palestine on average took about $18,000.”
Even Joe Biden got his cut. $5,688,069 in total. And yes, Trump got his too.
When it comes to the reasons Hamas is fighting against Israel, just remember,
“ 85% of Hamas fighters are orphaned young men. “75% of Gaza’s population is under the age of 25.” Almost half (47%) are children. Israel is waging a war against children, is there any better evidence of genocide than that? Every time a Palestinian parent is killed a new Hamas fighter is born. Israel leaves these orphans to die in the rubble but Hamas takes them in, feeds and clothes them, educates them, and raises them amongst the fighters they already have. War and hate for Jews become the only things they know.”
Israeli leaders are inept, not qualified, and only capable of remaining empowered by keeping the country at war, constantly stirring up hatred while dehumanizing the Palestinian population, and bribery. They claim they desire peace while helping to create genocides around the world.
“The State of Israel has invested millions in marketing themselves as the Jewish Homeland and the Startup Nation only to see it all wasted away as the world opens its eyes and recognizes Israel will forever be known as The Genocide State responsible for over 50 years of genocide around the world.”
Hasbara is used to explain away the truth about Israel, but lies of omission only go so far. From a 2011 article in +972 Magazine titled, Hasbara: Why does the world fail to understand us?
“The Israeli government encourages all citizens to actively engage in Hasbara. Recently, it even distributed brochures with talking points to all Israelis traveling abroad (a Hebrew web version of the campaign can be viewed here). Israelis are asked to engage in politically-oriented conversations with their hosts and contacts abroad. Rather than discuss the Palestinian conflict, they are advised to cite Israeli technological achievements, mention environmental policies and take pride in notable cultural works. The West Bank is to be discussed — under its ancient Hebrew name, Judea and Samaria — as a potential tourist marvel.”
Highway safety is also a problem in Israel. While death and injury rates are falling world wide Israel is lagging far behind.
“In most of the world, increasing vehicle use has led to more crashes, but a decrease in serious injuries and deaths, as car and road safety continuously improves. In Israel, however, according to a recent European Transport Safety Council report, there has been only a 4.7% drop in fatalities in the last decade, compared to 31% on average.”
And buses in Israel are so unsafe that “U.S. citizen employees of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem and their families have been prohibited from using public buses and their associated terminals.”
So much for mass transit. While not always comfortable, buses are some of the safest vehicles on the road in America.
Did you know some folks in Israel still believe in the horrible practice of public animal sacrifice? Even if it starts a third World War.
“Since then, Christian religious leaders have been on alert. Describing this sacrifice as “madness,” a declaration signed on April 8 by 36 religious figures from Jerusalem and around the world denounced it as an “invitation to regional, or even global war,” which “will transform the Israeli-Palestinian situation from a political conflict into a religious conflict without a terrestrial solution.”
What kind of people are so backwards?
Are you a partner in a same sex marriage? Israel would love it if you come to visit, spending a lot of money while you’re there but if you’re not yet married then don’t plan on a Jewish wedding in Israel.
“According to the consulate, Israel has recognized same-sex marriages performed abroad since 2006. However, leaders have not approved domestic legalization. Israel’s Knesset legislative assembly voted against a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in 2018, the Council on Foreign Relations reported in a backgrounder updated June 23, 2020.”
And there is no such thing as civil marriage in Israel so despite all the BS being tossed about about the Letter People having equal rights it is all just that — BS
“Letter People is a termed lovingly used by a confused old man unable to keep up with changes (namely me) to describe the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied, and is by no means meant to be disparaging or demeaning.”
Were you aware that wild boars attack people on the streets in Israel?
“herds of wild boar can often be seen roaming the city’s streets, wreaking havoc and destroying property, and in some rare cases like Sunday’s incident, even turning hostile and attacking people,”
Apparently wild boar attacks are pretty common and with wild boars weighing as much as 600 lbs, sharp tusks, and capable of running much faster than humans you’ve little chance of getting away. You’d rather be threatened by a bear than a wild boar.
And don’t you love the way Israelis use hasbara,
“But it’s good to know that there are only nine venomous snakes in Israel. Now usually Many would describe an encounter with a snake as one of their worst fears. But actually, from forty two different types of snakes in Israel, only nine of them are venomous.”
We only have 4 venomous snakes here in the USA. Copperhead, Rattlesnake, Coral Snake, and Cottonmouth. There are bears, wolves, coyote, cougar, alligators, and of course wild boars, but rarely do any of them attack people and on average only 8 people die each year from wild animal attacks. Wolves, Jackals and Hyena live in Israel as well as packs of wild dogs numbering in the thousands. Apparently no bears remain. Imagine 50,000 wild dogs running lose in a place smaller than New Jersey.
Police brutality is over the top in Israel. Peaceful protestors, even Jews are violently attacked, women, children, clergy, it makes no difference, police brutalize and kill anyone and everyone while Haaretz reports that even those who monitor police brutality are at risk.
“Magen Ezrachi, or ‘Civilian Shield, puts volunteers on the ground to record abuses at the protests, where Israel’s police, under the rule of Ben-Gvir, has been using force against demonstrators, journalists, and even family members of hostages held in Gaza. ‘I’m not supposed to be afraid of the law enforcement organization that protects me,’ says one volunteer”
It’s true, American police departments often cross the lines as well, but might some of that be because American police departments are being trained by Israelis?
“In light of the very real police brutality at the hands of militarized police forces in the US, we must ask ourselves difficult questions, like whether we are contributing to the problem,” wrote Selim and another top ADL official, Vice President for Law Enforcement and Analysis Greg Ehrie, in a June 9, 2020, memo to ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.”
Turns out the actions of the ADL (Anti Defamation League) may be contributing to the high rates of minorities killed in America. As a matter of fact, Fox News reported on October 8, 2023,
“Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah confirmed Saturday evening that six local law enforcement leaders are among a 32-member New York delegation “that traveled to Israel Oct. 5” for a training and are awaiting evacuation in the country.”
Like the United States, Israel has failed to do her part to protect the environment for future generations. According to their State comptroller Israel has failed to do so.
“In the last 16 years, 47 government decisions related to addressing the challenges of climate change were made, but Israel has not shown significant improvement in achieving its national climate objectives,” the comptroller wrote.
In painting what he called an “alarming” picture of “functional stagnation,” he said the key things missing were government attention and leadership, a strong climate law, comprehensive government risk management, and implementation of decisions.”
How bad is it?
“While other developed countries were reducing emissions, Israel’s increased by 1% between 2015 and 2022, mainly due to an increase in emissions in the transportation, industrial, and construction sectors, the report said.
In the transportation sector, a 6% increase in emissions was expected — almost double the limit set by a government resolution of 3.3%. Private vehicle mileage was now expected to drop by 15% by 2030, instead of the planned 20%”
The report reads like they’re not even trying, or they’re trying to make it worse. While it’s a problem most everywhere, air pollution in Israel is “up to 3.5 times global target levels” according to the The Times of Israel. Ground level ozone is up from 162 to 182, and the Jerusalem Post explains there’s a shortage of “pulmonologists to treat thousands with asthma, COPD, other lung diseases.” Cigarette smoking and vaping are on the rise in Israel.
Water quality in Israel is poor and desalinization, Israel’s solution to their water quality issues, is only making the problem worse.
“Natural water quality in Israel has been deteriorating due to a decrease in rainfall, increase in population, improper runoff and sewage treatment and over-exploitation of natural resources.
As a result of over-extraction of groundwater, seawater intrusion has impacted the Coastal Aquifer. The Jordan River is polluted with untreated sewage, runoff, groundwater seepage and brackish water from springs. The water quality in the Sea of Galilee has deteriorated due to over-pumping for water supply purposes in the past. In addition, the health of the aquatic ecosystem in the east of the Mediterranean has declined due to the disposal of the brine produced by desalination plants.”
It may well be true that Israel continues to train lots of great scientists and engineers, but it is obvious that no one in power heeds their advice.
When it comes to the Palestinians, we Americans were, for the most part, brought up to believe Christian theological claims that Israel was the promised land, Jews were God’s chosen people, and that Palestinians and other Arabs were simply fighting for religious reasons and hatred of the Jews. We were taught that anti-semitism was the cause rather than the result. Neither our schools nor our churches taught us the truth that the Jews had broken every covenant, and that according to the Bible were no longer deserving of the Land of Israel. Nor were we taught the modern history of Zionists stealing Arab lands outside those lands given to them by the League of Nations, the British Mandate, the Balfour Declaration, and eventually the United Nations Partition Plan as shown in the map below with Palestine in pink and Israel in blue.
Compare that to the progression of then until Israel today.
We weren’t told of the Jews 3,000 year history of committing genocide against their neighbors or the Zionist plan to establish a Greater Israel with borders that extend far beyond current borders into Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
Albert Einstein, a Jew who was offered the presidency of Israel, but refused, believed Zionists to be,
“misled and criminal people.”
His words, not mine.
I could go on but frankly I’m growing tired of pointing out so many wrongs that are being done in the name of God and country by every religion and every nation in the world for the fact is they are all the same.
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