Tal

Hi, I'm new to the forums. I am an Israeli and I've been living here ever since I was born. I'd like to clarify several aspects of Israel, as I know many people have a wrong view of the reality here. It's nice to see that certain people ask questions, and don't relay on the media's reports.

Many people have contacts with Israeli-Arabs, who have an Israeli citizenship and generally live in Israel-Arab cities, such as Tira. They don't usually live with Israelis but many Jews have Muslim friends (I myself don't have any but I know people that have Muslim friends) Before the second Intifada, many Israelis used to have contacts with Palestinians in Gaza, for example. However, after the Intifada begun there were several occurrences of Palis that lured their Israeli friends and killed them, and it ended.

It's not like they are completely separated from us. They are free to go wherever they want and it's very common to see them walking in malls and shopping areas.

Well, once people that lived close to Gaza had contacts with Palis but it ended. People that live near Israeli-Arab cities still have contacts with them - I live in such a city and it's very common for Jews to go shopping there. In the south, there are Bedouins that live in the outskirts of large cities, such as Beer Sheva.

No - many people have a mistaken view about the checkpoints. They usually consist of a few soldiers that stop each car, take a peek at its passengers, and promptly request to see documents. As for the wall, only Pali cities that have been the source of a lot of terrorists have this wall.

The people that settle in the so-called Palestinian area, are not usually ultraorthodox. Most are religious people, but they are not religious fanatics. They settle there mainly because these are areas that are great for farming, and pretty cheap too. I think it's their right. This is our territory and we needn't use it as a buffer-zone for trading with them. However, sometimes their actions are not justified and it has to be said that the settlers often have a very bad image, which is a common source for jokes, costumes in Purim (which is a holiday when all Israelis wear costumes) and satire in TV.

These are people that usually live in what we call a bubble (Tel Aviv, for example), and don't realize that everybody must serve in the army to protect his homeland. Instead of choosing to change what they find wrong, they choose to create a lot of fuss to get attention, sadly. They too have a very bad view in public. They are really a very small minority - and I say this honestly. However, they get much publicity from MSM and that is not surprising. About 75% of people in my high school go to combat units - that means elite units such as Golani, and units that operate in combat areas. The rest go to the army too, usually to computing units or what we call 'Jobnics' - work in offices.

While I'm not Russian, my parents did come from Lithuania (former soviet union) in 1991, so I can answer this from a first POV. These 'new Israelis' have contributed in many fields such as high-tech, research and development. Others work in physical jobs. However, it has to be said that because of problems with their adoption in the general community (or better said: their unwillingness to do so), many drop out of schools and perform crimes. This leads me to your next question - yes, there are such communities. It has to be said that second generation Israelis (apart from certain minorities) usually blend in with the general public and you won't be able to spot the difference between them. However, there are communities in certain cities. Mainly we're talking about Russians and Ethiopians, the latter having big problems with their adoption in the general public. Also, there are American and English communities but they are smaller.

Yes, I have had contacts with the Jewish community in Toronto, for example.

I hope I addressed at least some of your concerns

Tal.