Posted on February 14, 2010 07:46 PM

Bethlehem is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, for the time being. Soon there will be no Christians left at all. In 1948 the city of Bethlehem was 80% Christian - today it is only 20% Christian. The city is the birthplace of David and the location where he was crowned as the king of Israel. In addition, most Christians believe the city to be the birthplace of Jesus.
Posted on May 1, 2009 03:10 PM

I do not do book reviews but I found the following so interesting that I thought I would pass it along to my readers. If you had to guess who had the majority population in Jerusalem 165 years ago would these numbers have been in the realm of your best estimate: "The 1844 census of Jerusalem found 7120 Jews…5760 Muslims…3390 Christians."?
Posted on February 2, 2009 10:27 AM

Between the 12th and 19th centuries Japan was under the military rule of warlords. It went to war with China in 1894 and with Russia in 1904 and won both times. In World War One it fought to win German colonies in the Pacific and by 1919 it was one of the great military and industrial powers of the world. After WWII Japan was occupied by Americans and its reconstruction was supervised under US command to insure that it would not be rebuilt to be a threat again. Since America was its military protector, Japan did not need to spend money on a large army or navy and its economy unburdened with these expenditures was able to grow and its people to prosper. Eight centuries of feudal militarism disappeared within one generation and Japan is now a powerful yet peaceful nation.
Posted on January 28, 2009 07:19 PM

Reader jFp has commented a few times wondering why the Jews didn't settle in Uganda instead of Israel given all the hostile opposition to allowing Jews to have a homeland in the Holy Land. jFp is also under the misapprehension that many Jews were in favor of the British offer known as the "Uganda Program" . Actually it was completely rejected by the Zionist Congress one year after Herzl's death in 1904.
Posted on January 13, 2009 10:48 PM

Israel, the 100th largest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can make claim to the following
- In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has more startup companies than any other country in the world, except the US (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
- Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds, right behind the US.
- Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East. The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
- Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.
- Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship - and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
Posted on July 8, 2008 10:15 PM
If Arabs cannot live in Jerusalem peacefully then they should not live there at all. Perhaps it is time to admit that there is indeed an elephant in the room: Muslims cannot live with Israelis.
Posted on June 29, 2008 08:10 PM
Here we see a "No More Blood" protest by Palestinian women and children who are protesting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip in front of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) offices in Gaza City on 3 Jun 2008.
Posted on June 27, 2008 02:52 AM
If Palestinians valued life at all, if they held any Arab life as sacred, if a Muslim soul were worth anything at all, they would have gladly given Schalit back in exchange for one Arab prisoner.
Posted on June 26, 2008 08:58 PM
Eleven year old children from Bronx middle school read from a story written by Gilad Shalit when he was himself eleven years old. "When the Shark and the Fish First Met:" Youtube Video...
Posted on May 7, 2008 05:13 PM
So it seems Israel was not far off all these years when they complained that that militants use UNRWA vehicles and facilities in its attacks against Israel. Who knew?
Posted on April 18, 2008 12:17 PM
It should be noted that Yousef al-Khattab (SFB) considers himself a non-violent, moderate Muslim whose only desire on this Earth is to live a peaceful life free of filthy Jews and Christians, Insha'Allah.
Posted on April 17, 2008 12:32 AM
I know what you are thinking, Jimmy Carter wouldn't be stupid enough to lay a wreath at Hitler's gravesite. Actually he would if there were a gravesite and if some Neo-Nazi group donated the same amount of money as the Saudis did for his Carter Center.
Posted on April 15, 2008 05:15 PM
If you're too young for the reference "If attacked we will eliminate Israel," Gamal Abdel Nasser expressed those very sentiments toward Israel shortly before the 6 Day War in 1967.
Posted on March 29, 2007 02:40 AM

Here's a simple video: we have what appears to be a Palestinian woman, although she could be a Moroccan Jew, they dress alike; we also have a dog attacking her and Israeli soldiers who are trying to disengage the dog's grip on her arm.