The rise of Filipino women in Israel

Filipino women caregivers

With the prodigious amount of Filipino caregivers throughout Israel, many elderly persons have been dealt with extraordinary care due to the high professionalism and reliable work skill that the Filipino caregivers have to offer.  With wages much higher than that in the Philippines, it is a popular profession to get involved within Israel.  inside the three articles that are presented, the purpose will be to explain how and why Filipino caregivers are Israelis top choice for their au pair and what negatives come with the profession.

The first article chosen was in a book called Foreign workers in Israel, by Yisrael Drori. Within the book, the chapter, “Living and working as non-Israelis” gave a great summary of how exactly Filipino caregivers came about to be the most popular caretakers in Israel, as well as what their overall duties are and what it takes to become one through employment agencies.  Drori explains that women of all cultures often choose care-giving as their profession, and this is especially true for Filipino women.  Filipino women have been the most popular caregiver in many countries, and as stated, “For Filipino women...domestic work and care-giving have become a trademark all over the world.” (89)  What makes Filipino women so popular, especially in Israel are due to many factors.  Drori explains that in the early 1990’s the

Filipino caregiver helping an elderly person

increasing number of elderly people produced a large demand for in home care.  With new health and welfare laws, this helped the influx of Filipino women into Israel.  This was both good for the people of Israel and Filipino women because work is being provided at affordable costs and giving employment opportunities to many Filipino immigrants.  Filipino women are not the only ethnicity of caregivers in Israel, but Israelis find Filipino women to be the most reliable, responsible, and professional out of all other ethnic caregivers, which makes them the most prominent and favored.  Even though Filipino women are the most desirable caretakers for the Israeli people, Drori explains that at many times, these women can be brutally taken advantage of for their services.  To become employed as a caregiver, one must contract through an employment agency.  Both Israel and the Philippines are making profit from the caregivers work through certain fees and price cuts the workers must pay.  Upon signing a contract, not all caregivers are treated fairly, as stated, “To date, no official monitoring mechanism has been installed to ensure the caregivers’ legal rights are upheld.” (94)  New immigrants to Israel may be unsure of their working rights and are just signing papers in order to make money without thinking entirely about their rights as a worker under Israeli law. Their goal for working in Israel is to provide for their families back in the Philippines, as they are not allowed to bring them along with their work visas. The most common issue regarding caregivers rights is being overworked, meaning they are working more hours than they are legally required to do.  This puts a lot of stress on a caretaker, yet they will sometimes have little to no control in these situations.  Other common problems include lack of privacy within the caretaker's living quarters, and unfair payment,  However, many caretakers often find solitude by joining support groups, and gathering with friends when they do get time off.  Drori speaks of empathy for the Filipino women who are subjected to unfair treatment, while still implementing the risks that happen when choosing an employer.  Drori does mention that even with the risks, the wages are much higher compared to work outside this industry.  Throughout her chapter, she uses many first-hand stories about caregivers and their journey through the business.  By providing such information, Drori is able to give reputable resources as to what Filipino caregivers actually have to go through in order to make a living in Israel.  

The second resource was from a news article on the 972mag website, and titled, “Family life forbidden for migrant workers in Israel” by Mya Guarnieri.  This article talked a great deal about the legal aspects of incoming workers from the Philippines and how restrictive it is to live and work in Israel with a work visa.  When a worker comes to Israel with a work visa, there are many rules that apply in regards to keeping the sanctity of Israel culture pure.  When Filipino workers come into Israel, they are on a 63 month work visa.  Having the ability to take part of a work visa in a country that pays well is very attractive to many Filipino women.  However, while being able to make a great deal of money is luring, these women are not

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allowed to bring their families along with them, nor are they able to leave to visit until their contracted visa has expired.  Israel presents itself as a pious Jewish state, and wants to keep it that way.  Having immigrant workers in the state to work is perfectly fine, but when it comes to bringing families or trying to start a family in Israel, there a strict rules preventing this.  The Israeli government believes that Israel remain as much of a Jewish state as possible, and as Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Rotem Ilan mentions, “they will ‘put down roots’ in Israel… the state’s goal is to prevent them [non-Jewish migrant workers] from ‘putting down roots’ in Israel.” So, to the state, family life becomes a “threat”(Guarnieri)  With the restrictions of having children in Israel and bringing their children with them to Israel, the stress puts a huge toll on the women working, the husbands, and children.  What makes a situation even worse is if a woman happens to give birth while four and half years into her five year visa contract, she must choose between her child or legal working status.  The whole idea is that Israel wants nothing to do with anyone non-Jewish, making this a very unfair rule considering they allow immigrants to work in their country but will not deem them fit enough to become a member of their society and religion.  The Association for Civil Rights in Israel points out that with new legislative laws, many immigrant workers are so restricted and bound to their working contracts that they have coined the term “slavery law” due to the harsh regulations and restraints these workers are dealt with.  This new “slavery law” does not allow workers to leave their employers more than three times, gives prearranged working locations, and sometimes prevents workers from leaving abusive employers.  It is easy to say that these immigrant workers are being violated of their basic human and working rights.  Guarnieri shows great concern towards the immigrant workers in Israel by agreeing with Association for Civil Rights in the statements of how these workers are treated unfairly and reference this to a modern day slavery.  Guarnieri uses statements from a caregiver and a child of an immigrant worker to provide a deeper understanding of the struggles these immigrants face.  In addition Guarnieri references the Association for Civil Rights of Israel via the director, Rotem Ilan on his views from the human rights aspect of this situation.

The last source was from the Haaretz website and titled, “Filipino Reform Converts Help Their Lapsed Israeli Partners Find Love, and God”, and written by Judy Maltz.  This article was by far a more uplifting read compared to the previous ones.  The article focused on couples whose ethnic and religious backgrounds seemed clashed.  Mosh and Rina are one of the handful of couples where the wife (Rina) is a Filipino woman who has converted to Judaism through a reform movement.  The husband (Mosh) are native born Israelis that were brought up in

Filipino getting married because of reform

traditional and Orthodox homes, but have stopped practicing the religion until their Filipino wives have influenced them into practicing it again.  This has been known as the Reform movement, and its headquarters is at Beit Daniel.  This reform has been a great way to have more diversity in the religion, and as stated by Rabbi Gilad Kariv, “Our congregations are becoming more diverse and interesting, not only because of these Jews of choice who have been joining, but also because of their spouses...We now have coming through our gates a new group of native-born Israelis who might not have discovered us otherwise, and this is one of the reasons it is so important for us to embrace Jews of choice.” (Maltz)  The state usually did not want to have non-native Jews, but from a Supreme Court ruling in 2002 that mandated anyone who converted to Judaism by the non-Orthodox movement shall be identified as a Jewish in the population registry, this was the fuel that inspired many to join the Reform.  However, even though one will be identified as Jewish in the population registry, the Chief Rabbinate still will not recognize them as Jewish.  This means weddings cannot be officiated, and a marriage within the state will not be considered valid.  The Chief Rabbinate view on the reform is that many Filipinos will try and seek citizenship rather than faith in the religion.  Yet regardless, the reform does not promise or guarantee automatic citizenship or other benefits from converting.  Many seek for the reform movement because it is a much more comfortable and relaxed way to worship. In prayer, women and men are allowed to sit next to each other, and one can dress casually.  This reform movement has brought people closer together and have helped many who want to become apart of the Jewish religion.  The author, Judy Maltz has very high compassion for the couples who embark on the reform.  This is especially true for the Filipino women who would be considered unworthy of holding the title “Jewish” in the eyes of many.  Maltz shows sympathy and rejoices for the couples who go through the reform and has a positive outlook for their marriage and religious practices.  Malz uses interviews from two couples who had gone through the reform process, and their story helps give true insight into what exactly happens in their life during the reform.  Maltz also uses the viewpoint from Rabbi Gilad Kariv, who is the executive director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.  Having his input gives an even more helpful understanding of the reform movement for non Jewish people.  

The prostitution dilemma

Prostitution has been around for years in Israel, and is regarded as a lucrative business regardless of the new laws being implemented trying to prevent it.  With a business that uses humans as its resource in the most disturbing ways, prostitution is becoming a subject matter that is being addressed rapidly.  After reading three articles and sources that have dealt with prostitution and human trafficking within Israel, there is much discussion as to what needs to be done in order to solve this huge issue regarding such an unfortunate line of work.  Each article explicated gives information on what the issues are in relation to prostitution and human trafficking, as well as the authors viewpoints as to how a process can be established in order to stop it.    

The first article from the HAARETZ news website, “Human Trafficking to Israel Has Been Beaten. Let’s Now Tackle Prostitution” by Vered Lee, discusses the finalizing ban and punishments of human trading while still trying to enforce heavier regulations on prostitution.  In the article, human trafficking has been deemed illegal and the state made huge efforts in enforcing this by adding new laws and regulations.

 One example stated was, “Section 203A of the penal code, which mandates 16 years in prison for anyone who sells or buys a human being, or acts as a mediator in the sale of a human being for the purposes of prostitution.” (Haaretz)  Lee describes the women being trafficked as victims now rather than criminals.  Even though these new laws have been implemented, the rise of prostitution has increased dramatically.  Lee says that there are over 15,000 men and women involved in the sex industry, including young children, single mothers, drug addicts, and transgenders.  According to Lee, “In Tel Aviv, between 250 and 300 brothels are operating...and other cities have lively prostitution scenes...Prostitution occurs unhindered at hotels, bed and breakfasts, apartment buildings, industrial zones and nightclubs, as well as on the street and on websites.” (Haaretz)  In the past, Israel was a huge importer of women from the Soviet Union, but because of these new regulations put in place, pimps and brothel operators have resorted to recruiting their workers locally.  Lee describes them doing this by marketing prostitution as a legitimate and lucrative field of work to entice and make the business seem more licit.  Lee seems to be very against the idea of prostitution in Israel and inquiries as to why authorities have not taken proper action to enforce prostitution as they did for human trafficking with the existing laws. Lee also puts in her own opinions on how this issue could be addressed to further enforce prostitution, by stating, “Israel also needs to show responsibility toward weaker communities...It must enact legislation that criminalizes clients, stiffen the penalties for pimping and promoting prostitution.” (Haaretz)  Lee uses only one reliable base to make her article legitimate by adding actual law code sections of the laws for enforcing human trafficking.  Lee seeks a definite end to human trafficking and prostitution, because as a women herself, she sees this as an unfair treatment towards women and inhumane.

The second article was also from the Haaretz news website and was also written by the same author, Vered Lee, and titled, “One Woman's Journey to the Bleak Israeli Underworld - and Back”.   This article gives the perspective of a what a women had to face during her journey during and out of prostitution.  The women, named Alma, was interviewed by Haaretz writer Vered Lee on her beginning to end in her life as a prostitute.  Alma describes her childhood as harsh, especially the traumatic experience from being sexually abused at a young age.  From then on Alma was uncomfortable with her own body while growing up.  By age 17, she was married and had a child on the way.  Her husband conned Alma into using heroin.  "He explained that it expands the mind and does your soul good," she says. "With the naivete of a 17-year-old, I thought that if I went along with him, I wouldn't lose him. I began to drink and use heroin.

I had been depressed before, during and after giving birth. I was a very sad person and the heroin fit in with those feelings." (Haaretz)  Shortly after, her husband started to suggest that Alma start prostitution to make extra money to pay for their drugs.  Outraged at the thought and feeling disgusted at the idea, she was persuaded otherwise.  Alma described prostitution as a dirty line of work and with her drug addiction, the situation got even worse when she had to lose her child to social services.  Alma continued to spiral downhill from this, and was working and using drugs even more.  Eventually the worse happened to her as she was gang raped by four men.  However, in an ironic twist, this was the blessing in disguise to turn her life around.  She says of the trial of the perpetrators, “The trial gave me strength and empowered me. All of the defendants [were convicted and] got sentences of between two and a half and four years. It was an experience that in a strange way restored control to my life.” (Haaretz)  From this, Alma checked herself into a rehabilitation facility,

and started to find a better profession of work.  Alma describes prostitution as a rape against the human body and soul, and should be a crime.  Within the article, Lee’s point of view on this subject is very much in favor of women's rights and equality.  Lee also seems to be very concerned and interested in Alma’s fight to be who she is today, a recovering drug addict and prostitute.  Lee learned of the story of Alma from the London-based organization Equality Now, which is intended to raise awareness globally about sexual abuse and to stop the trafficking of women.  Lee wants to see an improvement in women’s rights due to the story presented by Alma, and hopes to see an end to prostitution.

The last source was a chapter within the book, “The Israelis”, by Donna Rosenthal.  The chapter, “Hookers and hash in the holy land” gives a great perspective on the sex profession of prostitution and on the individuals who are apart of it and society's views as well.  Rosenthal describes how prostitution in Tel Aviv is run under and fronted as massage parlors

and escort services that work in hotels and around popular tourist destinations.  What is shocking is when Rosenthal mentions that the advertisement for prostitution is very straight forwardly publicized next to tourist attraction ads, and as stated, “one-of-a-kind offer! Beautiful girls age 19 and up! $20 up to half an hour, taxis included - Visa and MasterCard are accepted.” (Rosenthal)  There is so much advertisement for sex, Rosenthal even mentions that one could see sex selling billboards from cemeteries and even synagogues.  Rosenthal also notes how prostitution is “modern day slavery”

as many women are tricked or forced into the profession under pimps.  The women that are unfortunate enough to be haggled into this trade is mournful, many are drug addicts, single mothers, and have no other means to make money to support themselves are tied to this profession.  On the other hand, the pimps are the profit makers in this business, and according to Rosenthal, “Some bosses earn up to $4,000 a day.  A women “purchased” for between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on her looks...can earn $50,000 to $100,000 a year tax-free for her pimp.” (Rosenthal)  Prostitutes make such a small percent of what they put out, a prostitute for example will charge $50 for her service, but only get around $7 as her cut from the pimp.  Rosenthal is in definite favor of women’s rights and is a defendant for the women having to and forced to work under pimps.  Rosenthal had numerous examples from different women’s situations on their prostitution life.

Even though prostitution, while legal in Israel, and there are several examples that it is tolerated.  Certainly it is not deemed as a safe or reasonable career choice.  All of the women mentioned from these three sources have been lied to, taken advantage of, hurt and abused on many levels.  None of the women can say anything positive about the line of work that over ranks the negative sides.  It would be hopeful to see that women are not to be exploited anymore, and hopefully in the near future prostitution will see its end for the sake of women’s rights.

LGBT in Israel

For a country that has been known to have such influential and powerful religious background, LGBT is something that may not seem as acceptable as it is today in the country of Israel.  The country, more specifically Tel Aviv, has been known to be the most gay-friendly city in the entire world.  What is aimed to be discussed here is the diversity of different attitudes towards the LGBT community in Israel.  From three different sources, I will be discussing what the outlook is for the LGBT community in Israel from each of the different points of views by each author.  

The first Source that was used to explain the diversity of LGBT culture in Israel was the book “The Israelis” by Donna Rosenthal.  More specifically chapter 17, “Oy! Gay?”  Within the first few paragraphs, homosexuality is said to be a very open and accepted part for most of the country.  A perfect example of showing acceptance of homosexuality by a country is by receiving recognition from a country's leader.  This is exactly what happened in 1998 when a transsexual, Dana International,

Dana International

was congratulated by the Prime minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, and president Moshe Katsav, for an award she had received.  It was because of this, homosexuality was becoming a very accepted part of the Israeli society, and as stated by Rosenthal, “Fifteen thousand Israelis turned out for the country's first gay pride parade...gay couples walked hand in hand...heterosexual couples brought their children to show support...no one dreamed so many Israelis would feel safe to ‘come out’ ” (Rosenthal 357-358). Throughout the chapter, Rosenthal shows positivity towards the openness and acceptance of homosexuals in Israel by giving examples from people that have come out as homosexual and have proven to live a happier life because of it. She even describes the positivity of homosexuality and religion intertwined by stating, “Although religious Jews are considered an abomination, there are few protests” (Rosenthal 358).  This source gave more of an open idea to LGBT people and showed that Israel is a very accepting country for this group of people.  

The second source that was used to help define homosexuality views in Israel was “Conceiving Judaism The Challenges of Same-Sex Parenthood”, by Sibylle Lustenberger.  In this article, Lustenberger aims to help show that same-sex parents are just as qualified as heterosexual parents when raising a child. Lustenberger puts much emphasis on the religious aspect as well as the traditions in Judaism.  Lustenberger primary focus was on the child’s brit milah and simchat bat, saying that, “same-sex couples do not tear apart the conflation between Israeliness and Jewishness when they mark their children’s birth through brit milah and simchat bat. They do not diminish the significance of Judaism in Israel” (Lustenberger 153)  Her thoughts are that even though a

Same-sex couples with their children

homosexual couple does not seem right in a Rabbis eye, the child is still being performed the ritual that keeps the tradition of Judaism flourishing. When reading Lustenberger’s article, her viewpoint on homosexuality is definitely positive, seeing that she believes same-sex couples deserve to be together, and more importantly have the right to bear a child together to be brought up through Judaism.  Lustenberger is a very reliable source when it comes to her points of views and information provided for these reasons.  She is a PhD student at the Institute of Social Anthropology of the University of Bern, Switzerland, in addition she had lived in Israel where she had first hand experience learning about the same-sex couples and the process of having a child together.  This article helped prove that same-sex couples are able to raise a child regardless of religion, and showed that the LGBT community is becoming a more welcomed group in today’s Israel.

The last article that was used to explain what homosexuality is defined as in Israel was from the Haaretz website.  The name of the article was “Pioneering Pride: The Unsung Heroes of Israel's LGBT Community”, by Avner Shapira, talked about two important individuals who had to experience the difficulties of being a homosexual in Israel many years ago when homosexuality was deemed as purely bad.  The first individual was Rina Natan, a transsexual (male to female) who had the struggle of facing her true biological gender while living in Israel during the 1950’s.  Her main struggle was the fact that having a sex change was both illegal and medically wrong, yet she still managed to undergo the surgery after cutting off her own penis, thus forcing doctors to cut off and clean up the rest in order to save her life.  As Shapira mentions a quote from Dr. Iris Rachamimov, “It was the first surgery in Israel of a transgender woman that was the result of choice − unlike previous operations on inter-sex patients.” (Shapira)  Rina was given a new passport and ID that showed her new gender, a remarkable first step into acceptance of homosexuals in Israel.  

The second individual was a poet, Mordechai Georgo Langer,

Mordechai Georgo Langer

who was born in 1894 in Prague to an assimilated, liberal Jewish family.  Langer tried to use poetry and writing in order to coincide Judaism and homosexuality.  Langer even had a theory that he wrote in his book “The Eroticism of Kabbalah,” that sex and love is at the basis of the Torah.  Shapira states that, “Langer not only insisted that Judaism had an erotic strain; he also tried to prove that it contained deep homoerotic underpinnings, contrary, of course, to the accepted notion that the religion completely rejects homosexuality” (Shapira)  While reading Shapira’s article, trying to find her point of view on the subject was quite easy.  She is very open to the idea of homosexuality and believes the rest of Israel should feel the same way.  Shapira seems to be a very feminist women and is pro same-sax relationships and LGBT people.  Shapira used a couple of reputable sources for her article, including a professor and a journalist, giving extra credibility and resource to her main points in her article.  This article helped show that even in the past where homosexuality was strongly looked down upon, the LGBT community was starting to make a breakthrough in Israel, and helped build the roadway for an even more accepting society in Israel today.  

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Let them work!

Outside industrial parks in the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians work for Israeli-owned farms.

In the news article,” Israel detains hundreds amid fierce crackdown on illegal Palestinian workers” by Killian Redden, there has been a recent outbreak with illegal Palestinian workers in Israel.  Just recently, there was over 1,200 illegal Palestinian workers caught by the Israeli police in just two weeks.  However though, the recent uproar of these illegal workers are thought to be part of a political game, and as stated in Redden’s article, “ few Palestinians attackers were in fact workers in Israel, and the recent crackdown has been condemned by rights groups as a political game, unlikely to affect the violence, yet economically harmful to both Palestinians and Israelis.” (Redden)  Many believe that the Israeli government is taking advantage of the illegal workers issue to scare and frighten the Israeli people, telling them there is some sort of security threat.  This uproar came into full throttle once a Palestinian who illegally crossed the border of the West Bank, resulting in his death.

The reason why Israel is having such a problem in regards to the illegal Palestinians working there is due to many factors.  One is the amount of allowable work permits to be issued in Israel.  The issue is  that there is tight limit on how many work permits, yet with higher amounts of workers entering the nation and looking for work, it is getting harder to compensate for this.  According to Redden’s article, “Last year, there were as many as 112,300 Palestinians employed in Israel and Israel’s illegal settlements -- about 12 percent of the Palestinian workforce -- according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics” (Redden).   Because of the huge amount of workers trying to get employed, while not having enough work available for them, many have become forced to enter the country illegally in order to start working.  It was estimated that there were over 36,000 illegal workers in 2015.  A very small amount of illegal workers live inside Israel,  however most of these illegal workers have to commute to and from work.

Checkpoint for Palestinians entering/exiting Israel

 As stated from Redden’s article, ““For Palestinian workers who regularly enter Israel illegally to earn a living, life is a constant struggle for survival and returning home safe and sound from work cannot be taken for granted...they live in constant anxiety, fearing arrest or injury. In such a reality, labor rights such as a minimum wage, reasonable work hours, and a pension scheme seem like a distant dream.” (Redden)

The article presented by Redden are very concurrent with the reality of the living conditions faced by many Palestinians.  Having these work permit laws set in place makes it harder for both Palestine and Israel.  This is because for the Palestinians, work is provided for them but at the same time, there is risk if one does not have a work permit, where they end up risking their lives to get to and from work.  On the Israeli side, having the Palestinians do the work that they would not want to do seems to be in favor to them, and as stated by Redden, “the crackdown on illegal workers is ultimately harmful to Israel. “It’s in Israel’s interests to have these cheap workers,” he said. “We are talking about the kind of jobs most Israeli Jews would not do.” (Redden)  

The author of the article, Killian Redden, is a definite believer in promoting economic wellness to the Palestinian people.  Many of her statements focus on showing the struggles and hardships every Palestinian who does not have a work permit must go through in order to make a decent living.  Redden uses facts and interview quotes from B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories), and uses these resources to provide facts about the Palestinian workers.  

The Palestinians have a bit of hardship when it comes to making ends meet.  Many have resorted to going to Israel to find work.  Many do not have legal status to work there, but decide to regardless due to survival needs.  

Gun laws of Israel

The news article, “'A reservist gets a gun to defendthe state - but not himself?', by Ari Soffer gives focus to the issue of gun licensing laws in Israel.  The recent uproar of why gun control has been a debating topic in Israel is because of the constant and violent attacks by terrorists on the citizens of Israel; alongside the murder of IDF Sergeant Yanai Weissman.  In addition, the larger debate is on how a reservist is allowed to carry an automatic weapon during a certain time of the year, and the rest of the year, one cannot carry a simple handgun. 

If one was to walk around Israel, the first thought that would come to mind regarding defensiveness would be confidently high because of the large amount of guns being carried throughout the streets.  However though, the majority of people who are permitted to carry a weapon openly are soldiers, police, and security guards, and this has been more prominent because of the recent murder of IDF Sergeant Yanai Weissman.  Resulting from his murder, military members are required to have their military issued weapon on them, even while off duty.  Citizens can carry open weapons too, but there are only a select few, and it equals to only 2-4% of the entire population.  Currently in Israel, the gun laws are only applicable to the citizens who live in designated dangerous zones within Israel, like Judea and Samaria, and some areas of Jerusalem. 

According to the news article, that in order to keep the entire country safe from terrorist attacks on its defenseless people, gun ownership needs to be less restrictive towards its citizens.  The man behind this movement is Amir Ohana.  Amir Ohana, is a politician that serves on the Knesset for Likud, and he is also the first openly gay person to serve on the Knesset.  Amir Ohana’s is arguing that the current laws regarding gun

Amir Ohana at a pride event

proprietorship is unfair towards its citizens and needs to be modified in order to keep everyone safe.  Ohana points out that in comparison to the United States, Israel has hardly anything in terms of gun ownership.  As stated from an interview with Ohana, “Gun ownership in the United States stands at 112%, when taking into account the fact that many people own more than one gun (in Israel, licensed gun owners can only own a single handgun).  (Soffer) Ohana compares Israel to the United States because he thinks that we are almost spoiled in the fact that we have so much lenience with our gun laws when there is no threat to actually qualify the need to guns.  In Israel, there are terrorists constantly attacking defenseless citizens, and as Ohana stated, "We cannot expect our citizens to defend themselves with umbrellas and shopping carts.” (Soffer) 

When reading this article, the points being made about how guns can be a benefit to the country of Israel seem to be very logical and practical.  Without a doubt the country is under random acts of terrorism, and civilians are many times subjected to this without any forms of defense.  The author of the article, Ari Soffer used Ohana as the main protagonist for the fight for gun rights in Israel.  Within the article, Soffer takes interviews from Ohana describing his thoughts on the gun control issue.  The accuracy of this article is solely based on an interview with a Ohana, leaving Soffer as just an informant as to what Ohana’s opinions are about the concern.  Soffer is very against having gun control within Israel and is a supporter of Ohana’s beliefs on the matter. 

Gun control in Israel is currently very restrictive, and only allows a select few carry them under specific conditions.  In Soffer’s article he explains a great deal about politician Amir Ohana and his recent uproar on the current gun control policy in Israel.  The article goes into Ohana’s thoughts and what should be done in order to make Israel a safer place for its citizens.    

Tunnel collapses are killing off the Hamas

       

Recently deceased Hamas members

         According to the news article, “Hamas operative said Killed in fresh Gaza tunnel collapse” by Raoul Wootliff., there was another man killed in a tunnel collapse under the Egypt-Gaza border. The man that was killed was a part of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and is now the 11th person to be killed from a tunnel collapse. These tunnels are said to be used for Palestinian military members to smuggle weapons to and from the Gaza border in preparation for future war conflicts against Israel. From the article, there had been many tunnel collapses recently and the deaths have been reported to be members of the Islamic terror group known as Hamas. The tunnels pose a threat and have been starting to be handled effectively by the Israel Defense Force led by Chief of staff Gadi Eisenko. The main objective for the Israeli government is to halt the Hamas terror group from further smuggling. This has been done by implementing a higher security on the borders to seek and destroy the Hamas terrorist group. One of the ways that is proving to be most effective is flooding the tunnels, which is weakening them causing them to collapse. The Egyptian government has been on high watch with the secret tunneling activities and have called for immediate action to stop further use of these tunnels for smuggling.

         The article is stating that the people who have been killed in these tunnel collapses are merely just working in the tunnels doing repairs. Wootliff describes that all of these members are a part of the Hamas terror group. The Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic organization that also has a military wing attached called the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. These tunnels are in need of repair because of the Egyptian government’s recent and constant flooding of the tunnels to prevent the Hamas from continuing to import weapons. Contradictory though, from further research, the terror group Hamas seems to be in good relation with the Egyptian government, which is not how Wootliff described them at all. A news post by the Hareetz website gives some evidence that supports the relationship between the two, “According to Egyptian officials, Hamas plays an essential role in the north Sinai insurgency. It has allegedly provided training, weapons and a safe haven to the Egyptian jihadi group” (Gold) When reading the news article from timesofisrael, Wootliff mentions many times that all of the recent tunnel flooding’s were “requested” by Jerusalem or Israel.  As stated from Wootliff’s article, “Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz confirmed Saturday that the Egyptian military had flooded several smuggling tunnels beneath the Strip’s southern border at

Jerusalem’s request. Speaking at an event in Beersheba, Steinitz said that Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi had destroyed numerous tunnels built by Hamas, including last October, on Israel’s behalf.” (Wootliff) When reading Wootliff’s article, it is hard to see accuracy in the Wootliff’s writing that Egypt and Hamas are on good terms, considering that they are flooding the tunnels with the purpose of stopping the Hamas’ stealthy activities.

         From reading this article, many of the facts and statements provided by Wootliff are not entirely in favor of the Hamas group, in addition to not stating the full story from the Egyptian government’s point of view.  Wootliff contradicts many other news articles, that the Egyptian government does not see the Hamas as a terrorist organization at all and has different opinions about how to handle the terrorist group as compared to Israel's. Wootliff is on the side of the Israeli government without giving full attention to what the Egyptian government has to say about the tunnel situation. From Wootliff’s article, the tunnel flooding were executed by the Egyptian government at the commands from Israel and Jerusalem while leaving out the true relations between the Hamas and Egypt.