I kept trying to get help in a drapery store. Finally I nabbed one of the younger female clerks, who was a bit exasperated. She explained clerks in Israel are reluctant to offer help to Israelis because they are so hostile they never know if they'll be told off for "trying to make a sale" or questioned about "what she thought she was up to...". We compared notes on customer service differences and it turned ot she had gone to college in another country where customer service demands courtesy and mutual regard. I had heard other Israelis speak about how they distrust and dislike the American model of a smile for every interaction. This young woman had been home in Israel for a year and declared to me she was planning on leaving because she was just tired of how people treat each other. I have to say some of my experiences in stores amazed me--more than once I had expensive items in my hands waiting for a clerk to grant me their attention at the cash register and more than once I stood there as they carried on with conversations ignoring me. I finally started leaving the items there and walking out. I also found another interesting practice--the room charge changes at B and Bs advertised on the web. They wait for you to arrive or at least to book and declare the website "needed updating" in spte of me pointing out that the website price needed updating. This became very typical and I was always dinged for more money--and always refused to pay it. In the US, the law says that the lowest posted price IS the price. In Israel, it appalled me to have people constant;y pander for a few shekels more. Even at a bookstore off Dizengoof the seller tried to up the price of a paperback --and I said, what's the extra cost for, being a foreigner who doesn't know better, keep your damned book, I hope your store burns down. Everybody says look out for taxi drivers, I say beware of Israeli innkeepers and merchants.

1) Lebanon is a great country with lovely people. You should try it !!! 2) my partner is my husband not my lover 3) he's Jewish not Arab 4) Beirut has a very nice openly gay community that can actually equal tel aviv 5) I'm Italian not from Argentina 6) living in a host country doesn't mean I can't criticize it 7) back to France and Italy where I lived I had a lot of criticism and was politically active 8) and yes, I maintain the fact that Israelis are primitives and rude

Their ought be psychological techniques eg mirrowing screaming give me a tip schnorer for handling these issues mostly based on the stress in Israel with war the heat the day to day survival .

OK then my mistake, Italy and not Argentina. So then, you must be as clueless as that Italian knucklehead, the 2011 Darwin Award Winner, who was murdered by Hamas, despite being totally in love with the Palestinian cause, and totally hateful of Israel. As for your posts being "critical" - being critical is one thing, and being totally one-sided against is quite another. Israel and the Israelis may have many drawbacks, which even I would agree with. But we also have very many good things. For example, you as a gay person should be the first to acknowledge that we are the most liberal and accepting society in the Middle East (Beirut as liberal as Tel Aviv? what a joke). Or your total freedom of speech here, which in a "lovely" country like Lebanon people can only dream about. And yet, you never give Israel the credit for this, or for anything, for that matter. You never balance the bad with anything good. The fact that your posts have nothing but trashings about Israel while completely ignoring all the positive things here, and the fact that you seem to sympathize with Arabs while completely ignoring the many monstrosities in the Arab culture - betray your blind hatred to Israel, your total lack of impartiality, and your great hypocrisy. And your attempt to cover your hate with the mask of legitimate criticism fools no one. By the way, unfortunately I must pass on your offer of trying out Lebanon... You know, this tiny matter of this lovely, adorable Lebanese people killing or hijacking me the moment I'll get there. Not that the hypocrite that you are would criticize them for that.

I know Israelis Jews who go to Lebanon and they always come back

You have nothing but mean-spirited, surly vitriole regarding Israel and Israelis - and yet you claim Israelis are rude??? Glad to see you're going back to Italy. They can have you.

Mant friends id cards , many Israeli Jews who go to lebanon . What will be your next invention ? Regarding you "israel a third world country" , leave us , and we will be a FIRST class 21 st century one .

This is a funny piece of writing. The only one getting the tip in Israel is the mohl. (some people tip, I'm just being sarcastic) By the time you see the bigger issues in Israel, you will be packing to move back home to whatever country you came from and the tips will be the least of your western criticisms. If you think you are encouraging Israelis to be merciful to delivery guys, I fear you are truly deluded. It simply is not that easy to change behaviors when cutting in line, standing in traffic and entitlement thugs brow beat Israelis into submission or into thinking they need to get theirs with their own push back. Tips. You can barely guilt them to do it when everyone is looking, let alone when they are the only ones standing at the door with a pizza. I suggest you adjust your rosy glasses. Youre not in Kansas anymore.

Anybody who lived in a western counntry for a while know very well that is a custom to tip for a service. To the Israelis who want to immitate the weatern culture only when it suit them this article show that the Israeli society is selfish with no human touch and no basic manners at all. Um El Fahem standart is the national standrt of behaviour.