"Fewer threats in 2014": I shall remember that!

we'll die a stronger & healthier nation than was the case 20 years ago! I am so relieved now.

A good article for once on Ynet

It's likely going to be a record year for aliyah, as more Jews come from France and Hungary and other areas of Europe, and aliyah will also grow from that year forward. Also, this site reported recently about a bill to break the big conglomerates, which if successful could lower the cost of living in Israel at least somewhat.

I enjoyed this artical, and mostly I though it very good. However I disagree about Lebanon and Hezbohalla. I feel the author is being too optormitist painting an unrealist picture of what will happen in the next war between Lebannon and Israel, he claims that the IDF will be able to stop them fireing missiles at the homeland in a few hours!?@ What like last time? At the end of the 2006 war, Hez fired just as many missiles on the last day as they did on the first, despite the IAF and the IDF and all it's special forces doing everything they could to stop the missiles fire. They couldn't stop it, because the missiles stites are too well hidden, only used once, too dispursed or launched form the cover of cities. They now have over 80,000 missiles, easily enough to over whelm the 3 Iron Dome batteries in the North (which can only fire one missile at a time, and need to be re-loaded after 24 shots anyway). No. when there is war, the missiles will rain down on both sides and there's not a thing you can do to stop it.

they were birds the father warned the son to fly away if he see a man kneeled to the earth as he want to pick a stone to hit the bird .. the son asked but if the stone is in his pocket .. the father said -- good boy you are my son .. it means your choice is more important than the enemy choice

No-one can predict large events, e.g. the Arab 'spring' backward, the fall of the Soviet Union, 9/11 the outcomes in Iraq or Afghanistan etc. In the M/E anything could happen but assessments have to be made on an 'all other things being equal' basis of course all these other things can change at any time. Still. Syria looks bogged down for the next year or two, Egypt faces threats from a still active Moslem Brotherhood, hamas are doing badly thanks to Egypt's self interest in weakening Islamic terror groups. Abbas can't decide on peace because he doesn't want to accept Israel's legitimacy nor do his people. We live surrounded by threats while making tremendous advances in science, medicine, hi-tech and business expansions of all kinds. A 'miracle country'.