Opinion  Guy Bechor
Could the world be jealous of Israel's growth?
Guy Bechor
Published: 14.02.15, 14:33
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31 Talkbacks for this article
1. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you
Alan ,   SA   (02.14.15)
I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
2. Bechor is being silly, as usual
Michael ,   Haifa   (02.14.15)
The impression gained is that the average European antisemite is walking around with a set of comparative quantitative tables on the GDP of Israel measured against other countries' GDP. For Mr Bechor's information, there happen to be other reasons for antisemitism, which may even include Mr Bechor's support for Israel's right wing nationalism.
3. So ,...
split   (02.14.15)
If you're such an economic success why do you need all those handouts from Germany and US ? ,.... Have you ever check the artificial enhancement of your export products arranged by Israel firsters on Capitol Hill ? - Its a one way street at US expense ,...
4. Israel's natural ressources
Raphael ,   Netanya   (02.14.15)
The main asset of the country is the world record of 140 engineers per 10,000 inhabitants. However, I am afraid this advance could be eroded by the grip of the religious power upon the educational system, which pulls us down towards equality with our arab neighbours's level.
5.  What Israel needs are more Blue collar
Rod ,   Fargo N.Dakota   (02.14.15)
workers.In Industry ,Construction and Mechanics just to name a few.Unless Israel has under3%unemployment .
6. #3
A ,   Netanya   (02.14.15)
Israel doesn't get money from germany. US insists on giving the IDF money as a gift to it's own defense industry. (only 1% of our national GDP, btw)
7. who at all will envy Israel?
(02.14.15)
With 16% drop in tourism because European economy deflating and they may prefer cheaper European holidays so who at all will envy Israel?
8. Bizarre news
Peter ,   Jerusalem   (02.14.15)
Israel is a middle income country with large social inequality. Europe is jealous? Lol.
9. All resources robbed from the Palestinians.
Shylock   (02.14.15)
10. Got It Right In One
emanon ,   USA   (02.14.15)
In modern historical times, 19th century or so, Israel was considered a worthless desert. No one wanted to live there. When the early Zionists began reclaiming their heritage by buying land, that should have been rightfully theirs to begin with, from absentee landholders in Iran, Syria and other arab countries, people thought these people were crazy. Once they tamed the land, made it fertile and built great cities, all of a sudden the arabs want it back. That's the story in a nutshell.
11. #2, your Post-Zionism doesn't end Antisemitism
Steve Benassi ,   Silver Bay, MN USA   (02.15.15)
This is the silliest.
12. What does it matter:these degenerates always have good cause
(02.14.15)
to hate Jews. Successful or down on our luck: we either steal money from the poor or cause communism....
13. #4
i ,   jerusalem   (02.14.15)
Too many engineers is a mixed blessing. I have found many EU products, specifically German, that are over engineered to the point of stupidity.
14. the green eyed monster is hard to beat.
tiki ,   belgium   (02.14.15)
Successful Jews in a successful country is hard to swallow for many!
15. it's who profits from growth
Mark B. ,   Amsterdam / Holland   (02.14.15)
If one remembers the poverty reports here on Ynet (1 in 3 children living in poverty in Israel with regularly skipping meals), one wonders how to rhyme that with this economic news. Propably GDP per capita is total GDP of the country devided amongst all the people. Like a few billionaires make everybody prosper in theory. Reality is different.
16. So what?
Falcon ,   LA   (02.15.15)
envy Israel? just for the record anyone who land us money received hand full of return !
17. THEY ALL ENVY US...
Avi ,   NYC, USA   (02.15.15)
Especially they envy smart guys like Guy Bechor and beauties like Golda Meir...
18. To: No. 15
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (02.15.15)
Yeah, you're right. How about we cut off the Arabs and the Africans and the Gazans and West Bank Arabs who are such a drain on Israel's economy and Israel's social services network? Will that make you feel better? Of course, we can ship them all to the Netherlands. It's not exactly as if we have forgotten the huge debt owed by the Netherlands to the Jews. We haven't forgotten how eager Nazi collaborators all of you were. The best way you can pay up is to take our lazy welfare recipients, criminals and terrorists off our hands. Schiphol by air, or Rotterdam by sea? What's your preference?
19. Better envied than pitied.
ORA ,   JERUSALEM   (02.15.15)
20. To: No. 9
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (02.15.15)
Really? How do you steal someone's brain power? Moreover, everyone who occupied our country from 72 C.E. on let it lie fallow and unproductive and fall back into the desert. It wasn't until the Jews returned to OUR ancient homeland and coaxed life back into unforgiving soil; it wasn't until the Jews returned to OUR ancient homeland and drained the malarial swamps and actually managed to build something out of nothing that the land turned into anything. Did the Jews "rob" that love from the invading interlopers, too? Don't forget who the real occupiers are. Certainly not the Jews. Israel is our home. No one else will ever love it and care for it and turn it into a powerful country -- albeit its tiny size -- except the Jewish people. It's our land. Deal with it. Try and put your extraordinary jealousy to the side for once, and appreciate the fact that the Jewish people are smarter than everyone else. The numbers certainly prove it. The financial wherewithal certainly proves it. So eat sh*t and die. Until you grow your IQ, you're destined to remain jealous of the Jewish people for the balance of your days. We are, after all, the Chosen People. I guess it most gall you that we have survived and thrived millennia of hatred and persecution that you cannot even begin to imagine. You threw your "best" at us, and we continue to succeed and thrive. Eat your heart out.
21. To those discussing IQ
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (02.15.15)
A few years ago, there was a book published called "The Bell Curve." It basically examined IQ levels by race, religion and ethnicity. At the time, it raised a great deal of denunciation, because the Western world was at its height of political correctness and no one wanted to suggest that IQ lines can actually be drawn according to race, religion or ethnicity. But -- it can. People might find it unpleasant to learn that Asians, as a rule, have higher IQs that much of the world -- certainly WASPs. But what probably bothered them the most was that the author said that it was not possible to arrive at general statistical accuracies while including Jews in the surveys. The Jews, he concluded, are simply off the charts. You can arrive at results which are not skewed if including Asians. But including Jews in all statistical samples simply skewed the numbers in such a way as to render the results useless. The conclusion was that Jews are so much higher than everyone else as to render themselves a category of their own, which cannot be contrasted or compared, because it is so wildly higher than everyone else. It's important to understand what IQ measures. Oh, intellect to be sure. It is, for example, how we measure mental retardation, genius status and even autism (a specific form, called Asperger's Syndrome). Even that class of humans called idiot savants. But mostly, it measures the ability of people to extrapolate, to think beyond the box -- well beyond the box -- and to ask the "what if" rather than simply the "what" or the "if." That's where Jews excel. It's been part and parcel of Jewish values from day one. We are taught to question; we are taught to look beyond; we are taught to challenge the commonplace and the accepted. And we've been doing it so long, it is embedded in our DNA. That's what makes us different from the rest of the world. In most societies and cultures and religions, people are taught to simply obey. There is no room for questions -- you just have to rely on faith, and make your faith strong enough to bridge all gaps. Even the unbridgeable ones. Even when you KNOW that the planets and sun do not revolve around the earth, you must make yourself believe (or at least to acknowledge) otherwise. Unless, that is, you want to be burned at the stake for heresy. Galileo capitulated. Others did not -- but not in great numbers. But those that continued to protest left large stains in the town squares. See, Jews are taught to think. Not to simply obey. It has made all the difference and, I freely admit, Jews are different. Different in a good way. Those who do not accept that difference in a good way is possible are fated to bask in their incredible mediocrity. Jews will continue to do what we do. We don't follow orders blindly. In fact, we are taught to do the exact opposite. The same cannot be said for other cultures, where independent thought is not encouraged. That's why we'll always be smarter than everyone else. We encourage independent reasoning; we encourage looking -- well -- beyond the box. That's our success. We may have been treated like cattle physically, but we have always preferred death over being anything but Jews. That's why our brains fly, while nearly everyone else's is buried in mud. Sorry if I've offended anyone, but there you have it. Put simply -- if you believe that you have to believe that every word from the pope's mouth is a precious pearl and must be believed and adhered to -- well, face it -- you'll never be a Jew. Good for you, I suppose. Even better for us.
22. Ps to #3 ,...
split   (02.15.15)
Like I have said it's a one way street -Here how is done: US companies that expect government contract, R@D grants, subsidies, tax deals, etc. are forced by congressional appropriation commitee goons to outsource a part of their know how and jobs to Israel. Most of them are giving up after a year of loses due to your lousy work ethics and unreliability ,...
23. So, whom to contact in Isrel...
Beary White ,   Norway   (02.15.15)
.. if someone want to realize a new idea, which will make benefits for Israel?
24. Everything is about perception...
Adler J   (02.15.15)
Reply to the third post with the nickname Split: "A teacher asks his student: What is the half of 8? A Student said: horizontally or vertically? The teacher: What do you mean? Student: well, in perspective horizontally it is 0 and vertically it is 3" ;-) shavua tov javerim!
25. #3 Spoken like a true, patriotic American
A ,   Belgium   (02.15.15)
which you of course aren't, polakniak.
26. To #21 dear Sarah B
Adler J   (02.15.15)
excellent! you should go to the US Congress too! Love it! Cheers honey
27. As embarassing as always
Daniel   (02.16.15)
Most Ynet writers are great, but Bechor is a major embarrassment. His own single theme is heat pathological hatred of Europe, which returns in every column. If economically successful countries really are hated, as Bechor desperately tries to claim, then surely Switzerland, Norway and Luxembourg should be the most hated countries in the West.
28. Eu interested in trade Domested Terror and US nuclear
Zechariah   (02.17.15)
The EU has contradictory Interests which she must juggle After Folding ingloriously under the Nazi Blitzreig it needs the USA nuclear shield trade with Islamic land and the less Terror as possible from Islamic Fanatics who have no compunction re Murder .Look at Iraq Pakistan Syria Yemen and Afghanistan .Search and Destroy Men Women and Children .And the others are waiting to get their Blows in with a Few Exceptions.But Europewas like that worse. Even for Centuries .
29. Israel's economy
Julia ,   Frort Worth U.S.A.   (02.16.15)
Praise God for His blessing upon Israel. He has blessed you. It is him and not man who has poured out His mercy upon you. May He continue to bless Israel and the U.S. too. I pray for us and for the Lord's protection too. He is our creator and protector. Amen.
30. To: No. 27
Sarah B ,   U.S.A. / Israel   (02.16.15)
Oh, dear, you're a bit behind the times. Norway ---------- 1. North Sea oil is going to run out within the decade. Besides, natural gas is the wave of the future. Norway doesn't have any, and neither does the North Sea. 2. The shipping industry tanked in 2008, and has yet to rebound -- and when it does, it won't be including Norway. Cruise ships can make you some money, but Norway's shipping income came from its reefer fleets (refrigerated and freezer vessels). That's all gone containerized, and no one uses refrigerated and freezer vessels. Something on order of seventeen Norwegian commercial cargo shipping companies have tanked since 2008. 3. Population demographics are working against Norway. As with the rest of western Europe, they made the mistake of allowing in too many Moslems, who now wish to impose their will over the Norwegians. They produce far more babies than do the Norwegians. Norway, in twenty years, will cease to exist. Until that happens, they will go back to being the second poorest country in Europe. Switzerland ---------------- 1. The United States Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury are tearing the ass of Swiss banks. That industry is ceasing to exist. 2. How many people buy cuckoo clocks and Swiss watches anymore? 3. Great skiing, to be sure, but outpricing themselves from the market. The most popular ski resorts in recent years? All in the United States. Luxembourg ----------------- 1. Offshore banking is no longer what it used to be, especially for United States citizens. 2. Do you spend much time buying lace? No? Neither does anyone else.
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