Discovering Natural Israel


Book Description

An award-winning nature writer takes readers to the stunning places where human history and natural history intertwine in surprising ways. Along the way there are diverse flora, fauna, and people that make the land of the Bible such a wonderful tourist destination. Includes maps, photos, and resource lists.




Discovery of Israel's Gas Fields and their Geopolitical Implications


Book Description

Lying some 150 kilometers from Israel’s northern shoreline, these fields combined are believed to hold gas reserves of 25 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas. Together with smaller finds, it is estimated that Israel will have enough gas to meet total gas domestic needs for power generation over the next three decades and still accrue at least $140 billion in export earnings from the surplus produced. For a nation that for so long endured a total Arab oil embargo – as well as a secondary boycott from multi-national energy corporations unwilling to invest in exploration of Israel’s coastal waters, lest it damage investment and contracts in oil-producing states across the Middle East – these finds, according to the Financial Times mean that “Israel today stands on the cusp of an economic revolution, fuelled by the vast riches below its waters.” However, aside from this prospective boon to the Israeli economy, this gas bonanza would also appear to be timely. In the light of the Arab Spring and the emerging security vacuum in the Sinai, Egyptian gas sales to Israel – fixed at a subsidized rate by an agreement reached with the previous Mubarak regime in 2005 – have now been terminated following a dozen sabotage attacks on the pipeline in the northern Sinai over a period of 18 months. Such attacks are seen in Israel as a true measure of wider anti-Israel sentiment across Egyptian society, not least because the deal was negotiated by the Mubarak regime at a time when gas shortages continued to blight day-to-day life across Egypt. Until supplies from the recent gas fields can be realized in the Israeli market, the cost of energy for Israelis has continued to rise exponentially as power stations have been forced to revert to imported fuel oil, heavy oil and diesel to meet immediate shortfalls. Other distant problems – some geopolitical, others internal – threaten to cloud the otherwise bright energy horizon. Given the location of the Leviathan field in particular, Lebanon has raised objections, arguing its riches fall partially within its own declared Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the eastern Mediterranean.




Israel’s Mediterranean Gas


Book Description

This book examines the internal and external implications of Israel’s natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean. The nation’s changed status from being an importer of coal and oil to that of an exporter of natural gas has consequences not only for the energy sector but also for the fragile geopolitics of the region. The book: Explores the challenges and issues of energy economics and governance; Analyses Israel’s gas diplomacy with its neighbours in the Middle East and North Africa and its potential positive impact on the amelioration of the Arab-Israeli conflict; Studies how Israel can avoid the deleterious impact of the Dutch disease once the government’s share of the export revenues start flowing. The author traces a consummate picture of history, politics, and conflicts that shape the economics of energy in Israel and its future trajectories. A major intervention in Middle East studies, this volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of energy studies, development studies, strategic studies, politics, diplomacy, and international relations. It will also be of interest to government agencies, think-tanks, and risk management firms.




Routledge Handbook on Israel's Foreign Relations


Book Description

This Handbook provides a comprehensive account of contemporary Israeli diplomacy and analyses the changing dynamics of Israel’s bilateral relations with other states and the international community over the past seventy-five years. Research into Israeli foreign policy has been largely sidelined by debates over security, domestic politics and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. This Handbook addresses the gap in the literature. Comprising 31 essays written by leading scholars of Israel, the Handbook explicates how domestic, societal and economic interests, together with changing Israeli narratives of identity and location, shape and impact Israeli foreign policy. It illustrates how those factors have influenced foreign policy choices and the instruments – economic cooperation, arms sales, military training, and intelligence sharing – that Israel has utilized in order to promote its interests and build relationships with countries and actors throughout the world. Ultimately, the Handbook refutes Kissinger’s famous dictum that Israel has no foreign policy, and instead follows the whims of its domestic politics. By contrast, this Handbook highlights the rich, diverse and changing tapestry of Israel’s foreign relations. Written in an accessible style, the book is designed for students taking courses in Israel studies and Middle Eastern studies, as well as a general readership interested in Israeli affairs.







How to Survive Your Childhood Now That You’re an Adult


Book Description

As children, we learned to get approval by creating facades to help us get our emotional and psychological needs met, but we also rebelled against authority as a way of individuating. As adults, these conflicting desires leave many of us feeling anxious or depressed because our authentic selves are buried deep beneath glitzy or rebellious exteriors or some combination thereof. In this provocative book, eclectic teacher and therapist Ira Israel offers a powerful, comprehensive, step-by-step path to recognizing the ways of being that we created as children and transcending them with compassion and acceptance. By doing so, we discover our true callings and cultivate the authentic love we were born deserving.







The Tapestry of Israel


Book Description

Israel is not just another nation. The history of Israel is not merely a collection of coincidences. God is not finished with the Jews. This tiny nation that is perpetually ensnared in conflict and persecution still holds a key place in God's purpose for mankind and has not been replaced by the Christian Church. The Tapestry of Israel explores a number of trends or "threads" that make up the history of this ancient nation. These threads prove Israel's modern relevance and demand a response to the Jews' increasing need for support as the pressure mounts to exchange the Holy Land for the illusion of peace. Christians will learn that the Jews are still God's chosen people, even today, and that heavenly intervention and miracles are common occurrences in modern-day Israel. Corrupt theology and deceptive theories are exposed! Discover how Satan seeks to rob Israel of her covenant with God and bring the destruction of Israel through anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism. Learn what the Christian Church's responsibility is in its support of Israel and what the supportive Christian should pray on behalf of Israel.




Discover Israel - An Illustrated Guide


Book Description

Overview Discover Israel - An Illustrated Guide is a unique presentation of God's Land. It provides a foundational study for understanding the Jewish people, their culture, the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), the New Testament and Jesus' Jewish life and ministry. The text is carefully complimented with over 400 scenes of Israel, illustrations, charts and maps. Discover Israel will transform your understanding of The Land God chose for His People, 3,700 years ago. It is an incredible study companion for any tour of Israel - even from your desk or armchair. Warning: This book may change you life. The Land 90% of all Biblical events took place in Israel God's Fifth Gospel - 256 miles long, 68 miles wide, but 4,000 years deep Discover Israel seeks to clarify Israel's complex historical depth The birthplace of our spiritual ancestors - the Patriarchs, Israelites, Prophets, Jesus, His Apostles and the early church leaders The "homeland" of every Jew and Christian (Christians are "grafted in" to Israel) The Author -- Bob C. Ross Draws from his half century of study and experience in Israel Strengthens your love for God's Land through the faith-deepening narrative and 400 breath-taking photographs, maps and illustrations Presents Israel's natural boundaries, bringing life to each area in describing the Biblical, historical, geographical and archaeological context Provides an historical overview for the complicated conflicts of the Middle East The Book A spark to fire your imagination, transforming your black and white Bible into living color. An excellent pre-tour preparation guide prior to your visit of the Holy Land A complete tour guide manual for your visit to Israel A continuing study reference for travelers who have returned from His Land The perfect virtual tour of Israel from your armchair-great for group discussions and dialogue An Excellent traveling companion for any Israel tour and a favorite resource for ongoing study of God's Land The Endorsements "Captures the essence of the Holy Land - leaves no stone unturned" "If I were to recommend one study-travel guide for Israel, this is the one!" "A seminary and college course-a delightful study, beautifully illustrated" "An amazing personal 'guide book' of God's Land-without equal" "A brilliant historical, archaeological and Biblical narrative"




My Promised Land


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “A deeply reported, deeply personal history of Zionism and Israel that does something few books even attempt: It balances the strength and weakness, the idealism and the brutality, the hope and the horror, that has always been at Zionism’s heart.”—Ezra Klein, The New York Times Winner of the Natan Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Ari Shavit’s riveting work, now updated with new material, draws on historical documents, interviews, and private diaries and letters, as well as his own family’s story, to create a narrative larger than the sum of its parts: both personal and of profound historical dimension. As he examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, Shavit asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? Can it survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is facing, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. Shavit’s analysis of Israeli history provides a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today’s global political landscape.