About that Israeli hash...

The first prime minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion stated that "When Israel has prostitutes and thieves, [Israel will] be a state just like any other" (Rosenthal, 383). He should have also mentioned drugs since every state seems to have its own drug culture. Israel has become a state like many others in that the youth are engaged in smoking hashish and popping ecstasy pills.

Just like most countries, Israel too holds a policy of drug prohibition. Possession of ecstasy for example can land you in jail for twenty years (Rosenthal, 394). There is however a sort of prioritization for law enforcement who generally target dealers over users and even then, only the larger ones. Still, this creates a black market effect allowing those involved in the drug trade to make huge profits in exchange for the increased risks. One group that is profiting heavily is Hezbollah.

Islam prohibits the use of drugs and considers wealth created through it's sale as "haram" or "forbidden." With that in mind, the Islamist group Hezbollah seems to be open to selling hashish in Israel in exchange for money, weapons and intelligence. I suppose anything goes when it comes to assisting their fight against what many Islamists consider the "Small Satan" (Rosenthal, 393).

In order to get what you want in an exchange--even in the black market--you always give something up. The Christian Science Monitor mentions a lieutenant colonel, who lost his eye in a Hezbollah bomb during the 1990's, was caught involved with selling intelligence for hash and heroin to them. In a way, some of the druggies who say that marijuana (which hashish is derived from) will solve all conflicts may have a point in that here we see enemies working together for drugs, though I would suggest otherwise.

I will say that it may be in Israel's best interests to relax their drug policy. The benefits of the drug trade in the existing environment to groups like Hezbollah is clear and very dangerous. Stop The Drug War, a website run by the strongly drug legalization think tank The Drug Reform Coordination Network, reported in 2006 of an attempt by some Israeli drug users to boycott hash because of this very problem. However, they cite The Jewish Daily Forward's interview with a Jerusalem drug dealer who, after admitting to the Hezbollah connection, suggests everyone to simply "Roll that shit, light that shit, smoke that shit."

We may scoff that the drug dealers approach to a serious problem, but the quote within itself does bring up a good point: people are going to use hashish and they will look for ways to obtain it. Do the benefits to the current drug policy outweigh the benefits of legalization? With legalization, Israelis can grow cannabis within the state and manufacture their own hash. The supply of hashish will increase dramatically and with it being sold in the regular market, the risk involved decrease as well, lowering prices and making its sale far less profitable.

Rosenthal mentions that police once found marijuana fields in Negev. (393) The details are scarce, but if these fields are not being run by a group that is actively trying to destroy Israel, is it not better to permit it? There are consequences of laissez-faire approach to the drug trade and perhaps groups like Hezbollah can yet find ways to remain entangled especially since they have a head start in the industry already. Ultimately though, it is a matter that should be seriously looked into.

Unfortunately, outside of Stop The Drug War, it is not. Nobody mentioned in Donna Rosenthal's chapter on the subject ever brings it up (minus the guy at the Green Leaf Party who seemed more interested in talking about drugs than actual policy) though she does not necessarily endorse the current drug policy either. The Christian Science Monitor almost justifies Hezbollah's connections with the Lebanese military.

Israel: Second only to Silicon Valley

Microsoft Israel R&D Center located in Haifa.

When the Silicon Valley is imagined by most people, images of a sunny upper-middle class corner of Northern California come to mind. Nice cars, casual attire, rolling green hills, fresh air and people working for companies that are changing the way the world operates. Mention Israel and all of a sudden these images are often replaced by middle eastern stereotypes. Truth be told though, while Israel does not top Silicon Valley, it does manage to at least reach second-best. Donna Rosenthal even points out that few Israelis "know that engineers at Motorola-Israel developed the first cell phone and that most of Windows NT was created at Microsoft-Israel" (Rosenthal, 93).

In 2011, Emma Barnett from UK-based Telegraph notes that Israel has the highest number of high-tech start ups, next to the United States. Even more impressive, it is only beat by the US and China when it comes to the number of companies listed on the NASDAQ. The Telegraph does note that unlike Silicon Valley, Israel doesn't focus on consumer products such as Apple's iPhone. Overall though, Barnett paints Israel as a major player in the tech industry. Barnett is reliable enough as she did some research and even learned something new:

"Additionally I was surprised to learn many technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Intel, choose to have their major research and development (R and D) centres inside this small state"

Barnett brings up a point that seems to be Rosenthal's overall thesis in the chapter Swords into Stock Shares from her book The Israelis. Essentially, what may have contributed to the growing tech industry is the mandatory military service. BRM Technologies co-founder Eli Barkat (Rosenthal, 79) is quoted in the book discussing how his experiences in the military more or less shaped his problem-solving skills. Equipment shortages in Lebanon were solved by Israeli soldiers taking apart broken abandoned Jeeps (Rosenthal, 81).

With that said, Israel still has a few things to learn from Silicon Valley. Amir Efrati from the Wall Street Journal covered the 100% private start-up accelerator UpWest Labs which helps Israeli tech companies learn from the likes of Facebook, Google and Zynga. UpWest's co-founder Gil Ben-Artzy was an Israeli who found success in Silicon Valley working for Yahoo. Impressed by Israeli technology he sought to give them the same opportunities he feels are available in Silicon Valley. One problem Israelis have that is noted is that they may come off as being negative in the way they handle business. Rosenthal relates in a way, quoting Eli as stating that with Israelis, "you close the door on them and they jump through the window" (Rosenthal, 81). Efrati undoubtedly has high hopes for this start-up accelerator, as the Wall Street Journal article is beaming with support for UpWest.

With Israelis being excellent at problem solving and Americans great at consumer-end products, it is no surprise that companies such as Microsoft do place their R&D centers within Israel. This sort of cooperation is a great example for free trade enthusiasts as the division of labor allows for Israelis to do what Israelis do best and Americans to do what Americans do best with little or no interference.

The Rabbinate Monopoly on Divorce

Speak to any lawyer or even a law student in the United States studying family law about divorce and you will learn that the process can get lengthy and messy. It can get much lengthier and messier in Israel though. This isn't because Israelis are unreasonable folk when compared to others, but rather that the state of Israel has granted a monopoly to religious communities for marriage and divorce. There are no civil marriages or divorces that are legally recognized within Israel. The religious laws that are thus enforced can make it very difficult for a woman to move on with her life.

NPR showcases Ramit Alon, a forty year-old woman who cannot move on and remarry despite leaving her troubled marriage four and a half years ago. The problem? Her husband does not want a divorce. While Alon did already physically leave the marriage, the legality of her situation gets further complicated. For example, if she chooses to move on without officially being divorced, her new children will be considered mamzerim and will be unable to be married in Israel.

Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Dahan told NPR that to label the system as being unfair to women is not true, citing that husbands who more or less actively avoid divorcing their wives can be jailed. NPR quickly states that this is the "exception not the rule." With Men Get the Final Word being part of their headline, it's clear that their point of view is against the religious monopoly. With that said, they did allow the opposing viewpoint a chance to defend itself.

Truth is though, had Alon been the husband, all she would need to do is write a bill of divorce and have it handed to the wife—faxing the bill is acceptable as well. This is based off of Deuteronomy 24:1, "He writes a bill of divorce and puts it in her hand" (Rosenthal, 353). It can get more complicated than that with the involvement of children and the terms of the ketubah (prenuptial agreement) which then involve a decision made by the Rabbinical Court, but what is important is that Jewish law makes divorce a choice made by the husband and not the wife.



This allows for hostage-like situations such as a case family court lawyer Yisraela Gratzyani discussed in Donna Rosenthal's The Israelis:

"Her husband is blackmailing her. He won't give her a divorce unless she gives him the house her parents bought them as well as all her claims to alimony. It's outrageous. He's trying to screw her. To win the judges' sympathy, he's pretending to be religious" (Rosenthal 353). 

Once again, this situation would be much different if the roles were reversed.

The situation can be worse for Muslim women though, who have to deal with Islamic courts. The husband only needs to repeat "I divorce you" thrice to his wife. The woman needs a compelling reason and often times has to return her dowry. Donna Rosenthal summarizes the life of many Muslim women who want a divorce by saying that they "tend to remain in bad marriages or let their husbands have another, unofficial wife than face life as a social pariah." (Rosenthal 366) Like NPR, Rosenthal does seem to sympathize with the red tape women have to deal with.

Ultimately, the difficulty of divorce for Israeli women is a symptom of the state-enforced monopoly on marriage given to religious organizations. American economist Murray Rothbard has noted that "a coercive monopolist will tend to perform his service badly and inefficiently." This has come true, as evident by Alon's lack of action to procreate not because of a physical impairment but because of a legal one that will make it even more difficult for their marriages.