Too many shades of Green?

July 30, 2008 - 4:37 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Politics 

The GreensThe smell of elections is certainly starting to penetrate the air we breathe with new political parties being formed as well as current member of the Knesset who are looking to bolt their party for other parties with better chances in the next election. Israel is known for it’s lesser known – and eclectic – parties that always come out of the woodwork. We’ve got the man’s rights party, cab drivers party and the pensioners party (who managed to get a substantial amount of seats in the last election). I’m sure a few more fun ones will come about.Green Leaf Party

The people are angry with the government. They are fed up with the same old politicians serving their self-interests and are sick and tired of the corruption. Many parties are poised to fill the void and speak for the people but they of course must garner enough support to break the threshold in order to get into the Knesset. There exists a substantial protest vote and that is how the pro-marijuana Green Leaf party almost made it in a few elections ago and it was that same protest vote that brought the pensioners party into the Knesset.

However this time there might be a bit more confusion. Currently there are three parties all with the word Green in their names. There is of course the Green Leaf party, the Greens and now a Green party spin off called (as of right now) the “Green Movement.” From Haaretz:

Over the past few weeks, the new party held a series of discussions that culminated in a foundational document entitled “Green Movement Vision.” The document says a “green movement” does more than preserve the landscape; it has a broader political and social agenda.

According to the document, the new party will focus on building an economy that takes into account environmental and ecological needs.

It will work for tougher legislation to deter polluters, expand local authorities’ power to intervene in environmental matters, and initiate a national project to make Israel energy-independent by 2050 by utilizing solar energy.

On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the party supports a resolution based on the two-state principle, with security guarantees for Israel.

The party advocates preserving Shabbat as a day of rest free of business or commercial activity, but allowing public transportation to operate and entertainment venues to be open .

As for the character of the State of Israel, the movement states that the Hebrew language and the Jewish identity are the country’s essence.

However, it adds that Israel’s Arab citizens suffer from discrimination, and that they must be allowed to fulfill their right to develop their cultural heritage.

“The Arab school system is entitled to teach and promote Palestinian and Arab culture and history,” according to the document, “alongside a shared core curriculum that reflects values common to every citizen in the country,” it states.

I fail to see the difference between this agenda and the agenda of the original Greens. Time will tell and I think success of either of these groups is contingent on what “name” they each get to top their list. With environmentalism all the rage (and the disappointing actions of the pensioner party) I can’t imagine those who voted for the pensioners as a protest vote not supporting a party who actually has an agenda that might be somewhat altruistic. Time will tell.

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Ban the plastic

July 9, 2008 - 4:19 PM by · 4 Comments
Filed under: A New Reality, Business, Environment, General 

It could actually happen…the Knesset may actually prohibit stores from offering plastic bags for free, if an amended bill becomes law. The original bill would have completely banned the distribution of the always-present plastic bag; the current bill would allow stores to offer non-disposable bags for sale with NIS 27,000 fines for businesses that ignore the ban.

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It’s difficult to imagine an Israel without the ubiquitous plastic bag; after all, they only just installed the automatic plastic bag dispensers in certain grocery stores within the last year. But despite the convenience of the plastic bag and its technologically savvy dispenser, I, for one, will cheer, as I’ve already mentioned in a previous entry about the not-so-environmental polyester green bags that are being sold at certain grocery stores.

So if you’re looking for a bag with a little more panache, or made of eco-cotton, try one of my favorite gift stores in Jerusalem, Nisha, at 31 Bethlehem Road or 4U Gifts, at 41 Hebron Road. They’re both selling a variety of laminated-lined cloth bags by Jerusalem designer Ruti Ribak, including smaller ones that can be folded into their own little zippered pocket and thrown into your bag. Best of all, they’ve go their own tagline: ‘Tikniyot,’ a Hebrish compound slang for shopping bag.

Ribak began making the bags about a year ago, when she saw that Israelis were starting to catch on to the idea of using cloth bags for their errands. Unfortunately, the ones that say Tikniyot are a little on the small side, just large enough for a carton of milk and a loaf of bread, but you’ll look hip and environmentally aware using it. As for Ribak, she isn’t planning on building an empire out of the line, just some ‘kesef kis,’ a.k.a., pocket money.

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