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Friday March 9, 2007

Shorts: Mideast

BBC poll: Israel is ‘least popular’ country

Israel is the world’s least popular country, according to a BBC poll. The survey published this week by the British broadcaster found that 56 percent of 28,000 respondents polled in 27 countries said they think Israel has a “mainly negative” influence on world events, while only 17 percent said “mainly positive.”

Second and third in the rankings were Iran and North Korea. The United States came in fifth. The BBC explained that Israel’s image, already hard hit by the conflict with the Palestinians, was further dented by last year’s Lebanon war. — jta

3 in 4 ‘displeased’ with their leaders

More than three in four Israelis are displeased with their leadership, a poll found.

According to the survey commissioned by the Israeli Center for Citizen Empowerment, 78 percent of the public voice “displeasure” or “extreme displeasure” with elected officials, with only 8 percent saying they are satisfied. The data mark a new low for Israeli confidence in the government, which had received a 17 percent approval rate in a similar poll last year.

The pollsters said that many of the 547 respondents cited the slew of corruption scandals. Another factor was last year’s Lebanon war, which many Israelis believe harmed national security. — jta

Olmert accused of patronage

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been accused of involvement in a political patronage campaign while he held a previous government post.

Israel’s Channel 10 television revealed last week that it had obtained a secret memorandum issued by Olmert’s office in 2005, when he was industry and trade minister, that appears to enumerate 115 favors requested by senior members of the Likud Party that were granted by Olmert’s staff.

Olmert, who at the time was a candidate for the Likud leadership but since has defected to the Kadima Party, denied wrongdoing. His aides said in response to the Channel 10 report that the prime minister has no recollection of the memorandum, and that he has always acted in accordance with Israeli laws. — jta

Women’s pay half of men’s, study says

Israeli women earn less than half what men earn. Ha’aretz reported that the Industry and Trade Ministry released a study Monday, March 5 to mark International Women’s Day.

Women work 35.4 hours per week, 23 percent less than the average 45.8-hour work week for men, but they earn 58 percent less. The study also found that 3.2 percent of Israeli women hold management positions, compared to 5.7 percent of their male counterparts. — jta

Baby boom follows Lebanon war

Israel’s war in Lebanon led to a baby boom. A report on Israel’s Channel 10 this week said the number of pregnant women who conceived during the 34-day war last summer increased by 35 percent over the same period in 2005. — jta

Israeli economy bouncing back

Israel’s economy has more than recovered from the setbacks of the Lebanon war, new data revealed.

The Central Bureau of Statistics announced that between November and January, Israeli exports increased by 22 percent, industrial output rose by 7.9 percent and consumer spending was up between 3.2 percent and 10.5 percent.

The indicators show a dramatic reversal of the decline registered in the third quarter of 2006 during the 34-day war against Hezbollah. Among the sectors hardest hit by that conflict was tourism, but the bureau reported a 26.8 percent rise in hotel occupancy by foreigners over the past two months. — jta

Olmert, Abbas may have meeting soon

Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas are expected to meet in the coming days. Israeli and Palestinian Authority officials said this week that the two leaders could meet as early as next week.

Olmert aides said the Israeli prime minister would press President Abbas, whose Fatah faction recently signed a power-sharing deal with Hamas, the terrorist group governing the Palestinian Authority, to bring the new Cabinet into line with international demands to recognize Israel and renounce violence. — jta

Druze beauty won’t compete due to death threats

A Druze woman withdrew from Israel’s beauty pageant after a dispute with her community. Angela Fares, 18, had hoped to become the first Miss Israel from the conservative Druze Arab minority, but pulled out this week after saying she had received death threats from Druze upset at what they considered her immodesty.

“I had a dream of being chosen the beauty queen and representing Israel and women with dignity,” Fares told Yediot Achronot. “I was shocked when I heard about the plans to kill me.”

Sheik Waled Tarif, a leader in Fares’ hometown of Sajur, said Fares had almost crossed a “red line,” but having quit the national beauty contest had “prevented the community’s honor from being desecrated.” — jta

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