Living and working in the ‘real’ Israel

I DO not know which Middle East and which Israel Michael A Moriarty (March 14) spent his 32 years in.

However, the Israel he describes is not the Israel which exists as I look out of my window here at the Mediterranean Sea and can see and hear Arab and Jewish builders working together on an adjoining site.

There is a building boom here and in all areas of “Israel/Palestine” everyone is allowed to build except for Jewish residents of the disputed territories — because of the USA-imposed building ban on Jewish homes. Is this the 20% deprived citizens he is writing about?

Meanwhile, the number of brand-new cars being bought and homes being built in the West Bank and in Arab areas of Israel is akin to what went on when we had the Celtic Tiger economy.

Here, however, the Bank of Israel chairman Stanley Fischer keeps a tight control on the free market economy and the currency is stable in Israel itself. But because of market conditions, there is a large gap between the wealthy and those deprived socio-economically.

Regarding democracy — which country has 14 out of 120 members of parliament that gives them a platform to preach the demise of the very state which nurtures and feeds them as Israel does?

FR Baigel

Netanya

Israel