Assignment: Influence of Surface Features in the Creation of Difference

Among Nations: ISRAEL: MIRACLE IN THE DESERT

The modern economic growth of Israel is not a mirage in the desert. It is

real and it is a product of the great determination and untold sacrifices of its
people in building their own nation. In the past, it was difficult to believe that a
land mostly desert and barren mountains, and whose nomadic people
depended on a primitive pastoral economy could become a great and
prosperous nation.
       Indeed, Israel has been the Promised Land of God to Abraham. He told
Abraham to go to Canaan. God spoke
      “If you do this, I will bless you. You will have many descendants and they
will become great nation.... I will not let you down. I will give you a son and the
whole of this land will belong to your descendants. They will be my people and
I will be their God. My promise is forever.”
The land of Canaan is now Israel, and the son which God had promised to
Abraham was Isaac. Isaac married beautiful girl called Rebecca. Their
marriage produced two sons, one of them was Jacob. He became rich and
God protected him. One night, a strange man met Jacob and started to fight
and wrestle with Jacob. After the whole night struggle, the man gave up. But
before he went away, he said to Jacob: "Your name should no longer be
Jacob, but Israel which means the "one who struggle with God."  Henceforth,
the twelve sons of Jacob and their descendants after hundreds of years came
to be known as "Children of Israel" or the "Israelites."
       Today, the country of Israel ---after 480 years since the arrival of
Abraham ---is now a modern, democratic, and industrial state. It is basically an
urban society. The phenomenal economic success of Israel has been
achieved despite thousands of years of persecutions and invasions by the
Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and Germans. As a result, the Israelites
were forced to escape from their homeland and settled in Europe and in the
United State. After 2,000 years of bitter exile in foreign lands, they returned to
Israel to build a great nation. In the long history of mankind, there is only one
nation which has experienced a long and painful struggle in defending its land
and people. That nation is Israel.

QUESTIONS:
1. Say something about the people of Israel.
 Having a widely diverse population and a young society with
ancient roots, a mosaic people of Israel are living together from many
ethnic, religious, cultural, and social backgrounds that contributes to its
vibrant democracy. They embrace lifestyles from traditional to modern,
from rural to urban, and from individual to communal. With an optimistic
can-do spirit and exceptional social mobility, the inclusiveness of Israeli
culture embraces the right to be different and empowers this wide range
of individuals to coexist in harmony. They adopt a secular lifestyle with
the freedom of faith as a cornerstone of Israeli democracy and as a
home to a variety of thriving religious communities. Truly, the
convergence of various approaches and views within Israeli society,
coupled with its economic resourcefulness, a great determination as
with their untold sacrifices, and cultural creativity, is driving Israel's
dynamic development. Although they are not that highly stratified
economically; most people of Israel are having a similarly comfortable
standard of living as they diverse population mix, evident in all social
settings. Of all backgrounds, they enjoy a high degree of interactions,
living, and working alongside each other as they are equally protected
2. Explain the economy of Israel.  Give your comments about the economy
of the Philippines in relation to that of Israel.
As the world's financial empires started to stumble, and markets
around the globe appeared on the brink of recession, Israel's economic
strength lies not just in its capacity to grow during the economic boom,
but also in its resilience in periods of global downturn. While most of
them had to change occupations, the nucleus of highly skilled labor,
combined with the country's rapid establishment of universities and
academic institutions, facilitated economic expansion. Continued
development and greater penetration of the country's economy into
international markets are the goals of Israel’s economic policy. Israel
has made strides against these targets under tough circumstances,
such as fast population growth, heavy expenditure on defense, lack of
natural resources, high inflation rates, and a limited domestic market
that restricts the economic surplus of industrial production. Despite
these obstacles, Israel has maintained a high standard of living for most
of its citizens, the rise of major factory production and tourism sectors,
and world-class excellence in new technology and science-based
industries. Local demand fuelled Israeli industrial growth, as the
population of the country increased exponentially and the standard of
living increased. Everything of this had to be achieved at once, because
none of this would be possible without Israeli national unity. With the
bilateral ties between Israel and Philippines, they have been warm to
support and continue to prosper regarding to political, cultural,
 economic, scientific and technological cooperation to each other. As
allied countries, they both share a deep history which leads to perpetual
peace, firm, and lasting friendship that helped boost the connection
between two nations. That way, I can say that Philippines economy
continue to reap fruits of extending help towards Israel as they engage
in trade exports and imports, with products of electronics, industrial
materials, and machineries. Israel also benefits from overseas Filipino
employees, especially in the field of caregiving where the numbers of
Filipino care workers accommodate about 7% of Israeli work force. It’s a
win-win situation. Their total trade continue to register growth as the
Philippines could take this cue and grab the opportunity to express its
interest to improve trade with Israel through high level of visits could
eventually culminate with an exchange of visits of Ministers of Trade of
both countries.
3. What is the miracle in the desert? Why do you call it a miracle?
In respect to Israel’s dramatic history, the Israeli "economic
miracle" is much more than a tale of stagnation and recovery — it is the
story of an economy that has been developed from scratch, has
survived several crises and extreme economic hardship, and has finally
emerged as a stable, free market economy whose people enjoy a high
standard of living. It has created a combination of economic, social,
demographic, and political circumstances that can hardly be compares
with any other country. In the past, Israel was referred to as the “Land of
Milk and Honey,” but in 21st century, it is referred to as “Innovation
Nation”. Indeed, Israel's self-proclaimed "Startup Nation" title often
comes as a surprise because of the country's small scale, relatively
young economy, and culturally diverse population. But everyone who
knows anything or two about Israel knows that the country itself is a
kind of "start-up" endeavor that takes chances, continually seeks
change, and believes that ingenuity and imagination can pave the way
forward. The story of modern Israel is clearly miraculous as the
economy started to become a highly advanced free-market, primarily
knowledge-based economy that allows the country to enjoy a high
standard of living. Truly, the birth of the modern State of Israel is a
miracle, and there are even more to come. It will remain a remarkable
milestone in Israel’s economic history. After years of battle against all
sorts of pressures and difficulties, Israel has now entered the ranks of
the world's leading economies.