Changes in the breeding avifauna of Israel during 2003–2016

Based on information obtained from publications, online material and experienced birdwatchers we describe changes in the breeding avifauna of Israel between 2003 and 2016. We provide details on nine species that were found breeding in Israel during this period for the first time (Common Shelduck, Great Cormorant, Black-winged Kite, Caspian Tern, White-cheeked Tern, Common Wood Pigeon, Black Bush Robin, Basra Reed Warbler, Chiffchaff); two species that were found breeding in Israel after they were not documented breeding for more than 50 years (Great Crested Grebe, Pallid Scops Owl), one species that significantly extended its breeding range in Israel (Striated Heron), and two exotic species that have recently established populations in Israel (Monk Parakeet, Vinous-breasted Starling). This brings the number of bird species breeding in Israel in 2016 to 220. We also report here that out of six new breeding species reported in 2003, three species established breeding populations in Israel, while the other species did not continue to breed in Israel regularly.     

Place, priestly status and purity: the impact of genetic research on an Indian Jewish community

The Bene Israel is a Jewish community in western India whose origins are unknown from conventional sources. This paper discusses a genetic ancestry study that mapped Bene Israel genealogies and the impact of the study on the Bene Israel.     

The white coat trap: pharmacy as an ethnic-dominated occupation in Israel

Health professions are perceived by the Arab minority in Israel as a desired path of education and employment. Arabs in Israel are thus highly represented in these professions, especially pharmacy. This study analyses the unique ethnic and gender composition of pharmacists in Israel and explores their career experiences and perceptions. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are employed. The findings reflect dual marginality in the pharmacy profession in Israel, that is currently both female and ethnic-dominated. This situation is described in the Arab pharmacists’ stories, that delineate the disparity between their aspirations when starting their careers and their hardships after working for several years as pharmacists. Arabs in Israel face unique difficulties in the labour market. Many choose the health professions, including pharmacy, as a path of mobility. Pharmacy, however, is perceived as a niche (ethnic and female-dominated) profession in Israel. Hence, its practitioners suffer from devaluation in wage and prestige.     

Genetic characterization of populations of the golden jackal and the red fox in Israel

The golden jackal and red fox are among the wildlife species protected by Israeli law as enforced by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. In 1964, as a part of a management program to control rabies in Israel, a poison eradication campaign was launched to exterminate golden jackals, considered to be the main reservoir of the disease. The program resulted in the near-complete extermination of jackals in Israel, while foxes were only mildly affected. Jackals have since regained their original numbers and have recolonized southern Israel. We here examined the population structure of the golden jackal and red fox in Israel, 48 years after the poison eradication campaign. DNA from 88 golden jackals and 89 red foxes representing five different geographic regions was extracted and amplified at 13 microsatellite loci in order to characterize the populations on a genetic level. High genetic diversity was found among the jackal and fox populations. A possible migration route through the Jordan Rift Valley was suggested for both species by the genetic similarity of populations in northern and southern Israel. However, in both species, the animals from the center of Israel were distinctive from those north or south, indicating the relative isolation of central populations, likely due to fragmentation or a high abundance of food resources. Genetic profiles obtained for the golden jackal and the red fox in Israel may aid in their conservation management and in the study of zoonotic diseases.     

Clutch size of passerines at mid-latitudes: the possible effect of competition with migrants

The clutch sizes of the passerines of Israel and the Cape Province, South Africa, which lie at similar latitudinal range, were compared. Mean clutch sizes in Israel and the Cape Province are 4.09 and 2.87, respectively. Mean clutch size of Israeli migrants is larger than that of residents (4.45 and 3.93, respectively), but no such difference exists in the Cape Province.
It is suggested that the larger clutch size in Israel is a result of two factors: (1) the higher proportion of wintering birds in Israel in comparison with the Cape Province and the presence of many transients there which may compete with resident birds and cause high winter mortality among them and (2) a higher proportion of migrants in the Israel avifauna, which suffer heavy losses during their trans-Saharan migration in comparison with Cape Province migrants, which travel shorter routes. The resulting reduced competition for food during the breeding season in Israel enables passerines there to lay larger clutches as predicted by Ashmole (1963) and Ricklefs (1980).     

Two states for three peoples: the ‘Palestinian-Israeli’ in the Future Vision Documents of the Palestinians in Israel

This article focuses on the Vision Documents of the Arab civil society organizations in Israel as an act of citizenship and an expression of the politics of contention used by the Palestinians in Israel. We argue that these documents challenge both the political inclusiveness of the identity of Israel as a ‘Jewish and democratic’ state, and the political continuity of collective identity of the Palestinian people. With these documents, the Arab civil society organizations reclaim responsibility over their political future by clinging to the Israeli citizenship framework, but at the same time attempt to change its nature from within, by re-associating the Palestinians in Israel with the core issues of the stumbling peace process, especially in regard to the ‘Right of Return’. The paper contends that for the Palestinians in Israel, the national and the civic frameworks do not circulate in separate orbits, but constitute and reframe each other.     

Population genetics of Leishmania infantum in Israel and the Palestinian Authority through microsatellite analysis

Multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) was used to investigate the genetic variation among 44 Israeli and Palestinian strains of L. infantum isolated from infected dogs and human cases to determine their population structure and to compare them with strains isolated from different European countries. Most of the Israeli and Palestinian strains had their own individual MLMT profiles; a few shared the same profile. A Bayesian model-based approach and phylogenetic reconstructions based on genetic distances inferred two main populations that were significantly different from the European strains: population A, containing 16 strains from places in the West Bank and 11 strains from central Israel; and population B, containing 7 strains from northern Israel, 9 from central Israel, and one Palestinian strain from the Jenin District. Geographically distributed sub-populations were detected within population B. These results demonstrate similar disease dynamics in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The re-emergence of VL in the case of population A is more likely owing to increased dog and human contact with sylvatic cycles of parasitic infection rather than to recent introduction from the older foci of northern Israel. The latter scenario could be true for population B found in few foci of Central Israel.     

Adventive flora of Israel — Phytogeographical,ecological and agricultural aspects

73 adventive wild species occur in the flora of Israel: 39 are of tropical origin, 20 are North American. The geographical distribution pattern suggests that about two thirds of the species reached Israel through neighbouring countries, while only one third arrived directly from their countries of origin. — Three patterns of population dynamics can be recognized: accidental species (7), colonizing species (30), and species penetrating into natural habitats (3). There is insufficient information about the remaining species. — About 20 species are widespread noxious weeds which now have economic significance in Israel, 20 others are known to have similar ecological tendencies in other countries. These species soon may become aggressive weeds in Israel.     

PRELIMINARY DATA ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ISRAEL FOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE WHITE PELICAN PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS L.

Izhaki, I. 1994. Preliminary data on the importance of Israel for the conservation of the White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus L. Ostrich 65:213-217.

The majority of the western Palaearctic populations of the Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus stop over in Israel during their autumn migration. The annual average number of pelicans observed over Israel in autumn was 71,421±5,027. Although most of these birds were transient over Israel, increasing numbers of individuals (1130±303, between 1990 and 1993) stay and winter in the northern part of Israel. The natural feeding sites for pelicans were diminished during recent decades due to human activities such as the drainage of the Hula swamp in northern Israel 40 years ago. However, intensive fishery and aqua-culture sites became their favourite feeding laces either during migration or in winter. The fish industry complained that the birds seriously affect fish yield. The pelicans not only cause direct damage to the fix industry by predation, but they also transfer nematodes to fish (Oreochromis sp.). As et. there is no solution to the problem of these parasitic nematodes. This preliminary study revealed that the average daily fish consumption per individual was 0,52kg and the small sample size did not indicate any selection for certain fish species or size. Flight range estimation indicated that the pelicans, especially the weak individuals, nee xo feed during their stopover in Israel or in the relatively rare appropriate feeding sites along their southward migratory route over the desert in order to reach their wintering areas in eastern central Africa.     

A comparison of the body height of the Israeli-born and immigrants to Israel

This paper reports a study of body height in the adult Jewish population of Israel, comparing native-born with immigrant groups. The sample tested included 1,411 men and 961 women, all clinically healthy according to the results of multiphasic screening. The phenomenon observed in other immigration-absorbing countries also holds for Israel: native Israelis are significantly taller than their immigrant counterparts. The findings were verified over different age and working activity strata, and thus may be taken to reflect the influence of better socioeconomic and environmental conditions on the bodily development of those born in Israel.     

State and minority in Israel: the case of ethnic state and the predicament of its minority

The connection between ethnicity and democracy has been the subject of much debate among scholars in various disciplines. This article deals with the ethnic divisions and the debate over democracy in Israel. How Israel should be defined, with regard to the democracy-ethnic affiliation nexus, has long been debated by scholars in the field. Some present Israel as a consociational democracy. Some Israeli scholars consider Israel to be a liberal democracy. Others define it as an 'ethnic democracy' that balances the ethnic and democratic components in its dealings with its Arab-Palestinian citizen. In this article I claim that Israel, like many other countries (Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Canada until the sixties, Malaysia) is not a democracy, if our criterion is the ethnic preference it shows for Jews. It is, instead, a textbook example of an ethnic state, applying sophisticated policies of exclusion and discrimination towards the Arab minority. In principle, it invites its Arab citizens to participate in its life; but under no circumstances does it offer them equality. It maintains Jewish superiority in all fields and grants them preference symbolically, structurally and practically.     

Late Pleistocene and Holocene equid remains from Israel

Equid remains–mostly isolated teeth–from archaeological sites in Israel are described. Particular attention is paid to dental enamel fold morphology and criteria are established tor separating several Old World Quaternary equid species. Eauus hydruntinus , which is here considered a zebra rather than an ass, was present until 12,000 bp in northern Israel, while at the same time E-asinus/hemionus inhabited the arid regions in the south. Inirequent remains of E. caballus are also described. By 4000 years ago ass, probably the domestic form, was present in northern Israel.     

A Novel Activation Mechanism of Avian Influenza Virus H9N2 by Furin

Avian influenza virus H9N2 is prevalent in waterfowl and has become endemic in poultry in Asia and the Middle East. H9N2 influenza viruses have served as a reservoir of internal genes for other avian influenza viruses that infect humans, and several cases of human infection by H9N2 influenza viruses have indicated its pandemic potential. Fortunately, an extensive surveillance program enables close monitoring of H9N2 influenza viruses worldwide and has generated a large repository of virus sequences and phylogenetic information. Despite the large quantity of sequences in different databases, very little is known about specific virus isolates and their pathogenesis. Here, we characterize a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus, A/chicken/Israel/810/2001 (H9N2) (Israel810), which is representative of influenza virus strains that have caused severe morbidity and mortality in poultry farms. We show that under certain circumstances the Israel810 hemagglutinin (HA) can be activated by furin, a hallmark of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. We demonstrate that Israel810 HA can be cleaved in cells with high levels of furin expression and that a mutation that eliminates a glycosylation site in HA₁ allows the Israel810 HA to gain universal cleavage in cell culture. Pseudoparticles generated from Israel810 HA, or the glycosylation mutant, transduce cells efficiently. In contrast, introduction of a polybasic cleavage site into Israel810 HA leads to pseudoviruses that are compromised for transduction. Our data indicate a mechanism for an H9N2 evolutionary pathway that may allow it to gain virulence in a distinct manner from H5 and H7 influenza viruses.     

Characteristics of the introduced fish fauna of Israel

Fishes have been introduced worldwide with deleterious effects on various native ecosystems. To gain insight into this phenomenon in Israel, we studied the introduced ichthyofauna. There are 27 species of introduced fishes in the freshwater habitats of Israel, a large number for a nation this size. Ten of these species reproduce in the wild. Most of these fishes were introduced for aquaculture; some are constantly restocked. The proportion of restocked versus established species in Israel is high compared to other regions. New fish introductions continue in recent decades, unlike the global trend. In Israel these species are found in the Jordan Basin, Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), and the coastal plain rivers. A few species are widespread, and most are found in Lake Kinneret. Harmful effects of introduced fishes have been suspected and in several cases demonstrated. We encourage further caution when new introductions are contemplated; in some regions eradication should be attempted.     

Emergence of distinct genotypes of Cryptosporidium parvum in structured host populations

Cryptosporidium parvum is an apicomplexan parasite that infects humans and ruminants. C. parvum isolated from cattle in northeastern Turkey and in Israel was genotyped using multiple polymorphic genetic markers, and the two populations were compared to assess the effect of cattle husbandry on the parasite's population structure. Dairy herds in Israel are permanently confined with essentially no opportunity for direct herd-to-herd transmission, whereas in Turkey there are more opportunities for transmission as animals range over wider areas and are frequently traded. A total of 76 C. parvum isolates from 16 locations in Israel and seven farms in the Kars region in northeastern Turkey were genotyped using 16 mini- and microsatellite markers. Significantly, in both countries distinct multilocus genotypes confined to individual farms were detected. The number of genotypes per farm was higher and mixed isolates were more frequent in Turkey than in Israel. As expected from the presence of distinct multilocus genotypes in individual herds, linkage disequilibrium among loci was detected in Israel. Together, these observations show that genetically distinct populations of C. parvum can emerge within a group of hosts in a relatively short time. This may explain the frequent detection of host-specific genotypes with unknown taxonomic status in surface water and the existence of geographically restricted C. hominis genotypes in humans.     

Aphelinidae parasitoids [Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea] of whiteflies [Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae] in Israel,with description of three new species

Fifteen aphelinidae species, belonging to the generaEncarsia Foerter andEretmocerus Haldeman, are recorded as new whiteflies parasitoids from Israel. Three new species are described and recorded for the first time from Israel. A key to the Israeli species is given.     

The Genetics of Bene Israel from India Reveals Both Substantial Jewish and Indian Ancestry

The Bene Israel Jewish community from West India is a unique population whose history before the 18^th century remains largely unknown. Bene Israel members consider themselves as descendants of Jews, yet the identity of Jewish ancestors and their arrival time to India are unknown, with speculations on arrival time varying between the 8th century BCE and the 6th century CE. Here, we characterize the genetic history of Bene Israel by collecting and genotyping 18 Bene Israel individuals. Combining with 486 individuals from 41 other Jewish, Indian and Pakistani populations, and additional individuals from worldwide populations, we conducted comprehensive genome-wide analyses based on F_ST, principal component analysis, ADMIXTURE, identity-by-descent sharing, admixture linkage disequilibrium decay, haplotype sharing and allele sharing autocorrelation decay, as well as contrasted patterns between the X chromosome and the autosomes. The genetics of Bene Israel individuals resemble local Indian populations, while at the same time constituting a clearly separated and unique population in India. They are unique among Indian and Pakistani populations we analyzed in sharing considerable genetic ancestry with other Jewish populations. Putting together the results from all analyses point to Bene Israel being an admixed population with both Jewish and Indian ancestry, with the genetic contribution of each of these ancestral populations being substantial. The admixture took place in the last millennium, about 19–33 generations ago. It involved Middle-Eastern Jews and was sex-biased, with more male Jewish and local female contribution. It was followed by a population bottleneck and high endogamy, which can lead to increased prevalence of recessive diseases in this population. This study provides an example of how genetic analysis advances our knowledge of human history in cases where other disciplines lack the relevant data to do so.     

The distribution of the most favorable temperatures for citrus flower induction in Israel

In this study the distribution of optimum temperatures for the induction of citrus blossoms in Israel has been determined. The number of flowers that form on citrus plants grown in the subtropics is known to be affected by the temperatures to which the plants are exposed. However, too few records of hourly temperatures exist in Israel to make an estimate of the occurrence and/or distribution of temperatures beneficial for citrus flower induction, although maximum and minimum temperatures are widely recorded. Thus, a model derived from the hourly records could be applied to the stations recording only maximum and minimum temperatures. The average optimum temperature was mapped for citrus flower induction throughout Israel.     

Non-indigenous land and freshwater gastropods in Israel

Few comprehensive works have investigated non-indigenous snails and slugs as a group. We compiled a database of non-indigenous gastropods in Israel to explore how they arrived and spread, characteristics of their introduction, and their biological traits. Fifty-two species of introduced gastropods are known from Israel (of which nine species subsequently went extinct): 19 species of freshwater snails and 33 species of terrestrial gastropods. The majority of these species are found only in human-dominated habitats. Most of those found in natural habitats are aquatic species. Most snails are introduced unintentionally from various parts of the Holoarctic region, reaching Israel as stowaways with horticultural imports and the aquarium trade, but some are brought intentionally to be used as pets or for food. Because the study of this group in Israel is very limited, information regarding their distribution in the country and their effects on other species is incomplete. Though only nine species of non-indigenous snails have been found to date in natural habitats, some of these are very abundant. More information and research is required to enable effective management schemes.     

International epidemiological and microbiological study of outbreak of Salmonella agona infection from a ready to eat savoury snack--II: Israel.

OBJECTIVES: To explain an increase in the incidence of salmonellosis caused by Salmonella agona in Israel between October 1994 and January 1995 in the light of an outbreak of S agona phage type 15 infection in England and Wales caused by consumption of a ready to eat savoury snack produced in Israel. DESIGN: Epidemiology of S agona in 1994-5 was analysed and two consecutive, case-control studies of 32 and 26 case-control pairs were performed. Phage typing and molecular methods were used to characterise strains of S agona isolated from cases and samples of the snack in Israel and England and Wales. RESULTS: The increase in the incidence of S agona between October 1994 and January 1995 was countrywide. Cases of infection with group B salmonella increased from 60% to 80% in children under 5 years old. In both case-control studies, cases consumed more of the snack than did controls (4.25 v 2.94 packets per week in the first study (P = 0.086) and 4.04 v 2.37 packets per week in the second study (P = 0.034)). When the two studies were combined there was a significant dose-response relation for the number of packets consumed weekly. Compared with consumption of less than two packets, the odds ratio was 1.43 for between two and six packets and 3.37 for seven or more packets (chi 2 for trend = 5.27, P = 0.02) S agona phage type 15 was isolated from a packet of the snack sold in Israel, and the strain was identical with those isolated from packets and cases in Israel and England and Wales. CONCLUSIONS: This outbreak of S agona was caused by the contamination of a snack produced in Israel. Even under modern operating conditions, large, widespread international outbreaks of foodborne disease can occur. The success of this investigation resulted from excellent international collaboration between public health authorities.