Recently, many moshavim near big cities have gone suburban-their members commute to the city. Israelis tend to have something of an obsession with the news. Most read at least one newspaper daily, listen multiple times a day to news reports broadcasted on the radio, and watch the news on television every night. The Israeli press is far livelier than the Western norm; politics are taken seriously and opinions expressed vociferously. Accordingly, Israelis tend to have pronounced political views and expound upon them freely. The liberal Ha'Aretz is the most respected daily; Ma'ariv leans just right of center. Yediot Ahronot is more tabloid-esque and therefore more widely read. The Jerusalem Post, the only English-language daily, tilts to the right, while the bi-weekly English-language Jerusalem Report has high-quality reporting. Of the 5.9 million residents in Israel and the Palestinian territories, 80% are Jewish and 15% are Muslim; of the remaining 5%, half are Christians. Most Muslims and Christians are Arabs. The Jewish population is comprised of many ethnic groups. JEWS IN ISRAEL Many Israeli Jews are immigrants or second generation, and are often divided along ethnic lines. These differences lead to a society riddled with tension, where social and religious alliances are frequently of painful importance. Disputes between these groups generally hone in on the minutiae of another group's tradi- tion, distorting the already nuanced views, inflaming the community's sense of pride, and too often erupting into violence. ASHKENAZIM AND SEPHARDIM. Sephardi Jews come from Arab or other Mediterranean countries; Ashkenazi Jews have northern or eastern European origins. The rift in Israeli society is deep and wide, and goes back to the 1950s, when Sephardi Jews from Morocco and Iraq were brought to an already established, Ashkenazi-dominated state. Although Sephardim compose roughly half of the Jewish population in Israel, Ashkenazim still fill most of the positions of power in government, the military, and academia, and Sephardim are much more likely to be poor. RUSSIANS AND ETHIOPIANS. The past two decades have brought massive immi- grations from the former USSR and Ethiopia. Both immigrations have been clouded by questions concerning the religious status of immigrants claiming to be Jewish. About 50,000 Russians immigrate to Israel each year. Russia's continued economic problems as well as increasing anti-semitism insures that this number will continue to rise. In 1985 and 1991, two massive operations airlifted Ethiopian Jews to Israel. While Russians frequently find themselves in competition with IsraeUs for employment and acceptance into universities, most Ethiopians remain isolated in caravans and receive a substantial amount of government aid. Because of this, Russians find themselves resentful of the attention Ethiopians receive, and some skirmishes have ensued. BLACK HEBREWS.