Israel

From Geohashing

Israel is a small country, divided between nine graticules from (29,34) to (33,35). The graticules that encompass its major population centers each have their own problems: some are almost entirely in the Mediterranean Sea, others include much of the disputed territories, and still others contain a truly staggering amount of desert. One even contains all three (though, ironically, that's the one in which most of the successful hashes so far have taken place). Almost all of them include some area in neighboring countries of varying degrees of unfriendliness.

As a result, finding a hash that is reachable and safe can be difficult. It is literally impossible for all four of Israel's major graticules to come up with reachable hashes on the same day, and virtually impossible for three. There's about a 50/50 chance there will be two reachable hashes, and a 50/50 chance there'll be only one -- though once in a very long while, all four graticules are unreachable. When in Israel it should be a given that all graticules should be in play and that a geohasher should not consider himself bound to only one graticule. That way mistakes like these won't happen: 2008-07-28 31 35

In summary, geohashing in Israel is tough, and all points should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for political safety. This page will chronicle the politically safe hashes for Israelis on any given day.

The website amudanan.co.il is useful for really detailed mapping. Set the coordinates to WGS84 for longitude and latitude.


Graticules

This is a map of all graticules containing parts of Israel.

Not all Israeli graticules were visited yet, so there still are a few locked graticules, which are colored orange. If a graticule was visited, it is colored green, unless it has never been visited when the geohash was in Israel, in which case the graticule is colored blue.

The graticules give the name of the first geohasher in that graticule and a link to the first expedition. If the first expedition was not in Israel, the first expedition in Israel and the name of that geohasher is also given, unless there has not been an expedition in Israel yet.

N\E 34 35
33 Beirut, LB
Yerushalmi #
32 Tel-Aviv
LiNaK # 		Haifa East
LiNaK #
31 Beersheba
Yerushalmi # 		Jerusalem
LiNaK #
30 Mitzpe Ramon
Yosef # 		Aţ Ţafīlah, JO
Yerushalmi #
29 Eilat Al `Aqabah, JO

Past expeditions in Israel

Geohashers by Graticule

Any other users: Don't just lurk! Add yourselves to the wiki pages, so we can know who's participating and try to arrange meetups!

Flexibility

It is important when in Israel to understand that though your graticule may not always accessible another one might be. In this example, 2008-07-28 31 35, the hasher thought that since the hashpoint for Jerusalem was in Jordan, that there was no chance for her to geohash that day. What she didn't realize was that there was a perfectly accessible hashpoint near Yavne in Beersheba, Israel. Let's all try not to make that mistake again.

Advice for Israelis and Tourists Traveling in Judea and Samaria "Yosh"

Note: Israel is a small country and Judea and Samaria is a large part of it. It is often where the most accessible points for Israelis are within Judea and Samaria. While this is not the place to discuss politics, the writer will use the de jure and de facto names that are given by the Israeli government as that is the authority responsible for managing and governing the area. This document will focus on recommendations for Israelis and tourists (henceforth Israelis) who do not speak Arabic. Those who do speak Arabic will probably have a difference perspective. The geohasher is requested to use his own judgment and find a local who knows the area for more help.

The first thing that one must know about traveling in Yosh is that there are three types of areas in accordance with the Oslo Accords. Areas A and B are for Jordanians and tourists only and is managed by the Palestinian Authority. This area is considered Palestine. Area C is open to Israelis. Most of Area C is also open to Jordanians but there is a separation fence which they are not allowed to cross that prevents them from entering into 1948 Israel and many settlements.

The safest way for Israelis to know where to go is to follow the bus lines. The Transportation Ministry is very careful about where they allow buses to stop in Yosh, but most settlers think that these stops are foolish and prefer to hitchhike from other places as well. If you see settlers hitchhiking you can assume that the area is reasonable. Know the difference between Arab and Jewish bus companies. The Jewish bus companies may have some Arab drivers but they are much safer for Israelis.

It is strongly recommended to park your car in an area where other Israelis have parked their cars. Car theft is very common in Yosh and the Palestinian Authority is rarely cooperative with helping return stolen cars.

Israeli settlements are safe enough for the settlers to raise their kids there and leave them at home.

It is recommended that the geohasher know the difference between religious Jews and Muslims.

Buses are heavily reinforced so while rocks may damage car windows, buses are often safe.

A final note of warning: There is no right or wrong in this area. The law is commonly abused and it is best to be safe rather than right. Racial profiling may save your life.

The Alternative Graticule [deprecated]

The alternative graticule map as of 04/04/2009. The implementation can no longer be found

Some Israelis may prefer to use an alternative algorithm, which defines a polygon that hugs the borders of the state of Israel. An implementation of the algorithm can no longer be found; red zones define areas that are deemed too dangerous to access. (Geohashers are encouraged to edit the red zones to help other geohashers avoid IDF fire zones, hostile settlements, etc.) In order to calculate safe points that fall within the green zone, but outside of the red zones, the algorithm uses the previous day's exchange rates, as issued by the Bank of Israel. However, even this algorithm has its problems, because many hashes end up in desert areas, and because the standard borders of Israel leave out many areas that are actually safe.

Important:

  • You cannot claim achievements for reaching the alternative algorithm's point. It is solely used for the purpose of arranging meetups.
  • If you are planning an expedition, make sure you announce it well in advance so that other geohashers will know where you are going. It's not very helpful if one geohasher is attending a standard graticule point while another is attending the alternate graticule point, especially if both are reachable on a given day!
  • There is no active geohasher who recommends it. Don't do it.
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