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Why Are Israelis so Happy?

The poverty rate in Israel is the highest among developed nations, and the Netanyahu government continues to slash budgets, so why are Israelis ranked so high in the World Happiness Report?   
THIS PICTURE IS ONE OF 30 TO ACCOMPANY PICTURE PACKAGE: THE PROTESTERS OF TEL AVIV'S TENT CITY. SEARCH IN YOUR PICTURE SYSTEM FOR KEYWORD "PROTEST" TO SEE ALL IMAGES (PXP01 - 30)

Kassa Yasso, a 22-year-old from Tel Aviv, is pictured at a tent camp on Rothschild Boulevard in south Tel Aviv, part of an ongoing protest against the high cost of living in Israel, August 15, 2011. When interviewed by Reuters, Yasso said, "I immigrated to Israel with my family from Ethiopia when I was two years old, since then I
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Happiness has a way of its own. The news that Israel was recently ranked 11th in the World Happiness Report of the Earth Institute at Columbia University was treated somewhat lightheartedly in the local media and immediately became fodder for black humor. Israelis, as reported, are not only happier than the Americans (who ranked 17th), the British (22nd) and the Germans (26th), but they improved their standing from the happiness report of 2012, when Israel was ranked 14th. In all, 156 countries were surveyed.

This week I recalled the cheerfulness that overcame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the previous happiness report was published. It was on the first of the intermediate days of the Passover holiday, and Netanyahu jumped on the finding, quickly writing on his Facebook page, “It’s good to start the Passover holiday, when Israelis citizens rank themselves 14th on the World Happiness Report. We have room for improvement. Happy holiday.”

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