I created this thread because I think this is an important issue to be addressed. And i do believe that there is and should be a chance at least to discuss whether the venue should be moved to another country, and that it should in fact be moved to another country (there is still one year ahead). And i think we need  to do this again now because, with all due respect, people like you who were involved in the initial decision making process made mistakes big enough to justify a serious reconsideration. By the way, did you ever gave a justification as to why, although you knew about all these obstacles, you continued to believe that Haifa should be chosen? In my opinion which i stated above, there are no valid justifications to the current situation; it's absolutely unnecessary and avoidable. Finally i am responsible for over a quarter of the posts in this thread because it is me who brought this issue up, and because i am committed to answer every new argument brought through by the dialogue and discussion (for example, the way i am answering your insignificant point now, about me being responsible for over a quarter of the posts in this thread! and so on!!) And i praise Maysara for doing that! And not just for that, but also for keeping to consistency, integrity, truthfulness, sense of purpose, self-control and self-confidence, despite of the fact that, at least in this forum, I stand alone in defense of my argument and reasoning.

> Your argument against Israel seems to hinge on visa difficulties, 

That is not true; visa difficulties is only a minor part of the problem. My problem is: why to ignore and deny those whom *WE ALREADY KNOW* cannot have an Israeli visa to participate in wikimania conference. I hold to this argument not against Israel, but in principle of fairness and right of all to attend and come to participation. Therefore I am convinced that my argument should be adopted even by Israelis, as long as they believe in that simple and basic principle: attendance *possible* for all(.) Many of you brought the issue of difficulties as being a fact of life, and existent every where. This is true, if a difficulty exists everywhere, then we can consider it to be a fact of life, or even deal with it as though non-existent (applying for a visa in the first place can be thus considered, regardless of to where). But the situation currently discussed in relation to Israel, is *not* a fact of life, does not exist everywhere, and involve the qualities of social prejudice, discrimination, and hostility. Again, it is an erroneous condition that we should find reason to evade. Those who will be negatively effected by that condition are being done wrong, not because it was an unavoidable condition, and not because no one had any control over changing it. They will be done wrong because everyone responsible to undertake the correction, or to demand such correction, did nothing or even opposed it.

> You're entitled to your opinion, and our respective politics regarding Israel are obviously different.

I never spoke with view to politics thus far, and i don't think i will ever do, although i have much to say.