Lebanon war leads to baby boom in Israel

JERUSALEM: Israel s war against Lebanon s Hezbollah has triggered an Israeli baby boom. Channel 10 television, quoting statistics from Israel s biggest health maintenance organization, said on Monday the number of women now in their fifth, sixth or seventh month of pregnancy was 35 percent higher than the figure a year ago. Israel and Hezbollah battled for 34 days before a UN-sponsored ceasefire went into effect in August, and ended rocket attacks on the Jewish state and an Israeli air and ground offensive in Lebanon. Commenting on the pregnancy figures, Gila Bronner, director of the Sexual Health Service at Israel s Haim Sheba Medical Center, said stepped up sexual activity after a war was an affirmation of life. We wanted to tell the world, you tried to kill us, but you didn t – see, we re alive, she told Channel 10. Israel experienced a four-year baby boom after the 1967 Middle East war and births increased sharply for two years following the end of its 1973 battles against Egypt and Syria.