Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series documenting BDS fails and exposing the spectacularly misleading media narrative on the alleged successes of the campaign to economically and socially isolate the Jewish state.
Political BDS fails
Bassem Eid of Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group explains why BDS is bad for Palestinains
All 100 US senators sign letter asking for equal treatment of Israel at the U.N.
All 100 U.S. senators signed a letter released Friday asking U.N. Secretary General António Guterres to address what the lawmakers call entrenched bias against Israel at the world body.
The unanimous message notes that the United States is the largest contributor to the United Nations but does not threaten the withholding of U.S. dues. Still, it uses strong language to insist that the United Nations rectify what the senators said is unequal treatment of Israel on human rights and other grounds.
“Through words and actions, we urge you to ensure that Israel is treated neither better nor worse than any other U.N. member in good standing,” the letter said.
Texas House committee unanimously passes anti-BDS bill
The Texas Senate passed on March 23 a similar bill opposing BDS by a 25-4 vote. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign a finalized anti-BDS law from the legislative chambers.
Kansas House votes to block contracting with Israel boycotters
A measure that would block the state from contracting with those who boycott Israel has won approval in the Kansas House.
HB 2409 would prohibit state agencies and departments from entering into contracts with anyone who is boycotting Israel. The state would require written certificates from service, supply, IT and construction contractors that they weren’t boycotting the Jewish state.
House members approved it 116-9 Wednesday. The bill now goes to the Senate.
French bank said to have dropped major BDS account
NEW YORK – One of the world’s largest banks, the Paris-based BNP Paribas, may have closed the account last year of a French organization that advocates boycotting Israel. After the former president of the Representative Council of French Jewish Institutions (CRIF) sent a letter to BNP in May 2016, the donation section on the organization’s CAPJPO-Europalestine website was scrubbed of the BNP account.
Israeli journalist Jean Patrick Grumberg, a reporter for the French-language American website Dreuz.info, told The Jerusalem Post on Friday that “CAPJPO removed the link to the page with their bank information… It’s possible that BNP quietly closed the CAPJPO bank account after receiving the letter from CRIF.”
Economic BDS fails
Phenomenal economic growth picked up after #BDS began its smear.
See full presentation here.
Invest in BDS-banned companies and make LOTS of money! (Elder of Ziyon)
Here are all of the publicly traded companies I could find listed on the BDSList.org site, and their stock prices from a year ago and today, with the percentage gain or loss. (Some are only listed on the Tel Aviv Exchange.)
If you would have invested equal amounts in all these companies a year ago, you would have made an astounding 50% profit. (The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 16% in that time period. The top funds rated by Kiplinger for the past year made about 30%.)
Israeli SaaS co dapulse raises $25m
Israeli SaaS startup dapulse has announced that it has raised $25 million in its Series B financing round, bringing its total funding to $34.1 million. The round was led by New York-based private equity and venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners with participation from existing Series A investors Genesis and Entree Capital. The company will use the funding to scale its rapid growth, expand its product offering, and ultimately, impact thousands of new businesses.
Bucking boycotts, Ohio to snap up record $61 million in Israel bonds
State of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel said Monday he will purchase an unmatched $61 million in Israel bonds to hit back at the boycott movement against the Jewish state, and because the bonds are a good investment.
The purchase will be the largest single government purchase of Israel bonds in Ohio history and, following acquisitions in previous years, will leave the the state with more Israel bonds than any other US government body in the country.
Air Malta to launch Tel Aviv route
Air Malta will begin scheduled services between Malta and Tel Aviv from April 21. The Maltese carrier will operate up to three weekly flights during the summer 2017 between Ben Gurion international airport and Valletta.
Air Malta chief commercial officer Paul Sies said, “We are thrilled that we can announce Tel Aviv as our new destination for this season. We have been operating regularly on this route offering Malta as a charter destination in Israel for years, working closely with leading Israeli tour operators. Now the market has matured enough that we can start offering this destination as a scheduled service, providing opportunities to visit the rest of Israel including Jerusalem and the Holy Land.”
SeatGeek buys Israeli ticketing co TopTix for $56m
TopTix, which processes 80 million tickets annually in 16 countries, will continue operating in Israel.
New York based ticketing platform company SeatGeek has announced the acquisition of Israeli ticketing software company TopTix for $56 million. The acquisition by SeatGeek was financed by a new $57 million Series D investment round in SeatGeek led by Glynn Capital, with participation from existing investors Accel, Causeway Media Partners, Haystack Partners, Mousse Partners, and Technology Crossover Ventures.
Israeli economy ranked 3rd most stable in the world for 2016
Index published by Bloomberg financial news agency cites near-zero inflation and a low unemployment rate as stabilizing factors • Israel follows Hong Kong, South Korea in the rankings • Oil-rich Venezuela named least stable economy for 2016.
Check Point beats the analysts again
Check Point provides cyber security solutions. The company outperformed the forecasts in both its top and bottom lines, with $435 million in revenue, 8% more than in the first quarter of 2016, and a non-GAAP net profit of $202 million, $1.20 per share, also 8% more than in the corresponding quarter last year. Cash flow was up 10% to $355 million
Cultural and Technological BDS fails
European Judo Championships to be held in Israel
The European Judo Union has confirmed that Israel will host the European Championships next year.
However, the approval comes with a receipt of NIS 6 million worth of guarantees by the Israeli government, who must demonstrate the economic ability to host the event.
In May, the President of the European Judo Union, Sergey Soloveychik, will arrive in Israel to meet with Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev in order to finalize details.
‘Bobbi Jene” about Israeli dancer wins Tribeca Best Documentary
All five of this year’s feature category winners are from female directors including Best International Narrative Feature Son of Sofia, the Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award for A Suitable Girl and Best Documentary Feature Bobbi Jene.
The docu follows dancer Bobbi Jene Smith returning to the U.S. after starring for the famous Israeli dance company Batsheva. The Elvira Lind-helmed docu also won the cinematography and editing prize in the Documentary competition.
The world’s eyes are on Israel for photonics innovations
OASIS 2017 in February attracted 1,500 academics, researchers and industrialists – about 100 of them from Europe – and 60 exhibitors, half of them Israeli. American physicist William Moerner, 2014 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, was a keynote speaker.
“There are very few conferences of this size in Europe, so it’s amazing for a tiny country like Israel,” says Katzir, who received an award at the conference for his scientific achievements.
Oops! Britney Spears gig forces Israeli Labour party to delay leadership contest
…the Spears concert appears to have cornered the market in security guards and ushers, leaving Labour unable to find staff to secure its election event as well as concern over heavy traffic anticipated from those attending her gig.
The party will now hold its primary a day later.
A Labour party spokesperson told the Times of Israel that the decision to postpone would “make it easier for people to reach polling stations”, and confirmed “a difficulty in recruiting security guards”.
Glowing bacteria are used to hunt landmines in Hebrew U study
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they may have found a way to remotely detect unexploded landmines by using a combination of lasers and molecularly engineered bacteria that glow in proximity to the explosives.
They enclosed the bacteria in small polymeric beads, which were then scattered across the surface of a test field in which real antipersonnel landmines were buried. Using a laser-based scanning system, the test field was remotely scanned and the researchers were able to determine the location of the buried explosives.
Israeli MRI co Aspect Imaging raises $30m
Israeli compact MRI systems developer Aspect Imaging has announced the closing of a $30 million financing round. The funds, raised from previous investors, will be used to complete development of Aspect’s Embrace™ Neonatal MRI system and its new Stroke-dedicated MRI System. Founded in 2014, and based in Hevel Modi’in near Tel Aviv, the company has raised $150 million to date including the latest round and $20 million last July.
New film Boycott THIS! had its initial theatrical release at the end of March
“If you don’t know what BDS stands for, remove the ‘D,’” conservative Christian comedian Brad Stine says in the new film Boycott THIS! which had its initial theatrical release at the end of March.
In the Proclaiming Justice to The Nations “docu-tainment,” Stine and the animated “Facts Man” travel around Israel and the rest of the world speaking to those on the front lines of those targeted by the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Colored with clips from comedic films and popular songs, Stine takes his act to Palestinians working in Israeli companies in Judea and Samaria, students on American college campuses and Israeli rescue teams such as ISRAID, speaking to a wide array of leading figures who help make sense of this anti-Jewish crusade.
Log intelligence co OverOps raises $30m
Israeli application reliability and log intelligence company OverOps announced today that it has closed a $30 million Series C financing round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Menlo Ventures. Both were previous investors in OverOps, which has now raised $52 million.