Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series of posts documenting BDS fails – stories of Israeli success that are rarely covered by British media outlets.
Political BDS Fails
Israeli President Isaac Herzog continue his visit to the Gulf
President Herzog's visit to the Gulf is likely to help propel negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement
So what are Israel and Bahrain likely to get out of such a deal? @fredman_a says both states can benefit greatly from combining their strengths in fintech and innovation pic.twitter.com/jVUdhmUg3i
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) December 5, 2022
Estonia changes tack, won’t side against Israel in UN votes
HELSINKI (AP) — Estonia’s foreign minister says the Baltic country has changed its policy toward Israel and will no longer vote for U.N. resolutions condemning Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Instead, the European country is looking from now on to align its U.N. voting position in such matters with Washington, its closest security policy ally.
Previously, Estonia has usually voted for resolutions condemning Israel at the U.N. together with several other countries.
Israel, Jordan, UAE to expedite water-for-power project
Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are due to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) today to accelerate implementation of a project involving water in exchange for electricity that was agreed exactly a year ago. The MOU will be signed at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) at Sharm El Sheikh.
Conference of Presidents Commend Biden Administration on IHRA Definition
We commend President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken for reiterating the importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of #antisemitism and for encouraging its greater use and adoption as an essential tool to combat antisemitism.
UK PM Rishi Sunak promises law to combat BDS
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak repeated his promise to pass a law to combat the BDS movement, in a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel on Wednesday.
“I am determined to further strengthen the breadth and depth of our bilateral relationship by championing a UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement,” Sunak wrote. “This includes my commitment to the 2019 Conservative manifesto pledge to combat Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) policies with legislation.”
Sunak’s letter came a day after his first major foreign policy speech, which included his intention to work closely with “friends” in Israel.
Israel’s Bank Leumi chief visits Saudi
Israel’s Bank Leumi would like to tap into investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, Chairman Samer Haj Yehia told a business forum in Riyadh, which he is attending in the latest sign of a potential thawing in Saudi-Israeli relations.
The presence of Bank Leumi, one of Israel’s two largest banks, at the kingdom’s flagship investment event suggested this marked another gesture by Riyadh towards warmer ties with Israel after fellow Gulf states the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain forged ties with Israel in 2020, with Saudi blessings.
Economic BDS Fails
Yahoo and Taboola have entered into a 30-year, exclusive commercial agreement
NEW YORK, November 28, 2022 – Yahoo and Taboola (NASDAQ: TBLA), a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, today announced that they have entered into a 30-year, exclusive commercial agreement. Taboola will exclusively power native advertising across all of Yahoo’s digital properties and will be available to buy through the Yahoo DSP, establishing Taboola as a leading native advertising offering for advertisers, publishers and merchants on the open web.
Scottish Halo Kilmarnock has signed a global partnership with Israel’s EnergyCom
The Scottish venture, on a site formerly home to whisky giant Johnnie Walker and aiming to boost the economy by £205 million, has signed a global partnership with EnergyCom, which it bills as Israel‘s largest entity in energy production and conservation, in a bid to create a framework that will provide access to the skills and capabilities of both parties to support innovation, skills support, and the development of power and net zero solutions. The tie-up also intends to open commercial opportunities for both the Halo and EnergyCom through increased collaboration between the UK and Israel, driven through know-how across the likes of energy, construction, digital skills and cyber security.
Israel, Japan make strides towards free trade agreement
Israel and Japan took a major step towards a free trade agreement on Tuesday.
The countries decided to launch a joint study group, looking into the possibility of a Japan-Israel Economic Partnership Agreement, a senior official Israeli said.
The study can be viewed as a declaration of intent to eventually sign a free trade agreement and will look into the potential points of cooperation between the countries.
Israel and Japan have a relatively large volume of trade, with $1.24 billion in Israeli exports to Japan and $2.3 billion in the other direction. Japan has invested $13 bn. In Israeli hi-tech since 2000, and 85 Japanese companies are active in Israel to date.
Without trade with Israel the Palestinian economy would completely collapse
Fun fact for #BDS: without trade with Israel the Palestinian economy would completely collapse. Over the last 5 years, HALF of imported goods to Palestine were from Israel, and in Aug 2022, 56% of imported goods were from Israel. pic.twitter.com/zXTXzbR64W
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) November 16, 2022
El Al to start Dublin route to connect tech hubs
JERUSALEM, Nov 7 (Reuters) – El Al Israel Airlines (ELAL.TA) said on Monday it will launch nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and Dublin early next year, connecting Israel’s and Ireland’s robust high-tech sectors and encouraging Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
El Al will operate three flights a week on the route beginning March 26, the Israeli flag carrier said.
“A large Israeli community lives in Dublin, mainly high-tech workers who work in international tech companies that are based in Dublin to serve Europe and the Middle East,” noted chief executive Dina Ben Tal Ganancia.
Medical and technological BDS Fails
Israel is ranked #1 in Research and Development
Israeli pride:
According to #UNESCO Institute for Statistics, #Israel is ranked #1 in Research and Development
5.44% of 🇮🇱’s GDP is allocated for R&D pic.twitter.com/5hX3obWZg9
— David Saranga (@DavidSaranga) November 13, 2022
Sheba develops AI healthcare tech with Emirati health-tech company
Leading Abu Dhabi-based artificial-intelligence health tech company G42 Healthcare and Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer have signed a cooperation agreement.
They intend to develop AI-driven solutions related to stem-cell research programs, infrastructure building and collaborations for advancement in a variety of healthcare fields, including cardiology, oncology, obstetrics, gynecology, diabetes and fertility.
Cancer patients are testing a medicine made of antibodies that were designed on a computer in Israel
Cancer patients are testing a medicine made of antibodies that were designed from scratch on a computer in Israel and whose inventor has “programmed” them to “decide” whether cells surrounding tumors are bad or good.
If the trial, which is underway in Australia, goes according to plan, these antibodies will fight cells that help the tumor while boosting the abilities of cells that inhibit cancer growth.
Palo Alto to buy Israeli co Cider Security for $300m
Palo Alto Networks (Nasdaq: PANW) is set to acquire Israeli cybersecurity company Cider Security, “TechCrunch” reports. According to its sources the deal involves $200 million in cash and $100 million in shares. The deal will be officially announced later today when Palo Alto Networks reports its third quarter financial results.
Israel’s DeserTech to help African countries adapt to climate change
DeserTech – an Israeli platform for climate technologies that focus on dry and desert climates – on Thursday launched a program in partnership with the Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the 11 African nations leading the “Great Green Wall” initiative.
The African-led “Great Green Wall” project is aimed at rehabilitating almost 250 acres of degraded land across the Sahel region by the end of the decade, generating millions of jobs and capturing 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Israeli startup Neteera’s patient monitoring sensor gets FDA approval
Israeli startup Neteera Technologies, which is headquartered in Jerusalem, was granted approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its novel contactless cardio-pulmonary monitoring sensor platform on Tuesday.
Neteera’s revolutionary platform uses AI alongside a unique and proprietary micro-motion sensor to observe patients continuously – without the invasive wires and medical equipment typically used to monitor a medical patient’s status.
Google and Reichman University to establish a school of High-Tech
Alphabet Inc’s Google and Israel’s Reichman University are establishing a “School of High Tech”. The objective of the school’s establishment is to provide equal opportunities to every person seeking to contribute to the biggest engine of growth in the Israeli economy – the high-tech industry – based on their personal skills and suitability to the program. Underrepresented populations will have an equal opportunity to join the program regardless of their financial ability to pay for the course.
Cultural BDS Fails
First ever direct commercial flight between Israel and Qatar takes Israelis to the World Cup
First ever direct commercial flight between Israel and Qatar just departed – taking fans to #WorldCup2022 #QatarWorldCup2022
it's Cypriot Tus Airways 5b-ddl pic.twitter.com/tXpNpVCa6U
— avi scharf (@avischarf) November 20, 2022
Caryl Churchill’s awards cancellation is something to celebrate
In April Churchill was awarded this year’s European Drama award, a prize of £65,000 (the biggest of its type in Europe) from Schauspiel Stuttgart, sponsored by the Baden-Württemberg ministry of science, research and arts. So far, so unsurprising; the habit of cultural bodies to choose with laser-like accuracy the most inappropriate winner of an award is hardly newsworthy.
But this is where it gets fun. Earlier this month the panel which made the award to Churchill decided to cancel it, saying they had been “made aware of previously unknown information”, and citing “the author’s signatures in support of boycott, divestment and sanctions [BDS]…The play Seven Jewish Children can also be regarded as being antisemitic. Therefore, to our great regret, the jury has decided not to confer the prize this year.”
World Team Chess Championships Open in Jerusalem
Jerusalem, 20 November, 2022 (TPS) — The World Team Chess Championships kicked off in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Delegations of players from the USA, China, Spain, France, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, India, Ukraine, Netherlands, Poland, South Africa are vying with Israel for the championship.
Willy Iclicki, Special Projects Manager for the International Chess Federation, which organized the tournament, told Tazpit Press Service that the competition will feature some of the world’s top chess players.
Gal Gadot in solidarity post against antisemitism
The iconic Israeli actress and model Gal Gadot is usually in no hurry to express her political views, but it seems the recent discourse surrounding antisemitism pushed her to the edge and made her break her silence.
In light of the uproar Kanye West has birthed with his antisemitic rants and affiliation with white nationalist fanatics, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement on Twitter.
“I just want to make a few things clear: The Holocaust happened. Hitler was a demonic figure. And instead of giving it a platform, our political leaders should be calling out and rejecting antisemitism wherever it hides,” the President wrote.
Gal Gadot shared Biden’s message with her 90,000 Instagram followers, adding a caption reading “Reject antisemitism wherever it hides.”
Haredi-educated Israeli teen becomes TikTok fashion influencer
Michael Dadon breaks norms through his passion for fashion – At only 18, he has nearly 10 thousand followers on TikTok and is the centerpiece of an international photo festival, but has dreams of becoming a successful fashion figure
Israeli photographer gets honorable mention in African photography contest
Photo submitted by Maya Maymoni shows silhouettes of giraffes, lit by sunset and lightning; says at that moment she felt that she had actually captured nature; Grand Prize awarded American photographer Michelle Kranz for portrait of gorilla.
