Israel Active

GDP up 3.8% and a trade surplus. Israel’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 3.8% in 2016 – 1.8% more than the growth in its population.  Israel also had a balance of payments current account surplus of $13.4 billion in 2016.

Israel’s Ecoppia is to install its water-free, robotic solar panel cleaning system at the 10,000-hectare 2,255 MW Bhadla Solar Park being constructed in Rajasthan, India. Dust storms reduce solar panel efficiency by 40%.  The Eccopia system will also save over 1.5 billion liters of water.

The "Wine" (Yayin) pomegranate is a new strain of the ruby-red fruit developed by Israeli farmers at Zamiri Nurseries of Moshav Yesud HaMa’ala. They are juicy, tart yet sweet.

Commuters in New York City can now use their Israeli Gett app to request a “Gett Together”. For $3 they will be picked up by a professional driver and dropped off along set routes during designated commuting hours.  Other passengers using the same route may share the vehicle.

Israel’s ORBIT Communication Systems received a $4.5 million order from one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers for development and supply of prototypes of an advanced system for the management of aircraft audio communication. Follow-on orders are expected.

Israeli startup Mailfixer is a real-time, editing service created to help non-native English speakers communicate better.  Send in your text and within five minutes, someone is working to turn the text into a quality document.

November set a record for the month with the number of tourists visiting Israel reaching 287,900 - 38% more than in November 2015. 2,651,400 tourists visited Israel in January-November 2016, 2% more than in the corresponding period last year. Marketing has targeted Indian and Chinese tourists.

Cargo trains have begun operating on Israel Railways’ new Jezreel Valley railway line between Haifa and a terminal temporarily sited at Beit Shean.  From the terminal, cargo will be taken to the nearby Jordanian border.

Israeli startup Feelter has developed an algorithm capable of analyzing text from numerous social network conversations in real time.  It then brings to a company’s site all the relevant product information to help customers decide whether to make a purchase.

The Ministry of Aliyah is offering a free course that grants an English-teaching certificate to new immigrants and returning residents.  Those from an English-speaking country are eligible with any degree.  Others need a degree in English.