Israel Active

In Oct (as reported ), Israel announced it would ban the sale of fur to the fashion industry – the first country in the world to do so. Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel has now formally signed the amendment into law, and it goes into effect in six months.

Israel’s National Cyber Directorate hosted the 2021 Global Forum on Digital Security for Prosperity, an online conference of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The 3-day virtual event began on June 7 with some 40 speakers from 60 countries.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the United Arab Emirates – made the case for peace between Arabs and Israelis plain and simple. He stated that, ironically, the coronavirus pandemic accelerated the peace process.

The Toy Movement of Canada and Israel’s Peres Center for Peace and Innovation (based in Jaffa) have been distributing toys to Arab and Jewish children at four nursery schools in Jaffa.

Ifat Hammer, CEO of Israel’s Biotipac (see below) won the Women of AgriFood Nation competition designed to increase exposure to women-led technological ventures in AgriFood. Hammer receives a $200,000 investment from Israel’s COPIA Agriculture and Food Technologies.

Passengers travelling through Ben Gurion airport will see a new exhibit of 34 photos representing the different shades of Israeli society. They depict religious, secular, ultra-Orthodox and Arab Israelis, outside of the stereotypical way in which they are often portrayed in the media.

Wagde Zabit describes growing up in the Israeli Muslim Galilee town of Kafr Mand. As a five-year-old he received a present of his first computer. Much later he graduated from Israel’s Technion to co-found Israeli cybersecurity startup Orca Security, now worth over $1 billion.

Israeli airline Israir will launch direct flights between Israel and Morocco's Marrakesh on July 19. Israir expects that the route will attract hundreds of thousands of Israelis and are scheduling five services a week.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has opened its new embassy in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building. Israel opened its own embassy in Abu Dhabi in January (see previously).

Israel has come top of the Global Pandemic Resilience Index, published by global consumer advocacy group Consumer Choice Center. 40 countries were compared as to vaccination approval, vaccination drive, time lags that put breaks on giving vaccines, critical care bed capacity and mass testing.