Israel Active

Israeli NGO Restart’s project “Makers for Heroes” (reported previously) has volunteer professionals build devices so wounded IDF veterans can restart their lives. Here, one of the injured soldiers tells how Restart helped him restore his musical skills after shrapnel tore the nerves in his hand.

Israel’s Defense and Foreign Ministers have sent an aid delegation of 15 IDF Home Front Command officers to Honduras. They are providing emergency response to the populations in the areas devastated by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, hand in hand with local volunteers.

Odelia Fitoussi, born with muscular dystrophy, is the first Israeli to be elected to the prestigious U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has sent a team of 20 doctors and nurses to assist the Piedmont District of Northern Italy, where 169,000 patients are infected with Covid-19. The 10-day mission followed an appeal from Piedmont’s governor to Israel’s Ambassador to Italy.

Abu Dhabi-based International Houbara Conservation fund is working with Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority and the Nature & Heritage Foundation to save the endangered Houbara species from extinction. There are some 400 Houbaras in Israel’s Arava Desert.

Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani made a 2-day visit to Jerusalem.  Three deals were signed to boost trade and tourism. The Minister said the agreements would lead to economic prosperity for both countries and more stability in the region.

Israeli, UAE and Bahraini female diplomats held a "Women in Diplomacy Network" panel event to examine the role of women in diplomacy. It marked 20 years since UN Resolution 1325, which calls for the active inclusion and participation of women in promoting peace and security.

Israel is the best country for women entrepreneurs worldwide, according to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) for 2020. Israel tops the charts for the first time, advancing from fourth place in 2019. Israel plans to double the number of female entrepreneurs by 2022.

Israel’s Ben Gurion University, together with Indian firm Aban Offshore, is establishing an agricultural research institute in Chennai, India. It will allow Indian students to earn degrees in agriculture from BGU including hydrology and water quality, desert studies, and ecology and conservation.

Israel is home to the largest collection of animals in the Middle East. At Ramat Gan Safari, 1,600 animals no longer have any visitors; some enjoy the peace and quiet, but others really appreciate the extra attention from their keepers and conservationists.