Israel Active

Tel Aviv has been ranked as one of the seven most wheelchair-friendly cities in the world by London-based “Truly Belong” magazine. It reported that: “The eclectic city has made great strides in recent years to become fully accessible to people with disabilities.”

An Israeli-led resolution, “Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development,” was passed by an overwhelming majority of 144 nations by the United Nations Second Committee. The resolution calls for efforts to incentivize environmentally and socially sustainable solutions.

Israel’s Energy Ministry has presented a NIS 1.5 billion national energy efficiency plan to cut emissions by 17% by 2030. It also aims to improve energy efficiency and create thousands of new jobs. It includes investment in renewables, transition to electric vehicles and better construction and appliances.

Recent Israeli rains encouraged the appearance of some rare species of animals. They included the almost extinct poisonous fire salamander, which was spotted in the Northern Israel’s Banias nature reserve.

Israel’s Military Intelligence Unit 9900, one of the most highly classified intelligence units in the IDF, has allocated a room dedicated for nursing mothers. Many of its officers return from maternity and paternity leave and the unit’s work-life balance policy supports their family and professional activities.

The 12th annual Global Entrepreneurship Week 2020 in Israel starting Nov 16, focused on promoting female entrepreneurship. Top international and Israeli female entrepreneurs hosted dozens of virtual panels. Female led Israeli companies represented included and HT BioImaging.

Some interesting statistics here. Over the last 50 years, the average lifespan for both Israeli Arabs living within the pre-1967 borders and Palestinian Arabs in Judea and Samaria has increased by over 20 years. Over 35% of doctors in Israel are Arab, far higher than the 20% proportion of Arabs in Israel.

Saudi air traffic controllers helped an Israir plane from Tel Aviv to India avoid a storm in the Red Sea by re-routing it on a flight path close to the Muslim holy city of Mecca. The Saudis even said passengers could take aerial photos of Mecca at night.

Volunteers from Israeli relief aid agency IsraAID are now in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala – the worst affected area of the Central American country hit by tropical storm Eta. They are providing medical first aid, psychological support, relief items, hygiene kits, and water filters.

Israel has sent a task force of locust fighters and experts to Ethiopia to help control the spread of locust swarms in the country. They brought equipment and advanced appliances and will train hundreds of Ethiopian locust fighters, governmental agencies and international NGOs.