Israel Active

Bank Leumi, Israel’s largest bank by market capitalization, has appointed Samer Haj Yehia as its Chairman of the Board of Directors. He becomes the first Arab chairman at an Israeli lender and is also on the board of both Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital and Israel’s Strauss Group.

Israeli PM Netanyahu revealed that Israeli intel thwarted a recent attempt to blow up a Sydney-Abu Dhabi flight. It has also used cyber-intelligence to help foil “major” terror attacks in “dozens” of countries. Israel shares info on cyberthreats with 85 countries.

Israel has just signed an agreement with the World Bank to support developing countries improve their cyber defense capabilities. It will contribute to the World Bank’s Digital Development Partnership and provide technical assistance to Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion inaugurated the new Jerusalem Square in Paris, 150 years after fire destroyed Paris’s Rue de Jerusalem. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo wrote that the naming was “in order to remember the friendship and the unity between the city of Paris and the State of Israel”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz travelled to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to speak at the United Nations Environment Conference. He presented his “Tracks to Peace initiative, outlining an economic and strategic link from Haifa to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, via Jordan.

The US-led economic workshop in Bahrain had many positive moments. The warm welcome to Israeli journalists and their “delegate” badges; Bahrain’s recognition of Israel’s right to exist and that it was “there to stay”. Also, the service in the Bahrain synagogue, attended by US envoy Jason Greenblatt.

Twenty-two students celebrated their graduation as part of the inaugural class of Neve Midbar - Nitzana, a Jewish Agency youth village and boarding school catering to Bedouin high schoolers from the Negev desert region. They now have skills to enter Israeli society.

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin presented his awards for volunteerism to volunteers and organizations working to make art and  culture accessible to children, Holocaust survivors, ultra-orthodox women, IDF soldiers, Israeli-Arabs, the deaf, at-risk youth and low-income families.

When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented an Israeli Druze his pilot wings , he awarded honorary wings to several special volunteers. They included Tarc Tuba with Down’s syndrome, a cousin of the Druze pilot, who comes from the same Druze village. Other new pilots included identical twins.

Israel's Air Force will have its first Druze pilot when “Cadet G” receives his helicopter pilot wings shortly. Three other Druze airmen already serve as navigators – one serves as head of the school for the operational headquarters of the IAF. (Video shows one of them)