Israel Active

New data from Israel’s Innovation Authority show that Israeli-Arabs fill about 3% of high-tech R&D positions - up from under 1% in 2015. There are now 50% more Arab-Israelis studying hi-tech subjects at Israeli universities and colleges than five years ago.

Israel is the only Middle East country where its Christian population is growing - by 2.2% in 2017. Today they number around 175,000. In Gaza less than 1,300 remain of the 30,000 before Hamas took over.  Israel issued 700 of them (over 50%) with Christmas permits to visit Israeli holy sites.  Meanwhile, Israel welcomed an estimated 150,000 Christians from overseas for the festive season.

Yehiel Magnus is head of Israeli-based Magnus International Search and Rescue. Magnus and his 15-person team have conducted thousands of humanitarian rescue operations over the last 25 years. They also retrieved kidnapping victims.

According to a 2017 report from the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Israel ranks number three on the shortlist for the most educated countries worldwide. About 50.9% of 25-64-year-old Israelis hold a 2 to 4-year higher degree. Video from 3:30

The 5th Israel-Greece-Cyprus Summit began on 20th Dec in Beersheba. The leaders of each country are to sign agreements on cyber defense, civilian space-related issues and meteorological cooperation.

NATO’s flagship for its Sea Guardian Operation has conducted a medical response exercise with Israeli Navy corvette INS Eilat. The exercise, “MEDEX Crystal Sea” is designed to develop medical support around the Mediterranean Sea for Operation Sea Guardian.

As every year, the Jerusalem municipality distributed free Christmas trees to Jerusalem’s Christian residents. Israel’s KKL-JNF distributed trees to residents in Northern Israel. Israel also authorized hundreds of Gaza’s Christians to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

All flights at London’s Gatwick airport were suspended for 3 days at its busiest time due to unauthorized drones. The UK army eventually deployed the Drone Dome defense system that they bought from Israel’s Rafael Systems in August. (Not good news for the BBC though)

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that Oman’s leader Qaboos bin Said al Said has given El Al permission to fly over Oman’s airspace. He said Israel can also now overfly Egypt, Sudan and Chad and cut flight times to South America by at least 2 hours.

IsraAID co-CEO Yotam Polizer describes some of the amazing work of the Israeli NGO. In one example he personally helped rescue the last survivor of the Nepal earthquake. She had been buried for six days and was found only after pulling out 21 bodies. She is now back with her children.