Israel Active

Israel helped avert an ISIS plot in Australia to bring down a UAE plane in 2017. Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said, "The Etihad flight was almost blown out of the sky and would have resulted in hundreds of people losing their lives, so we are very grateful for the assistance Israel provided in that matter."

The NALA Foundation, founded by Israeli immunologist Dr. Zvi Bentwich, is using its behavioral model and treatment from Merck to help millions of Ethiopians fight schistosomiasis, commonly known as “snail fever.” The disease is caused by parasitic flatworms and poor hygiene.

Israel hosted 49 representatives from 25 countries and organizations at the Conference for Heads of Parliamentary Administration. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said the event “demonstrates the high regard in which we are held by parliaments around the world.”

A new Ministry of Health bill will protect restaurants, event halls, hotels and other food institutions who wish to donate unused food to those in need. It states that good faith donations no longer need worry about being sued if the food causes health problems.

The Judicial Selection Committee has appointed Havi Toker to serve in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, making her Israel’s first female ultra-Orthodox judge. Toker was born in England and grew up in Bnei Brak as the eldest of 12 siblings. She has 4 children - her eldest son serves in the IDF.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community is persecuted across the Middle East. But as their leader Muhammad Sharif Odeh says, the 1,400 living in Kababir, Haifa, enjoy full religious and cultural freedom. They also pray at the only Ahmadi mosque in the Middle East.

At least 50,000 marched through the streets of Kolkata, India in support of Israel. Participants carried banners reading; “India Israel friendship forever”, “Jerusalem eternal capital of Israel”, India-Israel ancient cultures, modern miracle” among others.

The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) has ranked Israel as the 3rd most educated country in adult education. 49.9% of Israeli adults between the age of 25 and 64 have completed some form of adult education - almost 4 percent above the US.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology is to launch a new tech division in Israel, expected to be in operation this summer. Taiwan is seeking to draw on Israeli research and expertise on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biomedical tech.

Serbian National Assembly President Maja Gojkovic visited the Knesset, Israel’s parliament as a guest of Speaker Yuli Edelstein, where she lauded the close ties between the two countries. Economic and cultural links are helped by a sizable community of Jews from former Yugoslavia in Israel.