Israel Active

22-year-old Ro’aa is typical of a growing number of Jerusalem Arabs. She works in a Jewish area of Western Jerusalem.  “On the Israeli side you get paid more and receive all your benefits, and if they see you are working hard you get promoted.”

At the non-profit Akko Center of Arts and Technology (ACAT), among the students of the Entrepreneurship in the Travel Industry course are a Druze beekeeper, a Bedouin mother and daughter who serve homemade meals in their home, and a Jewish woman with guest cabins near the Lebanon border.

The non-profit Kids Kicking Cancer has enlisted 15 martial arts teachers to become volunteers, helping children with cancer and other serious illnesses achieve a sense of physical and emotional well-being through free martial arts classes, counseling, and other kinds of support.

The Red Sky 2 drone defense system from Israel’s IMI Systems was operated for the first time by the Thai Air Force in October to protect the 250,000 attendees at the funeral of the former King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej. The system intercepted and neutralized two unauthorized drones.

US Second Lady Karen Pence’s champions Art Therapy and the Israeli PM’s wife Sara Netanyahu is a child psychologist. Both participated in a roundtable in Jerusalem with top Israeli creative arts therapists. (Seated on Mrs. Pence’s right is my wife’s cousin Dalya.)  

Israel has implemented a new system for scanning cargo containers that will enable 200 containers to cross between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority each day - double the current number. The PA Economy Minister said it “will save exporters and importers a lot of efforts and costs”.

NASA honored the astronauts killed aboard shuttle Columbia 15 years ago, with a special musical tribute by Tal Ramon, the son of Ilan Ramon - Israel's first astronaut. Tal recalled how his father's spaceflight was "a huge thing" not only in Israel, but the United States as well. Also see video.

I reported previously that Israel had offered to help South Africa with its water management. Sadly, the government refused help and now residents of Cape Town are rationed to 50 liters per day. Worse, from April, they will have to stand in queues to get water.

Israel is the only free country amongst its Middle East neighbors, according to the latest report from Freedom House. With Turkey becoming “Not Free” and Tunisia about to lose its “Free” status, it is about time that the UN gave Israel due respect.

I included previously an article about Israel’s Reporty which forms the basis for an emergency video app used by Israel’s Magen David Adom. Now Reporty is being piloted by 2000 members of the French public in Nice to film and report crimes or incidents to the police.