Israel Active

The Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) has unveiled a variety of assistive devices to make it easier for the disabled to find their way around the Knesset building. They include a tactile map, smart glasses to identify faces and read text via an earpiece, wheelchairs and magnifying glasses.

Being born blind didn’t stop Ori from enlisting in the IDF. She visited her base many times before beginning her service, to get to know her way around it.

In 1999, 75% of Ethiopian-Israelis could not read or write Hebrew. In 2016, a higher percentage of 12th graders in the Ethiopian National Project (ENP) SPACE Program matriculated than average Israelis. The ENP program is now being rolled out to non-Ethiopian Israelis.

I reported previously that Palestinian Arab eye doctors had been trained in Israel.  Now, Palestinian Arab doctors have been receiving training at Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva to give ultrasound-guided local anesthetic for patients who cannot risk having general anesthesia.

Israel Border Police saved the life of a Palestinian Arab in Hebron. The man in his 20s stopped breathing and lost consciousness in a house near the Cave of the Patriarchs. IDF soldiers and a medic revived him. The man's family members thanked the officers for their actions.

The Geneva Center for Security Policy chose EcoPeace Middle East’s Program on Water Security for this year’s Prize for Innovation in Global Security from among 114 entrees from 50 countries. EcoPeace consists of Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian Arab environmentalists.

Six heads of parliament, from Ghana, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda will attend a conference at the Knesset – Israel’s Parliament. They will discuss gender equality, combatting terrorism, accessibility for the disabled and sustainability.

At Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s inauguration, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was only the only Western head of government present, joining ten African presidents.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the South African branch of Magen David Adom have sent medical aid to Madagascar to help combat an outbreak of bubonic / pneumonic plague. The World Health Organization described the outbreak as the worst in 50 years.

Israeli charity ALEH is providing disabled Jerusalem toddlers with specially designed motorized wheelchairs, allowing them to take control of their own mobility from the age of one. The small but powerful “Wizzybug” chairs support every part of the child’s growing body.