Israel Active

Israel’s latest political reshuffle has brought the number of women lawmakers to a 33 – an all-time high. Yulia Malinovsky was sworn in as a Yisrael Beytenu Member of the Knesset on 7 June.  She plans to focus on issues of welfare, education, housing, and the cost of living.

Israeli architect Haim Dotan designed the world’s highest and longest transparent glass bridge spanning China’s Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, one of the most popular scenic spots in China.  It is 430m long and 300m high and took only 18 months to complete at a cost of approximately £48 million.  

Presidents and chancellors from top US universities and colleges have been visiting Israel to learn about innovation and opportunities for bilateral academic partnerships.

The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture in the Philippines is to train the street dwellers in the capital Manila to work in agricultural projects supported by Greenhouse Israeli Agro-Innovative Technology.   

Jobs will be created in the US State of Georgia when Israel’s Polymer Logistics opens its third U.S. distribution center in Dublin, Georgia. The $4 million center will eventually employ 110 people, adding to those already employed in its California and Texas service centers.  In addition, Georgia Ports Authority reported a 23 percent increase in trade with Israel last year.

The Civil Administration for the Territories (COGAT) arranged for 150 Palestinians Arab farmers to attend an international exhibition of agriculture in the heart of Tel Aviv in order to learn about cutting-edge agricultural technology to develop their businesses.

SAWA is a microfinance initiative from Koret Israel Economic Development Funds that offers loans to women with promising business ideas.  SAWA began in the country’s South focusing on Bedouin women, and has recently expanded further north.

Professor Michael (Mousa) Karayanni is the first-ever Israeli-Arab to be appointed dean of the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Professor Karayanni, is from a Christian Greek Orthodox family in the Galilee town of Kafr Yasif.

TechForGood has announced registration for the third cycle of its Israeli accelerator program, which supports startups that leverage technology in order to address social issues. It seeks Israeli startups with ideas for the elderly, the environment, food quality, healthcare, etc.

The IDF sent three military firefighting planes and a cargo plane together with personnel to Cyprus to help combat raging fires near the Cypriot city of Paphos.  It was the biggest fire Cyprus had seen in recent years, with strong winds making it difficult to bring the fire under control.