BDS is failing – the never ending story (March 2019)

Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series of posts documenting BDS fails.

Here’s the latest installment in our ongoing series of posts documenting BDS fails.

Political BDS Fails

Israeli doctors who saved thousands of Palestinian children honoured by UN

Earlier this week, the doctors with Save a Child’s Heart, an organisation based in Holon just south of Tel Aviv, were honoured at the United Nations, where Israeli positions have often clashed with those held by Arab member nations.

Dr. Sion Houri and two fellow physicians, Lior Sasson and Akiva Tamir, accepted the UN Population Award Tuesday for saving young lives – especially in war-torn and developing lands.

The non-profit, funded mostly by private donors with some contributions from governments, has performed surgery on nearly 5,000 children since it was started over 20 years ago, including more than 2,000 from the West Bank and Gaza and 300 from Iraq and Syria.

The rest came from Africa, South America, Europe, Asia and throughout the Middle East.

At the moment, 44 children are being treated free-of-charge at the Edith Wolfson Medical Centre in Holon.

Dutch BDS activist needs an Israeli made scooter to attend BDS protests ….

Robert-Willem van Norren [is] a middle-aged Dutch supporter of the boycott against Israel movement, and he regularly braves all kinds of weather, as well as his own disability, to promote his cause. He sits for hours on end in his mobility scooter on Amsterdam’s Dam Square, waving Palestinian flags and anti-Israel posters three times a week.

There’s just one problem with that picture, though: His scooter was made in Israel.

Economic BDS Fails

Intel to invest $10B in new Israeli headquarters

Investment means up to 1,000 new jobs as technology giant chooses to put new plant in Kiryat Gat instead of Ireland or Singapore; Israel to contribute some 10% of cost over 15 years.

Intel Vice President Daniel Benatar and Intel Israel CEO Yaniv Garty informed Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Economic Minister Eli Cohen on Monday that the company’s management decided to make the huge investment in Israel instead of in Ireland or Singapore, which competed against Israel for the establishment of the new plant.

Tourism to Israel stays strong in February

After a record 4.1 million tourists visited Israel in 2018, up 14% from 2017, which was itself a record, 2019 is shaping up to be another record year.

In January and February 2019, 683,000 visitors came to Israel, up 16% from the first two months of 2018. In January and February 2019, 628,000 tourists came to Israel and stayed at least one night, up 13% from the first two months of 2018. 79,000 tourists entered Israel by land, up 26% from the first two months of 2018 and 55,000 came into Israel as day visitors, up 74% from last year.

Israel’s Demographic Miracle

In the year 2000, the fertility rate among ḥaredi women was at about 7.5. In 2015, it was at about 6.7—a drop of 10 percent.

Among non-ḥaredi, religiously observant Jewish women, fertility in the same period remained almost unchanged: about 4.0 in the year 2000 and about 4.2 in 2015, for a rise of perhaps 5 percent.

Among women identifying themselves as “traditionally” observant, the fertility rate rose from about 2.6 in 2000 to 3.0 in 2015—an increase of about 15 percent.

Among “traditional” but not very observant Jewish women, the upward jump was even more striking, higher by almost 20 percent: from about 2.1 in the year 2000 to about 2.6 in 2015.

Finally, among women identifying themselves as non-observant or secular, fertility rose by almost 15 percent from about 1.8 in the year 2000 to about 2.1 in 2015.

New UK/Israel trade & partnership agreement.

British MP predicts “superb collaboration with Israel” post-Brexit

US company buys Israeli chipmaker for $6.8 billion.

Technology and Cultural BDS Fails

Israel ranks 10th among the World’s Healthiest Nations

Methodology

Bloomberg evaluated health variables and risks ranging from those of behavioral nature to environmental characteristics. Final index only included nations with at least 0.3 million population and sufficient data. 169 WHO states met the criteria to be included.

Israeli company sends world’s first privately funded mission to moon

An Israeli spacecraft [named Beresheet]aboard a SpaceX rocket has launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, beginning a two-month journey to land on the Moon.

If successful, Israel, a state with fewer than 9 million citizens, will join Russia, the US and China as the only countries to have made a controlled landing on the surface of earth’s nearest neighbour.

Funded almost entirely by donations, the project is also the first privately backed lunar lander mission.

Israeli endoscope co Zsquare raises $10m

Israeli ultra-thin endoscopy company Zsquare has secured $10 million in financing for further development of its MultiPly single-use endoscopic platform. The company plans moving its mini 0.45mm fiber endoscope towards expedited FDA 510K clearance.

The financing round was led by previous investor Chartered Group, which has a strong presence in East Asia and Japan.

Madonna likely to perform at Eurovision in Tel Aviv

It looks like Madonna will perform two songs at the Eurovision Song Contest being hosted in Tel Aviv in May, courtesy of philanthropist Sylvan Adams.

The cost will be about $1.5 million, according to Ynet.

“I can only say with much happiness that there is a green light from the philanthropist,” producer Dani Ben Naim told Army Radio on Sunday morning.

“Adams just wants to help the State of Israel with its foreign relations and we’ll sit with Madonna’s people to work on things, which all look good, and move it forward.”

Canadian-Israeli billionaire Adams has lived in Israel since 2015, and has funded several major projects, including the Giro d’Italia Big Start bike race that took place in the Jerusalem area last year.

He also recently donated $5 million to SpaceIL, the non-profit organization that is behind the initiative to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon.

Madonna last performed in Israel during the summer of 2012.

Malaysia stripped of Paralympic event over ban on Israelis

Malaysia has been stripped of the hosting rights for the World Para Swimming Championships after refusing to let Israelis compete in the event that serves as a qualifying event for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

The Malaysian government said earlier this month that no Israeli delegates can enter Malaysia for sporting or other events in solidarity with the Palestinians. Malaysia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

The swimming championships were due to be staged July 29-Aug. 4 in Kuching.

The International Paralympic Committee on Sunday said its governing board meeting in London decided to take the event from Malaysia after it “failed to provide the necessary guarantees that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from discrimination, and safely in the championships. This includes full compliance with the IPC protocols related to anthems and flags, and where required the provision of relevant visas.”

Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon responded to the decision on Twitter: “This is a victory of values over hatred and bigotry, a strong statement in favour of freedom and equality. Thank you @Paralympics for your brave decision !!!”

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