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I read and think a lot regarding matters about which I have no answers. This memo is above my pay grade. Nevertheless, here goes:
a) Germany: Merkel has been a disaster. She persists in Germany's dependence on Russian energy sources when America could supply their needs. She has flooded the nation with Muslim immigrants which portends negative demographics and a continued clash of cultures. Finally, she refuses to comply with NATO funding obligations.
b) Italy: Italian leadership remains unstable and the nation's poor financial picture recently led the government to negotiate two critical port leases with China.
c) France: The nation's labor laws are non-competitive and their Muslim population creates instability and rising waves of anti-Semitism.
d) Turkey: Geographically a critical NATO member and Erdogan's flirtation with Russian military purchases threatens NATO. His efforts to turn this nation into an Islamic one makes him an increasingly un-trustworthy ally.
e) China: Seeks to control the world and is building and extending their military capability and control of the world's seas lanes. (See b above.) China is engaged in aggressive cyber attacks, stealing trading partner's technology and intellectual property and manipulating their currency for the purpose of expanding their ability to expand market penetration.
They are also engaged in financing projects with their excess currency reserves, leaving their borrowing partners indebted beyond the ability to meet difficult repayment schedules.
f) Russia: Putin has been allowed to reach beyond Russia's economic capability and has bulled his way into controlling Syria and engaging in destabilizing the Middle East.
g) England: May has been an ineffective leader and this historical ally is also having to deal with it's own Muslim problem. Corbyn is an avowed anti-Semite and certainly not a friend of America.
h)India: The one nation that can thwart China's desire to dominate the world partly because it has population number that are large and a desire to modernize from a social perspective as well as a military one. They have a long way to go but have an increasingly technology driven populace and western sensitivities.
When it comes to Europe's future and NATO the prospects appear dim.
In my opinion Trump must domestically:
a) Press for legislation that will resolve illegal immigration (See my thinking in the previous memo.)
b) Introduce heath care legislation that incorporates: 1) Pre-existing conditions, 2) Allows bundling by individuals for group type policies, 3) Offers catastrophic policies for those who wish to assume more general health care risks and 4) Subsidies for those legitimately unable to purchase basic care policies.
Foreign policy-wise Trump should :
a) Allow Taiwan to purchase and upgrade their aging air force. This would send a message to China we will no longer tolerate their military and trade behaviour.
b) Resolve outstanding issues pertaining to proposed trade legislation.
c) Present the administration's proposed Palestinian-Israeli peace plan (See 1 below) and let the chips fall where they may. It is highly likely the Palestinians will reject the plan in the historical hope this will give them leverage and allow them to win more concessions.
Finally:
Trump's threat to send illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities is theater but also highlights the hypocrisy of the mass media. No one complained Obama was breaking the law when he personally authorized and undertook the resettlement of Muslims in America,, particularly those from Somalia.
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Once again the world over re-acts to Bibi's comments regarding potential annexation in The West Bank. It relates to extending Israeli sovereignty not moving people. (See 1 below.)
And:
Ordman's good news from Israel. (Edited. see 1a below.)
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Dick
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1) Pompeo says PM’s West Bank sovereignty vow won’t hurt Trump peace plan
US secretary of state tells CNN ‘The vision that we’ll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that’s been used’
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said he did not believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s talk of extending Israeli sovereignty to West Bank settlements would hurt the Trump administration’s long-gestating peace plan.
His comments would appear to indicate that the US plan does not provide for Palestinian statehood, or even for Palestinian control of substantive contiguous territory in the West Bank.
Asked during a CNN interview by anchor Jake Tapper whether he thought Netanyahu “vowing to annex the West Bank” could hurt the US proposal, Pompeo answered “I don’t.”
“I think that the vision that we’ll lay out is going to represent a significant change from the model that’s been used,” he added.
“We’ve had a lot of ideas for 40 years. They did not deliver peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” he said. “Our idea is to put forward a vision that has ideas that are new, that are different, that are unique, that tries to reframe and reshape what’s been an intractable problem.”
He said the Trump administration wanted “a better life” for both Israelis and Palestinians.
In interviews days before the elections, Netanyahu said he intended to gradually apply Israeli law to all settlements, and that he hoped he could do so with the agreement of the United States.
Flatly ruling out Palestinian statehood, which he said would “endanger our existence,” Netanyahu promised to permanently maintain overall Israeli security control in the West Bank and to formalize Israeli rule over the 400,000-plus Israeli Jews in the settlements. This would apply not only to major settlement blocs, but also to isolated settlements, he indicated.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) welcomes US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to his residence in Jerusalem on March 21, 2019. (Jim Young/Pool/AFP)
Netanyahu has also said he told US President Donald Trump he would not evacuate “a single person” from any of the settlements, amid reports that he believes Trump will back him on settlement sovereignty if the Palestinians reject the much-anticipated Trump peace plan.
Several mainstream US Jewish groups, including the Reform and Conservative movements, have implored Trump to restrain Netanyahu, saying in a letter released Friday that the sovereignty move “will lead to greater conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, severely undermine, if not entirely eradicate, the successful security coordination between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and galvanize efforts such as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that are intended to isolate and delegitimize Israel.”
The White House has said it would release its peace proposal following the elections in Israel, which took place last week.
The Palestinian Authority has boycotted the Trump administration since its recognition in December, 2017, of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, and has vowed to oppose the deal. The US administration has cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid since the start of the Palestinian boycott. The Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. International consensus has been that Jerusalem’s status must be negotiated between the two sides.
1a)Good News Israel
Best regards and Shalom.
Michael
In the 14th Apr 19 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- Surgeons performed the first operation using Israeli 3D holographic imaging.
- An Israeli test can find the right antibiotic in 4 hours.
- Even the partially-sighted participated fully in another Israeli democratic election.
- Israel’s Moon mission will continue – Beresheet 2 has just been announced.
- Beijing airport will use an Israeli system to keep runways clear of debris.
- New air services boost Israel’s record-number of tourists.
- Madonna is to perform (twice) at Eurovision in Tel Aviv.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
First live op using holographic imaging. Surgeons at Toronto General Hospital performed the first live medical procedure using real-time holographic imaging developed by Israel’s RealView Imaging (see here). The 3D images allowed the surgeons to see inside the heart prior to a mitral valve replacement procedure.
http://nocamels.com/2019/04/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
First ever vein transplant from living donor. Avi Yavetz from Modi’in suffers from peripheral vascular disease (PVD) and a leg amputation was imminent. However, his son, 27-year-old Snir donated a long vein, which was implanted into his father in a first of its kind operation. Two weeks later and both are doing fine.
http://hadassahinternational.
Brain monitoring in real time. I reported previously (Mar 2015) on the computer interface device from Israel’s Neurosteer used to monitor brain activity. The three-strip wearable device is now in clinical trials in Israel, Europe and the United States and proving far simpler and more useful than EEG and fMRI alternatives.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-
US approval for surgical mesh. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Apr 2017) on the innovative FasTouch fixation system from Israel’s Via Surgical for hernia repairs. The company has just announced that it has received US FDA approval for the system. https://www.prnewswire.com/
European approval for aortic arch repair system. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Apr 2018) when Israel’s Endospan received the CE mark for its Horizon stent graft system to treat Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. It now also has received the CE mark for its Nexus Stent Graft System to treat Aortic Arch Disease.
https://www.fdanews.com/
Fast test to identify the right antibiotic. I’ve reported previously (see here)on the many Israeli innovations that are trying to prevent antibiotics from becoming ineffective. Now Israeli startup Nanosynex offers a 4-hour test to determine which antibiotic will be effective and what dose to use to prevent it developing resistance.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Smart migraine patches heading for US. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Oct 2016) on the Nerivio Migra smart patch from Israel’s Theranica to provide migraine relief. Since then, Theranica has successfully completed a 12-center pivotal study of the patch and has raised $35 million for US FDA approval and beyond.
https://www.prnewswire.com/
Successful trials of pregnancy monitor. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Jun 2015) on the PregSense wearable fetal monitor from Israel’s Nuvo. Renamed Invu,,multi-center trials produced fetal and maternal heart rates comparable to existing standalone cardiotocographs (CTGs). US FDA review is in progress.
https://www.prnewswire.com/
Good trial results for NASH treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) I reported previously (Oct 2014) that the Aramchol treatment from Israel’s Galmed for Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) had been fast-tracked by the US FDA. Latest trials show that twice-daily dosages of Aramchol significantly increased blood plasma levels.
http://galmedpharma.
Hope for flu sufferers. The 3rd episode of Israel’s Weizmann in Focus, highlights that, since October, 7.3 million Americans have been sick with the flu virus with over 80,000 hospitalized. Weizmann Professor Ruth Arnon’s work has led to the development of the Universal Flu Virus, being trialed by Israel’s BiondVax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Israelis have lowest diet-related deaths. An analysis of dietary data has shown that Israel has the lowest rate of diet-related deaths in the world. The Global Burden of Disease study, published in UK’s The Lancet, reported that in Israel, just 89 people out of every 100,000 die each year in deaths related to poor-quality diet.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://www.thelancet.com/
Probiotic chew for women. Israel’s Anlit has launched a probiotics chew targeting women's health. Feminine Probiotics contains a blend of six different strains of live probiotic bacteria plus cranberry extract to support genitourinary tract health. It comes as a vanilla-cranberry flavored chew that melts in the mouth.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Democratic and visionary. (TY WIN) Israel’s OrCam provided its MyEye2 device to enable many visually impaired to vote in Israel’s general election. Escorts helped others to vote. 22,000 of Israel’s 6.3 million voters are legally blind plus another 100,000 have visual impairments.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Global women entrepreneurs come to Tel Aviv. I reported last week on the inaugural Forbes 2019 Under 30 Global Women’s Summit that took place in Tel Aviv. Here is a video by ILTV of the event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
From Ethiopia to Jerusalem. Sigal Kanotopsky, head of the charity Olim Beyahad, recalls her family’s extraordinary exodus from Ethiopia to Israel in a secret operation called Shiur Moledet. Olim Beyahad has integrated about 900 Ethiopian Israeli university graduates into suitable jobs through its programs.
https://jewishnews.
Israeli president’s military secretary is Druze. The IDF has promoted Colonel Ala Abu Rukan to Brigadier General. The Druze officer will be the new Military Secretary to the Israeli President Reuben Rivlin and take responsibility for liaison between the President and the IDF, intelligence services, police and prison services.
https://worldisraelnews.com/
World Health Day. On 7th April, Israel joined the world in marking World Health Day. Israeli is working to provide better universal health around the world by helping developing countries, technologies (e.g. water), field hospitals after natural disasters, battling epidemics and training health professionals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
International Sports and Peace Day. Israel marked International Sports and Peace Day on 7th April. Hundreds of children from all across Israeli society participated in a special event in the city of Ramla. They took part in the martial arts karate, taekwondo and capoeira. They also played soccer, table tennis and tennis.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-
How IsraAID helped children in Paradise. This video highlights the work of the IsraAID NGO following the fires that destroyed the California town of Paradise. The Israelis helped many of the children of the community recover from the trauma of that tragic event. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Kurdish delegation visits Israel. (TY Hazel) A Kurdish delegation from Iraq and Syria visited Israel as guests of the Safadi Center and the Kurdistan-Israel Friendship Association. They visited Jerusalem, the Golan, Judea and Samaria and Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, which is treating over 15 children from Kurdistan.
https://www.israelhayom.com/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
So close. SpaceIL’s spacecraft was just a few kilometers from the Moon when engine failure caused Beresheet to crash land. However, Israel is one of only 7 countries to put a spacecraft into Moon orbit - and the Israeli flag is on the Moon! SpaceIL subsequently won a $1 million Google Lunar XPRIZE in recognition of "a new era in space exploration." Finally, breaking news - primary sponsor Morris Kahn has just announced Beresheet 2.
https://www.jpost.com/Jpost-
https://worldisraelnews.com/
https://www.jpost.com/
Moovit to the voting station. Israel public transportation app Moovit operated a special service to encourage voting in Tuesday’s National Election. It helped users navigate their way to their polling station and reminded them to go out and vote. All interurban public transportation was free from 8pm Monday until end Tuesday.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Smart transportation research center. Israel’s Technion Institute and Bar-Ilan University have won the Israeli government’s tender to jointly build a new National Center for the Promotion of Smart Transportation Research. It will bring Israeli and overseas researchers together to work on smart transportation ventures.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
Super intelligent with less power. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli startup Brodmann17 has developed technology that can process artificial intelligent (AI) algorithms on low powered computer chips. Meanwhile Israel’s Run:AI has also developed software that automatically optimizes computer resources for deep learning processes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Israeli radar system to protect Beijing airport. (TY Nevet) Beijing Capital International Airport has selected foreign object detection (FOD) technology from Israel’s Xsight Systems (see here). The system will be installed on the airport’s east runway, protecting take-offs and landings from debris, birds, and other hazardous objects.
https://www.jpost.com/Jpost-
Predicting failures in electronic systems. Three co-founders of Israel’s Mellanox have founded ProteanTecs. The new company develops technology that will allow devices to report their health and warn of failures. Its markets include enterprise IT and autonomous vehicles. (See also EcoPlant, Augury, 3DSignals and Opgal)
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Robotraffic competition attracts 1,000 students. Many of the participants in the Nadav Shoham Robotraffic Competition at Israel’s Technion Institute were too young to drive. Yet they were building autonomous cars. The 1,000 students came from Israel (Jews & Arabs), the US, Argentina, Russia, Mexico, and Ukraine.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
New record for currency reserves. Israel’s reserves of foreign exchange at the end of March stood at a new all-time-record of just over $118 billion.
https://www.boi.org.il/en/
Indian accelerator to invest in Israeli startups. India’s Anthill Ventures is to open a startup accelerator in Tel Aviv. Anthill has recently raised $10 million to fund the accelerator and is looking to invest up to $1 million per company in Israeli startups with the potential of successfully entering Asian markets.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Japan invests in Israel. Involvement by Japanese companies in Israel have surged recently. In 2018 Japanese firms’ investments and acquisitions relating to Israeli startups and tech firms totaled some $791 million in 28 deals. https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Everyone wants Israeli companies. (TY OurCrowd) Nvidia’a CEO Jensen Huang celebrated his company’s takeover of Israel’s Mellanox with an event at Tel Aviv port. He declared, "One of the things I've learned about Israeli companies is that everyone wants them.”
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
Israel’s air tourists. This article highlights the surge in visitors to Israel, from 2.9 million in 2016 to 4.1 million last year. New airline services are announced almost weekly. E.g. El Al will soon add Las Vegas, San Francisco and Chicago to its direct routes from New York, Miami, Boston, Los Angeles and Toronto.
https://www.jewishpress.com/
TAP Portugal flies daily from Tel Aviv to Lisbon. TAP (Transportes Aéreos Portugueses) Air Portugal has launched a direct daily flight service from Tel Aviv to Lisbon.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Discounted shopping at Dead Sea mall. A new mall at the Dead Sea offers both Israelis and tourists products at prices less the Value Added Tax amount. The cost of the rebate will be footed by the developer of the mall. Overseas tourists will be able to claim a double discount as they can still get a VAT rebate on many items.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
OurCrowd fund for medical innovation. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s OurCrowd has launched the OurCrowd Medtech Fund. The $50m fund will focus exclusively on investing in disruptive medical technologies and therapeutics with the potential to transform global healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.
https://blog.ourcrowd.com/
Elbit has vision. Elbit, one of Israel’s largest companies, is acquiring the night vision business of American technology company Harris Corporation for $350 million. The night vision unit generates annual sales of $150 million to $160 million. https://www.calcalistech.com/
Silicon Shtetl. Seven Haredi startups (Camdoc, YieldsApp, Ideeza, Emerj, Menivim, TakeOver and LiST).will take part in Calcalist’s New York conference on April 10-12. They are all members of an accelerator program run by non-profit KamaTech, working to integrate Israel's ultra-Orthodox population into its tech industry.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Share a ride to the airport. El Al has launched Taxipool - a free smartphone service that allows passengers of any airline to share taxis when they reach their destination, including in Israel. Passengers register and are matched with others on the same flight and then directed by text or email to a secure anonymous chatroom.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
https://taxipool.elal.com/
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Madonna to star at Eurovision. Madonna will perform live at the Eurovision grand finale in Tel Aviv on May 18. She will arrive with a 65-person staff, including dozens of backup dancers. The cost of bringing the international superstar to Israel will be covered by Israeli-Canadian billionaire philanthropist Sylvan Adams.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-
New baby rhino. I reported previously (Feb 2017) when Rihanna the rhino had her first calf at Ramat Gan safari. Her second has just been born and has been named Rainy-Rafiki. Rafiki means “friend” in Swahili. “Rainy”, because of Israel’s good rains. She is the 32nd rhino to be born at Ramat Gan – a European record.
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-
THE JEWISH STATE
Growing avocado trees on the Gaza border. Now that the winter rains have subsided, Israeli farmers on the Gaza border are starting their Spring Planting. Many are making the desert grow and thrive by planting new avocado trees. Despite the missiles from Gaza recently, they continue to develop the Negev.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Israeli farm of blessings. In Israel’s Gush Etzion region, Beit Bracha Mitzvot Farm offers Jews visiting Israel the opportunity to fulfill Biblical commandments than can only be performed within the boundaries of the Land of Israel. They include planting wheat and olive trees, tending to vineyards, and taking the proper tithes.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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