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Israel’s Amazing Accomplishments in 59 Years
April 26th, 2007
April 22, 2007 marked Memorial Day, or in Hebrew, Yom Hazikaron, in Israel. Yom Hazikaron is a day where Israelis (and decent people around the world) remember the more than 23,000 Israeli soldiers that have fallen since Israeli independence in 1948.
And in typical Jewish fasion, April 23, 2007, one day after Memorial Day, Israel celebrated 59th year of independence. This is the strength of the Jewish people - to honour those who gave their lives for our people, but also to look forward to a shining future. It takes a special group of people to follow up one of the saddest days of the year with one of the happiest days of the year. This is what we love about Israel and the Jewish people!
Israel, for the young country that she is, has made some unbelievable advancements in the last 59 years. Here is just a tiny number of the accomplishments of the State and it’s people. Sources are not given, but will be added if requested.
Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world’s population, can lay claim to the following:
- The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.
- Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.
- Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.
- The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel
- Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.
- Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel
- The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.
- Israel ’s $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined .
- Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.
- According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry’s most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.
- Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
- Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people — as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
- In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).
- With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world — apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.
- Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.
- Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.
- Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.
- The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.
- On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.
- Twenty-four per cent of Israel’s workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.
- Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
- In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.
- When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world’s second elected female leader in modern times.
- When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day — and saved three victims from the rubble.
- Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship — and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.
- Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union)
- Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as “conflict free.”
- Israel has the world’s second highest per capita of new books.
- Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.
- Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
- Medicine… Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.
- An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.
- Israel’s Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders .
- Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart’s mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.
- Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.
- A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct — all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.
- An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California’s Mojave desert.
- All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other county on earth.
With contributions like this to the world, how can anybody hate the country? For it’s size, Israel has pitched in far more than it’s share to innovations in health and wellness, technology, computing and virtually everything else. Israel deserves to get credit where credit is due. If you have friends that don’t know about the above facts, please pass the link onto them - this is important information! If you feel that the press should repeat this information to it’s readers and viewers, be sure to pass it on to them!
Happy 59th birthday Israel!
Tags:Commentary , facts about israel , israel , israelis , middle east facts
World Service Poll Against Israel
March 7th, 2007
This isn’t a surprise to us here at Middle East Facts, but the newly released BBC “World Service Poll“, an interview of 28,000 people in 27 different countries, revealed that people believe Israel has the most negative impact of the world, of the twelve countries asked about (and even behind Iran). This, of course, is ludicrous - Israel has made some amazing contributions to the world, in (but not limited to) the fields of medicine, technology, economics, mathematics and environmentalism (click here for much more information). Of course, the reason why these vast contributions aren’t known worldwide, is because of disproportionate focus on Israel’s military power (which is necessary for it’s existence) and of course, the UN’s atrocious voting record against Israel over the last 60 years.
The biggest surprises in this poll were the results from Canada and Australia (in that 2/3 and 4/5 thought of Israel negatively, respectfully), Nigeria and Kenya (that had more positive than negative views of Israel).
All we can learn from this poll is that there is still latent anti-Semitism in the world, especially in Europe, and that people don’t understand Israel and don’t know anything about Israel’s contributions to the world.
The twelve countries who were the focus in the poll were: Britain, Canada, China, France, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, North Korea, Russia, the USA, Venezuela, and the European Union.Individuals were polled in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Tags:Anti Semitism , BBC , Commentary , iran , israel , United Nations , World news
Israel’s Next War - Against Syria
March 5th, 2007
Everybody knows that Syria is mostly responsible for Hezbollah’s operations in Lebanon. They might not financially support Hezbollah, but without Syria’s cooperation, Iran wouldn’t be able to get weapons and money to Hezbollah. Syria has been mighty quiet lately, which leads us to believe that something could be in the works. It is known that Syria has moved military infrastructure, including fuel depots, closer to the border with Israel.
Now, according to the IDF, somebody within Syria dumped 10 antipersonnel mines into Israel. It is not know who threw the mines into Israel, but Israel is holding Syria responsible, since the event happened within their borders. Not surprisingly, the United Nations is also partly to blame, because the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is deployed in Syria to oversee the three decade old ceasefire with Israel. Of course, as is the case in Lebanon, the UN agencies tend to monitor Israel and not the Arab countries, for compliance.
Why do we think Israel’s next war is with Syria? “The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday that Syria has spent the past few months moving infrastructure to, and constructing more along, its southern border that could be used to launch a war against Israel. According to defense officials, the Syrian military has moved military infrastructure, including fuel depots, closer to the border with Israel, and the Syrians have built structures in the area that could serve as weapons storage facilities and military bases. The Syrian army is restricted in the number of troops it is allowed to deploy along the border.”
We hope war can be avoided, but we’ve seen time and time again that the Arab world only respects force. Eventually they will attack Israel again, and once again, Israel will be forced to respond with overwhelming force. Let’s hope we’re wrong…
Tags:Arab Muslim World , hezbollah , syria , United Nations , united nations
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