Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
“Israel Hayom”, April 4, 2014, http://bit.ly/1ilhGNQ
According to Secretary John Kerry, “if we do not resolve the issues between Palestinians and Israelis; if we do not find a way to find peace; there will be an increasing isolation of Israel.”
However, a thorough examination of Israel’s international standing reveals an increasingly splendid global integration of the Jewish state – economically, technologically and scientifically – irrespective of the Palestinian issue.
Contrary to the Kerry school of thought – and based on a reality check – the Palestinian issue has never been a core cause shaping the Middle East, a crown-jewel of Arab policymakers or the crux of Israel’s relations with Arab countries and the international community. While diplomatic talk highlights the Palestinian issue, the diplomatic, commercial and industrial walk reveals that policy-makers and the international business community do not embrace Kerry’s “Palestine First” assessment and his “Isolation Warning/Threat.”
Thus, the Turkish Statistics Institute documented an expansion of the Turkey-Israel trade balance, despite the brutal anti-Israel ideology of President Erdogan. The Institute reports a 56% export increase, to Israel, during the first five months of 2013, compared with January-May, 2012, while the imports from Israel were increased by 22% during the same period. The Israel-Turkey trade balance was $3.4BN in 2008 and exceeded $4BN in 2012. Turkey’s requirements in the areas of industry, medicine, health, agriculture, irrigation, education, science, technology and defense – and Israel’s unique innovations in these areas – have prevailed over Erdogan’s anti-Western, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas Islamist orientation.
The London Financial Times reported: “in six hours of [Prime Minister Netanyahu’s] talks with the Chinese leadership, they spent roughly ten seconds on the Palestinian issue, while revealing an unquenchable thirst for Israeli technology.” Highlighting Israel’s intensified and diversified global integration, the China-Israel 2013 trade balance exceeded $10BN, providing a tailwind to the currently negotiated free trade agreement, and enhanced by Chinese investments in some fifty Israeli high tech companies. The Japan Times reported the growing Japanese interest in Israeli business opportunities, tripling the number of reviews of Israeli companies.
Moreover, foreign investments in Israel catapulted in 2013, achieving a seven- year high of $12BN, including $4BN in acquisition of Israeli companies by global giants such as Google, IBM, Cisco, AOL, Facebook, Apple and EMC. Furthermore, since January 2014, Israeli companies have rised over $500MN on Wall Street. Deloitte Touche – one of the top CPA firms in the world – crowned Israel as the fourth most attractive site for foreign investors, trailing only the USA, China and Brazil. According to the British Economist Intelligence Unit, “Israel’s cluster of high tech companies, investors and incubators is enjoying a boom which has not been witnessed since the global tech bubble burst more than a decade ago.” Neither Kazakhstan‘s billionaire Kenges Rakishev, nor Mexico‘s billionaire, Carlos Slim allowed the “Isolation Warning/Threat” to stop their flow of investments in Israel’s high tech sector.
In fact, Israel, the Startup Nation, has become a critical Pipeline Nation that transfers to the American high tech industry a plethora of cutting edge technologies and applications, developed by Israel’s brain power. This provides some 200 US high tech giants an edge over their global competitors, thereby contributing to US employment, research, development and exports. As stated byMicrosoft’s new CEO, Satya Nadella, “The two Microsoft research and development centers in Israel constitute a strategic factor, enhancing Microsoft’s capabilities in many areas.” This was echoed by Google’s Chairman, Eric Schmidt, who also invests in Israel through his private venture capital fund, Innovation Endeavors: “Israel will have an oversized impact on the evolution of the next stage of technology. Israel has become a high tech hub. Israel is the most important high tech center in the world after the US.”
Unlike Secretary Kerry, Warren Buffett does have confidence in Israel’s long term viability, realizing that Israel’s economic and technological capabilities are the derivatives of Israel’s brainpower and fiscal responsibility (since 1985), independent of the Palestinian issue. Hence, on the eve of Israel’s 2006 war against Lebanon’s Hizballah, Buffett invested $4BN in an Israeli company – located next to the Lebanese border – recently expanding that investment by $2BN. Buffett followed in the footsteps of Intel, which has invested $11BN in its four research and development centers and two manufacturing plants in Israel; IBM, which just acquired its 13th Israeli company; Motorola, which established in Israel a research center second only to its Houston center; Hewlett-Packard, which owes 55% of its 2012/3 development to its seven Israeli research and development centers; and the leading Silicon Valley venture capital funds, Sequoia, Benchmark, Greylock and Accel, which operate successful Israel-dedicated funds.
Astute observers of the Middle East – who do not subordinate reality to wishful thinking – are aware that the Arab Tsunami is not an Arab Spring; that the Arab Street in general, and Egypt in particular, are not transitioning towards democracy; that Iran is committed to the pursuit of military nuclear capabilities; that Assad has not been forsaken by Russia and Iran; and that Arab leaders are apprehensive of Palestinian subversion and terrorism.
Likewise, astute investors have realized that the ongoing wars and terrorism, challenging Israel since 1948, have been but bumps on the road of Israel’s unprecedented surge and integration into the global economy and technology, now bolstered by Israel’s Leviathan-size offshore natural gas explorations.
Shabbtat Shalom and have a rewarding weekend,
Yoram Ettinger, Jerusalem, Israel
Eric R. Said:
damnable lies and you know it. The plane is resting one of T. Boone Pickens hangers in Texas. Brought down, not by the Iron Dome or a laser Beam, but by one of the Great Teradoctyles that live in the canyons of the Panhandle, where not a Human [ including the Comanche] has ever set foot. It will be embellish with Flag of Texas bearing the Lone Star filled with Gov. Perry and the Texas Rangers and sent to Washington DC to free the Nation from the Demycrates!!!
honeybee Said:
That’s nonsense! It was a Klingon warbird, that came here from the 24th century, via a time warp, that beamed the plane up.
Captain Kirk is tracking down that plane as we speak.
yamit82 Said:
What nonsense!!!!!!!!!!! Every one knows the Martians beamed the plane up.
@ bernard ross:
No, my dear Bernie, its the “Mills of God”!!!!!!!!!! The AMIGHTY has a finally honed sense of irony.
@ yamit82:
When it comes to airplanes I’m totally ignorant. Except what I have read in his forum about the F-35. I remember when the US agreed to sell it to Saudi Arabia I thought it was incredible since these planes have some Israeli technology in them. I do not know if it is in their wings or elsewhere. Finally the US agreed to sell it to Israel and it turns out they have not delivered it yet.
Why would the Israelis want a plane which according what Mr. Samuel who is an engineer is not worthy. It is rather expensive when Israel could probably produce cheaper planes with excellent hardware more suited to their needs? Is this another business deal which have more to do with the business part rather than the effectiveness of the plane?
Israel can always modify it according to their needs. yamit82 can you explain this. You always seem the have the inside scoop on things that do not make sense. Your brainy nature always knows how to connect the dots. Thank you.
@ bernard ross:
We know how the arabs MO is and accordingly we can very much predict how they are going to act. Sometimes they surprise us by using some tactic even worse than anyone could predict.
On the other hand, it does not matter how anyone will berates me for not trusting the Chinese. After reading the article from Alarabiya I have my reservations about the Chinese. I know they are after Israel technological advantages. If what they did in San Jose, California is any way to predict of what they COULD POSSIBLE do in the future. Well, the jury is still out. I still do not trust the Chinese. Every American company which has partnered with them to build something has been screwed. The end result they do not respect patents and copy the product with every detail even a car. They proceed to build the copy themselves and sell it as their own. Bypassing security and penetrating research facilities at off hours when everyone has gone home. Buying outright companies that would have access indirectly to the technology they want. Sometimes alert government employees might catch it. Other times it appears in the market and, then it is too late. Israelis are super smart. They must be super alert as to what other ways they can use the technology acquired bypassing Israel original contracts. Their MO has not changed.
It’s all Israel’s fault. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcCuvqI9hNs
Boeing licensed to sell spare aircraft parts to Iran
Iran Air is still flying passenger planes bought before the 1979 hostage crisis, in which 52 Americans were held hostage.
@ bernard ross:
Israel upgrades Apache helicopters after U.S. blocked their modernization
Special to WorldTribune.com
TEL AVIV — Israel, despite opposition from the Obama administration, has managed to upgrade its fleet of attack helicopters.
Military sources said the Israel Air Force has overseen a project to modernize its AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters.
The sources said the Air Force was equipping the Apaches with two new electronic warfare systems developed in the Jewish state.
“They are based on the huge operational experience of the force in using the Apache Longbow in a variety of combat scenarios,” an officer, identified only as Maj. Yonatan, said.
The upgrade has been developed amid the U.S. refusal to modernize Israel’s Apache fleet, employed in attacks on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
The sources said the administration of President Barack Obama blocked Israeli efforts to modernize the Apaches or purchase new helicopters from Boeing.
The new Israeli systems were cited by the official magazine of the Air Force. The sources said the sensors underwent trials in early 2014 and would be integrated on the Apaches later this year.
The sources said the Air Force would enhance the AH-64A helicopter to D configuration. They cited such capabilities as avionics, EW and advanced munitions, including the AGM-114 Hellfire, produced by the U.S. firm Lockheed Martin.
“The upgraded Apaches now also carry several new Israeli missiles,” a source said.
The sources said the modernization, conducted in the air force base of Ramon, was also meant to ensure interoperability between the Apaches as well
as fixed-wing aircraft and ground assets. They cited communications and common digital maps of the helicopters and the Merkava Mk-4 main battle tank.
“There is now complete interoperability between the Apache with the
Merkava and other vehicles,” the source said.
@ bernard ross:
Australia delays signing major Leviathan gas deal over Israel’s terms
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/03/31/australia-delays-signing-major-leviathan-gas-deal-over-israels-terms/
Pentagon awards contracts to advance F-35 delivery to Israel
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/03/31/pentagon-awards-contracts-to-advance-f-35-delivery-to-israel/
Energy-starved Egypt looks to Israel for natural gas options
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/03/26/energy-starved-egypt-looks-to-israel-for-natural-gas-options/
@ bernard ross:
Turkey weighs $2.5 billion underwater gas pipeline from Israel
http://www.worldtribune.com/2014/04/03/turkey-weighs-2-5-billion-underwater-gas-pipeline-from-israel/
“Israel is sought after, not isolated”
The “globe” wants whatever it can get from Israel in any and all fields of endeavour.
But it will always vote and be against Israel no matter how ridiculous the charges.
I wonder how any one of these countries would react if Israel were part way through installing some technically advanced system and halted all work when that country failed to give it its moral support.
Israel might install Fail Certain devices before departing.
Mickey
I understand that UNESCO is pissed off with the pals because they have lost their US money and the pals have hijacked the proceedings in all the meetings to the anti Israel agenda so they don’t get to other things. Every day the UN is further deteriorated by the pal and arab narratives but in the end who will lose? The blacks never got their chance at the racism conference due to the arabs and now those at UNESCO will be forced to spend their time humoring the pals. More ironic justice?
this demonstrates that Kerry probably assured the pals that their aid would not be cut off because of the “fine print” which he already knew about. I accuse the obama/kerry admin of being the initiators and instigators of the last EU move and this pal move. I believe that obama is instigating these moves to pressure israel and assuring those he instigates that the US will not support Israel in those particular attacks. Kerry wants to say “I warned You”
israel has been blindsided by another US trick. they probably assured Israel that they would stop any pal moves at the UN but Israel did not read the “fine Print” that the schnorer Kerry was aware of.
@ bernard ross:
Good one!
🙂
Ettinger makes the fool of Kerry that he is, another cartoon buffoon. A well written, straightforward article using facts.
Perhaps BDS is helping Israel by bringing attention. Like bad press for a movie or book. Perhaps by now most of the world that counts,investors, know that Pal, arab, muslim and academists rants are pure BS on the face of it and those that support them are the usual lunatics.. Dumb BDS churches losing profits by selling while investors gobble up their shares.
After all, only an idiot or an academic fool would take the word and reputation of the head choppers, throat slitters, honor killers, suicide bombers, plane hijackers, christian slaughterers, pedophile cultist over the word and reputation of the Nobel Prize winners.
Guess who is who? 😛 😛 😛
No wonder the Chinese are beating out the US.
😛 😛 😛
I would not be surprised if they were encouraged by kerry/obama as they have repeatedly threatened of consequences. They probably warned Israel of arab moves but probably also encouraged the arabs to it.
I have a vague feeling that Kerry is getting depressed over his constant failures.
He is now liable to say anything at any time to try secure his giggle heritage.