Over the past few days, I have not hidden my concerns about the problems facing the Israeli economy. Yet, when it comes to innovation and technology, the Holy Land has much to offer the rest of the world. After all, over 300 multinationals have already set up r&d centres in Israel.

The question that is often asked is ‘what next’. You have to wonder if the country can keep up with such a pace of renewal, constantly pushing the boundaries of high-tech. This weekend three separate news items seem to help in providing us with an answer.

First consider the upcoming annual World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. Israel will have the fourth largest delegation of exhibitors and its own pavilion of 140 companies. A further ten will be located in some of the main centres.

Then, I read in depth about Apple’s position in the Israeli market. An opportunity initially identified by Steve Jobs and now actively supported by Tim Cook, Apple has strategically moved its main hardware development activities to Israel. It employs over 800 people in the country, mainly engineers, and it is not stopping there. It has purchased three domestic companies.

In total, it is estimated that Apple has trusted Israel with over US$1.2 billion in less than a decade. Could you imagine Israel’s detractors trying to boycott that kind of pull?

And finally, there is the field of education. There are maybe around a 250,000 adults directly employed by high-tech establishments in Israel. According to the Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, there are 257,000 children currently learning code in the country’s schools. As if to prove the point, only two weeks ago, I was shown a makeshift set up to teach wayward ultra-orthodox teenagers the basics of software.

Separately, these stories are interesting but not much more than that. When taken together, they show how the Israeli economy is continuing to develop new means to create further growth out of its advantages in human capital. And that is the change that is having a major beneficial impact on the lives of hundreds of millions around the globe.