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Short lesson in sound financial management

30 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

Credit crunch, Madoff, Lehman brothers – we are all wise after the event. But what does it take not to lose all your savings.

Leora Meridor is an experienced  banker and wife of a minister in the Israeli government. She sits on the board of many leading international companies. So what? How many others can point to similar resumes and still lost their trousers?

In March 2009, she was appointed by Tel Aviv University as head of their committee to supervise the institutions’ investments. No small matter. In Jerusalem, the Madoff crisis had wiped out a series of student grants. Tel Aviv’s portfolio had lost over US$40 million over the previous 6 months.

First of all, Meridor opened up the files to understand for herself what her portfolio contained. In other words, she got her hands dirty and did not merely rely on advisors.

She then realised who her client is – an academic institution, which should not be looking to take risks for short term gains.

The President of the university may not have liked her active intervention. Yes, as stock markets have zoomed up by tens of percentage points, the portfolio has missed out some of these gains.

As the global crisis demonstrated, Rome can be built in a day. But it can also collapse in a matter of hours. Tel Aviv University, a fine house of academia, now has a much firmer financial future to develop a path of learning for others.

Watching Israel reflect and atone

25 September 2009
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Categories: Israel, Palestinians

This coming Sunday, Jews around the world begin a 25 hour fast. The holiest day in the calendar, The Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur, is a sombre occasion.

In Israel, the country effectively closes down. And as often happens, the day coincides closely with the end of the month of Ramadan, when Muslims fasted during the hours of daylight.

This is a period for deep inner soul searching. In Judaism, the New Year festival is when you ask for forgiveness from your friends and family. Once that has been done, verbally, you try to scratch a deal with The Higher Authority on Yom Kippur.

No easy task. As my rabbi pointed recently, there are some inherent logical contradictions in the theological process. So it gets complicated.

Specifically, in the Holyland itself, we are a country that has a lot to rethink. Leave aside shaky business decisions for the moment. And despite what Goldstone may believe, neither the Israeli establishment nor overall electorate is out “to get” the Palestinians.

No: I am referring to Israel’s two most former senior statesmen; President Katsav and Prime Minister Olmert. They have both left office through resignation and both are now facing prosecution by the very offices they represented.

For the record, Katsaz is suspected of a series of incidents relating to sexual harassment. Olmert faces 3 sets of charges, related to bribery. With some irony, his trial begun today. Both had considerable support in their day from the non-Jewish sector as well.

Israelis do not have to take responsibility for the alledged crimes. They can blame the individuals or the system or whatever. But then I recall that old phrase: “The people get the politicians they deserve”.

And when you internalise those 7 words, you begin to ask yourself some very painful questions. How did we let the system of strict proportional representation carry on for so long? Why did allow ourselves to accept these people, who clearly had untold background issues. (No – I am not prejudging their present trials)? Why have we been so lazy?  

And of course, there is an underlying implication. Until the country takes it upon themselves to be more ethical, responsive, sincere – or as the same rabbi put it, to be more genuinely empathetic towards others – then we can expect to be served more of the same. Surely not? But there again, in the past month, two former cabinet ministers commenced prison terms.

Matt Rees once wrote that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will not and cannot be resolved fully until each society atones for and handles some of its own internal inequities. Inactivity is often just a big a sin and as dangerous as the deed itself!

Now there is something to reflect upon, as your tummy is rumbling with hunger.

Boycotting Israel – why?

24 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

The following article was first published in Hebrew on 23.9.09. He was written by Joshua Sobol, one of Israel’s most popular playrights and long associated with left-wing issues.

The British trade unions decided last week to call for a boycott of Israeli goods produced beyond the Green Line.  They added, in the same decision, a call for a general boycott on the transportation and sale of Israeli products in Britain.  Likewise, they are calling to freeze contacts regarding the upgrading of Israel’s relations with the European Union until the Palestinians receive justice.

 

There is a reasonable chance that the decision to impose a boycott on Israel by British unions will achieve two results.  On the one hand, it will strengthen the Israeli Right, because the boycott will undoubtedly be perceived by the majority of Israelis as an expression of hate towards Israel by the European Left.  Thus, this pathetic boycott will award another merciful blow to what remains of the Israeli Left which, beaten and wounded, has been crawling towards the right since the Al-Aqsa intifada (which, actually, is the second Naqba that the Palestinians have brought upon themselves).

Additionally, this boycott will spur and develop the special Israeli talent to make the most out of pressured situations.  It already happened in the past when [French] President de Gaulle imposed a total embargo of weapons shipments to Israel as punishment for embarking on the Six Day War against his advice.  This same French embargo instigated the awesome development of Israel’s military and air force industries.  If Israel became a major power in the production of UAVs, anti-missile missiles and a wide ranging arsenal of the most sophisticated weapons of war, indeed it is thanks to the boycott which de Gaulle imposed on us.

Another fact, which until now has perhaps not been given sufficient exposure, is in connection to the contribution of the Arab boycott to the development of the Israel pharmaceutical industry.  I heard from a man who headed one of the flourishing medical industries, that after European pharmaceutical corporations capitulated to the Arab boycott in the first years after the establishment of Israel, the Israeli pharmaceutical industry had no alternative other than to expediently fill the shortage of medicines that was created as a result of the boycott.

Thus, the Arab League contributed to the establishment of Teva Pharmaceuticals, and it turned into a flourishing international giant, which competes globally and, with great success, crushes the same corporations that capitulated 50 years ago to the Arab boycott.

Jews have always been the target of boycotts, imposed on them from time to time by the hateful and the mighty.  It is no wonder, indeed, that we have learned how best to profit from malicious boycotts that have been imposed on us.  It is possible to say that an anti-Jewish boycott is Jewish oxygen.  Even the relationship between the Israeli people and their God is a relationship of uncountable shunnings and bans.

The bans which God imposed upon his people gave birth to two Jewish reactions to this divine ban: Orthodox Jewry repeatedly knocks every day of the year, but especially during the Days of Awe, on the gates of heaven requesting that the divine ban be repealed; whereas atheistic Jewry departed, sighing, from God and his bans, and decided to make the best possible advantage of this essential disadvantage.  From this position was born political Zionism.

Perhaps an intelligent Englishman will be found who, armed with these facts, will enlighten the heads of the British trade unions who rushed with elation in their hearts and pen in hand to sign this new boycott of theirs; perhaps someone will be found who will enlighten them as to the extent of the responsibility which they share for participating in the foiling of Obama’s initiative.  Because they, with their theatrical gesture, have succeeded once again to imbue the Palestinian leadership with the delusion that they have someone to count on in perfidious Albion, and as a result the Palestinians will harden their terms and torpedo the resumption of talks, to the delight of the Israeli Right, which can once again claim that there is no one to talk to.

Once again, the miserable Palestinians are paying the price for the empty gestures of the irresponsible European Left, which derives satisfaction from the very gestures it makes.

Fun and successful management

24 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

Allow me to plug myself. Go to my LinkedIn address. What I do is enable “senior managers to enjoy their work”. To rephrase, I accept that progressing towards a vision is often hard work and time consuming, but it can also be fun.

When I put the idea to people, I encounter a series of reactions. In some, the “macho” Israeli instinct comes flying out at me – “we must struggle, as that is our tradition”. And you know that the rest of the meeting is not going to go very far too quickly. 

Yet quite often, people become intrigued. You can see a light flicker on at the back of their mind. Little Jimminy Cricket is squeaking: “You mean I can get rid of half of these facial worrylines, and still succeed?”

 I was reminded about all this a few days ago, when I read a wonderful piece in the Financial Times:  “Leaders who use charm to reach the top”.  Get the first line….”Humour and charm are a surprisingly powerful combination as a means of ascent in life”. The author concludes by observing

outstanding business leaders who persuade their teams to laugh and try harder: they apply themselves assiduously to the task. Most world-class chief executives possess charisma – really a captivating blend of charm and wit.

The article cited President Reagan as a master in persuasion of the masses. True, but a better a more lasting example is Bill Clinton.

So how many of you laughed at that last comparison? Yup, sexual innuendoes etc. Again true, but have I not just proved my point. He is a master at working a crowd or an individual, making them feel good and enabling them to do what he wants.

In effect, Obama’s slogan of “yes we can” had been around for many years previously. (His skill or added value was to empower new voters through the internet).

Now take these messages in to your work place. I look at my wife’s two senior executives. In her many years with them, she has rarely heard a negative phrase uttered from their lips. And this is a company that has a track record in beating downturns.

We can all bitch about pay, conditions and the like. However, for many of us, a prime method of being motivated towards improved output is to being made to feel that we are doing a good job. A key tool in that process is charisma.

Look closely at what Israel does – management

21 September 2009
2 Comments
Categories: Business, Israel

This is the third and final report on a different side of Israel. It is particularly pertinent this week, as together Jews are celebrating their New Year and Moslems are entering the feast of Eid al-Fitr.

Both religions have in common the prophets from the Old Testament. As a practitioner of NLP coaching remarked to me last week, the theologies of all the main religions can be found in modern management and motivation techniques.

To give a specific example: Israel comes to a standstill for the New Year. Yes, it is a period of celebration, as witnessed by the amount of dieting we all try to undergo afterwards.

In parallel, the religion demands that it is a period of reflection. How can a person improve themselves, specifically in relations between themselves and others. Only when this thought process has been completed can they ask for forgiveness from God on the Day of Atonement, which follows only 10 days after the New Year holiday.

I have spent much of the past month reading up on the subject. I can recommend the book “Essays on the days of awe” by Rabbi Chaim Sabbato. And the more I read, the more I realised the comparison with the theory of managing human resources.

Here’s what I mean. When somebody goes to a coach in their private life or professional career, they are looking for help. Broadly speaking, they want that coach to offer them a sign of hope, which they can latch on to.

The coach frequently engages the client in a process of inner reflection, forcing the person to ask some hard questions about themselves. And how is this done? Often through a combined process of deep thought and verbal admission, which produce a working plan of what needs to be changed.

Now look at the book of Deuteronomy – Chapter 30, verse 14:  “And the word is very close to thee, in your heart and in your mouth”. There are several interpretations to this innocuous-looking statement.  

Clearly, what the reader is being told is that what you need to do is look intimately at yourself. The tools to run and to improve your life are close at hand, often without you realising it. Do not be frightened; think positively and state truthfully what needs to be said, without fear of others.

And now I understand why there are so many capable and competent life coaches in Israel.

Looking closely at what Israel does – Economy

18 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

As Moslems and Jews prepare to celebrate important festivals in their respective calendars, the first item noted how the Palestinian economy is moving forward. The two major factors have been reduced violence, ensuring increased Israeli cooperation and input.

Here, I consider how Israel has long been known as one of the key hightech centres of the world. Siemens, Microsoft, Google, Intel and many other multinationals have strong r&d centres in the Holy Land. More recently, Jerusalem has led the revolution in new solar and water technologies.

Just take some specific items of news from the past week alone.

Techcrunch is a premier competition for start ups. 4 Israeli or Israel-connected companies were in the top 6 places. This includes the eventual winner, Red Beacon, connecting consumers to local services.

N-trig, a major player in the touch screen market, has secured a major contract with Lenovo, China. N-trig’ duo sense, 4-fingered application will enable the latest notepad features.

Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd is about to commence a pre-clinical safety trial for the company’s innovative therapy for ALS – Lou Gehrig’s disease. The CEO announced that they will use a locally based contract research organisation (CRO),as it will be better received by regulatory authorities.

And the list goes on – Israeli tech having a direct impact on the lives of millions around the globe. Imagine what would happen (or not happen) if this Middle East version of Silicon Valley did not exist.

A year ago, the credit crunch grabbed the world. Today, the Tel Aviv stock exchange is 10% higher than 12 months ago.

Look closely at what Israel does – Palestinians

17 September 2009
1 Comment
Categories: Business, Israel, Palestinian Society, Palestinians

As Jews to prepare to celebrate their New Year and Muslims conclude the fasting period of Ramadan, I have prepared a series of article on what you may not know about Israel.

The first text questions if Israel is really interested in helping the Palestinian economy.

Early next week, the ad-hoc liaison committee monitoring international aid to the Palestinians will meet in New York. Israel prepared a submission, heavily reliant on stats supplied from the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics.

Some the highlights of the report reveal that:-

  1. Since 2008, foreign investment in the West Bank has risen by 600%. (You have to ask why the same is not true for Gaza.)
  2. The IMF estimates that GDP in 2009 will climb by 7%. To Matching this, unemployment dropped from 20% to 16% in 2Q09.
  3. Direct and indirect trade between the two territories continues to climb. In fact dozens more roadblocks were removed this week.
  4. The number of work permits and the accredited business cards issued for Palestinians in Israel is rising almost daily.
  5. Cooperation over tourism, VAT collection, fiscal issues and other commercial matters have been launched from Jerusalem in the past year.
  6. Despite the Hamas authoritarian rule in Gaza, humanitarian supplies are continuing almost daily and at a growing rate. This includes nearly 3,500 tons of medical equipment delivered in the first 6 months of 2009.
  7. In June 2009 alone, 1,700 residents of Gaza received medical treatment in Israel. Under the Oslo Accords, Hamas is responsible for health policy and its implementation.

As I was writing this, news came through from the United Kingdom that the Trades Union movement has voted to boycott some Israeli goods, following Israel’s policy towards Gaza. Ironic? Or a reminder of a sinister past based on ignorance?

Why I beat Carl Lewis in Israel

15 September 2009
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Categories: Israel

Remember Carl Lewis? 9 time golf medal winner at the Olympics. He is in Israel this week, promoting a speedy communications service, launched by the national company, Bezeq.

It’s a quaint number. The world is spinning faster by the day. And Lewis neatly represents that dynamic. The CEO of Bezeq claimed that they are using the Lewis brand, because he symbolises the determination needed to produce a consistently strong set of results. Again – cute.

Whatever it is, Lewis was in town to motivate his audience. And I am sure he was a popular speaker.

However, during the evening news last night, an interview with Lewis revealed another and far more important side to his character. He spoke about school reunions. It turns out that Carl Lewis was not known as a strong nor competitive kid. He describes how incredulous his fellow students are, when they discuss what he has grown up to achieve.  

And that is when I got to do some thinking on my own. I am about the same age as Lewis. I loved sport at school, but was a chubby kid. I was always picked last for teams, and I guess it hurt. Around my early teens, I put aside my trainers.

Over the past decade, I have taken up a variety of outdoor activities. Slowly but surely, I have pushed my boundaries and shown what I am capable of doing. Even a little bit of “extreme” has been thrown in this year.

Back in July, I spent 10 days in the area, where I grew up. During the stay, I did not give up on my daily routine. I walked and I jogged. In fact, I ran around my old school premises – two days in succession. If you ask me, I bet I was secretly hoping that some of my former teachers were looking on.

What’s my message? I always knew that it was important for me to do well in sports, both in terms of health and self-achievement. Yet nobody encouraged me in those days.  What I had to learn over decades was that doing well is not always equivalent to being the best in the best team.

I am proud of my self – motivation. And it is that drive which I take through into my professional life as well.

If Carl Lewis were to join me on my run tomorrow morning near Jerusalem, I have no doubt he would finish quicker, and with less puffing or cursing. But in terms of personal achievement and individual development, there is no doubt in my mind who would be pesented with the medal.

Israel’s economy – the good and the worrysome

14 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

As Israel emerges from the recession, the country’s economic managers are having to cope with a barrage of mixed news.

Let’s start with the positive stuff. Looking at the June – August period, exports soared 25% at an annualised level. Despite, the financial problems of Africa-Israel, one of the country’s largest property groups, the stock market continues to climb. Consumer confidence is also in the ascendance.

What is worrying is the strength of the shekel, in an economy that is dependent upon exports. Dollar denominated trade makes up over half the balance of payments, and this is a currency in trouble around the globe. The profitability of sales outside Israel is taken a major hit.

The Bank of Israel has tried to manage its policy of buying dollars, but this now longer works. The signs are not encouraging, with Morgan Stanley suggesting that the shekel may appreciate a further 10% by the end of 2010. That is bad news for exporters, who have already spent much of the past 12 months cutting out spare fat.

What is interesting is that many analysts still predict 2%+ growth for Israel in 2010. This indicates that the country will either find new markets or that domestic consumption will pick up more of the slack.

The plot thickens.

What economic peace can mean for Palestinians

11 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel, Palestinians

Netanyahu, Olmert, Rabin and Barak are just some of the leading Israeli politicians, who have seen to promote peace with the Palestinians through economic cooperation.

The Peres Center, set up over a decade ago by Israel’s current President, has been more active than most in this sphere. A glimpse at the organisation’s website reveals a myriad of recent projects: –

  • A training course for 20 Palestinians in the meat packing industry.
  • Through “Cisco Israel”, training Jewish and Muslim women together for hightech.
  • The Agriculture, Water and Environment Department organised a professional research visit to Jericho and Auja for representatives of the Israeli and Palestinian Ministries of Agriculture.
  • Sixteen Palestinian handicrafts companies presented their products in Israel’s leading house ware gifts exhibition “Giftec”

The Peres Center has also hosted a roundtable discussion of senior Israeli and Palestinian economists entitled, “Economic Prospects for Israeli-Palestinian Relations”. And so the list goes on.

This is all very positive stuff. So imagine my dismay when I read thias week that “Palestinian Authority Economic Minister Bassem Khoury said he would not hold any further meetings with Israeli Minister Silvan Shalom concerning economic cooperation between the two governments”.

You have got to wonder why. If the two sides are going to get together, this short-sightedness must cease. Go to the industrial park of Atarot in North East Jerusalem and watch peoples working together on the ground. Visit the Wolfson Hospital, which specialises in treating Palestinian infants, and see Palestinian mothers sleeping next to their kids in Tel Aviv…with prayer mats purposely provided.

It is paramount for such confidence building measures to become a two-way methodology. I suggest that it is time for Khoury to ask his own President, Mahmoud Abbas, to establish a Palestinian equivalent of the Peres Center. That could be a major step to breaking down barrier.

Leadership qualities…what to look for

10 September 2009
2 Comments
Categories: Israel

It is one of those never-ending questions. How can you discover if a person has leadership qualities?

One method is to take a role model, who you know and respect. Analyse what makes that person operate successfully, and then search for those qualities in your candidates.

To take a practical example: Most of us moan about our weak politicians. Whether you live in the UK, Israel, USA or wherever, the complaint is often the same.

I recently read a review of the late Senator Kennedy. The author asked why this man was seen as a great statesmen and legislature. How was he able to convince and to persuade people?

Whatever his failings, Kennedy was known for 4 attributes.

  • Stand on principle.
  • Be responsive and responsible.
  • Share the credit.
  • Be a friend

Taking these traits and slotting them into an Israeli model, it is not difficult to see why more and more surveys reflect increasing disillusionment with our politicians. Yes, if you avoid obvious sarcasm, I will assume that most of them have strong principles.

But that is about as good as it gets.

Israeli politicians are known for being reluctant to share their successes. Sadly, showing off is so much part of the national characteristic that you feel that it should be offered as a graduation exam in schools.

This problem is compounded by the fact that Israel does not have a constituency system. Therefore, politicians tend to exaggerate their prowess and their importance to inner-party groups. The result is that they do not have to demonstrate responsibility to the needs of local voters.

As for being a friend, well it is known that most Israeli politicians will call on you….providing you are a member of a party committee and have a vote. last month, I rang the office of my local mayor with a complaint. After I had told the secretary that I was unlikely to vote for him next time, I received his return call within 30 minutes.

Actually, I did not vote for him last time either. The reason? With hindsight, I guess I had realised that he lacks what Teddy K had to offer.

Decison making models; techniques not to copy

8 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel

I help companies make decisions. What may seem simple to the outsider is often complicated to those that carry the responsibility.

There are all kinds of models to copy. There are many different ways to learn. For example last week, I attended a function, hosted by the British ambassador in Israel. It was in honour of a delegation from Israel’s Technion University.

Every year, the Technion sends a high profile team on a benchmarking overseas visit to study commercial techniques. This year, the tour is to England, where they will meet with executives from the fields of banking, oil, hightech and even Manchester United. The aim is to learn what these people do right and wrong.

And boy, does Israel need to learn! Yesterday, my good friend, David Frankfurter, pointed out an article in “Ha’aretz newspaper. Ostensibly, the item refers to Israel’s position in the West Bank.

Look more closely, and you will find a catalogue of important decisions, which governments have been unable to implement; Major-General Giora Eiland is the former chief of the National Security Council, and he stated openly: –

On the level of the state, is the state capable, yes or no, of taking steps which are certainly politically controversial – the answer is certainly not. We are a neutralized country. What, that isn’t clear?

Many will blame coalition politics for this trimph of eunuchs. I think otherwise.

Eiland listed a number of crucial projects; the withdrawal from Gaza, protecting travellers on airplanes, regional development – all multi-billion dollar stuff. He summarised.

Israel is like a man walking in the dark. He has a flashlight, but it is off and doesn’t light the way in front of him. When he hits a rock and falls to the ground and his nose is in the mud, he says: ‘How do we get out of this?’ That he’s not so bad at doing. But to use the flashlight to light the way so he can see the rock, that he doesn’t know how to do

That is a lesson for leaders all over the world, be you a Prime Minister or the owner of a small company; use some basic support mechanisms, which are often right at hand.

Norway, the Palestinians, selling weapons

6 September 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel, Palestinians

The Norwegian government has made an ethical decision. It will no longer include Elbit, a large Israeli defense contractor,  in its investment portfolio. This is because some of Elbit’s products help to maintain Israel’s security barrier, which Norway considers illegal.

On the surface, this all sounds very noble. But scratch just a little bit, and lot of yucky blood quickly oozes out from Oslo’s skin.

To start with, Norway has spent a lot of its own money, directly and indirectly, funding an anti-israel narrative, specifically through aiding NGOs that seek the destruction of Israel. So clearly, Norway’s claims that her financial decision is not designed as a boycott of Israel is less than convincing.

In fact, Norway is only following the thoughts expressed in many other European countries recently. A notable example are the views frequently stated in Westminster by all the main parties. So let’s call in hypocrisy mark no’ 2:

A recent report by Frost & Sullivan has noted how defense spending by Middle Eastern countries has defied the global recession. And guess which states are benefitting from this loose change? Yup, our European friends. To quote a respected analyst, Tom Gross:

Defense spending in the Middle East will exceed $100 billion by 2014. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are spearheading the arms race in the Middle East. Both countries are particularly nervous about the rise of Iran and what they perceive as President Obama’s weak response to Iranian nuclear ambitions.

The report says that Saudi Arabia looks set to spend at least $36 billion annually over the next five years. “The ratio of their defense spending to that of their total GDP is the highest in the world,” it notes, stressing that the ratio was unaffected by the global economic slowdown and fluctuating oil prices.

According to the report, Jordan is eyeing 85 AIM-120C-7 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles and 120 C captive air training missiles in a deal estimated at around $130 million. Bahrain is also considering the purchase of 25 AIM-120C-7 missiles.

Separately, RIA Novosti reports that Saudi Arabia is to buy 30 Mi-171B Russian military helicopters. The Saudis have traditionally bought only Western, mainly U.S.-made, military equipment, but have recently expressed an interest in acquiring Russian weaponry, including S-400 air defense systems, T-90 tanks, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, and various types of helicopters.

Anybody seen the barrier that Saudi is building along part of its unofficial borders? Anybody considered how pluralistic these states…are not?

And even if you feel these points are not so relevant, consider this twist. The Economist recently compared where most Arabs have lost their lives in military conflicts. Over a million lives have been destroyed in the past 2 decades, including around 2 thousand Palestinians. I will accept that any life lost is one too many, but to start targeting Israel as “le votre culprit” is a bit…well, stupid.

Over the next few weeks, Iran will publish a large tender for its mobile telephone sector. European companies will be asked to participate. What will Norway’s stance be on this issue?

Madoff, Hizbollah and a financial hole

3 September 2009
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Categories: Israel

You can’t blame Israel for having a wee chuckle at the financial misfortunes of the Hizbollah. Believe it or not, this Islamic fundamentalist organisation, dedicated to the destruction of Israel and of a pluralist Lebanon, has fallen foul to a Madoff-type scheme.

Leaks to AP started the story. It seems that Salah Ezzedine, a Shi’ite businessman with close connections to the Hizbollah leadership, has gone belly up. The Hebrew newspaper, “Yediot”, claimed that he has defrauded the organisation of US$683 million.

Comparisons are being made to Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. And similar to Madoff, Ezeedine has been involved in numerous charitable projects.

Despite the potential looming scandal, I predict that two things will not change in the immediate future. First, Arab and Western media outlets are just not reporting the story. I will leave it to my readers to speculate as to why there is a blackout.

Second, Hizbollah will continue to pour new weapons into southern Lebanon. Its view of peace will not change, remaining sharply in contrast to the concept understood in the rest of the world. As Hamas has shown in Gaza, poverty is not an excuse for ceasing to invest in a war against Israeli citizens.

Managing patents and ideas in Israel

1 September 2009
1 Comment
Categories: Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Israel has been bubbling with ideas for over three decades. 

Israeli hightech can be found in computers, mobile phones, operating rooms and wherever else around the world. The country leads in developing solar and water technologies. Israel’s defence related exports easily place the country among the Big Seven global manufacturers.

Managing all this brain power has led to the creation of a whole new industry. What do I mean?

First, let me introduce you to QMarkets, a new Tel Aviv-based software outfit. I have been associated with them for some time now. They have developed a fast and efficient company-wide platform to convert new ideas into practical applications.

Interestingly enough, one of QMarkets first customers is an international concern of business analysts, concerned with economic modelling. The software enables the client to generate new revenues.

A second expression of the knowledge boom is to be found in the patent industry. Based on 2008 stats, Israel ranked third in the world for the number of registered patents per capita.

This week, I was asked to attend a seminar, hosted by one of Israel’s leading patent attorney’s outfit, JMB, Fa©tor & Co. Their leading team gave an impressive survey of the demands of the industry, particularly with regard to the country’s enormous biotech sector.

Consider for a moment why Siemens, Microsoft, Intel, IBM and other mega multinationals all have large r&d centres in Israel. That is an idea for overseas investors to follow up.

Bernanke and the Israel effect

29 August 2009
1 Comment
Categories: Business, Israel

Ben Bernanke, Chairman of America’s Federal Reserve, is receiving more and more credit for leading the global economy out of its recession. The honourable gentleman has a doctorate, gained from MIT, while studying with Stanley Fisher. Mr Fisher himself has had a distinguished career in international finance and is now governor of the Bank of Israel.

Very nice, but so what? The answer lies in a fascinating interview (in Hebrew) that Fisher gave on Friday to the “Yediot” newspaper.

Last week, Fisher gave a lecture at the annual symposium of banks in Wyoming. There he challenged an overwhelming consensus of financial leaders, who appeared resigned to keeping interest rates low for the next several months.

Fisher returned to Israel, where as I have indicated in recent postings, most of the leading indicators show that the recession has long since bottom out. He duly raised the interest rate by 0.25% to 0.75%.

In the interview, Fisher commented about his continued strong connection with Bernanke. At the same time, he noted that Israel’s economy appears to ahead of many powerhouses in the economic cycle. He would not rule out another rise before the end of 2009.

This is a tough balancing act. The interest rate will allow the shekel to appreciate, reducing the profitability on exports, on which Israels economy is dependent. On the other hand, inflation is beginning to raise its head.

It was a bad tsunnami to go through. The aftershocks may also bring a few surprises.

Palestinian-Israeli economies interlocked

27 August 2009
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Categories: Business, Israel, Palestinians

The weband utube is flooded with calls to boycott Israeli goods. They are frequently racist, masking behind politically correct statements. They are inherently hypocritical.

Do the Palestinians boycott the Israeli economy? Well, we know that extremists like Hamas for years have tried to ensure that Israeli consumer products, especially food items, have no place in Arab shops. Obviously, this kind of ethnicity is morally justifiable, isn’t it.

On the other hand, we know that every day, tens of thousands of Palestinian workers voluntarily enter Israel, primarily as manual labour. Remember, relative to what can be earned in Gaza or in Jenin, they high salaries.

OK, well that may be an economic necessity, but what about trade?

This week, a seminar was held near the Allenby Bridge between the Palestinian and the Israeli business community. Did you know that in the year 2008 alone, the two economies created 20 billion shekels of volume?

Do you know how many jobs that is worth? Do you what that represents in terms of investment for small businesses?

The Netanyahu government is committed to ensuring this trade surges forward. In London, the Israeli Prime Minister stated at a press conference that: –

We have already moved: my government has removed, to be precise, 147 checkpoints and roadblocks. The 14 remaining checkpoints, 12 of them are manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to facilitate movement. I have extended the time of passage on the Allenby Bridge on the Jordan River in order to facilitate movement in and out of the Palestinian territories. I chair a ministerial committee that seeks to remove and has removed roadblocks to economic activity in the West Bank. We’ve moved on the ground.

In parallel, much will be determined by the ability and desire of Palestinian leaders to reign in the terror machines. In the West Bank, there are clear successes here for the short term.

Unfortunately, Hamas has allowed a continuation of shelling, as residents in Zikim, Ashkelon and other Israeli towns can testify this week. Thus, they are ensuring that the passage of trade is minimal at best.

So, next time you hear about calls for a boycott of Israel, ask the proponent why Palestinians do not join in. And then point out a few home truths.

Jerusalem for all, except …..

26 August 2009
1 Comment
Categories: Israel, Jerusalem

This summer, Jerusalem has come alive.

The city is losing its tag of just being a place for pilgrims and is rapidly revealing its true diversity. The municipality has organised an amazing array of street festivals, making a significant and positive difference for locals and tourists.

I have commented on a vist to open-air Shakesperean theatre in Hebrew. This week’s postings in newspapers include wine-tasting sessions, sing-a-longs, a moving play through old neighbourhoods, local markets, arts-and-craft fairs. Need I go on?

No wonder that GAP, the international clothing chain has chosen Jerusalem for its new flagship shop. Two weeks ago, permission was announcd for five new 5-star hotels in the area.

This historic and beautiful city, the centre of three religions, has never been so open to all.

Until along came the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr Amr Moussa. According to an Israeli media outlet, The Arab League reacted with fury to reports that a small group of Jews had prayed on the Temple Mount on Sunday. The Secretary-General termed the spontaneous prayer gathering “a violation of international law.”

So, let’s get his right. Jerusalem, under Israeli law, which in turn is gbased heavily on British jurisprudence, encourages a pluralistic society in the Holy City. The one part of the capital not controlled by Israeli authorities, which happens to be the most important site in the world to Jews, is forbidden to Jews?

In early June, President Obama launched his peace process in Cairo, Egypt, Moussa’s home country. He called on Arab countries to finally understand that Israel has a right to exist.

You have to wonder if Obama really understands what he is dealing with. When will Israel’s enemies bury their hatred and thus rise to see the beauty of who they are rejecting? It is the wonders of Jerusalem that encaptures that joy.

Israel & peace – a green perspective

25 August 2009
No comments
Categories: Israel, Palestinians

Israel’s Prime Minister, Netanyahu, has started a 4 day tour of European cities. The first stop is London, where he will meet with George Mitchell, Obama’s adviser on the Middle East peace process.

So will the European leaders seriously pressure their guest over settlements? From the Israeli perspective, it often seems that they deal with the Palestinian counterparts with kid gloves, rarely demanding similar concessions. How about some Arab recognition of Israel’s right to exist, come the shouts form Jerusalem.

This outlook devolves into satire. As Israelis say, what would have happened if Moses had gone East at Jericho? Then, who would have had the oil?

The cleantech revolution gives Israel a chance to convert those jokes into modern political reality.

According to a new report, Israel’s oil imports in 2008 dropped significantly. In fact, “Israel could cut its oil imports by 20%, saving $1 billion a year at current prices, through energy conservation and the sophisticated use of electricity and fuel in more efficient and cheaper ways.”

Consumption of oil products by Israel and the Palestinian Authority has been falling steadily. Oil consumption was 11.4 million tons in 2008, 2% less than in 2007, and 8% less than in 2003. The report expects this downward trend to continue in the coming years, with the completion of the national natural gas infrastructure and the hook-up of power stations and major industrial plants to the natural gas pipeline.

Now, where Israel leads, what would happen if Western oil guzzlers were to follow? And how would that impact on the agenda for Netanyahu’s European chat show?

Worth a thought.

Israeli biotech firms ignore recession

24 August 2009
2 Comments
Categories: Business, Israel, Jerusalem

Down the road from me in Jerusalem, a 10-storey high research complex is nearing completion. Its structure may be out of place n the landscape, but the capital’s new biotech research facility will fit in well to its surroundings.

Jerusalem’s Hebrew University has a strong science tradition, dating back nearly 100 years. The city and its satellite towns have attracted a high ratio of academics in recent decades, particularly from Russia, USA and Britain. And the government grants Jerusalem start ups Grade A status in terms of public sector financial support.

What goes in Jerusalem can also be found in other parts of the country. D-Pharm in Rehovot has just raised around US$23 million in a rights and shares offering. Protalix is finishing Phase III trials, edging towards a billion dollar plus market.

If that is not exciting enough, the Office of the Chief Scientist has launched a tender for a National Biotech Fund, projecting to add hundreds of millions of extra investment to the industry.

No downturn here.

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