Signs of the Times

Investment in Israeli Venture Capital Drops

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Israeli venture capital firms are finding it difficult to find investors for the country’s high-tech sector, a recent report found. Venture capital funds function as a bridge between investors and start-up companies requiring initial investments to develop new products and services. According to a report by the Israeli Venture Capital Research Center (IVCRC), 2009 was the third worst year in the last decade for the country’s venture capital funds, as only US $228 million was raised compared to US $803 in 2008, a drop of 72%.

UNICEF Supports Palestinian Hate Ad

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Donor organizations to the Palestinian Authority [PA] have been challenged for years to prevent their well-intentioned contributions from being directed towards hate promotion by the PA, its institutions, and its NGOs.

Mauritania Cuts Ties with Israel

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Israel’s last official ambassador to Mauritania said he was surprised by the country’s announcement that it had completely severed ties with the Jewish state. “To be honest,” Boaz Bismut told The Media Line, “I didn’t believe it would happen because I knew the relations were something good and had positive consequences on both sides.

New Gas Masks Distributed

In February, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began the long-anticipated distribution of gas masks to all of Israel’s residents, according to a report on the IDF Web site. Though masks have been distributed before—most notably in conjunction with the First Gulf War in 1991 when Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles at Israel—the masks have needed to be upgraded.

IDF Simulates Biological Attack

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In January, the Israel Defense Forces [IDF] Medical Corps held a drill to simulate a mass casualty biological weapons attack in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area.

UNIFIL Finds Bombs near Lebanon

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Members of the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon report finding a number of bombs planted near the border with the Israeli town of Metula. Described as sophisticated and well made, the weapons each contained about 660 pounds [272 kilograms]  of explosives and are believed to have been set to kill Israeli soldiers entering Lebanese territory, presumably in pursuit of cross-border raiders from Hizbullah.

Keeping a Strong Israeli Border Presence

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Israel will maintain a strong military presence along the eastern border of the Palestinian state—its border with Jordan—once it’s created, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He told foreign reporters in Jerusalem that “the ability to proliferate into contiguous areas thousands of rockets and missiles” creates a “monumental security problem.”

Missiles: From Iran to Tel Aviv

{image_1}BEFORE THE DUST SETTLES from Israel's attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities, the Islamic Republic will send its ballistic missiles into the very heart of Tel Aviv. This was spelled out by a deputy of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's representative in the Revolutionary Guards, Mojtaba Zolnour.

Israel Barred from Turkish Air Space

{image_1}TURKEY, which has recently made political maneuverings to mediate future peace talks between Israel and Syria, warned of dire consequences for Israel if it used Turkish air space against Iran. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would respond harshly if Israel were to infiltrate its air space in an attempt to spy on Iran..

Israel Blasts UN Report

{image_1} ISRAEL BLASTED THE UNITED NATIONS fact-finding mission report, also known as the Goldstone Report—on Israel’s Operation Cast Lead campaign in the Gaza Strip—which declared Israel and Hamas both guilty of actions that amount to war crimes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site said that the report “effectively ignores Israel's right of self defense, makes unsubstantiated claims about its intent, and challenges Israel's democratic values and rule of law.”