Author: Gavriel Dan

Gavriel Dan spent a number of years covering social movements in Israel, the wider middle east and Europe. He is considered an expert in embedding himself with various groups and causes in order to get accurate and rich information.
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Netanyahu Meets With Yahya Cholil Staquf, Indonesian Islamic Leader

Yahya Cholil Staquf, Top Indonesian Cleric with 60 Million Followers says to Lead with Mercy when visitin Prime Minister Netanyahu

Leading Muslim cleric Yahya Cholil Staquf, the General Secretary of the global Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama took time to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu during the cleric’s visit to Israel.



Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following on meeting Yahya Cholil Staquf:

“Israel is the innovation nation, and I’m very happy to see that the Arab countries and many Muslim countries getting closer to Israel. I hope that we have some movement with Indonesia.”

In response, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Fahri Hamzah proposed to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a fatwa banning Muslims, especially Muslims in Indonesia, from coming to the territory occupied by Israel.

“In order to avoid the same incident, then MUI needs to issue a fatwa banning a visit to Israel. Because, it violates our national commitment to liberate Palestine.”

“In fact, every day they commit crimes and conduct colonialism and oppression,” he said.

While this reaction is not surprising, there is an opposite trend as more and more Sunni states are opening up to dealing with Israel.

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Israel and Latin America: Continuing Their Growing Partnership

Prime Minister Netanyahu met with a delegation of chairpersons of foreign affairs committees of Latin American parliaments and noted he is due to fly to Guatemala this November for a regional meeting. This meeting continues the growing partnerships Israel has in Latin America.  Evidence of this was on full display as Guatemala and Paraguay both moved their embassies to Jerusalem after the USA became the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Will Latin America Be Israel’s New Africa?

With the large amount of believing Christians in Latin America, most being pro-Israel, there is clear evidence that the same sort of synergy that catipulted Israel and Sub-Saharan African relationships exists in there as well.  Israel’s growing partnerships with a variety of countries in Latin America provide it with new markets and partners who are hungry for Israeli know-how and technological innovation.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following to the delegation:

“You’re very welcome here. Our relations with the countries of Latin America are obviously changing very rapidly for the better. I’m very proud of the fact that I was the first Israeli prime minister to visit any country south of Texas.

I had an opportunity to go first to Argentina, then to Colombia, then to Mexico. And I intend to have another meeting in November, September. We’re going to Guatemala for a regional meeting, so I’ll have the opportunity to meet the leaders of all your countries.

You’re all parliamentarians, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re all ambassadors. Now you’re ambassadors of Israel and of the truth. Please convey to your fellow citizens, this is very important, for us and people who know Israel as it is.

Here’s something about Israel. You’re sitting now in the seat of the Israeli government. It’s here in Jerusalem. Right next to us, is the Knesset, our parliament. It’s in Jerusalem. Right next to that is the Supreme Court. It’s in Jerusalem. The President’s house is in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. We are very …And it will always be the capital of Israel. It’s been the capital of Israel for three thousand years. This is a description of our government under King Solomon, the son of King David, three thousand years ago. Jerusalem has been our capital for three thousand years and it will be our capital.

I’m very glad that Guatemala has moved its embassy. I’m very glad that Paraguay has moved its embassy. And I ask you, as well as being Israel’s ambassadors, to ask your governments to move their embassies to Jerusalem. So we can say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’.”



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Israel and Italy: 15 Million Shekel Cooperation in Innovation

The Israel-Italy Joint Innovation Council for Industrial, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation in R&D, in which both the Israel Innovation Authority and Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space participate, has decided to promote eight academic and six industrial cooperative projects, funded by both governments at a sum of 15 million shekels per year, over the course of two years.

“Investment in joint research leads to a threefold return on investment.”

Israeli Minister of Science, Technology, and Space Ofir Akunis said: “Investment in joint research leads to a threefold return on investment. Italy understands the value of investing together with Israel, and is indeed seeking to expand this cooperation. Like many other countries around the world, Italy is interested in joint ventures and has tightened its science and technology ties to Israel.”

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen said: “The bilateral Israeli-Italian cooperation is among our most fruitful. Throughout 17 years of cooperation, some 100 projects have been funded in the industrial sphere, and dozens more in the scientific arena. A large portion of these projects have reached commercialization, and cooperation between the two sides has proven to be quite beneficial to participating companies. In light of this, both governments are highly committed to continuing this level of cooperation.”

Within this framework of scientific cooperation, universities and research institutes from both countries have been working together on research in selected fields. The eight approved scientific projects will be published by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space for researchers in the fields of marine biology and marine agriculture and the physics of complex systems.  In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space will help fund the establishment of joint bio-robotics laboratories in its first phases at a cost of 8 million shekels.

In the field of industrial cooperation, approved projects are in such areas as: innovative manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical development, cybersecurity and transportation. The Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD), under the auspices of the Israel Innovation Authority, is responsible for coordinating cooperation on the Israeli side.

Calls for proposals for next year’s industrial and scientific R&D cooperation will be published in June 2018, and requests for funding can be submitted until the end of October 2018.

Both parties agreed to expand joint activities including workshops, seminars and other events in order to deepen cooperation between companies, universities, and research institutions from both countries. The council has also decided to once again award the Rita Levi-Montalcini Prize, which will enable outstanding scientists from both Italy and Israel to benefit from scholarships from one another’s country.

Israel and Italy will also expand their collaboration as part of the Horizon 2020 program, with the two countries increasing cooperation to promote startups from both countries. Horizon 2020 is the pan-European program for cooperation in research, development, and innovation, and is considered the largest R&D program in the world. Some €80 billion are being invested in research from 2014-2020 as part of Horizon 2020.

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Israel Preparing to Lead in Global Smart Mobility

New pilot program intended to promote companies that will impact the state of transportation in Israel and the world

The goal of Israel’s new pilot program in transportation is to help promote companies aimed at improving transportation and to develop Israel’s hi-tech industry through technological innovation in the field of traffic systems and transportation infrastructure.

Technological spheres within the pilot program include, among others: autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, connected vehicles, ridesharing and carpooling models, monitoring technologies and processing of traffic data, innovative methods of operating transportation services, reducing traffic congestion and collisions, minimizing the use of oil and encouraging use of public transportation.

Other goals of the program include:

  • Developing and implementing innovative technologies and paradigms that will improve the state of transportation and develop Israel’s world-leading innovation industry.
  • Making transportation systems more efficient in Israel and around the world.
  • Creating and growing sustainable companies in the field of transportation through the promotion of innovative technological solutions.

Israeli Minister of Transportation and Minister of Intelligence, Yisrael Katz, noted that:

“Creating pilot programs in an environment simulating real-world transportation conditions will allow Israeli startups to develop rapidly and penetrate markets more quickly. In addition, the project will improve the government’s regulatory capabilities and its ability to adapt to rapid developments. The Transportation Ministry will continue to spearhead the effort to make the State of Israel a hub of innovation for the future of transportation and smart technology. Technology is progressing by leaps and bounds, and it is our governmental duty to guide these advances from a regulatory standpoint so that they can be implemented as soon as possible.”



Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen, said:

“While Israel’s innovation ecosystem has become a global role model, this has yet to seep into Israel’s own transportation system, which will continue to face significant challenges for the near future. We believe that Israel’s transportation system needs a significant boost and by launching this pilot program, we are enabling the industry to open new avenues, and for startup companies in the transportation sector to grow and mature. This revolutionary program is an important step towards connecting the success of Israel’s hi-tech industry with the transportation industry. The program will enable companies to make significant progress developing solutions for commercialization by running tests in the pilot stage.”

In continuation of government resolution (No. 2316) regarding the establishment of a national program for smart transportation, the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, the Fuel Choices and Smart Mobility Initiative in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Israel Innovation Authority are jointly launching this program to support technological innovation – in particular pilot programs for new technologies and new paradigms for transportation systems.

It will be the first time that the Israel Innovation Authority will be funding such pilot programs as part of its strategy to support comprehensive scaling of companies. The Ministry of Transportation will offer additional support by helping the companies with the regulatory requirements needed to carry out their pilots and by increasing access to new fields of activity – moves that will also enable the government to innovate its regulatory approach, to swiftly adapt to technological change, and to foster steady and balanced growth for startups as well as the Israeli economy.

The program is intended for Israeli tech companies in the field of transportation. They will receive financial support of 20%-50% for approved R&D expenses – with additional support of up to 75% of R&D expenses for projects which can demonstrate significant potential to streamline and improve transportation within Israel. The program will help offset the risks involved in R&D, without taking a stake in future profits. Companies will return their grants to the Israel Innovation Authority via royalties from sales only if an initiative has been commercialized.

Criteria for joining the program include: level of technological innovation and uniqueness of a pilot; level of difficulty and technological challenge; a company’s capabilities including management’s ability to lead a program to commercial success; the economic-business growth potential of a company if the pilot succeeds; the overall technological and vocational potential to the Israeli economy; the overall effect a project can have on improving transportation in Israel and making it more efficient – in particular, reducing traffic congestion and collisions, reducing oil dependence and encouraging a transition to public transportation; level of regulatory viability in implementing a proposal; quality of the pilot program – including the level of the test site and the synergy between the company and the site; and the pilot program’s potential benefits to the company itself in terms of its go-to-market and commercialization strategies.

Chief Scientist at the Israel Ministry of Economy and Industry and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, Dr. Ami Appelbaum, said:

“In order to put an autonomous vehicle on the road, you need the regulatory approval of the Ministry of Transportation. When you design software to control the traffic light system, you also need cooperation from the ministry. This new program will provide solutions to these issues: a dedicated internal team will examine tech companies with new technological developments and will help fast track requests for regulatory approvals to support these innovative technologies. The goal of the program is to provide tech companies with funding for the advanced stages of development necessary for commercializing new innovations and introducing them to the market. It is intended to provide access to infrastructure, data and sites where government has access and regulatory oversight, which are less accessible for this very reason. This way, companies can test and develop innovative technologies in these arenas, with government agencies promoting regulation to support these initiatives. The moment we create more forward-thinking regulation better suited to these new technologies, we open the door for tech companies to undertake tests that were not possible in the past, and we create an opportunity to forge innovative regulations for the entire Israeli economy for the future.”

Aharon Aharon, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, said:

“Operating programs and pilots in real-time environments with adapted regulation will allow Israeli technology companies to offer proof of concept and quickly penetrate markets, thus helping them grow into large-scale companies in Israel. In addition, the commercialization of innovative technologies in Israel will improve the local market and the government’s regulatory capabilities and will help government entities help propel tech companies from idea to commercialization. The claim is often made that regulation and not technology is what prevents our world from transforming in the way many technology leaders are predicting. For this purpose, the Israel Innovation Authority is joining together with the transportation industry to spur the type of innovation which has advanced beyond the laboratory towards trial environments by focusing on such pilots.”