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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[WATCH] Jordan’s King is Beginning to Feel the Heat

Below is a series of videos put together by the Jordanian Opposition Coalition which is led by Mudar Zahran.  They were filmed from inside Jordan showing a growing protest movement from ordinary Jordanians against their king and his family.

A majority of Jordanians are Palestinianss, which has led many to believe that it is far better to focus on making Jordan Palestine. If the protests continue to gain steam then it is reasonable to assume that the next ruler of Jordan may very well be a Palestinian, thus ending the conflict once and for all with Israel.

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Liat Sade-Sternberg: “The Israeli startup ecosystem is a very supportive and very welcoming environment.”

As part of my ongoing series of interviews with up and coming Israeli tech leader I had the opportunity to sit down with Liat Sade-Sternberg,  CEO and Fuse.it.

Hi Liat.  Thank you for speaking with us.

How has the road from early stage startup to a growth stage company been in the tech industry?

Everything as a startup is challenging. In order to stick around and create value for your company, you have to be creative and fast moving every step of the way. Once you can actually see there is an opportunity and changes in the market, you have to react very fast. The road from Fusic to fuse.it was an immediate reaction once we understood there was a better opportunity in our industry.

Due to Israel’s reputation in the hi-tech scene, do you feel extra pressure to succeed?

I don’t necessarily think there’s an extra pressure to succeed, but I think that the Israeli startup ecosystem is a very supportive and very welcoming environment. There are so many other startups and people in your shoes that it helps you gain the confidence to get it done. The pressure is common for most of the startups – getting funding, hiring the most suitable team members etc. The main differentiation in the Israeli ecosystem is when you market in the US and you have to be closer to your market.

How has being a female entrepreneur in the tech industry affected your success?

It’s hard to tell. When discussing fuse.it, I don’t speak about myself as a female leading a startup, I just lead the startup as anyone else would. The main difference I have encountered isn’t because I am a female, it’s because I am a mom. Getting drinks after work is not something that I’ll typically do with other entrepreneurs or investors because I am going home to my kids. I am more focused during my day and try to be very efficient on the job.

What was the moment in time when you began to believe in your startup? Like this is going to succeed.

From the very beginning. If you don’t believe in it from the start, you won’t be able to take it to the next level. It’s your job to convince brands and investors that your product will give them value. If you can’t see the value from the start – you will have a very hard time convincing others to see it too.

How did you come up with the idea for Fuse.it?

There were a few indications that led to the idea of fuse.it. We had the music experience from the past with Fusic, but as we remade the app – we saw a need for other content, such as entertainment and videos. It’s great to interact with music, but so many people don’t know how to sing and are happy to engage with other content. This gave us the idea to take the product that we already had and expand it into something bigger. Before we did that we had meetings with potential partners, demos that we shared with users and once we had the right indications we started to move.

Can you tell us about it?

The everyday user cannot create viral or unique UGC, only 1% of the users actively create new content, while the other 99% of the participants only lurk. The fuse.it app brings viral UGC creation abilities to the everyday user, using patented AR, audio and aftereffect technology with one-click experience for the end user.

fuse.it users can interact with a range of different 3D animated characters and personalities, to easily create unique, funny and quirky videos. With just one tap the characters come to life, enabling users to record themselves interacting with them in their own surroundings to create videos they can share with their friends. The fuse.it proprietary solution automatically utilizes single camera footage to project the augmented reality characters in the app.




Additionally, fuse.it allows people to become part of their favorite videos and pop culture, such as memes and breaking news clips, by letting users insert themselves directly into the action and dictate how scenes play out. Users can have ‘conversations’ with politicians and media personalities, sing and dance with celebrities, become part of famous memes and create their own viral news clips. fuse.it technology allows users to be blended into any video in real-time using smart camera input manipulation, from 3D transformation to color effects and more.

What are your future plans for Fuse.it?

Our main focus in the coming months is to grow and bring on board more partners.

Do you have advice for young entrepreneurs?

Listen to the feedback you get from users, potential investors and potential partners.

Do deep research on the market before you jump into the venture.

Meet with the people you’re targeting with your startup.

THEN start working on it. It’s easy for YOU to fall in love with your start up, the hard part is convincing others to as well.

Find good mentors and people with experience and involve them in your dream, it will save you a lot of time and mistakes.

TEAM – hire the smartest and most talented people to join your team.

Thanks so much Liat and best of luck.

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Two Congressman Detained While Visiting the Temple Mount

Congressmen David McKinley of Virginia and Scott Tipton of Colorado and their wives were detained along with their wives by Israeli police after a compaint by the Islamic Wakf that they picked up an Olive Branch.

Although Israel has security control over the Temple Mount, the Israeli government has allowed the Jordanian run Islamic Wakf to essentially determine the rules for non Islamic visitors to the site.  The Temple Mount is the holiest site to Jews and is the focus of their prayers.

“The situation on the Temple Mount has reached a new low,” said Im Tirtzu Director of Policy Alon Schvartzer. “This is a disgraceful reality that has long crossed the point of absurdity, and we cannot allow it to continue.” “Israel must remember that it has sovereignty over the Temple Mount, and not the Waqf. The time has come to provide freedom of worship to Jews, Christians and all those who wish to worship peacefully on the Temple Mount.”

Watch a Video of the visit by Avi Abelow below:




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HISTORY MADE: Israel Officially Recognizes Ethiopian Kesim as Religious Leaders

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser)

The ministerial committee on the integration of Israeli citizens of Ethiopian origin chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Monday, 19 February 2018), in an historic step, approved a decision to – for the first time – provide for the status of the overall religious services for Israeli citizens of Ethiopian origin.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, “At today’s meeting we will finally provide for the status of the kesim who have led the Ethiopian Jewish community for hundreds of years. This arrangement should have been implemented a long time ago, and I am pleased that we have the opportunity to do so now. I think this is part of the same step, the same package of steps that we are enacting to aid our brothers and sisters in the Ethiopian Jewish community. The change is very welcome and there will also be other things that we will do at this meeting.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu added, “The heritage of Israel is a mosaic of many communities. This community has a special status precisely because it kept this heritage even in complete isolation. I find this moving and close to my heart. Therefore, this is an historic undertaking. We will continue this important journey for all of us, for our brothers and sisters.”

The outline that was approved includes a historic recognition of the kesim as spiritual shepherds for Ethiopian Jews and thereby provides for their status as part of the package of religious services. This step constitutes recognition of the ancient and unique heritage of Jews of Ethiopian origin, also in the area of religious services.

The decision also includes an orderly outline for the integration of rabbis of Ethiopian origin into religious councils so as to bring about their optimal integration in the network of religious services and to improve religious services available to Israeli citizens of Ethiopian origin as well as to the general public.




Construction and Housing Minister Yoav Galant briefed the committee on the successful implementation of the mortgage assistance plan for families of Ethiopian origin and the urban renewal plan. Under the plan, NIS 120 million has been allocated for housing loans to 200 families and couples of Ethiopian origin per annum, for four years.

In 2017, the first year of the plan, 184 couples and families used the assistance to purchase apartments in communities throughout the country. Additional families and couples are in the process of applying for the assistance. In order to facilitate optimal realization of the assistance, couples are also entitled to advice in purchasing apartments and taking mortgages from the Israel Interest-free Loan Fund. Regarding the urban renewal plan, achievements in five neighborhoods – at an overall investment of NIS 120 million over five years – were presented. Since the plan was approved last month, agreements have been signed with the three local councils where the neighborhoods are located.

Regarding the ministerial committee:

93% (66 out of 71) actions set by the committee have been implemented to date.

The ministerial committee monitors all actions under the government plan for integrating Israelis of Ethiopian origin. The plan includes 71 actions worth NIS 165 million per annum (not including housing). The actions are being implemented by ten ministries and agencies and entail all aspects of life. Among the plans approved by the committee: Scholastic enrichment in order to increase matriculation eligibility, boosting efforts to locate gifted and outstanding students and integrating them into appropriate frameworks, increasing the number of IDF and Israel Police officers, integrating academics into high-paying private sector jobs, and issuing subsidy coupons for children’s extra-curricular activities (since last September over 3,500 children have been participating in a variety of arts-and-crafts, music, sports and science activities).

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New Report: European Governments Funding Efforts to Demolish Netiv Ha’avot Neighborhood

The left-wing organizations spearheading the legal battle against the Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood in Gush Etzion have received over 47 million shekels from foreign governments over the past several years, according to a new report released by the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu.

In 2016 the High Court of Justice ruled that 17 structures in Netiv Ha’avot neighborhood, including 15 homes, a carpentry shop and monument for fallen IDF soldiers, were not built on state land and must be demolished by March 6th.

According to the Im Tirtzu report, the legal battle over Netiv Ha’avot began in 2008 when left-wing NGO “Peace Now” filed a petition to the High Court of Justice contesting the neighborhood’s legality.

Multiple petitions against the neighborhood have since been filed by “Peace Now” and “Yesh Din,” including a petition against the relocation of the 15 families to portions of the neighborhood built on state land.

The report states that “Peace Now” and “Yesh Din” have received over 47 million shekels ($13.4 million) from foreign governments and entities, including the European Union, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Norway, Holland and Switzerland.

Im Tirtzu contends that this funding is part of an ongoing effort by European governments to undermine the policy of the Israeli government by means of anti-Zionist Israeli NGOs.

“It is inconceivable that European governments operate in Israel’s judicial system by means of radical anti-Israel NGOs, rather than going through the proper diplomatic channels,” said Im Tirtzu Chairman Matan Peleg.

“This European attempt to alter Israel’s internal policy not only harms Israeli sovereignty, but is an affront to the Israeli public who democratically elected its government. This subversive activity and use of lawfare against Israel must end immediately.”