-Jul-
31
Israel - More Than Just a Little Country in the Desert, A World Leader on Many Different Fronts (Technorati) Technorati | (Del.icio.us) Del.icio.us | (Digg) Digg | (Blinklist) Blinklist | (Comment) Comments (21)

I wanted to share with you an article sent to me that might help you understand more about Israel, their history and why it's truely amazing that they continue to endure despite being under such heavy economic pressures.


Israel the 100th smallest country, with less than 1/1000th of the world's population, can lay claim to the following:

The cell phone was developed in Israel by Israelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola, which has its largest development center in Israel.

Most of the Windows NT and XP operating systems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.

The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designed in Israel at Intel.

Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and the Centrino processor were entirely designed, developed and produced in Israel.

The Pentium microprocessor in your computer was most likely made in Israel.

Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their only R&D facilities outside the US in Israel.

The technology for the AOL Instant Messenger ICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world (after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force has an aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is the largest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.

Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all of its immediate neighbors combined.

Israel has the highest percentage in the world of home computers per capita.

According to industry officials, Israel designed the airline industry's most impenetrable flight security. US officials now look (finally) to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world and the highest number of physicians per capita to the population in the world.

Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin - 109 per 10,000 people -- as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.

In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number of startup companies than any other country in the world, except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).

With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups, Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.

Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venture capital funds right behind the U.S.

Outside the United States and Canada, Israel has the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.

Israel has the highest average living standards in the Middle East.

The per capita income in 2000 was over $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech startups.

Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees, ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000 Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia, to safety in Israel.

When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.

When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved three victims from the rubble.

Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship -- and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity (hundreds of thousands from the former Soviet Union).

Israel was the first nation in the world to adopt the Kimberly process, an international standard that certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.

Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation, diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

An Israeli company developed a computerized system for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment. Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.

Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestible video camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to view the small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.

Researchers in Israel developed a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device is synchronized with the camera helps doctors diagnose heart's mechanical operations through a sophisticated system of sensors.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000, as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan, and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% of its work force employed in technical professions. Israel places first in this category as well.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel, the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity, ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light that causes acne bacteria to self-destruct -- all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop and install a large-scale solar-powered and fully functional electricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.


All the above while engaged in regular wars with an implacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having to spend more per capita on its own protection than any other
country on earth.

21 Comments - Post your comment below.


Aryeh
Jul. 31, 2006

Since 1973, the US has given Israel over $1.6 trillion. It's not too hard to flourish when you are given all the money necessary to do so.

"Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East."

Israel is also the only liberal democracy in the world that has racial requirements for citizenship, relegating almost a third of its population to subordinate status. Hardly a beacon of freedom and equality.

I usually enjoy this site, but I find this myopic view of Israel unsettling.


Chad
Jul. 31, 2006

Aryeh,
Thank you for your comments. I love when individuals shed new light on articles I have read that challenge the article's findings/statements. It is very tough to argue against your point. Thanks again for sharing.


jhan
Jul. 31, 2006

Blah, blah, blah ... but where's its heart?


chris
Jul. 31, 2006

Talking about money? well most of the nations around them has a lot of money in the form of oil but still lags so much behind Israel.

As for the racial requirements, they are just trying to protect themselves from citizens that would be traitors in the end.


KarmaDude
Jul. 31, 2006

You might want to check some of the facts, like cell phone for example was developed by Martin Cooper, voice mail was invented by Gordon Matthews so on. Windows XP and NT were probably localized for hebrew, not actuall developed.

You can google to fact check.


jhan
Jul. 31, 2006

"Make poverty history"? Absolutely!!! Let's start with the dispossessed Palestinians living as 3rd-class citizens on their own land.


chris
Aug. 1, 2006

Facts? well for sure i know that Albert Einstein is a Jew. The same blood with the ones that is now living in israel.

Israel do want to live in peace in harmony but thier neighbors are just blinded with hatred and jealousy.

Look at the wars waged since Israel was born. and yet they still gave 98% of the west bank.. and later gaza strip.. and still more would have been given. but what do they get in return. rockets.

ooppss.. remember the recent conflict was not started by Israel.


chris
Aug. 1, 2006

Just for information:

Dealing with subjects ranging from plant genetics and blight control to arid-zone cultivation, Israel's agricultural R&D has developed science-based technologies which have brought about dramatic increases in the quantity and quality of the country's produce...

lol..
they produce more per area of land than anywhere else in the world..

call that fact..

and more.. that land they are planting at is more than half desert...


Samer Farhat
Aug. 2, 2006

...which is why Israel is diverting water away from their neighbors. Taking water from neighbors is not really something to be proud of in my opinon.

"Almost half of the water currently used in Israel is captured, diverted or preempted from its neighbors."

Source: http://gurukul.ucc.american.edu/ted/ice/litani.htm


chris
Aug. 5, 2006

the site your refering to is about the litani river. israel already returned the captured land from lebanon years back.


Samer Farhat
Aug. 5, 2006

Currently Israel is going after the Litani River as part of their "buffer zone." And secondly, that article does discuss Israel's sources of water in general, not just the Litani River. If you need more sources, I'd be happy to provide them. It's no secret that Israel has diverted water from its neighbors.


chris
Aug. 9, 2006

The Galilee and the Coastal Aquifer are both entirely within the pre-1967 borders of Israel, and both were extensively developed and used by Jewish residents even during the period of the British Mandate (that is, well before 1948)


chris
Aug. 9, 2006

Nobody can lay claim to water just because you are sitting on it. Do the mountains own the water that falls on them?

over 40 MCM (million cubic meters) of water per year from sources within Israel is piped over the Green Line for Palestinian use in the West Bank. Ramallah, for example, receives over 5 MCM annually from Israeli sources. Israel sends another 4 MCM annually over its border for Palestinian use in the Gaza Strip. Thus, it is the Palestinians who are using Israeli water


chris
Aug. 9, 2006

And not just the Palestinians. Despite its own meager supply, Israel annually provides 600,000 CM of water to ten otherwise dry villages in South Lebanon, and, as a favor to the late King Hussein, more than 55 MCM annually to Jordan. Perhaps no other country, facing the severe shortages that Israel does, has shared so much water with so many of its neighbors.


chris
Aug. 9, 2006

how can u say going after that israel is going after the litani river?

israel was attacked first. 3000 rockets raining down and just sit?

my symphathy to those who are suffering. but it is a big mistake to harbor kidnappers and terrorist amongst themselves.


sam
Mar. 3, 2007

Very nice article, I have read another article in spanish that shows that a HUGE amount of scientific discovered were made by jews! I hope no "real holocaust" ever takes place for that would mean our world technology would drop. If you hate jews, just ignore them please, it's true they are weird but not that much. Let them delight you with discoveries!

It's true Israel also has its not-nice parts, but, can you name one country that doesn't? It's a matter of how you want to interpret the facts.

The more I see how the palestinian enemies of Israel lie about Israel I think, how hard it must be to keep up hope in such a situation. Israel, keep it up! Don't let the empty words get you down! God watches and judges those with right heart, and you are not the troublemakers for sure as your intentions are peace and whoever denies this is a lier.


Mark
Oct. 12, 2007

Aryeh, please review your $$ figures of us Aid. Ct that to around 70 billion since 1948 and you would be MUCH closer to the total. US also provides 2+ billion to Egypt ad around a billion to Jordan each year. What do these two countries have to show for the $$ given by the US?

hmm?

Karma, Microsoft Israel has been a major software development center for Microsoft since 1991 and yes, major parts of NT and XP were indeed developed in Israel.

As for Intel chips... The Yonah chip was developed in Israel. The Core 2 chips were in large part further developments of the Israeli chip development work. That's why Israel is one of, if not the largest foreign R&D AND production centers for Intel.

Water.. Israel actually provides around 250MCM to West Bank and Gaza. Yes, Israel retrieves water from the aquifers, but Israel also makes certain the rate of use is sustainable to ensure they are not tainted with salt water from the Med. Unfortunately, illegal wells in both gaza and West Bank, against Oslo accords, threaten to destroy both aquifers. This is a large part of the reason Israel is building desalination plants to produce 400MCM of fresh water per annum. Unfortunately, they will likely need to double this capacity within 5 years due to destruction of the aquifers.

Actually, Chris, the Coastal aquifer flows under Gaza and into Sinai, hence the rapid deterioration of the aquifer.

As for irrigation... large tracts of land are irrigated with brackish water and recovered wastewater. The plants being irrigated were hybridized and developed by Israeli scientists for this purpose in Israel as they recognized the dire water hortage, especially with 4+ years of drout


leif
Apr. 29, 2009

I'm writing a paper on the topic right now, and I must say this has been a great resource.
Before one looks to criticize israel, why dont you look at what they have done for the world in comparison to their neighbours.


hammad
Jun. 7, 2009

after all this does israel have proper border? so we all can reccognise as country. being in lebanon. syria and palestine land is fair inough to say israel is little country in the desert and as new romans who controll the world with their mind freak power.


Avi A
Oct. 26, 2009

About the water, Israel owns this water based on an agreement called Sikes Picko which divided the middle east...


Oggy
Mar. 10, 2010

No, Hammad, they're not new romans but old hebrews. And they're back, too bad for you.
As for Palestine, I know of no such country and neither do the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and so on.

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