Mehdi Hasan

Mehdi Hasan’s polemical take on politics, economics and foreign affairs

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Answering John Rentoul - on Iran, Israel and the never-ending nuclear debate

Iran Watch, part 6.

683 comments

Mariella's picture

We would do well to remind ourselves of what Jon Baron said in relation to the Iran nuclear crisis:

The catalyst for the most recent round of condemnation of Iran has been the IAEA's latest report. However, close reading of the report reveals no 'smoking gun'. There is no evidence of attempts to produce nuclear weapons, or of a decision to do so. Much is made of western intelligence reports. But Iraq should have taught us to be careful of basing major foreign policy decisions on secret intelligence.

A second inconvenient truth relates to the usual depiction of Iran as intransigent and chauvinistic in her foreign policy. Western governments too easily forget that Iran is not totally at fault here. There have been opportunities to better relations between Iran and the west which the west has spurned. We forget Iran expressed solidarity with the US following 9/11, and that attempts were made to develop contacts during the early stages of the Afghan war. Her reward was to be declared part of the "Axis of Evil" by President Bush. This led directly to the removal of the reformist President Khatami. Despite this, further attempts at cooperation followed in the run-up to the Iraq war, and these were similarly rebuffed.

Christian's picture

I for one am tired of hearing about this nuclear business between Iran and Israel. WHy can't the world get together and inspect both of them.

jankaas's picture

"The truth is Jankaas is that these so called supporters of Israel on this page are giving Israel a bad name."

i know Jeremy. when the mood takes me i take the piss out of them, but that too get's boring. best not feed the trolls...ttfn

Dan's picture

Martin the single state solution I think is likly to be the eventual solution but it will be difficult and evolve over decades. However it should not be beyond the pale to discuss it as an option.

Should Jewish people be allowed to live in Israel/Palestine answer of course.
Should Arabic Christian and Moslem people whether Palestinian or Bedouin/Druze be allowed to live in Israel/Palestine, answer of course.

Can you produce 2 separate states living in harmony, I would like to think so, but think it is increasingly unlikely.

Can you produce a single democratic state between the river and the sea for all of its present residents, over time I would like to think so.

How do you get from here to there? I have not got a clue, but I do not see a Palestinian state viable without all of the West Bank and Gaza with trade and movement in and out of neighbouring Israel, and I do not see the settlers either getting out or being willing to be citizens of Palestine!

Getting to a one state solution without violence, I would love to think so but no there will be violence involved but there is violence now.

The issue is Iran demanding push all the Jews into the sea is unacceptable.
Iran demanding wipe out the Zionist regime in the way Soviet Union or Apartheid South Africa were wiped out, well I can understand why most Israelis see it as unacceptable, but why should anyone of any other nation care?

Haim's picture

Jews against Zionism: The Hidden Protest
Massive Media Cover-up!

http://www.realnews247.com/spec_rpt_jews_against_zionism.htm

Uncle Sam's picture

Julia and JJ, I think you must be the same person, you use the same spurious arguments that make no logical sense. I agree that there are muslim extremists who do not represent the whole of Islam, at the same time your own brand of extremism does not represent the whole of Judaism or Israeli politics- thank God! Why do you always resort to attacking muslims or arabs as a way to defend Israel? Its like the bully in the school who hits other kids because he was hit at home. Sad, sad, sad.

Alexander's picture

@agoodword

Pretty good scientific achievements for a "military garrison", would you not say, agoodword?

Science and technology in Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jerusalem Technology Park
Science and technology in Israel is one of the country's most developed sectors. The percentage of Israelis engaged in scientific and technological inquiry, and the amount spent on research and development (R&D) in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), is amongst the highest in the world.[1] Israel ranks fourth in the world in scientific activity as measured by the number of scientific publications per million citizens. Israel's percentage of the total number of scientific articles published worldwide is almost 10 times higher than its percentage of the world's population.[2]
Israeli scientists have contributed to the advancement of agriculture, computer sciences, electronics, genetics, medicine, optics, solar energy and various fields of engineering. Israel is home to major players in the high-tech industry and has one of the world's most technologically-literate populations.[3] In 1998, Tel Aviv was named by Newsweek as one of the ten most technologically influential cities in the world.[4] Since 2000, Israel has been a member of EUREKA, the pan-European research and development funding and coordination organization, and holds the rotating chairmanship of the organization for 2010-2011.[5][6]
Contents [hide]
1 History
2 Natural sciences
2.1 Environmental science
2.2 Space science
2.3 Physics
3 Applied sciences
3.1 Engineering
3.1.1 Aerospace engineering
3.1.2 Agricultural engineering
3.1.3 Computer engineering
3.1.4 Hydraulic engineering
3.1.5 Military engineering
3.2 Health sciences
3.2.1 Medicine and genetics
3.2.2 Biomedical engineering
3.2.3 Pharmaceuticals
4 Scientific research institutions
5 Technology transfer
6 Nobel Prize laureates
7 Leading high-tech companies
8 See also
9 References
10 Bibliography
11 External links
[edit]History

WEIZAC - the first modern electronic computer in Israel and the Middle East
Jewish settlement in Mandate Palestine was ideologically motivated. Return to the homeland was perceived as contingent on a return to the soil. To establish the rural villages that formed the core of Zionist ideology and produce self-supporting Jewish farmers, agronomic experiments were conducted.[7] The foundations of agricultural research in Israel were laid by the teachers and graduates of the Mikveh Yisrael School, the country's first agricultural school, established by the Alliance Israelite Universelle in 1870.[8] On a field trip to Mount Hermon in 1906, the agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn discovered Triticum dicoccoides, or emmer wheat, believed to be the "mother of all wheat." [9] In 1909, he founded an agricultural research station in Atlit where he built up an extensive library and collected geological and botanical samples.[10] The Agricultural Station, founded in Rehovot in 1921, engaged in soil research and other aspects of farming in the country's difficult climactic conditions.[11] This station, which became the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), is now Israel’s major institution of agricultural research and development.

Albert Einstein at the Technion; ca. 1925
In 1912, the first cornerstone of the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology was laid at a festive ceremony in Haifa which was then occupied by the Ottoman Empire. The Technion would become a unique university world wide in its claim to precede and create a nation. As Jews were often barred from Technical education in Europe,[12] the Technion claims to have brought the skills needed to build a modern state.[13]
Established before World War I, the Hebrew Health Station in Jerusalem, founded by Nathan Straus engaged in medical and public health research, operating departments for public hygiene, eye diseases and bacteriology.[14] The station manufactured vaccines against typhus and cholera, and developed methods of pest control to eliminate field mice. The Pasteur Institute affiliated with the station developed a rabies vaccine.[14] Departments for microbiology, biochemistry, bacteriology, and hygiene were opened at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, founded on Mount Scopus in 1925. In 1936, Jewish workers in the center of the country donated two-days' pay toward the establishment of the "Hospital of Judea and Sharon," later renamed Beilinson Hospital. In 1938, Beilinson established the country's first blood bank.[15]
The Rothschild-Hadassah University Hospital on Mount Scopus opened in 1939 and was the first teaching hospital and medical center in the country. Since renamed the Hadassah Medical Center, it has become a leader in medical research.[16]
Industrial research began at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, was also initiated at the Daniel Sieff Research Center, (later the Weizmann Institute of Science),established in 1934 in Rehovot. The Dead Sea Laboratories opened in the 1930s.
The first modern electronic computer in Israel and the Middle East, and one of the first large-scale, stored-program, electronic computers in the world, called WEIZAC, was built at the Weizmann Institute during 1954-1955, based on the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) architecture developed by John von Neumann.[17] WEIZAC has been recognized by the IEEE as a milestone in the history of electrical engineering and computing.[18]
IBM Israel, registered on June 8, 1950, was the country's first high-tech firm. The company, located on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, assembled and repaired punch card machines, sorting machines and tabulators. In 1956, a local plant was opened to produce punch cards, and a year later, the first service center opened, offering computerized data processing services.[19]
Scientific and technological research in Israel was boosted by the appointment of a chief scientist for the Industry and Trade Ministry at the recommendation of a committee headed by Ephraim Katzir, later president of Israel.[20] The Israeli government provided grants that covered 50–80 percent of the outlay for new start-ups, with no conditions, no shareholding and no participation in management.[20] In the early 1980s, Control Data Corporation, a partner in Elron Electronic Industries, formed the country's first venture capital firm.[20]
[edit]Natural sciences

[edit]Environmental science

The world's largest parabolic solar dish at the Ben-Gurion National Solar Energy Center.[21]
The country’s lack of conventional energy sources has spurred extensive research and development of alternative energy sources and Israel has developed innovative technologies in the solar energy field.[22] Israel has become the world's largest per capita user of solar water heaters in the home. A new, high-efficiency receiver to collect concentrated sunlight has been developed, which will enhance the use of solar energy in industry as well.[23]
In a 2009 report by the CleanTech Group, Israel ranked among the top 10 clean tech countries in the world, behind Denmark, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[24]
The Arrow Ecology company has developed the ArrowBio process a patented system which takes trash directly from collection trucks and separates organic and inorganic materials through gravitational settling, screening, and hydro-mechanical shredding. The system is capable of sorting huge volumes of solid waste, salvaging recyclables, and turning the rest into biogas and rich agricultural compost. The system is used in California, Australia, Greece, Mexico, the United Kingdom and in Israel. For example, an ArrowBio plant that has been operational at the Hiriya landfill site since December 2003 serves the Tel Aviv area, and processes up to 150 tons of garbage a day.[25]
In 2010, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology established the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP). This multidisciplinary task-force brings together Technion's top researchers in energy science and technology from over nine different faculties. GTEP's 4-point strategy targets research and development of alternative fuels; renewable energy sources; energy storage and conversion; and energy conservation. GTEP is presently the only center in Israel offering graduate studies in energy science and technology to bring the energy skills and know-how to address the energy challenges of the future.
According to water experts, pipe leakage is one of the major problems confronting the global water supply today. For Israel, which is two-thirds desert, water-saving technologies are of critical importance. The International Water Association has cited Israel as one of the leaders in innovative methods to reduce "nonrevenue water," i.e., water lost in the system before reaching the customer.[26]
[edit]Space science
See also: Israel Space Agency
During the 1970s and 1980s Israel began developing the infrastructure needed for research and development in space exploration and sciences. In November 1982, the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Yuval Ne'eman, established the Israel Space Agency (ISA), to coordinate and supervise a national space program. Because of geographical constraints, as well as safety considerations, the Israeli space program focuses on very small satellites loaded with payloads of a high degree of sophistication, and cooperation with other national space agencies.[27] The Technion Asher Space Research Institute plays a central role in educating the space engineers of the next generation.[28]

Ilan Ramon (June 20, 1954 – February 1, 2003) Israel's first astronaut
Israel launced its first satellite, Ofeq-1, from the locally built Shavit launch vehicle on September 19, 1988 and has made important contributions in a number of areas in space research, including laser communication, research into embryo development and osteoporosis in space, pollution monitoring, and mapping geology, soil and vegetation in semi-arid environments.[29]
Key projects include the TAUVEX telescope, the Tel Aviv University Ultra Violet Experiment, a UV telescope for astronomical observations which was developed in the 1990s to be accommodated on an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) geo-synchronous satellite GSAT-4, for joint operation and use by Indian and Israeli scientists; the VENUS micro-satellite, developed in collaboration with the French space agency, CNES, which will use an Israeli-developed space camera, electric space engine and algorithms; and MEIDEX (Mediterranean - Israel Dust Experiment), in collaboration with NASA.[30]
Ilan Ramon was Israel's first astronaut. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist onboard the fatal STS-107 mission of Space Shuttle Columbia, in which he and the six other crew members were killed in a re-entry accident over the southern United States. Ramon had been selected as a Payload Specialist in 1997 and trained at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, from 1998 until 2003.[31] Among other experiments, Ramon was responsible for the MEIDEX project in which he was required to take pictures of atmospheric aerosol (dust) in the Mediterranean area using a multispectral camera designed to provide scientific information about atmospheric aerosols and the influence of global changes on the climate, and data for the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instruments. Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) were responsible for the scientific aspect of the experiment. The TAU team also worked with a US company, Orbital Sciences Corporation, to construct and test special flight instruments for the project.[32]
In 2009 Israel was ranked 2nd among 20 top countries in space sciences by Thomson Reuters agency.[33]
[edit]Physics
A team of 50 Israeli scientists work full-time at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, which operates the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Israel was granted observer status in 1991, but is now in the process of being accepted as a full-fledged member. An Israeli delegation headed by President Shimon Peres visited the particle accelerator in 2011.[34]
[edit]Applied sciences

[edit]Engineering
[edit]Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering related to the country's defense needs has generated technological development with consequent civilian spin-offs. The Arava short take-off and landing (STOL) plane manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries was the first aircraft to be produced in Israel, in the late 1960s, for both military and civilian uses.[35] This was followed by the production of the Westwind business jet[36] from 1965–1987, and later variants, the Astra[37] and the Gulfstream G100, which are still in active service.
Israel is among the few countries capable of launching satellites into orbit and locally designed and manufactured satellites have been produced and launched by Israel Aerospace Industries(IAI), Israel's largest military engineering company, in cooperation with the Israel Space Agency. The AMOS-1 geostationary satellite began operations in 1996 as Israel's first commercial communications satellite. It was built primarily for direct-to-home television broadcasting, TV distribution and VSAT services. AMOS-2 was launched in December 2003 and a further series of AMOS communications satellites (AMOS 2 - 5i) are operated or in development by the Spacecom Satellite Communications company, headquartered in Ramat-Gan, Israel. Spacecom provides satellite telecommuncations services to countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.[38] Another satellite, the Gurwin-II TechSAT, designed and manufactured by the Technion, was launched in July 1998 to provide communications, remote sensing and research services. EROS, launched in 2000, is a non-geostationary orbit satellite for commercial photography and surveillance services.[39]
Israel also develops, manufactures, and exports a large number of related aerospace products, including display systems, aeronautical computers, instrumentation systems, drones and flight simulators. Israel's second largest defense company is Elbit Systems, which makes electro-optical systems for air, sea and ground forces; drones; control and monitoring systems; communications systems and more.[40]
The Technion - Israel Institute of Technology is home to the Asher Space Research Institute (ASRI), which is unique in Israel as a university-based center of space research. At ASRI, Israeli students designed, built and launched their own satellite: Gurwin TechSat.[41]
[edit]Agricultural engineering
Further information: Agricultural research in Israel

Anaerobic digesters at Hiriya waste facility
Israel’s agricultural sector is characterized by an intensive system of production stemming from the need to overcome the scarcity in natural resource, particularly water and arable land, in a country where more than half of its area is desert. The growth in agricultural production is based on close cooperation of scientists, farmers and agriculture-related industries and has resulted in the development of advanced agricultural technology, water-conserving irrigation methods, anaerobic digestion, greenhouse technology, desert agriculture and salinity research.[42] Israeli companies also supply irrigation, water conservation and greenhouse technologies and know-how to other countries.[43][44][45]
The modern technology of drip irrigation was invented in Israel by Simcha Blass and his son Yeshayahu. Instead of releasing water through tiny holes, blocked easily by tiny particles, water was released through larger and longer passageways by using velocity to slow water inside a plastic emitter. The first experimental system of this type was established in 1959 when Blass partnered with Kibbutz Hatzerim to create an irrigation company called Netafim. Together they developed and patented the first practical surface drip irrigation emitter.[46] This method was very successful and had spread to Australia, North America and South America by the late 1960s.
Israeli farmers rely heavily on greenhouse technology to ensure a constant, year-round supply of high quality produce, while overcoming the obstacles posed by adverse climatic conditions, and water and land shortages. Technologies include computerized greenhouse climate control, greenhouse shading, irrigation, fertigation, greenhouse water recycling and biological control of plant disease and insects, allow farmers to control most production parameters. As a result, Israeli farmers successfully grow between 3.5 and 4.5 million roses per hectare in season and an average of 400 tons of tomatoes per hectare, four times the amount harvested in open fields.[47]
[edit]Computer engineering

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (faculty of Computer Science) building
Israel's Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the Weizmann Institute of Science are ranked among the top 20 academic institutions in the world in computer science.[48]
Israeli companies excel in computer security technologies, semiconductors and communications. Israeli firms include Check Point, a leading firewall firm; Amdocs, which makes business and operations support systems for telecoms; Comverse, a voice-mail company; and Mercury Interactive, which measures software performance.[49] A high concentration of high-tech industries in the coastal plain of Israel has led to the nickname Silicon Wadi (lit: "Silicon Valley").[50] Both Israeli and international companies are based there. Intel[51] and Microsoft[52] built their first overseas research and development centers in Israel, and other high-tech multi-national corporations, such as IBM, Cisco Systems, and Motorola, have opened facilities in the country. Intel developed its dual-core Core Duo processor at its Israel Development Center in Haifa.[53]
Optics, electro-optics, and lasers are significant fields and Israel produces fiber-optics, electro-optic inspection systems for printed circuit boards, thermal imaging night-vision systems, and electro-optics-based robotic manufacturing systems.[54]
Research into robotics first began in the late 1970s, has resulted in the production of robots designed to perform a wide variety of computer aided manufacturing tasks, including diamond polishing, welding, packing, and building. Research is also conducted in the application of artificial intelligence to robots.[54]
An Israeli, CEO and president of M-Systems, Dov Moran, invented the first flash drive in 1998.[55]
More than 3,850 start-ups have been established in Israel, making it second only to the US in this sector[56] and has the largest number of NASDAQ-listed companies outside North America.[57]
[edit]Hydraulic engineering
Because rain falls only in the winter, and largely in the northern part of the country, irrigation and water engineering is vital to the country's economic survival and growth. Large scale projects to direct water from rivers and reservoirs in the north, to make optimal use of groundwater, and to reclaim flood overflow and sewage have been undertaken. The largest such project was a national water distribution system called the National Carrier, completed in 1964, flowing from the country's biggest freshwater lake, the Sea of Galilee, to the northern Negev desert, through huge channels, pipes and tunnels.[58]
The Ashkelon seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant was the largest in the world at the time it was built.[59] The project was developed as a BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) by a consortium of three international companies: Veolia water, IDE Technologies and Elran.[60]
[edit]Military engineering

The Uzi submachine gun
Rejection of requests for weapons and technologies, arms sanctions and massive rearmament of the Arab countries prodded Israel into the development of a broad-based indigenous arms industry.[61] The Israel Defense Forces relies heavily on local military technology and high-tech weapons systems designed and manufactured in Israel. Israeli-developed military equipment includes small arms, anti-tank rockets and missiles, boats and submarines, tanks, armored vehicles, artillery, unmanned surface vehicles, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), air-defense systems, weapon stations and radar.
An impetus for the development of the industry was the embargo on arms sales to Israel during the Six-Day War which prompted Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), founded as a maintenance facility in 1953, to begin developing and assembling its own aircraft, including the Kfir, the Arava and the Nesher.[62]
Notable technology includes the Uzi submachine gun, introduced in 1954,[63] the country's main battle tank, the Merkava, and the jointly designed Israeli and U.S.Arrow missile, one of the world's only operational, advanced anti-ballistic missile systems.[64]
The Iron Dome mobile air defense system developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems is designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. The system was created as a defensive countermeasure to the rocket threat against Israel's civilian population on its northern and southern borders, and was declared operational and initially deployed in the first quarter of 2011.[65] It is designed to intercept very short-range threats up to 70 kilometers in all-weather situations.[66] On April 7, 2011, the system successfully intercepted a Grad rocket launched from Gaza, marking the first time in history a short-range rocket was ever intercepted.[67]
Israel has also developed a network of reconnaissance satellites.[68] The Ofeq (lit. Horizon) series (Ofeq 1 - Ofeq 7) were launched between 1988 and 2007.[69] The satellites were carried by Shavit rockets launched from Palmachim Airbase. Both the satellites and the launchers were designed and manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), with Elbit Systems' El-Op division supplying the optical payload.
[edit]Health sciences

Given endoscopic capsule
Israel has an advanced infrastructure of medical and paramedical research and bioengineering capabilities. Biotechnology, biomedical, and clinical research account for over half of the country's scientific publications, and the industrial sector has used this extensive knowledge to develop pharmaceuticals, medical equipment and treatment therapies.[70]
[edit]Medicine and genetics
Israeli scientists have developed methods for producing a human growth hormone and interferon, a group of proteins effective against viral infections. Copaxone, a medicine effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, was developed in Israel from basic research to industrial production. Genetic engineering has resulted in a wide range of diagnostic kits based on monoclonal antibodies, with other microbiological products.[70]
Advanced stem cell research takes place in Israel. The first steps in the development of stem cell studies occurred in Israel, with research in this field dating back to studies of bone marrow stem cells in the early 1960s. By 2006, Israeli scientists were leaders on a per capita basis in the number of articles published in scientific journals related to stem cell research.[71] In 2011, Israeli scientist Inbar Friedrich Ben-Nun led a team which produced the first stem cells from endangered species, a breakthrough that could save animals in danger of extinction.[72]
[edit]Biomedical engineering
Sophisticated medical equipment for both diagnostic and treatment purposes has been developed and marketed worldwide, such as computer tomography (CT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, ultrasound scanners, nuclear medical cameras, and surgical lasers. Other innovations include a controlled-release liquid polymer to prevent accumulation of tooth plaque, a device to reduce both benign and malignant swellings of the prostate gland, the use of botulin to correct eye squint, and a miniature camera encased in a swallowable capsule used to diagnose gastrointestinal disease,[70] developed by Given Imaging.[73]
In 2009, scientists from several European countries and Israel developed a robotic prosthetic hand, called SmartHand, which functions like a real one, allowing patients to write with it, type on a keyboard, play piano and perform other fine movements. The prosthesis has sensors which enable the patient to sense real feeling in its fingertips.[74] A new MRI system for identifying and diagnosing tumors developed at the Weizmann Institute has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is already being used in diagnosing breast and testicular cancer. The new system will replace invasive procedures and eliminate waiting time for the results.[75]
[edit]Pharmaceuticals
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel, is the largest generic drug manufacturer in the world and one of the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies worldwide.[76] It specializes in generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients and has developed proprietary pharmaceuticals such as Copaxone and Laquinimod for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, and Rasagiline for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.[77]
[edit]Scientific research institutions

See also: List of Israeli universities and colleges

Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel has seven research universities: Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the University of Haifa, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot.
Other scientific research institutions include the Volcani Institute of Agricultural Research in Beit Dagan, the Israel Institute for Biological Research and the Soreq Nuclear Research Center. The Ben-Gurion National Solar Energy Center at Sde Boker is an alternative energy research institute established in 1987 by the Ministry of National Infrastructures to study alternative and clean energy technologies.
Israeli universities are ranked among the top 100 academic institutions in the world in the following scientific disciplines: in physics (Hebrew University, Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University);[78] in chemistry (the Technion, Tel Aviv University and Hebrew University);[79] in computer science (Weizmann Institute of Science and the Technion - in the top 20, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University, and Bar Ilan University);[48] in mathematics and natural sciences (the Technion, Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University and Weizmann Institute of Science);[80] in engineering (Technion);[81] in life sciences (Hebrew University).[82]
Research conducted at Israeli universities and institutes is shared with the private sector through technology transfer (TT) units.[83] Israel's first university TT unit, YEDA, was established by the Weizmann Institute of Science in the 1950s.[84] Research in such fields as arid and semi-arid zone agricultural engineering was transferred to kibbutzim and private farmers on a gratis basis and agricultural knowledge was shared with developing countries.[85]
[edit]Technology transfer

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee adopted an Israeli-sponsored draft resolution on agricultural technology transfer to developing countries. The resolution called on developed countries to make their knowledge and know-how accessible to the developing world as part of the UN campaign to eradicate hunger and dire poverty by 2015. The initiative is an outgrowth of Israel's many years of contributing its know-how to developing nations, especially Africa, in the spheres of agriculture, fighting desertification, rural development, irrigation, medical development, computers and the empowerment of women.[86]
[edit]Nobel Prize laureates

See also: List of Jewish Nobel laureates
Four Israelis have won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. In 2004, biologists Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology were two of the three winners of the prize, for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation.[87] In 2009, Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science was one of the winners for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.[88] In 2011, Daniel Shechtman of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology was awarded the prize for the discovery of quasicrystals.[89]
Additionally, the 1958 Medicine laureate, Joshua Lederberg, was born to Israeli Jewish parents, and 2004 Physics laureate, David Gross, grew up partly in Israel, where he obtained his undergraduate degree. In the social sciences, the Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded to Daniel Kahneman in 2002, and to Robert Aumann of the Hebrew University in 2005.
[edit]Leading high-tech companies

Aerospace and Defense
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
Israel Military Industries (IMI)
Israel Weapon Industries (IWI)
Israel Shipyards
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems
Elbit Systems
Soltam Systems
Elisra
Elta
Plasan
Cleantech
BrightSource Energy
Netafim
Ormat Industries
Plastro Irrigation Systems
Solel
SolarEdge
Pharmaceuticals and Medicine
BioLineRx
Compugen
D. Medical Industries
Given Imaging
Perrigo Company
Pluristem Therapeutics
Rosetta Genomics
Syneron Medical
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Semiconductors
CEVA, Inc.
Camtek Intelligent Imaging
EZchip Semiconductor
Mellanox Technologies
Nova Measuring Instruments
Orbotech
Tower Semiconductor
Zoran Corporation
Software and Information
Aladdin Knowledge Systems
Amdocs
Babylon Ltd.
Commtouch
Check Point Software Technologies
ClickSoftware Technologies
Magic Software Enterprises
Ness Technologies
NICE Systems
Minicom Advanced Systems
Panorama Software
Precise Software
Retalix
Sapiens International Corporation
Zend Technologies - key developers of PHP
Telecommunications and Computing
Allot Communications
Alvarion
AudioCodes
Ceragon Networks
Comverse
Gilat Satellite Networks
ECI Telecom
RAD Data Communications
Radware
Radvision
Tadiran Telecom
Automotive
Better Place
Ituran
Mobileye
[edit]See also

Science portal
Technology portal
Israel portal
Science and Technology Minister of Israel
Silicon Wadi
Start-up Nation
Economy of Israel
History of IBM research in Israel
Technion
List of Israeli universities and colleges
List of Israeli inventions and discoveries
List of Israeli companies quoted on the Nasdaq
[edit]References

^ Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor - Foreign Trade Administration
^ Israel ranks 4th for the number of scientific papers per person, Haaretz
^ BBC country profiles
^ Tel Aviv Hailed as One of the World's Top Hi-tech Centers. The Israeli Economy, Achievements and Potential, Ministry of Finance of Israel (MOF) November 1998
^ Barkat, Amiram (2011-02-12), "Israel’s clean-tech megaproject", The Jerusalem Post, retrieved 2011-02-16
^ "EUREKA Israeli Chairmanship". Retrieved 2011-02-16.
^ The Land that Became Israel: Studies in Historical Geography, edited by Ruth Kark, Yale University Press & Magnes Press, 1989, "Traditional and modern rural settlement types in Eretz-Israel in the modern era," Yossi Ben Artzi, pp. 141-144.
^ Rothschild and Early Jewish Colonization in Palestine, Ran Aaronsohn, Rowman & Littlefield, Magnes Press, 2000, pp.134-145.
^ Molecular Genetic Maps in Wild Emmer Wheat
^ Biography of Aaron Aaronsohn
^ Soil Science, Influence of Exchangeable Cations on the Availability of Phosphate, Ravikovitch, S.
^ http://pard.technion.ac.il/history/History.html
^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzilbrH3CcA
^ a b Shilony, Zvi, July 2006 Volunteerism, resourcefulness and heroism: The Medical Assistance Committee for Jerusalem’s Poor at the end of World War I, Israeli Center for Third Sector Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Newsletter 23, pg. 7
^ Beilinson hospital
^ Hadassah Hospital History Retrieved 2009-12-20
^ The first computers Weizmann Institute of Science. Retrieved 2010-03-25
^ Bogdanowicz, Anna (5 December 2006) Middle East's First Computer Named History Milestone. IEEE. Retrieved 2010-03-25
^ When Big Blue was a start-up, Haaretz
^ a b c Super-capitalism at work, Haaretz Books, December 2009
^ Giant solar plants in Negev could power Israel's future, John Lettice, The Register, January 25, 2008
^ Seven solar technologies from Israel that could change our planet in Israel 21c Innovation News Service retrieved 2009-11-27
^ Science and Technology: Energy R&D Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, retrieved 2009-11-27
^ "The top 10 cleantech countries of 2009" CleanTech Group, 9th of October 2009
^ Sorting through garbage for gold, retrieved 2009-11-24
^ Israeli firms aim to plug world's water leaks
^ About ISA - Israel Space Agency Israel Space Agency, Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, Retrieved 2009-12-15
^ ASRI, Technion website: http://asri.technion.ac.il/
^ Israeli Space Research by Wendy Elliman, in Jewish Virtual Library, Retrieved 2009-12-05
^ ISA International Relations Israel Space Agency, Israel Ministry of Science and Technology, Retrieved 2009-12-15
^ Payload Specialist Astronaut Bio: Ilan Ramon, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Retrieved 2009-12-05
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[edit]Bibliography

Mariella's picture

It comes down to the central question of which country poses the greatest threat to world peace, security and stability. Is it Iran or Israel.

jankaas's picture

"You do you thing and I'll do mine"

at least Alexander is capable of defending his posts rather than cower under the duvet. i called you bluff earlier and you failed to man up. are you typical of this self proclaimed superior race of super-humans?

David's picture

@Mariella: You are right on the money there. Ever since I was first aware of the Israel/Palestine situation when I was about 14 (that's 21 years ago) it was obvious to me that Israel was not interested in peace. It wants to exist in an Orwellian perpetual war. Any adventure in Iran would only be to seek to broaden the scope of their perpetual war (indeed, the specious 'War on Terror' is analogous to this situation - scared populations are generally compliant).

Mariella's picture

Is this posting by JStreet striking any chords with NS readers. This is what JStreet said:
Myths and Facts About J Street

Since our founding, accusations about J Street and our leadership have morphed from whispered lies to stated fact in attacks on J Street in various right-leaning publications, organizations, and blogs.

To bring the conversation over what is best for Israel’s future as a Jewish, democratic homeland back to reality, we’ve compiled short responses to frequently overheard and simply untrue attacks against J Street.

J Street is proud to provide a reasoned, moderate voice for supporters of Israel – Jewish and not. We encourage open and honest debate about what is best for Israel and the United States and we urge those who disagree with us to engage on the merits, rather than engaging in scurrilous personal attacks.

Christian's picture

Truth is Berrison that none of us are going to get any sleep, the lion or the Lamb.

Sanya's picture

Both a Christian monastery and a peace school in Jerusalem set up to improve ties between Arab and Jewish children were targets of extremists who wrote hate speech on the facilities' walls in separate incidents last week, calling for the death of Christians and a "holocaust" for Arabs.

"Death to Christians" was written at a Jerusalem Christian monastery, an 11th-century holy site situated in a valley overlooking the Israeli parliament, while "Death to Arabs" and "Shoah [Holocaust] for the Arabs" was spray painted at a bilingual children's school. Police are still investigating to determine whether the attacks were carried out by the same group of people, but all evidence points to Jewish extremists.
http://global.christianpost.com/news/jewish-extremists-threaten-christia...

Alexander's picture

If you do not want to listen to me, do not listen to me. As I said, you are perfectly entitled to your opinion.

Alexander's picture

Please pay specific attention to this excerpt from the link above: "In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee adopted an Israeli-sponsored draft resolution on agricultural technology transfer to developing countries. The resolution called on developed countries to make their knowledge and know-how accessible to the developing world as part of the UN campaign to eradicate hunger and dire poverty by 2015. The initiative is an outgrowth of Israel's many years of contributing its know-how to developing nations, especially Africa, in the spheres of agriculture, fighting desertification, rural development, irrigation, medical development, computers and the empowerment of women.[86]" Is this also bloodthirsty Zionism?

Jackamo's picture

@JJ

Yes, read Inifidel a few years ago - excellent read but highly inflamatory to many Islamists and their comfy western supporters.

Agoodword's picture

Alexender

and your telling me Jewish Israelis don't spew hate and bigotry about Arabs and Muslims even though Arabs are 10% of the global Muslim population.

They spew their hate to the 1.6 billion Muslims. Julia is a primer example, she cant help but conflate the two.

If you want to read about the hatred listen to the Jewish Rabbis like Ovadi Yousef who gets his funding from the Israeli state, who describes non-Jews as donkeys, created to serve Jews.He isnt the only ones whose supremacist views are subsidised by the state.

The current Knesset memebrs is the racist of all times according to an Israeli newspaper Ynet NEws.

Isreli society is lurching towards Fascism

Poll gain from Ynet news: 46% of high-schoolers don't want equality for Arabs / Yaheli Moran Zelikovich
Some 81% of religious students said they would refuse to evacuate settlements, versus 36% of secular counterparts. Every second student is opposed to granting right to vote to Arabs, and 32% don't want Arab friends.

I advice you watch the documentery by Louis Thereoux titled louis theroux meets the israelites.

I've seen too many to now know how far israel has gone towards extreme racism.

Politics is always slow to react to social trends. Liberman and the Heredi memebrs of the Knesset are the head of a much deeper problem which will only grow in years to come and have greater political say.

Israel is doomed in its current course.

Allan Berrison's picture

@Christian
Fair point but it's a nice line from Mr Allen

Sanya's picture

Chemical Castration for Gay Jews Promoted By Radical Orthodox Rabbi
Posted February 13th, 2012 by Wayne Besen

This is just awful.

A Brooklyn Rabbi, Yehuda Levin, wrote that gay men should consider chemical castration “as you do with cancer” to stop their same-sex feelings. Levin made his comments in a Letter to the Editor in response to a groundbreaking op-ed written in the Jewish Press by Chaim Levin. (No relation). The op-ed was important because it was the first time that this conservative publication published a column written from the perspective of an openly gay former Orthodox Jew.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2012/02/22164/

Alexander's picture

It is interesting that nobody addressed JJ's vital point - that Abbas said that non-acceptance of the Partition Plan was an error. This was my point all along - that Arab rejectionism was the cause of all this bloodshed and suffering, including that of Palestinians. Mr. Abbas, welcome to the club of Rabid Zionists!

kr's picture

@julia
'I ain't no white trash piece of shit. I'm better than you all! I can out-learn you. I can out-read you. I can out-think you. And I can out-philosophize you. And I'm gonna outlast you. You think a couple whacks to my guts is gonna get me down? It's gonna take a hell of a lot more than that, Muslim, to prove you're better than me!'

Ha ha ha ha ha ha...
WTF!
Beware everyone, looney's back!!

Alexander's picture

Agoodword, if you want to stay prejudiced, so be it. Of course, there are prejudiced people everywhere, and Jews and Israelis are not excluded. My point is that Jewish and Israeli prejudice does not even come close to the campaign of hate and vilification coming from the other side. Every objective observer will see that. But you are not objective, and, probably, will never be objective, so what's the use?

Tim's picture

Not sure I understand the lamb, lion analogy. It seems to me that Israel talks tough because weakness gives succour to their enemies.

I think Christian is vey naive in thinking that Iran and Israel should be inspected. Israel is too strong to allow that to happen. There must be a way. Who could the Israelis trust to allow inpsections. I certainly feel that Israel needs the protection of the US and their troops should be stationed in Israel. Afghanistan is over now.

penny's picture

The death of Steve Jobs at the age of 56 brings to an end one of the most spectacular lives in corporate and technological history. Jobs’ Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) almost singlehandedly revolutionized the way we communicate, think and live through an array of wildly innovative and brilliant products like the Mac computer, the iPhones and iPads.

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However, one little known fact about Jobs was that he was of partial Arab descent.

Jobs' biological father is a man named Abdulfattah Jandali, a Syrian who was a political science graduate student when he met Jobs’ biological mother, an American named Joanne Simpson.

GET RID OF THOSE IPHONES AND IPADS NOTW!

Alexander's picture

Mariella, the reason that Israelis have dual citizenship is because they find it difficult to live in their own country because of the campaign of terror by your beloved Palestinian terrorists. This would not have happened if they could enjoy peace.

Agoodword's picture

alexender,

you should have just given me the link.

Every military base needs to be ahead technology. The internet is the outcome of military research.

Of course Israel has contributed technologically but that doesn't deny the fact that its technological advancement primarily serves its military intentions and maintain a military edge.

Israel do doubt will succeed in doing that.

I don't see the point of you copying and pasting an entire book on this thread.

make a proper argument

Mariella's picture

One of the founders and advisers to JStreet Daniel Levy said this:
Myth: Far right-wing blogs have accused “J Street co-founder” of saying Israel’s creation was an “act that was wrong”Fact: Daniel Levy was part of the original group that conceived of J Street. He is currently a policy consultant to J Street. By way of background, he is Israeli and worked for the Israeli government as part of the team negotiating with the Palestinians in the period after Camp David in 2000-2001, including at Taba. Prior to that, he was a part of the negotiating team in the mid-90’s during his Israeli Defense Forces service, under Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin.Daniel has been a life-long Zionist, having made aliyah at age 23 after having been elected president of the World Union of Jewish Students. He has worked passionately to secure Israel’s future through a two-state solution for nearly twenty years. He believes that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict requires a recognition that a root of the conflict lies in the fact that the dream of the Jewish people for a home of their own was partially realized at the expense of Palestinians and led to the creation of a large Palestinian refugee community. Daniel’s remarks have been misreported. In an answer to a question on a panel he appeared on in Doha, Qatar, Daniel argued in favor of progressive Zionism. He did not call Israel’s creation “an act that was wrong.” He believes that the events of the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem included acts that were wrong, but that could be excused for him by the particular and unique moment in Jewish history that we were living through in 1948:

“I believe that where Jewish history was in 1948 excused, for me – it was good enough for me – an act that was wrong.”

Daniel went on to say that he sees no reason why Palestinians would agree with his response to that history, “I don’t expect Palestinians to think that.” Daniel’s entire speech at that Forum, in which he asks hard and challenging questions of all sides while ultimately advocating for a coalition for ending the ’67 occupation,

The key thing here is that Daniel Levy has publicly acknowledged that the dream of a Jewish state was partially realised at the expense of the Palestinians.

jankaas's picture

"Rabbis Against War with Iran: An Open Letter"

thanks for the info Nathaniel. but since they merely echo what i have been saying for months on many NS threads this does mean the following is true;
either i am a Jewish Rabbi, or, all those Jewish Rabbis are Isalamofascists?

i so hope that Julia Harris can answer...?

Alexander's picture

Your reference to "haredi" is also curious, since, as I mentioned before, somebody from your camp used an excerpt from a Haredi to deny the legitimacy of Israel on religious grounds. So, your camp has to made up its mind as to whether it sees Haredi as foes or allies in your fight against Israel.

Allan Berrison's picture

@Tim

It's a given that Israel has nuclear weapons and inspections would just confirm that. The issue is whether Iran has, or is soon to have, the same capability.

Agoodword's picture

Alexender,

really every objecctive observer will see that. whats your basis for making such a claim.

the people i'm quoting are in the Israeli parliament the rabbis are government funded.

all this from a state thats supposed to be a democracy.

If you say its not a democracy than i can understand, i can expect such comments but you cant claim Israel is a democracy and has such contradictions in its state apparatus .

we are not talking about a group of individuals we are talking about people whose views shape israles political posture and foreign policy.

how does me stating that fact make me a bigot.

Mariella's picture

There is a heated and controversial debate going on within the Jewish community on how best to articulate the interests of Israel. Previously AIPAC dominted discourse on the question of Israel and is currently beating the loudest drum in terms of going to war with Iran. In contrast, JStreet takes a more measured approach to the nuclear question as well as how to solve the Israel/ Palestine problem. An article in the Guardian illustrates the dilemnas on the key question of which group within the Jewish community can claim to speak for all. Needless to say the emergence of JStreet has been greeted with immense hostility by AIPAC supporting members who have gone into overdrive to discredit the work JSTreet is doing: But perhaps the best measure of its impact is the fury that has greeted the organisation's rise.
The Israeli ambassador has refused to attend the conference, while the traditional pro-Israel lobby has accused J Street of being "obsequious to terrorists and hostile to Israel" and a "disreputable pseudo-pro-Israel organisation".
"They're going hysterical," said Levy. "They said no one would want to hear what we have to say: that American Jews are fed up with being told we're for bombing Iraq and bombing Iran and we're against the hard concessions necessary for peace in Israel. Now they're trying to discredit us."On the face of it, J Street stands for what the rest of the pro-Israel lobby stands for: peace, a two-state solution and a secure Israel. The very wide divide is over how to get there. At the heart of the battle is who speaks for America's Jews and what it means to be pro-Israel.

Alexander's picture

Iran approaching the "zone of immunity"> This is the real issue!

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=262463

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