Israel’s Contributions to the World

November 7, 2011

The state of Israel has faced seemingly insurmountable odds throughout its entire history. From its hostile neighbors to its vast desert terrain to its unique demographic make-up, the Jewish state has had to overcome countless obstacles. And yet, it has emerged as a light unto the nations. The Jewish state is now a member of the exclusive Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD), has hundreds of companies listed on Nasdaq and its expertise, technology, humanitarian assistance and defense strategies are utilized by countries on every continent.

Israeli Technology Advances Key Agricultural Techniques

Because Israel is 60 percent desert, its farmers and agricultural scientists have long focused on expanding both the yield and quality of crops, as well as making agriculture more efficient overall.

Drip irrigation has become popular with fruit and vegetable growers in dry weather areas, from Southern California to the Middle East. The world’s first surface drip irrigation system was developed in the 1960s at Kibbutz Hatzerim near Beersheba. Similarly, Israeli scientists have developed genetically modified, disease-resistant bananas, peppers and other crops that are expanding the world’s food supply and helping to keep prices down at grocery stores around the globe.

Israeli Doctors Have Developed Life-Saving Treatments and Drugs

Throughout Israel’s history, Israeli doctors, scientists and researchers have produced countless medical advances. Whether achieved through independent research or joint projects with the United States, the medical discoveries made by the Jewish state are improving the lives of millions of Americans and others around the globe. Click here to learn more.

Israeli High-Tech Developments Are Used Around the World

Israel’s high-tech civil innovations have left an important mark on homes, offices and businesses around the world.

Many offices now have computerized phones that plug into the Internet, taking advantage of Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. VocalTec Communications of Herzliya, Israel, developed the first practical Internet phone software. Similarly, those who enjoy chatting with friends over the Internet might be interested to know that this online phenomenon originated in Israel. Although the technology now belongs to AOL, Israel’s Mirabilis developed the first popular Internet chat program, ICQ.

Every day, millions of Americans watch online streaming video for entertainment or educational purposes. Metacafe, the world’s third-most-popular video sharing website, was founded in Israel. Likewise, tech-savvy Americans over age 30 remember the original IBM Personal Computer of the early 1980s. What they may not know is that its brain, the Intel 8088 processor, was developed by Intel’s Israel division. More recently, the Pentium M series of processors for laptop computers using the Intel Centrino platform, as well as some of Intel’s latest processors (Yonah, Merom, Woodcrest), were also designed by Intel Israel. In addition, Amazon.com’s Kindle e-reader owes much of its success to technology developed in Israel.

Israel Contributes to a Cleaner World

In an era of booming populations, shrinking resources and environmental degradation, Israel leads the world in such critical fields as solar power generation and seawater desalination. As nations struggle to make the best use of their resources, Israel’s cuttingedge technologies promise to improve the health and living standards of hundreds of millions across the globe, while making industry more efficient and minimizing the environmental impact of human activities.

Israel’s plan to break from gasoline dependence is providing structure and predictability to the marketplace, combining long-term public sector commitment with regulatory stability to send a clear message that innovation will have a home in Israel. Through investments in basic science and industrial R&D, and the launching of pilot programs and full scale-ups for promising technology, Israel is taking the lead in confronting one of the most pressing security issues of our time. A country of under 8 million people, Israel alone cannot end gasoline’s global monopoly nor end the West’s dependence on hostile petro-regimes. But together with international partners, Israel can serve as a generator of intellectual property and a test-bed for innovative solutions, challenging the economic and security vulnerability that the United States and Israel both face through gasoline dependence.

Israel has also set a national goal consistent with the Copenhagen Accord to increase its share of renewable energy in electricity generation to 10 percent by 2020. In the same period of time, Israel plans to reduce its electricity consumption by 20 percent.

http://www.aipac.org/en/why-israel-matters/israels-achievements

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