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Why the World Would Be a Lesser Place without Israel

(Times of Israel) Dan Perry - Israel has posted accomplishments few other countries can equal. Israel's scientific and technological achievements are astounding. Israel is responsible for an extraordinary range of innovations, from the discovery of quasicrystals to the understanding of the structure and function of ribosomes, from the Feldenkrais method of exercise therapy to drip irrigation, and from the invention of tiny cameras that can travel through the body (endoscopy) to the development to flexible stents. Israel played a massive role in the creation of mobile and internet telephony (Viber), instant messaging (ICQ), facial recognition and USB flash drives. The Intel 8088 chip that first powered personal computers was developed in Israel. Then there is the marvel of the Iron Dome system that zaps incoming missiles out of the sky. Israel attracts venture capital investments at about a third the rate of the entire European Union, with a population 50 times smaller. This has driven Israel's per capita GDP to $44,000/year, higher at present than that of Britain, France, Spain and Italy (and three times that of Greece). It has one of the most stable currencies, lowest rates of inflation and highest foreign reserve levels per capita in the world. Israel has the 12th highest number of Nobel prizes per capita, the 14th highest number of scientific publications per capita, and publishes more books per capita than the U.S. This is not bad for a country whose existence has been challenged by powerful neighbors since day one. The writer, former Middle East editor for the Associated Press, served as the chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem.
2021-10-14 00:00:00
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