When I see news of Syrian civilians being
barrel-bombed by their government and others needlessly starving to death, it
is clear that only Israel can pull this crazy world out of its spiraling
descent into self-destruction.
In the last few weeks, floods of wounded
Syrians have been seeking and receiving treatment in
Israeli hospitals. A Christian
group even rushed a Muslim
Syrian Kurdish child from Iran-dominated Iraq to Israel, to repair the
hole in her heart. At the IDF
field hospital on the Syrian border, soldiers apply a core Jewish
value: “Whoever saves one life, saves the entire world”. We then witnessed the
surreal spectacle of Arabs on Al-Jazeera TV questioning as to why the Syrian
army, Hezbollah and other Islamic military groups cannot be more humane
like the Israeli army.
Every week the Jewish State gives hope to
the sick and disadvantaged around the world.
Just look at some of the latest medical discoveries and innovations from
Israeli universities and bio-techs.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem have just discovered a cure for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) - the 13th biggest killer
in the Western world. They have
patented low-level laser treatment to reduce inflammation and promote wound
healing that will transform the lives of the 200,000 new patients diagnosed
with AAA in the US each year. Still
with the Hebrew U, researchers there have developed a peptide to counteract
enzymes in high blood sugar that cause brain
cell death - the reason why diabetics have a much higher risk of
Alzheimer’s and dementia. And doctors throughout
Africa are anxiously waiting for HUJ researchers to announce their solution
to the malaria parasite. The
deadly disease is responsible for more than one million deaths each year.
Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute
have found a pathway to a cure for the two currently untreatable
forms of Gaucher’s disease.
Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed a computer algorithm
that identifies genes
involved in the aging process.
The findings provide hope of developing medication to transform old
diseased cells back into healthy ones.
Israel’s bio-techs have recently delivered
hopeful news for many desperate patients.
Novocure’s clinical study of its NovoTTF therapy
for pancreatic cancer demonstrated a significant decrease in cell count
and reduced tumor volume. BiondVax announced that tests prove its universal flu
vaccine matches all
six pandemic flu strains in the world today, including bird flu strains
H5N1 and H7N9 that have spread to humans and killed hundreds of people. Oramed’s Phase 2a clinical trial of its
ORMD-0801 oral insulin capsule for the treatment of type
2 diabetes met all primary and secondary endpoints. And MS
patients can now stop four of their seven daily injections of Copaxone
now that the US FDA has approved Teva’s more effective 40-ml dose.
The flood of illegal
African migrants has put a huge strain on the Jewish State, but for
some of those fleeing civil war, Israel appears to have been their only
hope. I certainly admire Israel’s volunteer doctors who
treat them at Tel Aviv Central
Bus station’s clinic.
The world’s increasing numbers of hungry
families depend on Israeli agricultural innovations. The latest includes a low-cost system from Israel’s Energy
Industry Ltd. to grow
vegetables in extreme cold. It
injects hot water into fine tubes to distribute heat over wide surfaces for
large greenhouses and has been sold to the government of Georgia where
temperatures drop to minus 30 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Israel’s Haifa Group has just launched a free mobile app (iOS
or Android) that helps farmers determine the precise
amount of fertilizer and nutrients needed for each type of crop. And at the end of next year, Israel will see
the launch of the Venus Vegetation
and Environment Monitoring Micro-satellite that is our key hope for
preventing catastrophic deterioration in the
state of the planet. Israel
Aerospace Industries is building the hull of the satellite and Israel’s Elbit
is building the camera.
Israel is uniquely securing
world cities from terrorism.
The new security system from Israel’s Magal, for example, protects
Mombassa - Kenya’s seaport.
Meanwhile Russian police worried about the Sochi Winter Olympics are
traveling to Israel for counter-terrorism
training in order to respond to Islamists who have been murdering
civilians in Russia’s North Caucasus regions.
And at Israel’s first-ever cyber-technology show, Cybertech 2014, Prime
Minister Netanyahu hailed Israel’s 200
computer security companies as making the Jewish State one of the few
players that can save
the Internet from hackers. In
addition, the new facilities built by Lockheed Martin, EMC
and IBM
will turn Beersheva into a world-class cyber-security center.
I conclude, as I began, with a plea that
this message is brought home to our neighbors in the Middle East and to the
rest of the world. Embrace the Start-up
Nation, as have the many Palestinian Arabs hoping to better themselves. Such as those at SodaStream
who have made vociferous appeals “not to boycott us”. Or the hundreds
of Arab students studying at Ariel University in Samaria, as observed
by the Czech Ambassador to Israel on his recent visit there.
As Israel’s Prime Minister said at the
World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, “We have no choice
– to
survive we had to innovate.”
We now all need Israeli
innovations to survive.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
