Arab-Israeli alliance taking shape; in Israel, dementia sufferers are not alone; Israelis name new planet; and more!

By Michael Ordman

ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL

An Arab-Israeli alliance is taking shape

Ed Husain, writing in the UK Spectator magazine, claims that new maps of the Muslim mind are being drawn and old hatreds are on the run. He cites recent events in Oman, Abu Dhabi, the UAE, Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to suggest that this may yet be the decade of peace.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/2019/12/islams-reformation-an-arab-israeli-alliance-is-taking-shape-in-the-middle-east/

Dementia sufferers are not alone

Israeli non-profit Melabev works with people who have dementia and Alzheimer’s. Its centers are divided up by language (English, French, Russian and Hebrew) and by cognitive level. Malabev’s ethos is that the person has not changed, but the way to connect and interact with them has.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/273690

Israelis name new planet

The International Astronomical Union invited the public to name an “exoplanet” discovered 1,500 light years from Earth. They selected the suggestion of an Israeli – “Aleph” – the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet. They also selected the name for its mother star – “Tevel”, meaning Universe.
http://israelbetweenthelines.com/2019/12/26/israeli-planet-named-after-hebrew-alphabet/

Warm coats for poor children

Israeli charity Yad Ezra V’Shulamit is distributing free winter coats, boots and blankets to thousands of Israel’s poorest children. The distribution includes only brand-new items, in line with the organization’s philosophy to bring not only warmth, but also self-esteem and dignity to recipients
https://unitedwithisrael.org/thousands-of-israeli-children-to-receive-free-coats/

Empowering the disabled

Israeli non-profit Kelev Tov (Hebrew for “good dog”) gives jobs caring for dogs to people struggling with physical and mental disabilities.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/273426 

Empowering Arab women

Israeli NGO Seeds (Zarayim) operates a bilingual and multi-cultural (Arab-Jewish) seminar. Its inclusive environment allows Arab and Jewish women to learn together, exchange ideas, build friendships and bridge the cultures. As a result, many of the Arab women become pre-school teachers.
https://zraim.antro-tlv.org/ https://www.jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/19270

Partnerships with Portugal

Whilst Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Portugal to meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he also met with Portugal’s PM António Costa and Foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva. They agreed new joint ventures in defense, cyberterrorism, entrepreneurship, and agri-tech.
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/israel-and-portugal-our-friendship-is-stronger-than-ever/

Israel helped find crashed Chilean plane

IDF Intelligence, Israel’s ImageSat International and an Israeli satellite helped locate the crash site of Chile’s C-130 Hercules plane that vanished in Antarctica with 38 on board. The Israelis significantly reduced the search area. Unfortunately, there were no survivors of the crash.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-military-helped-find-remains-of-crashed-chilean-plane-near-antarctica/

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