Only Israel Can Save this Crazy World!

 

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. Go to: www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Date: Feb. 6, 2014