Current S.A.F.I Weekly Newsletter

Last updated October 13th)

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News

 

Israel Marks Rabin Assassination
Israelis have begun to mark the 10th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Official commemorations will be held in 10 days' time, on the anniversary according to the Jewish calendar. Last Thursday, Israeli President Moshe Katsav lit a memorial candle at a ceremony with the Rabin family members. Black balloons also formed the number 10 in the square where Rabin was killed during the peace rally. (BBC News) Read More.
    See also Rabin's Legacy: In His Own Words
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's last address to the Knesset, 5 October 1995 (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

 

Bill Gates Makes First Trip to Israel, Outlines Cooperation Deal by Oded Hermoni
Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates, on his first visit to Israel last week, announced an agreement between his company and the Israeli government to encourage the development of Israeli technology, worth some $1.4 million in the next three years. "It's no exaggeration to say that the kind of innovation going on in Israel is critical to the future of the technology business," Gates said. (Ha'aretz) Read More.
    See also Gates: Israel's Like Part of Silicon Valley
Gates said that he was very excited to visit Israel. "I've finally had the opportunity to meet our partners and customers. Considering the density of start-ups in Israel and local successes, Israel is like a part of Silicon Valley." (Globes)

 

Family Donates Organs for Peace
The family of a Palestinian boy who died of his wounds on Saturday has agreed to donate his organs to save the lives of Israeli patients. Ahmed Isamil Khatib, 12, of Jenin, was shot in the head on Thursday by IDF soldiers who mistook him for a gunman because he was carrying a plastic rifle. Khatib was transferred in critical condition to Rambam Hospital in Haifa, where he died on Saturday. (Jerusalem Post) Read More.

 

World Leaders Condemn Iranian's Call to Wipe Israel "Off the Map"
Leaders around the world on Thursday condemned a call by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that Israel be "wiped off the map." "I have never come across a situation of the president of a country saying they want to...wipe out another country," British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In a joint statement, the EU leaders "condemned in the strongest terms" the Iranian president's call, saying it "will cause concern about Iran's role in the region and its future intentions." (Washington Post) Read More.

 

Israeli Defense Chief Vows Non-Interference in Palestinian Elections by David Gollust
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz says Israel will not interfere with Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, but also does not want to see radical factions like Hamas in a new parliament. He spoke after Washington talks last week with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (VOA News) Read More.

 

Israel Praises "Strategic Partner" Jordan in Marking Peace Deal Signing
On the 11th anniversary of Israel's peace treaty with Jordan, Israel hailed its Arab neighbor last week as its "strategic partner" in Mideast peacemaking. "Israel considers Jordan a strategic partner and an important element in efforts to attain peace with neighboring states," the Israeli Embassy said in a statement marking the accord that was signed on Oct. 26, 1994 (pictured). (Ha'aretz) Read More.

 

Science

 

Pfizer Puts Funds Behind Team of Israeli All-Star Scientists to Change Traditional Diabetes Research
It's become a given that Israel is a world leader in high tech and biotechnology - areas driven by doctors and scientists often with spirited visions of making the world a better place. So wouldn't it make sense to bring together some of the top Israeli minds in a given field to form a dream-team of physicians and scientists? (Israel21c) Read More.

 

Conference in Malta Breaks Middle East Barriers; Scientists, Not Politicians Make Strides in Peace Talks
Peace in the Middle East will take another giant step forward in November at meetings between representatives from Israel, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and six other Muslim Countries. The program includes workshops on science education; water and environment; bio- and chemical sensing; medicinal and natural products; nanotechnology; and solar energy. (PR Newswire) Read More.

 

Hebrew University: 'Good' Bacteria Could Save Patients from Infection by Deadlier Ones
Can it be that the stress on the use of antiseptics and antibiotics in hospitals is actually putting patients at a greater risk of suffering fatal bacterial infection? Yes, argues Mark Spigelman, a visiting professor at the Sanford F. Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine. (Science Daily) Read More.

 

Entertainment

 

Israeli Designer Yigal Azrouel Follows His Passion
The professionally great-looking - from Natalie Portman to Sarah Jessica Parker to Lenny Kravitz - have stepped out in Yigal Azrouel's body-contouring creations, and magazines like Vogue, Interview, and Harper's Bazaar regularly splash his designs across their pages. Considering his sophisticated fan base, it comes as a surprise to learn that this master cutter is completely self-taught. Azrouel did not attend design school or enroll in formal education back in his hometown of Ashdod. (Israel21c) Read More.

 

Be'er Sheva, Israel's Chess Capital, Hosts World Championships
When Israel was chosen to host the World Team Chess Championships, it was only natural that Be'er Sheva be the host city. Jerusalem and Ashdod tried to get in on the action, but in the end everyone understood that just as Tel Aviv hosts basketball championships, so Be'er Sheva should host chess championships. The best chess teams in the world are represented in the tournament, which started last week, including Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, the U.S., Cuba, the Republic of Georgia, China (with men's and women's teams) and Israel. (Ha'aretz) Read More.

 

Sports

 

Tennis Star Shahar Pe'er Joins the IDF
In an event that she described as more exciting than playing Maria Sharapova, tennis star Shahar Pe'er was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces bright and early last week. The 18-year-old's appearance at the IDF Induction Center outside Tel Aviv created quite a stir, with the IDF spokeswoman assigned to the event commenting that even the Chief of Staff's visits don't receive as much press attention. (Jerusalem Post) Read More.

 

Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian DJs Create Bridge for Peace
Srulick Einhorn had an idea. An Israeli club DJ who has helped make ethnic Arab music the hottest late-night trend in fashionable nightspots in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, the 26-year-old Tel Avivian said to himself "if Arab music has become so popular among Israelis, then bringing Arab DJs to Israel will be even better." (Israel21c) Read More.