Israel Update Week Ending February 25
Israel and Ukraine, Covid Number Drop Slowly, Herzog in Greece
This is an abbreviated version of the Israel Update. As events in Ukraine are much more critical at the moment, I am working to update my historycentral.com website entries on Ukraine.
First, a few comments about Ukraine:
Israel is trying to thread the needle by releasing statements of support for the Ukrainian people, while not condemning Russia too strongly. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid stated: “Russia’s attack against Ukraine is a serious violation of the international order. Israel condemns it and is prepared to extend humanitarian aid to Ukrainian citizens.”
Though much of Israel wants to be careful not to anger the Russians, some incidents demand moral clarity. We fudged our response to the killings in Syria because it was not in our interest to intervene. We cannot fudge our response to naked unprovoked aggression because it’s “not in our interests”. On Friday afternoon, Prime Minister Bennett spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky and promised humanitarian aid in the coming days.
Here is what I said Wednesday on i24 News, before the attack:
Earlier in the week, on Sunday, Defense Minister Gantz took part in the yearly Munich Security Conference. Gantz he met with a large number of European leaders, as well as with American Vice President Kamala Harris.
This was the week that Congressional Republicans visited Israel. Once again, as I mentioned last week, these visits used to be bi-partisan.
President Herzog visited Greece on Thursday. The visit was in advance of his visit to Turkey early next month. Israel is trying to assure the Greeks that warming relations with Turkey won't impact Israel’s strategic ties with Greece.
COVID–19
Israel’s Covid numbers continue to drop slowly. Last week, Israel averaged 20,000 cases a day. This week, there have been 10,000 cases per day, with a positive rate that remains at 12%. Israelis have been celebrating the end of the pandemic, however, unfortunately, the pandemic has not yet ended. Israel has suffered 10,000 deaths from Covid. Despite what some ministers say, i.e., that many of the current patients died with Covid (and not from Covid), the reality shows a 20% increase in the death rate during this past January, higher than any time over the course of the pandemic. Overall, an additional 6% of Israelis died during this pandemic than the number of people who would have been expected to die in non-pandemic times.
Finally, the Israeli Ministry of Health put out a very interesting chart analyzing our 10,000 Covid deaths. 4,164 deaths occurred before vaccines were available and 5,867 Covid deaths since. Of those who have died since vaccines became available, 3,730 were not vaccinated, 635 were not fully vaccinated, and 1,505 were fully vaccinated. Since over 90% of the most vulnerable to Covid-19 have been immunized in Israel, the positive impact of vaccination is clear.
NSO AND THE POLICE
It turns out that the exposé which claimed many leading Israelis were spied upon by the Police using NSO software may indeed have been false. An investigation by the Justice Ministry, with the involvement of representatives of the Mossad and Shabak (GSO), concluded that only one of the 26 individuals alleged to have been compromised by the newspaper actually had his phone compromised by the Police — and that was done under the authority of a warrant. So, unless new proof develops, a story that captivated Israel for two weeks, will have turned out to be patently false. Therefore, its publication raises an issue, in and of itself.
BUSINESS
CHEQ has raised $150 million in a Series-C funding round. The company uses artificial intelligence to protect against advertising fraud on the web.
PrettyDamnQuick, provider of checkout-to-delivery management platforms for eCommerce businesses, announced the company had closed a $6M seed investment round. The round was led by TLV Partners, and included Ground Up Ventures, as well as, Verissimo Ventures.
Playtika, Israel’s leading gaming company, reported excellent 2021 year-end results, with revenue that grew to $2,583.0 million, compared to $2,371.5 million during the prior year. Playtika’s net income grew to $308.5 million compared to $92.1 million in the prior year. Playtika’s Adjusted EBITDA grew to $982.7 million compared to $941.6 million in the prior year.
Robert Antokol, Playtika Chief Executive Officer, stated:
“Our fourth-quarter results demonstrate the ongoing strength of Playtika and the growth potential of the business. In 2021, we extended our leadership in mobile gaming and expanded our vision to reach beyond games into gamifiable apps with the acquisition of Redecor as the world of games, lifestyle and entertainment converge. In addition, we significantly enhanced our proprietary technological edge, including our Boost platform, which continues to be a differentiator for the company. We are excited by the opportunities that Playtika can achieve, and I want to thank our employees for their tireless work and dedication in making this possible.”