Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

		Israel's Week in Business & Technology for week ended December 31 The week's top stories Contents Israel's GDP grows 4.5% Leviathan as big as estimated Avner tops Tel Aviv 25 stocks in 2010 Dankner sells Makhteshim Idea of merging IAI, Rafael and IMI gains momentum Information systems giant EMC plans Negev R&D center El Al raises prices due to higher fuel costs Fischer: We saw the beginning of a bubble Katsav will lose benefits, not pension Start-ups and VC Information technology Healthcare Telecom and media Defense and aerospace Real estate Transport and infrastructure Tourism and aviation Water Energy Legal Financial services Capital markets Economy Features and analysis Start-ups and VC Information security co Covertix raises $1m CEO Alon Samia: The major WikiLeaks affair woke up the industry. Xenia invests $650,000 in visual search co Superfish Israeli start-up Spikko offers calls via UK Information technology Information systems giant EMC plans Negev R&D center The center will be set up at a new high tech park near Ben Gurion University in Beersheva. Comverse names bankers for partial Verint sale IncrediMail extends Google deal for 2 years Babylon extends deal with Google Clal Industries sells Nova Measuring shares VoIP co AudioCodes shares fall as year winds down Healthcare CollPlant teams with Edwards LifeSciences If the project succeeds, the parties will negotiate exclusive rights to the products. Drug discovery co Compugen signs $5m R&D funding deal BiolineRX reports success in warts removal study ITGI reports success in new stent use Diabetes co Oramed gets NIS 2.9m OCS grant Mazor marks first Dutch SpineAssist sale NeatStitch signs NIH deal in US Telecom and media French tycoon mulls bid for new mobile operator Xavier Niel is also interested in the IEC telecommunications infrastructure venture. HOT owner Drahi mulls undersea cable to France Hamashbir returns MVNO license Defense and aerospace Idea of merging IAI, Rafael and IMI gains momentum A merger of the three government-owned companies would create the world's 20th largest defense corporation. Defense electronics co Elbit Systems to restructure subsidiaries Elbit Systems wins Asian air force order Elbit Systems acquires two Brazilian companies Vehicle maker Hatehof fights for survival Real estate Fischer: We saw the beginning of a bubble "It is a tendency of bubbles to burst." Harel buys lower Manhattan property Elbit Imaging sells stakes in 3 London hotels Aviv Arlon continues US real estate buys Recanati's Gmul sells 2 hotels to Jordache owners Electra Real Estate to build Tel Aviv office tower Transport and infrastructure Nat'l Road Co. lays first eco-friendly road 1,900 used tires were used to pave the experimental section. Fast lane to Tel Aviv to open January 7 Israel Railways to pay fire damage for uninsured cars Ashtrom Properties buys Jerusalem light rail stake Solel Boneh Int'l wins Tanzania road deal Tourism and aviation El Al raises prices due to higher fuel costs The higher fares will take effect January 3. 300-room Haifa hotel wins approval Nazareth to get 140-room hotel Water Israel looks to export water tech to world's mines The Foreign Trade Administration has a new plan to double Israel's water technology exports, by 2012. Energy Leviathan as big as estimated Noble Energy CEO Davidson: Leviathan is easily the largest exploration discovery in our history. "Leviathan discovery not well timed" No overspill for Steinmetz near Leviathan US co ATP agrees deal to buy Myra, Sarah stakes Ormat foregoes $330m US gov't guarantees Isramco must present Shimshon drilling plan in January Givot continues Meged 5 development Middle East Tube continues solar energy push Gasoline price to hit NIS 7.14 per liter Legal Katsav will lose benefits, not pension Benefits accruing to former president Moshe Katsav's wife, Gila, are not affected. Teva exec suspected of insider trading Receiver appointed for cell phone developer modu Fuel cos sued for alleged systematic cheating on gasoline sales Financial services Mizrahi nears deal with PayPal The bank's credit card will be linked to PayPal accounts. Capital markets Dankner sells Makhteshim IDB chairman Nochi Dankner went to China on Sunday to close the deal. "Makhteshim opens door to more Chinese deals" Avner tops Tel Aviv 25 stocks in 2010 Court appoints receiver for Boymelgreen Equity offerings jump in 2010 Bank Hapoalim buys Strauss stake S&P considers another rating downgrade for IEC Tshuva sells Vitania stake to clear Phoenix debt Fox extends Bar Refaeli deal Digal bondholders favor Al-Masri offer Dapei Zahav selling D&B Israel stake Leumi Partners buys Road 6 stake Biomedix increases stake in Spearhead Investments Nonwoven textile co Avgol buys Cleaver Associates Economy Israel's GDP grows 4.5% Growth in 2010 was well above the OECD average. Bank of Israel keeps interest rate unchanged Export Institute sees slower export growth in 2011 Treasury stealthily adds NIS 6.5b to defense budget Coalition budget deals cost NIS 1.1b Manufacturers warn price hikes will bring layoffs 20 Israeli cos boycott settlers' products Israel's population nears 7.7m Immigration rises for second consecutive year Features and analysis Hapoalim narrows the gap with Leumi The bank is diversifying its non bank holdings. Building a bridge over cleantech's valley of death It is possible to create a quality cleantech industry here. All that needs to be done is to advance an incentive policy which will allows this potential to break out, Low profits and high risk The international operations of Israeli banks are of questionable value. Energy-starved Asia waits for Leviathan It is now clear that the natural gas discovery at Leviathan will turn Israel into a natural gas power.