While the global financial crisis continues to weigh heavily on international market development, Israel's thriving entrepreneurial spirit and knowledge-based industries along with its technologically-advanced market economy keep it at the forefront of some of the world's most significant technological breakthroughs.
Israel is a global leader in information and communication technologies, agrotech, water treatment, life sciences, desalination, and solar energy. It is hard to imagine a world without Israeli inventions such as drip irrigation, the Disk-On-Key, instant messaging, voice mail, VoIP, ZIP Compression, COPAXONE, and the closed cell stent.
Such breakthroughs have played major roles in the global success of leading multinationals and made Israel into a profitable destination for foreign investment.
Despite the challenges posed by the credit crunch, Israel managed to attract $10.5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment in 2008, the second highest amount raised since the record $14.8 billion of 2006.
