S
himon Peres, the 91-year-old former Israeli
president, may not be the most obvious social
media fanatic. Yet in 2014 he opened an account on
Weibo, China’s equivalent of Facebook, expressing
his desire to interact directly with the Chinese
people, including its younger generation. The nonagenarian
quickly received over 50 million ‘likes’ on his Weibo page.
This symbolises a wider cultural and economic shift. For
decades, Israel’s political elite has made much of the nation’s
natural affinity with the US and the influential Jewish
community there. That umbilical cord to the world’s most
powerful nation that has fertilised Israel’s tech and start-up
community remains intact. But in recent years, as western
pressure and sanctions have been exerted on Israel
International opportunities are emerging for lawyers in Tel Aviv, as Israel
becomes less reliant on its traditional trading partners of the US and
Europe, and diversifies into Asia-Pacific and other growth economies
CHRIS CROWE
u
April 2015
Legal Business
81
ISRAEL
