letter received from Mr. Uriel Lynn, President of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, regarding the current situation.
January 5, 2009
Dear Economic/Commercial Counselor,
As of Saturday, December 28th, the State of Israel has been engaged in a military conflict with the Hammas organization in the Gaza strip which became inevitable as result of the rockets launched at civilians in Israel. This development has been affecting the southern part of the country and its population.
The business activity in Israel has been continuing without disruption. All ports and trade facilities have been functioning as usual and all business transactions and flow of goods in and out of the country have been executed as planned.
The Israeli economy is solid and vibrant and is one of the strongest economies in the world. Its past experience shows that also in times of unstable security conditions the economy and its continuing growth have not been influenced by these events. We are certain that also under the current circumstances the economic market will stay as strong as ever and the business sector will not be affected.
The Israeli government is prepared to support the business sector, as it did in similar situations, i.e. the 2nd War of Lebanon in summer of 2006, in order to maintain the stability of this sector. The Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce sees a great importance in its role in supporting the business sector in Israel. Especially today, we are contributing to ensure the normal continuation of business activity.
We hope that this conflict will be ending shortly, resulting in improved security conditions and are looking forward to further promoting the business sector in Israel and its activities abroad.
