Israeli Holy Water to Fuel US Army

Written by: Aaron Katsman | April 1, 2008

Aaron Katsman
www.IsraelNewsletter.com

In today’s issue of the Israeli financial paper Globes, Merav Ankori, has an interesting article on how the US Army is looking to invest in Israeli water technology. Apparently the US Army invests sizable amounts of money in private equity, and one of the funds, Onpoint Technologies, is managed by Arsenal Venture Partners.  Christopher Fountas, Arsenal managing partner and Onpoint director, is in Israel looking for local water technology companies.

In an interview with Globes, Fountas said, “We manage investments in technologies for the US Army to meet needs that arise in wartime, such as during operations in Iraq, and for the government and industrial markets. We’ve come to Israel with the understanding that it’s a global leader in water technologies.”

While it’s true that Israel is a global leader in exporting all kinds of water technologies to the world, it’s ironic that Israel is facing a water shortage. With below average rain over the last few winters, the country’s main water sources are at dangerously low levels. For Israelis the summer is sure to bring calls for water conservation. Why? Because of bureaucracy. Israel has done next to nothing to shore up its’ own water supply. With all the technological advances including desalination and drip irrigation, Israeli bureaucrats and legislators, as usual, were asleep at the wheel. While Israeli companies were out making millions of dollars selling their technology abroad, a crisis developed locally.

At least US soldiers will be drinking clean water. L’chaim!

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Aaron Katsman is Managing Editor of the Israel Opportunity Investor newsletter. He is lead portfolio manager for the Israel Growth Portfolio and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. For more information, go to www.israelnewsletter.com or call 1-888-327-6179, or email aaron@profile-financial.com.