As displays started right here in Paris through the thirty second annual dinner of the Chambre de Commerce France Israel, the CCFI, it was patently apparent that, particularly throughout wartime, we can not take the politics out of enterprise, nor the enterprise out of politics, definitely not within the Center East.
“The ceasefire with the Hezbollah is essential to take away the specter of terrorism, and never simply on paper,” CCFI President Henri Cukierman instructed some 300 visitors within the prestigious Pré Catalan eating complicated, nestled amongst bushes within the Bois de Boulogne park. “And now in Gaza, Hamas figures say they wish to negotiate, whereas Iran has been weakened and is afraid of Trump, although it’s robust to say what he’ll do. All of which means that the dynamics of enterprise exchanges with Israel are wanting up.”
Cukierman had sturdy phrases for sure main French firms, saying, “They’ve confronted heavy criticism by pro-Palestinian teams right here for his or her exercise in and with Israel, and in some instances have given in to their calls for.” He cited grocery store big Carrefour, which pulled its merchandise out of shops in West Financial institution settlements.
(On the similar time, in response to calls in neighboring Jordan to boycott Carrefour due to its presence in Israel, the French retail big introduced in early November that it might be closing its shops within the Hashemite Kingdom….”Globes”, November 4)
And there are the endless assaults by populist chief of the sturdy leftist LFI celebration, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and by its elected parliamentarians, who went as far as to wave Palestinian flags throughout Nationwide Meeting classes.
“One of the best ways to counter all this criticism is, greater than ever, to strengthen financial ties between France and Israel,” he instructed visitors, “to proceed to supply French firms a detailed take a look at revolutionary Israeli merchandise.”
Then 4 French firms acquired trophies for improvement of commerce with Israel: Altavia, a world chief in retail advertising companies, which opened a department in Tel Aviv in June of this yr; the GKA legislation agency (Grinal, Klugman, Aumont), which, with assist from the CCFI, represented a number of Israeli firms, together with Israel Shipyards, in authorized motion taken Sogena, the organizer of the EuroNaval enterprise salon, for banning Israeli companies; Michel Remon and Associates, an structure agency that designed and constructed a powerful constructing on the College of Tel Aviv campus; and the Sienna enterprise capital agency.
Visitor speaker and lively Israel supporter Maurice Lévy made an emotional enchantment. The chairman of the board of worldwide promoting big Publicis, and the founding father of the biggest excessive tech salon in Europe, Vivatech, instructed the attentive gathering, “The western world expressed sympathy for Israel on October 7-8, however the turnaround was spectacular. I wish to categorical my gratitude to these French companies that proceed to assist Israel within the face of all of the protests in opposition to it and in opposition to them.”
Noting that the plight of the Israeli hostages doesn’t appear to maneuver anybody, he continued, “I’m not insensitive to the bombing and the destruction in Gaza, however working with established Israeli companies and start-ups contributes to Israel’s survival. And French firms are double winners. You win on the funding stage, and on the non-public, extra intimate stage, in your hearts, since you are doing one thing righteous.”
Did the French phrase for righteous, “juste”, ring any bells? I didn’t ask anybody. “Les justes” had been non-Jews in international locations all through Europe who hid and saved Jews throughout World Struggle II, and have since been acknowledged for his or her valor by Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Some two thirds of French Jews had been thus saved from the Nazi onslaught.
At my desk, French resident of Tel Aviv Valerie Zarka had a variety of sharp remarks about know-how exchanges. She based Extra Than Digital in 2015, bringing French firms to Israel to reveal them to the revolutionary know-how of startups in a spread of fields, from managing personnel and retail gross sales, to security and cyber safety.
“Typically their jaws drop once they see the innovation, however the switch of know-how isn’t at all times simple,” she instructed Globes. “Typically I group collectively the startups at accelerators, or we go to them one after the other. Both means, the startup world is pushy, whereas the French firms are gradual and heavy. They typically don’t wish to be the primary to purchase sure software program, or to take innovation dangers.”
She had my consideration, to say the least. “What number of instances had been the French firms the primary to see sure startups and their revolutionary applied sciences, after which it was American giants who purchased both the software program or the start-ups themselves,” she continued.
Did she have examples? Oh sure!! There was Nutrino, a digital private nutritionist start-up, first proven to French retail big Carrefour at Vivatech in 2017, then bought by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Medtronic in November 2019, an exit price $100 million. Then there was Datorama, within the area of selling knowledge analytics, first proven to climate big Meteo France in September 2015, and bought by Salesforce in July 2018 for $850 million. And there was essentially the most publicized of all, Mobileye, first seen by French oil big Whole in March 2016, purchased by Intel a yr later for a whopping $15.3 billion, a file exit.
And now? “I wish to make Israeli startups shine and not using a thought for politics or faith, however for the reason that battle started in Gaza, the startups have suffered,” she instructed me. “Many overseas firms, together with from France, are dealing with obstacles to visiting Israel.”
CCFI President Cukierman defined intimately. “The issue is linked to company insurance coverage insurance policies that refuse to cowl visits to battle zones,” he instructed me. “Small firms can do what they need, however for main firms, it is rather sophisticated. It’s not a authorized situation, however fairly is about administrative crimson tape.”
Cukierman additionally famous that, even earlier than the battle, France was ranked eleventh or twelfth in commerce with Israel, far behind Nice Britain and Germany amongst European international locations, whereas in total international commerce it ranks fifth or sixth. He and I’ve been discussing this topic for years with out pinpointing any the explanation why that is the case.
Eight of the ten individuals at my desk, all French, believed that the latest arrest warrants issued by the Worldwide Prison Court docket, the ICC, for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and former protection minister Gallant had been on account of antisemitism. Even Israeli opposition figures thought the identical. I disagreed, however not eager to let my private politics intrude, I requested Henri Cukierman and Maurice Lévy what they thought.
They agreed with me. Lévy stated, “The ICC arrest warrants are anti-Israeli and basically unfair, however not antisemitic,” whereas Cukierman instructed me, “The arrest warrants are proof of cowardice by the ICC, however not primarily based on antisemitism.”
After which a chunk of reports…with longtime organizer Dominique Bourra, the CCFI shall be holding its annual CYFI discussion board on March thirty first, 2025, bringing Israeli startups to Paris. The main focus has been expanded to cybersecurity, synthetic intelligence, and quantum know-how breakthroughs. That is certainly “one step past”.
Revealed by Globes, Israel enterprise information – en.globes.co.il – on December 2, 2024.
© Copyright of Globes Writer Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2024.
