Chronicle of Daniel Rouach.
Hi Ilana, our topic of the day: “The iceberg of trade relations between France and Israel”.
I am often asked: “I am looking for a job in Israel in a French company”. Can you send me the list of companies that are hiring? My answer is simple: “There are no lists available. French companies in Israel are discreet. Talk to Qualita, they could help you”.
In a world where information should circulate publicly, everyone manages to ensure that the visibility of commercial relations between France and Israel remains invisible or almost invisible. This is what I call the “iceberg of France-Israel affairs”. What we see is not what it is… Italians, Germans and Americans are constantly reporting their successes in Israel, which is not the case with French multinationals. The reason for this discretion: the fear of being targeted by anti-Israel movements.
I will never forget a conference organized by the French-Israeli Chamber of Commerce in Lyon. I was invited as well as David Harari who was working for Israel Aircraft Industry at the time. We were attacked with stones by protesters. Our crime? We want to talk about the binational economic relationship.
In Marseilles I was forced to flee an economic conference organized by the newspaper Liberation.
In a public report: “Large French groups such as Gemalto, Orange or Stmicroelectronics have already been present in Israel for several years and are particularly interested in the cybersecurity market.
In an industry like cyber security, it is important to combine experience and nationality to respond to international tenders. French start-ups are still too far behind the Israeli market, while American and Asian ones see it as a real playground for collaborations”. Yet at one of the latest cyber fairs the French were invisible. They don’t hide but prefer to remain quite discreet.
THE GEMALTO CASE in Israel.
Gemalto. On 24 July 2019 the company takes the name of “Thales Digital Identity and Security”.
Gemalto develops Softwareprotect the products and services used in telecommunicationsfinancial services, identification, safety of places and people, health, transport and communications” From car to car “. It counts among its customers 400 mobile phone operators, 3,000 banks and financial companies and more than 30 governments.
In Israel, his presence is real and much appreciated.
Gemalto’s software, products and services in Israel are used for numerous applications (personal mobile services, secure payment, login authentication to Cloud », identity and privacy protection, e-health ee-governmenturban transport ticket office and M2M applications).
Gemalto in Israel offers integrated digital security solutions, from developing embedded software to building and manufacturing digital security tools. These devices are in particular SIM cards, bank cards, passports or electronic ID cards. Its software platforms and services manage these secure products, the sensitive data they contain, and the secure services they enable for end users..
Gemalto seems to direct part of its activities towards mobile terminals and solutions for transforming GSM-type wireless devices into secure terminals. This is the culmination of a research and development process on theInternet of things by Gemalto. One of the examples of this technology is the development of digital vehicle keys supported by the phone. Keep in mind that some of Gemalto’s research and development is in Israel.
