Toward the end of the debate at the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee on Feb. 25 regarding the significance of the sale of the Tnuva [food] Corp. to the Chinese, Rahamim Eliyahu, a member of the board of Israel Cattle Breeders Association, told of his meeting with Zehavit Cohen, the CEO of Apax Israel, in the period before the sale of the company to the British Apax.
Cohen had sought to ease his opposition to the deal, promising him that this was a strategic acquisition for at least 30 years, and he believed her. Less than six years have passed, and now she stands behind the contacts regarding a deal to sell the company to the Chinese firm Bright Food. This time, too, Cohen is operating in a similar fashion: personal meetings to soften opposition and the promise that the Chinese have no intention of importing cheese to Israel, which would hurt the local product. You cannot blame Eliyahu for no longer buying Cohen's promises.
