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Saudi-linked SoftBank invests heavily in Israel

The investment of SoftBank in Israel and the appointment of former Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen as its representative in the country might signal Saudi interests in Israeli technology.
A woman walks past a SoftBank sign, Tokyo, Japan, May 12, 2021.

The entry of the Japanese SoftBank, considered one of the largest venture capital firms in the world, to direct activity in Israel was only a matter of time. The firm has invested in Israeli high-tech companies, including AnyVision, eToro, Redis Labs and Trax, according to the investment database PitchBook. Another investment, apparently less successful, was in WeWork, co-founded by the Israeli Adam Neumann. 

SoftBank has significant investments in cooperation with investment firms from the Gulf states, including Saudi funds, and the estimation is that the normalization agreements (Abraham Accords) Israel signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain hastened the process and brought SoftBank directly to Tel Aviv. 

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