CTech’s Weekly Israeli Tech News Roundup

Israel’s asylum seekers and tech allies speak out against deportation order. In December, the Israeli parliament passed by a vote of 71 to 41 a plan to deport some 40,000 refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from Eritrea and Sudan. Read more

Refugees protesting deportation at a detention camp in Israel's south. Photo: Haim Hornstein

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway takes a position in generic drugmaker Teva. On Wednesday, Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a $358 million stake in the struggling drugmaker. Teva's fortunes have been going downhill for the past two years, largely due to its $40.5 billion acquisition of Allergan's generic unit Actavis in 2016, for which Teva took out $33.75 billion in loans. Read more 

Dead Sea receding by 3 feet a year, new report says. The salty lake is known as a tourist destination for its breathtaking landscapes, the natural mineral content in its water, and for being the lowest point on earth, at 430.5 meters (1,477 miles) below sea level. Read more 

Visa opens technology scouting outpost in Tel Aviv. Seeking to tap Israeli fintech companies, Visa added Tel Aviv to the cities in which it operates a startup collaboration lab—an office space where startups can try and integrate their technology with Visa's payment system and reach retailers using Visa payments worldwide. The company already operates similar labs, dubbed by the company “Innovation Studios,” in cities including Berlin, San Francisco, New York, London, Singapore, and Dubai. Read more 

Fake Mossad Twitter handle sells fake Mossad swag. Launched in September 2016, @TheMossadIL gained notoriety when it trolled American pro-Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour. Now it has an online shop selling “Mommy’s Little Spy” Mossad onesies. Read more  

A sneaker design inspired by hummus. Sneakerbox, a Tel Aviv-based sneaker and clothing boutique, found aesthetic inspiration in the beige hues of the beloved Middle Eastern dish. Read more