TIES TO ISRAEL

The new Cambodia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, an organisation designed to strengthen economic ties, opened in Phnom Penh last week, one of its organisers said Tuesday. Bradley Gordon, founder of the law firm Gordon and Associates, described the chamber as one piece of a broader effort on the part of Israeli businesses to invest more heavily in Cambodia, with a focus on telecommunications, medical supplies, agriculture and green technology. Gordon said there were only a handful of members on both sides, but that there was much interest among Israeli businesses. Israel was Cambodia’s fourth-largest foreign investor in 2008, providing 2.75 percent of total investment, according to the Cambodian Investment Board.