(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israeli economy flourished this past year and a high rate of economic growth is projected for the coming year, according to the annual report on Israel’s economy published Wednesday, Sept. 16 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). According to the IMF’s economists, Israel was relatively unhurt by the global crisis of 2009 and remains a country whose open economy is well-integrated with the international economy. The IMF economists said Israel has an advantage in its high-tech industry, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the country’s industrial exports. But economists warned that a continued four percent increase in Israeli housing prices each year presents a social danger. The report also noted that the income gap between Israel’s highest and the lowest earners was among the highest in the West. The IMF predicted Israel’s economic growth would be 2.5 percent in 2015 and 3 percent in 2016.