CTech's Thursday Roundup of Israeli Tech News

Juul petitions Israeli supreme court to overturn marketing ban. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed off on the ban the country's ministry of health promoted against the e-cigarette. Read more

Buyers, investors gobble up Israeli foodtech. From the acquisitions of SodaStream and Frutarom to startups developing alternative protein sources and a vegan crypto coin, here are some of CTech’s most popular food-related stories. Read more 

Israeli customers stormed Xiaomi’s Tel Aviv store opening. Thousands of customers clamored to get into the store, and security was beefed up. Discounted items were sold out in little over an hour. Read more

WeWork to expand sustainability team. The co-working juggernaut has recently made several moves towards lessening its environmental impact, including committing to carbon neutrality by 2025 and taking meat off the company's menu. Read more

Opinion | PepsiCo learned from Coca-Cola’s soda flop. This week’s SodaStream acquisition has roots in Coca Cola’s ill-advised 2014 plan to dominate the countertop soda machine market. Read more 

At Apple’s request, Facebook pulls VPN app from Apple Store, report says. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple approached Facebook to remove its Onavo Protect app from the store for violating its terms of service. Read more 

Compass to acquire Pacific Union, the fifth largest real estate broker in the U.S., reports say. In July, New York-based real estate startup Compass acquired Paragon Real Estate, a San Francisco-based brokerage firm. Read more 

Merck partners with diabetes monitoring startup GlucoMe for Vietnam pilot. GlucoMe develops and a wireless blood glucose and insulin monitor that records blood glucose measurements and insulin intakes automatically and syncs with a mobile app. Read more