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Israel keen to impart expertise

Even though both India and Israel became Independent almost the same time-  India in 1947 and Israel in 1948- it…

Israel keen to impart expertise

Even though both India and Israel became Independent almost the same time-  India in 1947 and Israel in 1948- it took more than four decades for both nations to establish diplomatic relations, in 1992. 

Since then, bilateral ties have been increasing with high-level visits from both sides-  the latest being President Pranab Mukherjee's visit to Israel and next week's visit to India by President Reuven Rivlin prior to Prime Minister Modi's visit.

Israel, which has expertise in water resource management and irrigation, desert agriculture and combat of desertification, early childhood education, rural and community development, emergency and disaster medicine, public health, empowerment of women, and many others, has been imparting  knowledge to people from all over the world. 

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“In the last 60 years, Israel has trained 2,70,000 people from various countries in several fields. About 2,000 Indians have already been trained in Israel in sectors such as food security and agriculture, water management, education, public health, community development, innovation and entrepreneurship, gender equality and women's development, rural and urban development, emergency planning and response. They are doing a commendable job in the country by teaching others water they have learned,” said Mr Yuval Fuchs, Deputy Head of Mashav, and Head of Bureau for International Development and Projects.

He was here to discuss with alumni in strengthening ties and the scope of setting up a Shalom Club, prior to the silver jubilee year of the establishment of bilateral ties, next year.

Fuchs, who has been with the ministry for the last 23 years, took up the post recently after completing his service in Georgia as Israel's envoy for four years.

Clarifying that Mashav is not a funding agency like the GIZ (German Society for International Cooperation) or UN organisations, he said, Mashav's focus is on implementation. 

 Every year, Israel trains 1,000 people from all over the world, of which 50 are Indians. At the same time, 50 Israelis are attached to several projects in India.

A good example of Indo-Israel cooperation is the Centre of Excellence for Vegetables, in Haryana, which is the largest-ever project of Mashav.

The centre trains people in canopy management, nursery management, micro irrigation, etc.

Mango, citrus, vegetables, etc are grown here and during open days, about 20,000 farmers visit the centre to gain knowledge.

Fuchs said after the destruction of the USSR in 1994, Israel was able to establish diplomatic relations with several of its former states.

“We are keen on having partnership with our neighbouring countries as well including Palestine. Our motto is to share our expertise with others, so that all will benefit. Our job is challenging but promising,” he said.

Jose Kalathil

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