Country Reports- Middle East-North Africa

The most important regional cooperation program in the year 2000 was the three year Regional Agricultural Program initiated by Denmark in 1999, including Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. The RAP, based on the principle of partnership between all parties, with special emphasis on gender equality, focuses on applied research, professional training and demonstration farms.

Cooperation takes place in five areas of activity: small ruminants, low-cost fodder, dry-land agriculture, use of saline water and post-harvest technology and marketing. The year 2000 included expert meetings, study tours and professional visits, and training courses in all five areas of cooperation.

MASHAV also played a role in a number of other regional initiatives, including a Swedish-sponsored regional program in water management in arid zones and the Middle Eastern Hearing Loss Association (MEHA), which sponsors training and professional activities. MEHA is an initiative of the Canadian NGO CISEPO.

Since the signing of the Peace Treaty in 1978, Egypt and Israel have closely cooperated in the field of agriculture. Israel is actively working with Egypt's Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation on Egypt's national program of land reclamation (the "Mubarak project") aimed at resettling and training unemployed graduates on desert lands along the Nile delta. Cooperation has centered on short-and long-term consultancies and on-site demonstration activities, including professional training programs and the establishment of an irrigation demonstration plot at the Maryut International Training Center in Nubariya, Egypt. To date, over 5,000 Egyptians have been trained both in Israel and in Egypt in the context of this project. Israel and Egypt also engage in joint R & D projects.

In addition, in 2000, planning continued on the establishment of 20 demonstration farm units which, together with on-farm extension services, credit facilities, professional training and guided post-harvest activities, will enhance family farm development in such fields as vegetable cultivation and sheep farming.

Many of MASHAV's agricultural activities in 2000 were operated and/or coordinated by Israel's resident long-term agricultural consultant in Egypt. (More...)

Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

Since the signing of the Peace Treaty in 1994, MASHAV has endeavored to initiate and enhance cooperation with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on all levels and in all fields. Jordan is a priority country for MASHAV and efforts are made to develop programs wherever possible. While cooperation has grown considerably over the past six years, MASHAV believes that there is potential for a far broader range of cooperation and thus is actively seeking Jordanian partners for further joint activities.

In the year 2000, such programming included the operation of a joint Israeli-Jordanian farm for intensive sheep's milk production and processing, introducing the advanced "Awassi" sheep to the country. In addition, MASHAV sponsored an ongoing program of cross border cooperation, training and transfer of agricultural technology between Kibbutz Yotvata and Jordanian farmers. Environmental cooperation was also further developed in the year 2000, including cooperation on the control of house flies, the Red Palm Weevil and the Mediterranean fruit fly.

MASHAV also had a training program in physiotherapy and rehabilitation and co-sponsored, with Norway and Canada, two professional seminars on rehabilitation of land mine victims in Jordan.

Mauritania

In addition to ongoing training activities, MASHAV launched a major project in Mauritania in the year 2000 for the building of a state-of-the-art cancer center. The project will include extensive training, as well as the donation of the facility and of all necessary technology.

Israel's cooperation with the Palestinian authority focused on human capacity building and institution building. In 2000, Palestinian professionals represented the largest contingent of participants in professional training courses in Israel.

Israeli Government Ministries also worked directly with Palestinian Authority bodies in order to increase official and informal dialogue and exchanges on all levels. In particular, there was fruitful cooperation in the fields of Agriculture, Environment, and Civil Society. In addition, cooperation with Palestinian telecommunications companies PALTEL and PALCEL was established, including several training courses.

The year 2000 also brought an increase of direct cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian institutions, including training, assistance policy formation and the establishment of frameworks for professional coordination and consultation. For example, the cooperative relationship between Khan Younis's Al Amal Hospital and Israel's Barzilai Hospital was expanded, including upgrade of Al Amal's ICU. This project was in cooperation with the Economic Cooperation Foundation - a prominent Israeli NGO.

Donor countries played an important role in facilitating program partnerships with the Palestinian Authority. For example, MASHAV cooperated with Sweden on a training program on Work Place Safety and Health as well as a symposium on management of water resources. Planning was also initiated for a Belgian sponsored training program of Palestinian women in Entrepreneurship and in a cooperative program in epidemiology between Ben-Gurion and Al Kuds Universities.

In addition to the above activities, the Foreign Ministry of Israel sponsored in the year 2000 a very wide range of People-to-People (PTP) programs between Israelis and Palestinians. These programs were administered by the Foreign Ministry's PTP division.