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Even if you don't speak/understand Spanish, you would have understood the "feliz" (happiness, joy) in the headline, at the reception when four Central American countries united to celebrate their 193rd independence day. The Ambassadors to Israel of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador hosted an elegant cocktail reception in the Lea Rabin Hall of the Yitzhak Rabin Center in North Tel Aviv; the atmosphere was indeed one of happiness and joy. Needless to say the lingua franca of the evening was Spanish, but the hosts put the mixed and elegant guests at ease. In attendance were many members of the diplomatic corps, Israeli politicians, VIPs and commercial leaders, and socialites of Israeli society.

 

Also sharing in hosting the event was the Keren Kayemet Le'Yisrael - the Jewish National Fund. The JNF is widely known as the organization that keeps afforestation in Israel high on the agenda. The result is that Israel is perhaps the only country in the world where there are more trees today than there were at the start of the 20th century. Since its inception in 1901, the JNF claims to have planted 240 million trees in Israel.

 

Guests mingled happily as snacks and drinks were served. Smart and casual seemed to be the theme, with many uniformed military attachés adding a sparkle to delight the eye. Before the formal speeches, the national anthems of the four participating countries, and then of Israel, were played. Very beautiful, very moving and very much in place.

 

In a moving address, his Excellency José Isaias Barahona, Ambassador to Israel of Honduras, spoke to the guests on behalf of the four ambassadors. He began by thanking everyone for being there, and followed with a brief and illuminating history leading to the independence from Spain of the four countries and subsequently to today's SICA - "The United Provinces of Central America". SICA now also includes Nicaragua, Belize, Panama and the Dominican Republic. "With 7 cities with populations between 1 and 3.5 million people, more than 10 international airports and great ports in the Caribbean sea and the Pacific Ocean, it is a region that is a bridge to the world between the Atlantic and the Caribbean with the Panama Canal ... and also a bridge between the two large land masses of North and South America".

 

The Ambassador spoke of the economic and social importance of the area, its past successes and its plans and opportunities for the future. He added: "In addition to our efforts, Central America has received extensive and intense cooperation in which Israel is a prominent participant, especially in the fields of education, agriculture and livestock, high-tech, commerce and of course in the security and defense fields. Our bilateral agendas ... and our relationship as a region and as individual countries, has been strengthened, ... the agenda for cooperation between Israel and Central America will be filled with new and innovative proposals that will be relevant to the values and principles that we share in the search for the common good of our peoples and societies of all other nations of the world; ensuring the strengthening of democracy, the promotion of human development, security and justice, which are the main ingredients of the peace that we all long for". In conclusion the ambassador wished the President of the State of Israel and all the people a Shana tova (happy New Year). He ended the address with "Viva Israel, viva Central America", to thunderous applause.

 

Responding on behalf of Israel was Minister of Welfare & Social Services, Meir Cohen. He opened his address with congratulations to the four states on the 193rd Independence Day. {Mr. Cohen spoke largely in Hebrew, followed by a prepared translation}. He mentioned that Israel and the four countries have had excellent diplomatic relations, but that in recent years a cooling from El Salvador has been noted in Israel. Mr. Cohen spared no words in criticizing El Salvador for recalling its ambassador during the recent "Operation Protective Edge" when Israel's civilian population was under severe attack from Hamas in Gaza. On the other hand, he said, it was heartwarming to learn of the extensive grassroots support from Central American nations, including El Salvadorians, in spite of their government's policy.

 

The Minister reminded the guests of the important part Central American nations played in voting at the United Nations in 1947 in favor of the establishment of the State of Israel. "The friendship between our countries is not new". In May 2014 the government of Israel took a decision to strengthen ties with Latin American countries. (At that meeting the Prime Minister was quoted as saying that the strategy of improved Israel-Latin America ties was going to prove fruitful for all countries concerned.) The Minister ended his speech by expressing the hope that bilateral relations with Central American states would go from strength to strength.

 

{The President of the JNF also addressed the audience, but in a speech in Spanish which your DIPLOMACY correspondent was unable to follow.}

Viva Centroamerica!

 

 

  Photos  Silvia G Golan