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- Written by Spokesperson of the President's Office
President Rivlin held the traditional new year’s reception for heads of Christian denominations in Israel, this year online
President Rivlin:
“The State of Israel will always remain committed to freedom of religion, and will always be proud of the strong Christian communities in the Holy Land”
President of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin this morning, Wednesday 30 December / 15 Tevet, held the traditional new year’s reception for heads of the Christian denominations in Israel, this year online. Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III also delivered remarks.
“This is the last time that I will have the privilege of sending my New Year’s blessings to you and your communities, as President of the State of Israel. I wish I could do so in person, in a festive meeting. Unfortunately, that is not possible due to corona, which knows no difference between countries, peoples and religions,” said the president at the beginning of the event, held online this year.
“Despite the physical distance, I am deeply thankful for the close relationships we have built. Thank you for your cooperation and friendship. The State of Israel will always remain committed to freedom of religion, and will always be proud of the strong Christian communities in the Holy Land,” he added.
The president expressed his hope that he would soon be able to announce the opening ceremony of the Land of the Monasteries, saying “I hope and pray that this will be a year in which the Christian communities in Israel continue to grow and thrive, and in which Christians throughout the Middle East know peace and safety.”
The Land of the Monasteries is a wide-ranging tourism project in the area of the abandoned churches and monasteries on the banks of the River Jordan close to the site where, according to Christianity, John the Baptist baptized Jesus and his apostles. In recent years, the president has advanced plans to increase tourism to the area and develop the sites to visitors from around the world. South of the baptismal site there are a number of key sites – churches, chapels and monasteries – that give the area its name. The area, which his of major religious significance to Christians, has been developed and restored in recent years ahead of its opening to visitors. As part of the project, mines laid in the 1970s and which prevented access to the churches and the surrounding area, have been cleared.
Minister of the Interior Aryeh Deri: “At a time when the coronavirus is claiming victims around the world, closing down economies and harming religion and education, we see that it does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race or gender. It is precisely now that we must be united in our war against the virus and in our prayers to return to better, saner days.”
“As well as this difficult time, we have seen a global peace process with the State of Israel, of which the Abraham Accords are a part. This is a welcome process of peace around the world that will save us from blood and tears, orphans and widows. Peace is wonderful! And you, religious leaders, have the capacity to preserve and take it to additional places. The State of Israel and Jerusalem will be home to all religions and each will have its place to hold its rituals, to preserve its traditions and its place of prayer, to strengthen its historical memory and to pray to its god in freedom, companionship and equality that will bring us all together.”
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III: “We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to you, Mr. President, for your steadfast support of the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious character of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. We have deeply appreciated the personal concern that you have shown us by speaking individually to each of the Heads of the Churches during this pandemic. We wish to extend to you, Mr. President, our greetings and best wishes for this holiday season, in which the Abrahamic faith traditions keep festivals of light and life.”
Photo credit: Mark Neyman (GPO)
Photo credit: Haim Zach (GPO)
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- Written by Joint IDF-MFA statement
.The joint IDF-MFA aid delegation is providing emergency response to the populations in the affected areas, hand in hand with local volunteers, while following the regulations put in place to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.
For the past three days, the Home Front Command and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aid delegation has been assisting cities in northwestern Honduras which were struck by the two hurricanes that blew through Central America, together with senior officials from Honduras.
The Government of Honduras requested the aid delegation of the HFC in light of the accumulated knowledge of the State of Israel and specifically of the HFC in dealing with emergency situations.
Directed by the Minister of Defense, MK Benny Gantz, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, MK Gabi Ashkenazi, the delegation arrived in Honduras on Wednesday. As part of the assistance, the delegation used professional technological equipment that has been developed in Israel over the past few years. The aid delegation charted the disaster areas, and their activities are concentrated on the cities which suffered the most damage.
The delegation is providing emergency response to the populations in the affected areas, hand in hand with local volunteers, while following the regulations put in place to prevent the spread of the Corona virus.
Tal Itzhakov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs representative: "The Israeli aid delegation has been concentrating its efforts to assist residents of the area to return to their daily routine after being struck by the hurricane, as well as training the Honduran emergency troops in dealing with disaster situations".
The Commanding Officer of the National Rescue Unit, Col. (res.) Golan Vach: "The members of the delegation are reservists, experts in their fields with experience from similar situations that they have dealt with around the world over the past few years. Therefore, they perform their activities while equipped with technological gear in order to give their best response in their aid mission. The State of Israel and the Home Front Command will continue to assist in the aftermath of any disaster around the world that requires its experience and capabilities."
The Israeli delegation in Honduras. Photo : IDF Spokesperson.
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- Written by Delegation of the European Union to Israel
On 16 November 2020, the Palestinian Centre for Research and Agricultural Development (PCARD) and the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) launched the first of many activities aimed at improving production and trade in key agricultural sectors. The workshop took place in Nahalal, Israel as part of the project ‘Israelis Meet Palestinians in Agriculture and Cross-border Trade’ funded by the European Union under its EU Peacebuilding Initiative.
The 3-year project will bring together agricultural workers, farmers, agronomists, the business sector, students and many other stakeholders to improve the production quality and quantity in key Palestinian and Israeli agricultural sectors - dates, almonds, herbs, honey, olive oil, vegetable and grapes. A number of agricultural communities on both sides will benefit from improved trade capacity. Ultimately, the project will promote and facilitate cross-border trade, by establishing trade contacts, organising exhibitions, trainings and field visits in the priority agricultural-trade sectors.
PCARD Director, Eng. Salah A. Eisheh said: ‘The project targets seven strategic agricultural sectors in Palestine and Israel, namely dates, vegetables, medical herbs, grapes, almonds, honey and olives. The aim is to strengthen economic and technical cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis, and to create commercial relations locally and internationally to the benefit of the targeted sectors.’
GIMI President, Dr. Joseph Shevel said: ‘This is a very good opportunity to make the positive change that we are looking to see for both Palestinians and Israelis. GIMI will work with PCARD to upgrade the trade experience, enhance the marketing knowledge and improve the quality and quantity of agriculture products for all participants in the project. I devote many thanks to the European Union for supporting this initiative.’
EU Ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret said: ‘Cross border cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians that benefits the lives and livelihoods of real people is an EU priority. We must not forget the road to peace always involves keeping dialogue and channels open, as well as building mutual trust. This is one of the building blocks that can help support a political solution to the conflict’.
Background
This project is funded by the EU Peacebuilding Initiative, which aims to support and promote the conditions for a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Arab conflict through civil society projects and citizens' positive engagement. The programme is divided into two parts, which: 1. aim to promote conditions for a negotiated settlement of the conflict via participatory civil engagement, and via enhanced mutual understanding, confidence and trust; 2. contribute to peacebuilding through joint work supporting socio-economic development and strategic cooperation.
Photo Janine Golan / the Galilee Institute.
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- Written by Silvia
Israel held its largest virtual Model UN conference ever, as 150 students from over a dozen schools competed at Young Ambassadors Model UN 2020. The conference was held as part of UN75, with a summary report being submitted to the UN75 office following the event. Students represented a variety of countries and international actors, as they discussed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the point of view of youth, as the world may face them in 2050, and even recreated the UN in a historical 1945 committee.
UN75, the UN’s initiative to more broadly engage civil society in the trajectory of our world, and Model UN, which empowers youth, fit together naturally. Thus as the end of 2020 approaches, and with in person conferences not yet viable, the Chen Young Ambassadors School of Petah Tiqva, led by Mrs. Rachel Amrani, held Israel’s first UN75 Model UN as a virtual conference on Sunday, November 22, 2020. More than 150 students grades 4-12 participated from all over Israel, as well as several other countries.
In keeping with the UN75 goals, the conference challenged participating youth to really engage with the SDGs and the direction they see the world heading in. In one committee beginning students discussed how the SDGs might be modified to better reflect the perspectives of youth. Several committees were futuristic, asking students to imagine the world in 2050 and what new challenges and realities might be facing the UN then. In these committees, in addition to member states, students represented companies like Amazon or Google, and entities like the “International Robot Union” and the “Mars Science Colony”.
At the closing ceremony, Mrs. Rachel Amrani and the principal of the Ramon Comprehensive School in Petah Tiqva, Ms. Liza Reches, addressed the students. Ms. Stephanie Baric, a consultant on Child Protection for UNICEF, with experience addressing poverty and social injustice in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans, spoke as a guest of the US Embassy. Mr. Jonathan Eshpar, Political Affairs officer at the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process spoke as well. All of the speakers emphasized how proud they were of the students for all they had achieved, in their very first MUN, and the importance of dealing with global challenges like the SDGs, and in using critical thinking and negotiation to try to solve problems big and small, global and local.
After the speeches it was time for the awards. In the Hebrew committees, Hili Hershcberg (Bialik school), Noy Meshita (Yitshak Navon), Gaia Gol (Devora Omer), Gaya Harush (Natan Yonatan), Shachar Nadav (Ein Ganim), Maya Battat (Natan Yonatan), Itay Yariv (Natan Yonatan), and Yali Ben-shmuel (Natan Yonatan) received Outstanding Delegate awards. The Best Delegates were Liya Roitman (Bar Lev), Yaniv Herwig (Bialik), Kfir Levita (Ein Ganim), Yuval Hakim (Yitshak Navon), and Rotem Getraide (Paul Kor). In the 5-7th grade committee, Raz Gigi (Ramon school), Itzhar Tamim (Ramon) and Harel Serruya (Shifer) were Outstanding delegates, while Bar Swift (Ein Ganim) and Lior Amram (Ramon) were Best Delegates. In the Youth and SDGs committee, Aiman Namouz (Greek Catholic), and May Kaplan (Ramon) won Outstanding Delegate, and Amir Kashani (Young Ambassadors) was Best Delegate. In the intermediate level UN2050 committee, Yonatan Oren (Ein Ganim), Yaniv Becker (Young Ambassadors) and RH (Debate for Peace) won Outstanding Delegate, while MA was Best Delegate (Debate for Peace. In the 1945 committee (Advanced), Rawan Wajeeh(Iksal high school) and Ansam Darawshi (Iksal high school) were the Outstanding Delegates, while Idan Avni (Debate for Peace) was Best Delegate. Congratulations to all over the participants!
Steven Aiello
Photo Chen Young Ambassadors School
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- Written by Silvia G. Golan
The Academy for Young Diplomats was inaugurated on Monday October 26, in a virtual ceremony attended by hundreds of students, parents and educators. Later that week the academy held its first major event, a Model UN conference for 50 elementary school students on the topic of Human Rights and Drones.
The Academy for Young Diplomats, an initiative of the the Petah Tiqva municipality and overseen by Mrs. Rachel Amrani, will provide diplomatic training to outstanding elementary school students, including strengthening spoken English skills, MUN simulations, international relations debates and discussions with diplomats. This is believed to be the youngest age MUN and diplomacy training program in Israel. In total, several hundred students from a dozen classes around the city are being trained.
Mrs. Rachel Amrani, director of the Chen Young Ambassadors School and founding director of the Academy for Young Diplomats, opened the evening by welcoming all of the guests. She introduced Mrs. Tali Toledano, the director of the Elementary School division in Petah Tiqva, who then told the students how excited she was to have been part of this important initiative, and how much the teachers and principals were counting on the students. The mayor of Petah Tiqva, Mr. Rami Greenberg, addressed the students and reiterated the dedication of the city to supporting youth empowerment. Mr. Ron Katz, the head of the Education Department in Petah Tiqva also spoke, expressing his own support for this important initiative, and hope that it would continue to grow. Mr. Ohad Hursendi from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the students about the importance of communication and learning different perspectives in conducting diplomacy.
Following the formal speeches, several alumni of the Young Ambassadors school spoke. The alumni, now university students or in army positions, talked about the skills and invaluable experiences they had gained through their time in the Young Ambassadors program, and wished they had had the opportunity to start in elementary school. Several principals of different schools also talked about their excitement to be able to offer this program to their students.
Just a few days later those diplomatic skills were on full display, as the first MUN conference of the year was held. 50 students from the first few schools to open the program: Bar Lev, Ein Ganim, and Haim Hefer, represented a range of countries as they discussed the merits and humanitarian concerns stemming from military and civilian use of drones. After an intense three hours of speeches, debates and negotiations, the committees were brought to a close with a roll call vote.
During the closing ceremony, Mrs. Amrani expressed her admiration for the hard work and exceptional diplomacy she had witnessed in the committees. She also thanked the dedicated chairs of the committees: Gaia Gol, Rotem Getraide, Maya Jerbi, Ameen Agbaria, Yehonatan Bashi, Itay Rechav, and Yoad Hershkovitz. The chairs of each committee seconded her words, stressing how impressed they were with the high-level debate from students at their very first MUN conference. Finally the award winners were announced: Inbar Levy (Brazil), Yoav Deane (Japan) and Talia Rupin Pinhas (Peru) received Outstanding Delegates and Lia Katsevman (Czech Republic), Yaara Gross (India), and Yonatan Oren (Ireland) received Best Delegate in the first committee. In the second committee, Yehuda Lavi (Australia), Lavi Golan (Estonia), Koren Druker (Poland) and Hadar Englandar (Slovenia) were the Outstanding Delegates, while Bar Swift (France) and Kfir Levita (United Kingdom) were the Best Delegates.
Naomi Fellert, who represented Germany, summarized the feeling for many first time students when she told Diplomacy.co.il that the conference was “a lot of fun...I learned many things and felt like it really helped me understand. I found the topic very interesting and worth studying. In retrospect I can’t believe that I was nervous to first join.”
Mrs. Rachel Amrani, the Director of the Academy for Young Diplomats, said that the academy was opened to start the education of a new generation of Israeli diplomats from an even earlier age, and provide them with the opportunities to learn and experience diplomacy. It offers a wide variety of lectures, programs, workshops, and a wide variety of simulations, and other learning opportunities. These lessons are meant to give students a greater understanding of what is going on in the world, in the UN, an understanding of international politics and the intricacies of the world of diplomacy, as well as improving the ability to discuss, analyze and express oneself, spoken English, debate, negotiation and decision-making.
The next MUN conference will be an international one, held on November 22 and examining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Photo credit: Academy for Young Diplomats
