Israel works with others in quiet ways

MASHAV has been providing developing nations with aid in the form of expertise since 1958.

By LAWRENCE RIFKIN
MASHAV – Israel Center for International Cooperation, the Foreign Ministry division that oversees Israeli efforts to assist developing nations, last spring brought to Israel a delegation of 14 people from Belarus who were in some way involved in that country’s emerging rural tourism sector.
“It was an excellent group,” says Ilan Fluss, MASHAV’s director of policy planning and external relations. “They were highly capable. They showed great interest and were impressed with what Israel had to offer. We have many models for rural tourism that are suited to their needs, and many experts who speak their language.”
MASHAV has been providing developing nations with aid in the form of expertise since 1958, which Fluss calls “both a diplomatic and moral imperative.” Initially, the assistance was mostly in the realm of agriculture and medicine, but in recent decades it’s branched out to include more general areas of social and economic development.
“Tourism is an important component of almost any economy,” he continues. “There are many ways of providing assistance, but the most important is to provide the tools for self-development. It’s unclear what our next steps will be with the group from Belarus , although it’s clear that we’ll be there for them in whatever way we can.”