Israel and Australia Says G’Day and Shalom To A New Water Pact
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 03.23.07
Good on ya Israel, conveyed Australia’s Federal Environment and Water Minister Malcolm Turnbull last Monday while meeting with a 24-person Israeli delegation on Aussie turf. The countries have found common ground in water and have recently signed a non-binding project to co-develop water technologies. Australia and Israel are both dry countries that seek a long-standing solution to coping with drought and water insecurity. According to the Australian Jewish News Turnbull visited Israel in 2005 and has long hinted at expanding cooperation on water between the two nations. “The Israelis are ingenious in their use of water and are world leaders in water technology,” Turnbull said.
Among the visitors last week were Israeli Water Commissioner Professor Uri Shani and Eli Ronen, the head of Israel’s national water company, Mekorot. Both desalination and water-recycling technology are used by Mekorot and this is technology that Australia may need to turn to if the drought does not improve, reports AJN. Israel Trade Commissioner Nili Shalev believes that the pact would pave the way for more joint ventures and commercial activities. “It’s all about increasing collaboration to be better prepared and to achieve better solutions to deal with the drought in both countries,” she said. The next step would be to establish a research-and-development fund, Shalev hinted. ::AJN
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