March 28, 2016 — Jerusalem, Israel
AJC Project Interchange (PI), in collaboration with the Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA), is hosting a Chilean delegation of six Members of Congress and three prominent journalists. This educational seminar marks PI’s fourth delegation of Chilean leaders to Israel and is generously supported by the Klaff Family Foundation and the Comunidad Judia de Chile (Chilean Jewish Community).
The focus of this seminar is on Israeli foreign policy and domestic politics, Israel’s relationship with Chile and Latin America, regional dynamics, the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, and opportunities for bilateral high-tech partnerships. The group also is meeting with the Chilean Congressional counterparts in the Knesset from the Israel-Chile Parliament Friendship Group and with members of the diplomatic corps.
“We’re very pleased to partner once again with the Chilean Jewish Community to expose some of the country’s top legislators and journalists to Israel’s rich and complex reality,” said Dina Siegel Vann, Director of BILLA. “This delegation reflects a diversity of political and media voices within Chile who will benefit from the varied perspectives and topics presented to them during this experience. Chile and Israel have ongoing strong bilateral ties, but we are convinced that they can be even stronger based on common values and interests, which will be highlighted throughout this seminar.”
In recent years there has been a significant increase in Chilean-Israeli cooperation in the areas of renewable energy, desert agriculture, water efficiency, and technological innovation. Meetings throughout this seminar will enable knowledge-sharing in these areas, as both Israel and Chile face many of the same environmental challenges and conditions.
“These impressive Chilean Parliamentarians and journalists are important voices in Chile, and we welcome the opportunity to provide them with a first-hand understanding of Israel,” said Robin Levenston, Executive Director of Project Interchange. “We look forward to connecting these and other prominent Latin American leaders to Israel to share best practices in areas of mutual interest.”
The delegation will travel throughout Israel, including to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Galilee, the Northern border and Southern region, and they also will spend time meeting with Palestinian leaders in the Palestinian Authority.
