President Isaac Herzog and Vice President Kamala Harris will announce a joint climate initiative on Wednesday evening, the President’s Office confirmed.
Herzog is in Washington for meetings with President Joe Biden and other top officials.
The initiative was first announced by Axios, which said the effort would focus on “climate-smart agriculture” in the Middle East and Africa and include up to a $35 million investment over five years by both the United States and Israel.
Herzog has been at the forefront of Israel’s climate efforts through the establishment of the Israeli Climate Forum. Under its umbrella, there is a working group focused on regional collaborations. Earlier this month, a report produced by the forum in cooperation with the Middle East Institute showed that tackling climate change through a regional and global lens could foster increased regional stability, expand Israel’s circle of peace and normalization, and provide greater prosperity.
Israeli officials see Africa’s Morocco as the regional partner with the most potential for climate and environmental cooperation, specifically in renewable energy, water, agriculture, fishing, and desertification.
A primary focus of this initiative will be water, including innovative technologies, storage, use and protection.
Last November, Israel’s national water company, Mekorot, signed a memorandum of understanding in the fields of drinking water and liquid sanitation with Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE). In May, Economy Minister Nir Barkat visited the country to attend SIAM, the largest international agricultural exhibition in Morocco and one of the largest in Africa.
What is the expected outcome?
The hope, according to the Axios report, is that the effort will also strengthen cooperation between Israel and its Arab neighbors and other countries in Africa.
In March, Israel hosted a group of African agricultural experts, some of whom have no diplomatic relations with Israel, to help combat desertification and drought in the Sahara region. Two months later, Haim Taib’s Mitrelli Group hosted a delegation of around 500 African representatives, including senior officials, to discuss how Israeli innovation could power the continent.
“We have to take advantage of Israeli advances in agriculture,” said Dr. Vaflahi Meite, director-general of economic diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Diaspora, from the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire at the time. “We know Israel was a desert only 75 years ago, and today it is green… Cote d’Ivoire is also arid, and we can benefit from learning from Israel.”
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