ADVANCEMENTS in early childhood education, technology, and water management have been identified by Israel’s non-resident Ambassador to Jamaica Raslan Abu Rukun as some of the areas in which both countries can strengthen relations.

Abu Rukun, whose office is in the Dominican Republic, left Jamaica last Friday after attending the annual Diplomatic Week celebrations, which he used as an opportunity to network and explore further avenues of cooperation between both nations that have enjoyed friendly relations for just over six decades.

“I felt there was a willingness to continue relations, but I think the potential is much greater than the situation today, and this is why I’m here. I want to implement and make this potential a reality,” Abu Rukun told the Jamaica Observer on Friday, a few hours before his flight back to the Dominican Republic.

“In general, bilateral relations between Israel and Jamaica are very good,” he said, noting both countries already collaborate on security, agriculture, and water irrigation technology, particularly though Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (Mashav).

Mashav is a programme within the Jewish State’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel which focuses on sharing Israeli expertise and technologies with developing countries so as to promote sustainable development and social equity.

Abu Rukun said the embassy is also working on connecting Israeli and Jamaican companies and that, through Mashav, they “have a lot of courses” in areas such as water management, technological innovation, and agriculture “that we are organising in Israel [to which] we would like to invite participants in Jamaica”.

He said that last week’s visit was his second to the island since his appointment a year and a half ago, and during his first visit he spoke with government officials about collaboration in early childhood development.

“We spoke with the officials about some projects in education. Israel is very strong, in general, in education — but mainly specifically in technical education — and this is something that we can definitely find some [areas of] cooperation,” he said.

As such, Diplomatic Week provided him with a good opportunity to follow up on those talks and maintain contacts.