Israel and the United States are not only allies when it comes to military and intelligence sharing, but also collaborators on economic and scientific endeavors.
Israel and the United States are not only allies when it comes to military and intelligence sharing, but also collaborators on economic and scientific endeavors.
The cooperation between the two countries was on display last week when approximately 50 senior U.S. and Israeli economic policy officials gathered to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Joint Economic Development Group.
At the annual meeting, the partners discussed digital transformation in the public sector, talent recruitment and increasing accessibility to credit for small and medium enterprises. The Israeli Ministry of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services renewed an umbrella memorandum of understanding to strengthen research collaboration.
The meeting also highlighted the signing of the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Agreement 30 years ago. Trade between the two countries has increased from $4.6 billion in 1986 to $38 billion in 2014, according to figures made available by the State Department.
Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin said that the “JEDG remains an invaluable forum where we can assess strategically the content and context of our broad, deep and diverse economic relationship.”
Israeli Finance Ministry Director General Shai Babad echoed his American partner and said the Israeli government “firmly believes that the conversations taking place at the JEDG, and the ongoing year-long dialogue between our governments, can better the lives of people on both sides of the ocean.”
