The Ministers of Environmental Protection for Italy and Israel, with the help of KKL-JNF officials, planted a palm tree in the garden of the official residence of Italy’s ambassador to Israel, as a symbol of friendship and peace between the two countries.
Italy’s Ambassador to Israel
Francesco Maria Talò is well known as a true friend of Israel, who collaborates actively with KKL-JNF. This week (February 21st), he hosted a joint tree-planting ceremony at his home in Ramat Gan.
“This is an opportunity to reflect upon our commitment to the
environment and our two nations,” declared the ambassador at the start of the evening’s events. “We need to work together for the sake of the future, even as we recall our cultural roots and take advantage of
innovative technologies that can improve the quality of our own lives and those of others the whole world over.”
This was the second tree to be planted in conjunction with KKL-JNF in the well-kept garden at the ambassador’s official residence: a pomegranate tree was planted there some three years ago, and it continues to grow and flourish. At this time of year its branches are bare, but soon they will be green again, and will flower and produce fruit. The decision to plant another tree together was arrived at after an older tree in the garden had withered and died. KKL-JNF, of course, stepped into the breach once more.
KKL-JNF was represented at the ceremony by Vice-Chairman
Hernan Felman, who told those present: “KKL-JNF will continue to work for the benefit of the world, together with a variety of other countries and organizations. Together we shall strive to make the world a better place to live in.”
The event was attended by leading environmental, ecological and conservational researchers and experts from universities and research facilities throughout Israel.
“We live in the same environment with a similar climate, and we face the same shared challenges,” said Israeli Minister for Environmental Protection
Avi Gabbay. “As Italy and Israel enjoy excellent relations in all areas of activity, we can learn from each other and work together.”
Before the start of the ceremony, the Israeli minister and his Italian colleague, Minister of Environment
Gian Luca Galletti, took advantage of the opportunity to hold a work meeting and discuss possible collaboration in the future. On the Italian Environmental Minister’s itinerary for his visit to Israel was a tour of the Negev, including Sde Boker, a visit to the southern Israel agricultural research and development station and a visit to Ben Gurion University in
Beersheba.
“We are committed to protecting the world and dealing with climate change,” said Minister Galletti. “No one country can do this alone. Only if we work together can we achieve our objective. There is a lot of cooperation between Israel and Italy in a variety of economic spheres. The aim of my visit to Israel is not just to strengthen this collaboration, but also to emphasize our moral commitment to work for the benefit of the whole world, protect the environment and combat climate change.”
There seemed no more appropriate a way to conclude the festive evening event than with the words of its host, Ambassador Talò: “Together we can repair the world. In fact, we have already begun to do so today, with our own hands, when we planted a tree. This is our gift to the generations that will follow us.”
Read this article in Italian