Peruvian Chief of Mission Minister
Pedro Rubin, Second Secretary
Juan Carlos Hurtado, Military Attaché
Col. Fernando Tasayco, and Technical Adjunct to the Military Attaché
Sixto Chilin were welcomed to the site by Latin American Department Director
Ariel Goldgewicht, together with department colleagues
Dalit Cohen and
Eldad Gafni.
Goldgewicht noted the importance of the friendship between Israel and Peru, and the fact that Peru has been one of the countries most affected by climate change. Like Israel, he said, Peru has few natural forests.
“In this, Israel is similar to Peru. Here, nothing is green without human intervention, and we have a done a lot to help in this,” he said.
“KKL-JNF has been leading the fight against desertification and has to date
planted over 240 million trees in Israel and built
230 water reservoirs."
“Every tree has its place and receives the care it needs,” Goldgewicht emphasized. “We consider each tree as if it were a life. The success Israel has had is not just a miracle but the result of technology we have developed that we hope to share with Peru as we have done with other Latin American countries. We are trying to help others and also learn from them.”
"
In addition, he said, KKL-JNF-planted forests are excellent examples of sustainable forests.
“Those tall trees you see are ones planted by KKL-JNF but here you also see the young ones which have been planted by nature. Nature does succeed on its own - it just needs a small push from us and they become self-sustaining.”
Peruvian Chief of Mission Minister Pedro Rubin thanked KKL-JNF for the work they were doing and said he would welcome cooperation on environmental projects.
“Next month is Israel-Peru Friendship Month and we want to be more present as the sign of our friendship, a sign of the dedication and constancy of the Israeli people. I would like to share my admiration and that of the embassy for your achievements,” said Rubin.
As a military man, Col. Fernando Tasayco said he was honored to consolidate the friendship between the two countries in a place where Peruvian military heroes will be recognized.
“We are both people that would give our lives to protect our country,” he said. “I thank KKL-JNF for this initiative we are starting.”
Following the ceremony, members of the delegation made their way to the Tzora Planting Center in order to plant trees. The honored guests were greeted by KKL-JNF forester
Eran Zabadi, who is in charge of the tree planting center.
Zabadi explained to his guests that generally, trees in Israel could only be planted in the months of January and part of February when there is enough rain due to the semi-arid climate, yet KKL-JNF planting centers have a special irrigation system allowing visitors to plant trees all year round.
“Now, especially when all around the world we realize the importance of planting trees, we hope we can start something together with our Peruvian friends by planting more trees,” he said.
The Peruvian and Israeli representatives recited the Planter’s Prayer together. They then rolled up their sleeves and got to work planting oak saplings, an immediate practical expression of the two countries’ determination to blossom and grow together in friendship.