Out to change perceptions, Israelis are on a relationship-building mission to let the world know they are open for business.
Aviv Ezra knew the El Tariq El Sahrawy by reputation: a winding strip of asphalt cutting three hours north from Cairo to Alexandria through barren desert. But when Ezra took the road in 2000, what he saw didn’t match expectations. The roadside was green, flourishing with crops. Ezra learned from his driver that Egyptians had worked closely with Israelis to transform the landscape. Israeli expertise in computerized irrigation and seeds designed in Israel provided the technology, and a cooperative relationship between Egyptians and Israelis transformed desert to lush vegetation, a metamorphosis from yellow to green.
During a two-year tenure in Cairo as head of the Israeli Embassy’s Economic and Trade Affairs Division, Ezra saw Egyptian perceptions of Israelis change through
commercial interaction, business and agricultural cooperation, and cultural exchanges. Now, as deputy counsel general at the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, he wants to broaden perceptions of Israeli commerce and culture throughout the Southeast.
The bottom line of his marketing strategy: business opportunities between Israel and its neighbors and Israel and the world enhance the possibility of achieving
a long-term political solution in the Middle East. "Sharing and working together creates a win-win situation," Ezra said. "I am a diplomat, but for me, I really believe this. It is not just a slogan."
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