JNS
"You start talking [with Arabs] professionally and the barriers fall down,” says Dr. Doron Markel.
An Israeli scientist with a prominent Jewish organization known for developing the Land of Israel participated in an environmental conference in Morocco this month, seeking to bolster regional ties through scientific cooperation.
Dr. Doron Markel, chief scientist of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), represented the organization famed for planting trees in Israel at a conference in Rabat that focused on the intersection of water, energy, food and ecology.
The two-day WEFE NEXUS International Conference—Exploring and Bridging Nexus for a Sustainable Future, which was sponsored by a European Union foundation, was held amid strained regional tensions in the wake of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza and as the U.S. administration seeks to expand on the 2020 Abraham Accords that saw the Jewish state make peace with four Arab countries, including Morocco.
“We felt very secure and the Moroccans were very warm-hearted,” Markel told JNS on Monday. “You start talking [with Arab representatives] professionally and the barriers fall down.”
He noted, however, that while the Jordanian delegation was warm, both the Lebanese and the Tunisians were less comfortable interacting with him.
At the event, the participants discussed Israel’s agrivoltaic pilot project in Ma'ale Gilboa, which involves the dual use of land for solar energy production and agriculture. Markel said the technique could be a “game changer” for countries in the region and beyond in the coming years.
"We brought knowledge about agricultural projects that are still scarce in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa," he said.
An international consortium of researchers and institutions from Spain, Greece, Italy, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia could hold its next meeting in Israel if the security situation improves, he said.
Despite the tumultuous times and the anti-Israel hate being broadcast on social media during the war, the Israeli scientist said that the trip to the North African Arab country was very successful.
“I was proud to represent Israel,” Markel said.
