IDF in NY to promote projects for Palestinians. Syrians,

An IDF delegation in New York is promoting projects to help the Palestinians and Syrians.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the coordinator of government activities in the territories, Maj.-Gen. Yoav “Poly” Mordechai, has met with New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan to strengthen ties with the Catholic Church.

“The two discussed ways to assist the Syrian population in Southern Syria through Israel in the framework of Good Neighborhood Project,” COGAT said in a statement it posted on its Facebook page. Mordechai held a similar conversation with Bishop Andrew M. L. Dietsche, head of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

Mordechai also will participate in Monday’s meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the principal coordinating organ for donor funding that provides development assistance to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gazam which is chaired by Norway and sponsored by the European Union and United States.

“The Israeli delegation will present the projects and initiatives in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip that Israel is interested in promoting for the benefit of all the residents and in order to maintain stability in the region and develop it economically,” COGAT said.

The Trump administration, like the Obama administration, has pressured Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians.

Among the projects Israel plans to present is construction of the Tarkumiya Industrial Park near the Tarkumiya crossing. COGAT also is expected to talk about ways to halt pollution in the Kidron Valley.