PH, Israel to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties

THE 60th anniversary of the Philippine- Israel Diplomatic Ties will be celebrated with a concert on November 12 at Rishon Lezion, Tel Aviv where the Open Doors Monument stands as a symbol of the special relationships between the two countries.

The concert featuring Laarni Lozada, the Pinoy Dream Academy Grand Champion and Israeli top artist Tal Kravitz, is the highlight of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land on November 9 to 18 organized by Ephesus Travel and Tours.

The 10-day pilgrimage is being supported - line partner through its country manager Solomon Bekele.

Protection of whale sharks

Meanwhile, the government of Israel vowed in multilateral conference for the sustainable development of wildlife held in Manila that they would continue to work with the government of the Philippines for the protection of whale sharks,

During the Twelfth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP12) on October 23 to 28, the governments of the Philippines, Israel and Sri Lanka submitted a proposal for the inclusion of the whale shark on the convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals, and a work plan for all member states to improve the protection of whale sharks.

Dr. Simon Nemtzov, Wildlife Ecologist and Coordinator for International Treaties from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, represented Israel in the conference.

Nemtzov, Israel’s expert on migratory species also made a presentation on“Using Defense Technologies and Other Hi- Tech Methods for Better Wildlife Conservation” at the sidelines of the conference at the Philippine International Convention Center ( PICC).

And as part of Israel Embassy in Manila’s academic program, Nemtzov delivered a lecture on “The Challenges of Dealing with Israel’s Exceptionally Rich Wildlife Biodiversity” at the University of the Philippines Diliman at the De La Salle University Manila.

As a wildlife ecologist for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for over 20 years, Nemtzov has run a wide variety of wildlife conservation projects for the Israeli government, working mainly on conservation of endangered species and the mitigation of

Nemtzov serves as the Israeli government’s point person for a large number of international treaties and conventions, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, among others.

Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Effie Ben Matityau (second from left) gives his support and endorsement to the project during a courtesy by Ephesus Travel President Rosemarie Galang (third from right); with them are Josie Brobio, chairperson of the Christian Friends of Magen David Adom in the Philippines and Sonia Atabug