Israel and France will set up an $18.5 million fund for industrial cooperation in 1993, according to an agreement signed Monday between the two countries.
Israeli Minister of Industry Micha Harish signed the accord in Paris, along with his French counterpart Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
Each partner will put up half the money for the fund, which will be devoted to high-tech development.
“This is the first real effort to upgrade our economic relations in decades,” said Strauss-Kahn, who explained that the aim was to double the trade between France and Israel within five years.
Various projects involving Franco-Israeli cooperation are being discussed, including a railway linking Tel Aviv to Eilat.
Harish invited French industrialists to work more with Israel. He stressed that they should not be afraid of the Arab boycott of Israel.
“Cooperation with Israel is useful for the peace process,” Harish said.
Strauss-Kahn, a Jew originally from Tunis and a member of the Socialist Party, is running for re-election in March to the French Parliament. His district is a Paris suburb containing a large Sephardic Jewish community.
Strauss-Kahn took advantage of Harish’s visit to France to organize a public meeting in his district last weekend with the Israeli Cabinet minister.
Strauss-Kahn’s opponent in the election race, Pierre Lellouche, is also a Jew but belongs to the right-wing opposition and is a close aide of Paris Mayor Jacques Chirac.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
