Naturally, this meeting didn't make it into the Arab press.On Tuesday, the Gaza District Coordination and Liaison held a day-long preparatory seminar in anticipation of the export season. Starting in November, strawberries will be exported from the Gaza Strip to European markets. The seminar was planned and coordinated by the Coordination and Liaison Administration's agricultural coordinator, Mr. Ori Madar.
The seminar opened with a meeting between the heads of Palestinian farmers' associations and representatives from the Israeli company that will export the crops from Gaza to Europe. The meeting's objective was for the two sides to reach an agreement, and indeed during the meeting the Palestinian farmers signed a marketing contract. In addition, they shared with Mr. Madar their expectations and needs for the upcoming export season, and he will address them in order for the export to go as comfortably and smoothly as possible
Later in the day, 40 Palestinian farmers heard a lecture delivered by Mr. Nabil Ganaim, a world expert in growing strawberries. His lecture provided the farmers with knowledge about growing and exporting strawberries, with the goal of helping them produce crops that adhere to the standards of the European market.
In anticipation of the conference, Mr. Madar organized and coordinated all aspects of the day, including permits for the farmers who attended the seminar at the District Coordination and Liaison offices. At the beginning of the day, Khatib Mansour, commander of the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration, greeted and welcomed the Palestinian farmers. He emphasized that Israeli support for exporting crops is strong and will continue.
Strawberries are not the only crop being exported: the Coordination and Liaison Administration is preparing more conferences in the upcoming weeks, in order to prepare the Administration and Palestinian farmers for exporting more vegetables and spices.
I wonder if Gaza farmers who export their goods via Israel are "collaborators"?