The U.S. Agency for International Development signed a memorandum of understanding with its Israeli counterpart, Mashav.

The bilateral agreement, signed April 18 in a closed ceremony, facilitates Israel-U.S. cooperation in Africa, Daniel Carmon, who heads Mashav, told JTA in an interview.

“We bring unique things to the table,” he said. Among nations offering aid, Carmon said, Israel was virtually alone as “a developing country that started from scratch and became a developed nation.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Mashav, in existence since 1957, currently has training programs in agriculture and medicine in Africa, India, China and Vietnam, among other nations.

While in Washington, Carmon was meeting with Latin American leaders, part of a bid to expand Mashav activities in that region.

The agreement with USAID will focus on agricultural development in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

The United States and Israel have cooperated on international aid since the early 1980s through the U.S.-Israel Cooperative Development Research, another program operated through USAID.

That program was launched by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), now the senior Democrat on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. Berman was present at the latest memorandum of understanding signing.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount