To restore the reclamation system in southern Ukraine, after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Israel proposes to focus on the development of wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water
To restore the reclamation system in southern Ukraine, after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, Israel proposes to focus on the development of wastewater treatment and desalination of sea water. This was announced by Denis Gamzin, designer of the Israeli Water Authority, during the conference “Israeli Water Supply and Agricultural Technologies – Experience for Ukraine” held at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“Israel has turned an environmental threat into a valuable resource. The country, which is located in the desert, reuses about 450 million m3 of treated wastewater, which is half of the water needs of agriculture, and 90% of treated wastewater is used for irrigation. In general, treated wastewater covers 25% of all Israel’s water needs, another 25% is desalinated water and 50% is fresh water,” said Denis Gamzin. According to him, in the next 25 years, the share of treated wastewater in Israel’s agricultural consumption will increase to almost 70%. “Israel is strengthening control over the quality of wastewater treatment and expanding the practice of secondary and tertiary use of treated wastewater,” added Denis Gamzin.
Israel is also actively developing seawater desalination plants. “There are currently three large seawater desalination plants in Israel with a capacity of 400 million m3. In the next 10 years, 4 more plants will be launched, and the processing capacity will increase to 1200 million m3,” said the designer of the Israel Water Authority.
According to Denys Gamzin, Ukraine has a great potential to use treated wastewater and sea water for agricultural purposes, primarily for the needs of agriculture. The large territory allows choosing rational locations for desalination plants, unlike in Israel, where, due to the lack of land, plants are located not near water sources, but where there is free land, sometimes in the center of the country.
Yonatan Tsadka, Director of the Department of Economic Affairs for Asia and Eurasia at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that modern water treatment technologies have emerged thanks to Israel’s policy of developing innovations. According to him, Israel is focused on innovative areas, especially in the circumstances in which Israel found itself. “There are national plans that allow the entire population to focus on creating breakthrough technologies that will be very important in the future. One of the driving factors is climate change. In this area, Israel has a certain advantage, and new challenges strengthen our resilience. Now we are facing the issues of migration of foreign workers and changes in supply chains,” said Yonatan Tsadka.
Vitaliy Holovnya, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, noted that the issue of efficient use of water resources and the search for new sources of water for irrigation is important for Ukraine. “This is a topical issue in connection with climate change and the loss of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in terms of irrigation and water supply. Implementation of projects following the example of Israeli ones will help solve food security issues,” said Vitaliy Holovnya.
Gennadiy Chyzhykov, President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, noted that Israel has shown one of the best results during the war. “This country’s experience will be very useful for Ukraine,” he said.
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said that the Watec Israel conference will be held in Jerusalem on September 16-19, 2024. “This is a unique opportunity to see different technologies that have been working in different countries for many years and can be useful for Ukraine,” said Michael Brodsky.
According to the State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Programs of Ukraine, the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP left 94% of irrigation systems in Kherson, 74% in Zaporizhzhia and 30% in Dnipropetrovs’k regions without a source of irrigation for a long time. In total, more than 350 irrigation pumping stations and about 1.1 thousand kilometers of reclamation canals cannot be used. (source: https://agronews.ua/news/stalo-vidomo-skilky-znadobytsya-chasu-na-vidnovlennya-systemy-zroshennya/)
According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Ukraine, in 2021, the volume of discharged wastewater amounted to 4.686 billion m3, of which 58% was normatively clean, 30% normatively treated and 12% polluted. (source: https://eu4waterdata.eu/images/pdf/library/Ukraine_5th_reporting_cycle_UKR_2022_final.pdf)
Active Group and Experts Club conducted a joint study on the attitudes of Ukrainians toward the countries of East Asia and the Middle East. The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency in June 2024. The research was presented by Maksym Urakin and Oleksandr Poznyi. The results of the study are as follows:
The results of the survey are as follows:
Completely positive – 25.6
Mostly positive – 46.9 %.
Mostly negative – 8.1 %.
Completely negative – 4.1%.
Difficult to answer – 15.3%.
Positive – Negative – 60.3
On December 26, 1991, diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the State of Israel were established. In 1993, the Embassy of the State of Israel was opened in Kyiv.
The joint survey by Active Group and Experts Club on the attitudes of Ukrainians towards East Asia and the Middle East was conducted in April-May 2024. It covers such countries as Turkey, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, India, China, Republic of Korea, DPRK, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Syria, and Iraq. Full information on the research is available on the website of the Club of Experts at
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that both Israel and Palestine have been invited by the Ukrainian side to the Peace Summit to be held on June 15-16 in Switzerland.
“We have no double standards. That is why, despite – whether someone likes it or not, we invited both Palestine and Israel to the Peace Summit. And representatives of the Global South. We have invited all countries to our Summit. We are ready to hear all thoughts, ready to talk to them all,” Zelensky said while speaking to the media on the margins of the Dialogue – Shangri-La conference in Singapore on Sunday.
Among the uninvited countries, the president noted, is only Russia.
“And not just because they are aggressors. Although that is point number 1. Point number 2 is that we had summits with Russia as, for example, within the Normandy format, after which they did not fulfill the agreements and continued to kill us and block processes, including the ceasefire,” he said.
Earlier, as part of his speech at the Dialogue – Shangri La conference in Singapore, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an objective assessment of Ukraine’s position on the situation in the Gaza Strip, stressing that Ukraine is a just country that respects international law and the UN charter and recognizes two states – both Israel and Palestine.
On May 20, 2024, the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine held a diplomatic reception in Kyiv on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the proclamation of the independence of the State of Israel.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky welcomed distinguished guests to the event, including representatives of diplomatic missions of foreign states accredited in Ukraine, Ukrainian politicians and statesmen, representatives of law enforcement agencies, businessmen, representatives of the Israeli community, and cultural figures.
The event began with the performance of the National Anthem of Israel and Ukraine by the men’s quintet of the Verevka Choir.
Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ukraine Michael Brodsky delivered a speech in Ukrainian in which he emphasized that this year the Israeli people celebrate their main national holiday in times of war.
“It is difficult for us to rejoice this year. One and a half thousand Israelis were brutally murdered on October 7, and more than 130 of our fellow citizens are still in the hands of terrorists.
This year we are especially acutely aware of the high price we have to pay for our independence. We are paying for it with the blood of our children and our loved ones,” said the Ambassador.
In his speech, the Ambassador also emphasized that in difficult times of trial, both nations demonstrate understanding and amazing support for each other.
“There are few countries in the world that understand each other better than Israel and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, from the first day of Russian aggression, the people of Israel supported Ukraine. On October 7, the people of Ukraine unequivocally supported Israel. We feel this support and highly appreciate it. I am confident that in spite of everything, we will cope with our problems. That despite wars and terror, our countries will remain free and independent,” – the Ambassador added.
On behalf of the Ukrainian government, Mykhailo Podolyak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, expressed congratulations on the occasion.
During the reception, a photo exhibition “Design Duty” was held, featuring designers from Israel and around the world.
The $95.3 billion bill was passed after months of congressional gridlock jeopardized a major thrust of President Biden’s foreign policy.
President Biden was set to sign a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan on Wednesday, reaffirming U.S. support for Kyiv in its fight against Russia’s military attack after months of congressional gridlock threatened the White House’s main foreign policy thrust.
On Tuesday evening, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve the package, a sign of bipartisan support after growing policy divisions raised questions on Capitol Hill and among U.S. allies about whether the United States would continue to support Kyiv. The 79 to 18 vote gave Biden another legislative achievement to boast about, even in the face of an obstructionist House of Representatives.
“Congress passed my bill to strengthen our national security and send a message to the world about the strength of American leadership: We stand firmly for democracy and freedom, against tyranny and oppression,” Mr. Biden said Tuesday night, just minutes after the Senate vote.
He said he would sign the bill into law and address the American people on Wednesday “so we can start sending weapons and equipment to Ukraine this week.”
The White House first requested the security package in October, and officials explicitly acknowledged that the six-month delay has put Ukraine at a disadvantage in its fight against Russia.
“The Russians are slowly but successfully taking more and more territory from the Ukrainians and pushing them to the first, second, and sometimes third line of defense,” John F. Kirby, spokesman for President Biden’s National Security Council, said on Air Force One on Tuesday. “The short answer is yes, there has been damage done over the last several months.”
Nevertheless, the passage of the legislation ended an extraordinary period in Washington. Speaker Mike Johnson had to overcome fierce right-wing opposition to get it through the House of Representatives. The aid is split into four parts: one measure for each of the three US allies and another designed to sweeten the deal for conservatives, which includes a provision that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok.
The bill includes $60.8 billion for Ukraine; $26.4 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid to civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8.1 billion for the Indo-Pacific. It also includes sanctions against Iranian and Russian officials.
The House of Representatives also added a provision requiring the president to demand that the Ukrainian government repay $10 billion. The idea to include a portion of the aid to Ukraine in the form of a loan was another example of former President Donald Trump’s influence on Congress. Trump called for making any future aid to Ukraine a loan.
The White House tried to reach an agreement with Mr. Johnson in various ways for six months. Officials even agreed to some tougher measures at the US border when Mr. Johnson said he would not allow aid to Ukraine without border restrictions. But when Trump denounced the law, hoping to prevent Biden from winning the election, Republicans followed suit.
But when the Senate passed its own bill to provide $95 billion in emergency aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan without any immigration measures, it increased the pressure on Mr. Johnson.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/24/us/politics/biden-ukraine-israel-aid.html
Israel plans to provide the Ukrainian army with early warning systems for missile strikes and drone attacks, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Gilad Erdan said during a meeting of the UN General Assembly on February 26.
“Israel is working to provide Ukraine with early warning systems in order to save civilians from Russian attacks. We are forced to become experts in this field, and we are ready to share our expertise with our Ukrainian friends who need help,” Erdan emphasized in his speech.
He also noted that Israel has been supporting Ukraine since the first weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“Israel sent over 100 tons of humanitarian equipment to our Ukrainian allies during the first week of Russia’s invasion. We have also deployed field hospitals in Ukraine that have helped thousands of wounded, and hundreds of Ukrainian patients have been treated in hospitals and clinics in Israel,” the Israeli representative said.
