首页
登录
职称英语
"There is no real border between Israel and Palestine," says Muhammad Hamudi,
"There is no real border between Israel and Palestine," says Muhammad Hamudi,
游客
2023-12-26
23
管理
问题
"There is no real border between Israel and Palestine," says Muhammad Hamudi, an olive farmer and olive oil producer from Asira al-Shamaliya, near Nablus in the West Bank. He has been working with the ongoing USAID-funded project Olive Oil Without Borders (OOWB) since its start in 2011. Hamudi is in his mid-50s, with smiling eyes and palms so big that an olive looks tiny in them. "Today the border is here, tomorrow it will be there. The olive oil market has no borders as well. The bridge to the global market is the same bridge for everyone."
OOWB is a
collaborative
economic initiative among 34 olive oil farming communities in Israel and the West Bank. It is spearheaded by the Near East Foundation (NEF), a 100-year-old nongovernmental organization working on economic development among poverty-stricken communities throughout Africa and the Middle East. The initiative is funded by USAID, which provides financial and operative assistance to foreign nations and regions in need. The program has been successful enough that USAID has just granted OOWB its second US$1.2 million round of funding, expected to serve some 2,000 Palestinians and Israelis working in the olive oil business over the course of three years.
Hamudi, one of the project’s success stories, points out Salah Abu-Eisheh, NEF country director for the Palestinian authority. "During the three-year run, he has tripled his production, improved significantly the quality and purity of his olive oil, and increased his income." Hamudi smiles when he hears Abu-Eisheh say this. "NEF helped me achieve a sustained level of productivity," Hamudi says. "No more bad years and good years; now I am in control of the yield."
This success is due in large part to direct grants farmers like Hamudi received for purchasing modern equipment, renovating facilities (such as mills), and planting new varieties of olive trees. The rest of the USAID funding goes to conducting seminars and hands-on workshops led by industry consultants, from agriculture and olive oil production to business management and marketing.
Yet Palestinian farmers are only half of the OOWB equation: Israeli farmers and producers provide the necessary cross-border collaboration for this innovative and seemingly conflict-free program.
When I ask Hamudi about his experience collaborating with his Israeli-Jewish counterparts, his answer is
pragmatic
. "I see it as an exchange. We have things to teach, and they have things to teach. They use modern techniques, we have experience and knowledge. The benefits are for both sides. We have no other choices."
But for a region stuck in political conflict, collaborating is a choice — and quite an unusual one. Ayala Noy, a 40-year-old farmer and producer from the Israeli side, approaches the project from a different perspective: "It was a very important and empowering experience. Sitting down with a Palestinian farmer who tells me, with tears in his eyes, that his orchard was burned to the ground the previous night by Israeli settlers was very emotional for me. ’How do you sleep at night?’ he asked me. I told him not very well. That was the biggest challenge for me — being a representative of Israel, dealing with the hard feelings they have toward us."
Although one of OOWB’s stated goals is to "leverage economic cooperation to promote peace and reconciliation," according to NEF President Charlie Benjamin, the organization approaches its work from "a completely depoliticized perspective." The focus is on "building economic relationships. We don’t touch the border issue." At the same time, Benjamin does acknowledge the growing trust, communication, and interaction outside the program.
Noy agrees that the project has strengthened more than economic ties. "We brought Palestinians to our house, we showed them our mill, and we try to keep in touch by phone," she says. "I think it gave them a chance to see ’other’ Israelis. Many of them told me that was their first time to meet an Israeli who is not a soldier, or a settler." [br] What role do Israeli farmers’ play in OOWB?
选项
A、They try their best to stay out of it.
B、They monitor it cautiously.
C、They lend it a helping hand whenever needed.
D、They turn a blind eye to its development.
答案
C
解析
细节题。通过本题题干中的两个关键词OOWB和Israeli farmers可定位到原文第5段,精简信息后可知:Israeli farmers provide the necessary collaboration for this program,即以色列农民为该项目提供必要的协助。由此可排除A(他们尽量置身事外)和D(他们对项目的发展不闻不问)。干扰项B(他们谨慎地监控该项目)与原文有出入,C(他们在必要时伸出援助之手)更接近原意,故为正确答案。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3306431.html
相关试题推荐
Astechnologicaladvancesputmoreandmoretimebetweenearlyschoollifeandt
Therehasbeena______lackofcommunicationbetweentheunionandthemanagement
Beingcolour-blind,Sallycan’tmakea______betweenredandgreen.A、differenceB
ThetradefairisdesignedtofacilitatefurthercooperationbetweenChineseaut
Thedichotomypostulatedbymanybetweenidealismandrealismisoneofthestan
Thedichotomypostulatedbymanybetweenidealismandrealismisoneofthestan
Astechnologicaladvancesputmoreandmoretimebetweenearlyschoollifeandt
Eventomanyscientists,theproblemsresultedfromtheconflictbetweeneconomi
Evenifamarriageisdoomed,thefinancialdisputebetweenhusbandandwife,wh
Justasincreasingtheintervalbetweenthestimulusandtheresponsemakeslear
随机试题
Whichisthemaintopicofth6firstparagraph?[br]Wecaninferfromthepassa
Willmeditationongoodthoughtsleadtoabetterworld?[originaltext]Themore
在封建社会,色彩的使用受到了严格的社会地位区别的限制。因为黄色被认为是最高贵的颜色,绿色次之,所以它们经常用在宫殿的着色上。在皇宫里,经常在一个绿色的背
WhylifelonglearningistheinternationalpassporttosuccessA)
[originaltext]M:Howdoyoufindyourballetlessons?W:Theyarewellworththe
机械排烟系统担负两个或两个以上防烟分区时,单位排烟量不应小于()m3/h.m2
在卵巢性闭经的临床表现和实验室检查中,下述哪项是不恰当的A.FSF、LH测定增高
影响货币供给的主要因素有( )。A.社会公众持有现金的愿望 B.社会各部门的
期货交易所竞争加剧的主要表现有( )。A.在外国设立分支机构 B.上市以外国
按编制程序和用途分类,建设工程定额不包括()。A.施工定额 B.预算定额
最新回复
(
0
)