Trade mission to Israel
Friday 17th September 2010, 3:00PM BST.
Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean.
A DELEGATION from Jersey could be heading to Israel next year on an official trade mission as economic links between the two states develop.
A top Israeli trade official will be in the Island next week as efforts to forge closer business links move forward.
The British-Israel Chamber of Commerce has formally agreed to partner the Island to explore new business opportunities with the Middle Eastern country. And the Israeli Ambassador to the UK has been extended a formal invitation to visit the Island.
Economic Development Minister Alan Maclean said that the relationship offered ‘an excellent and exciting opportunity’ to explore a new market for local businesses.
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And the cost to the taxpayer is?
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this will be paid for by the scrapping of school milk no doubt
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Do we really want to do business with a regime that uses cluster and phosphorus munitions on civilian targets and maintains a blockade on the several Palestinian enclaves?
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I would have thought that Israel which is a small economy would NOT be “an excellent and exciting opportunity to explore a new market for local businesses”
Having close links with Israel could weaken our opportunities to deal with much more lucrative countries in the middle and far east.
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Simon @ 3….my thoughts entirely on reading this story.This disgusting regime that murders woman, children and old men with phosphorus bombs, bulldozes Palestinian market gardens and imprisons every citizen of Gaza, will certainly never get any support or business from me.
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If our politicians wish to alienate the Muslim countries of this world, then this is surely the way to go.
Congratulations
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While conscientious people work hard to boycott Israel’s regime Jersey’s economic develop minister is ‘excited at an excellent opportunity’. Recession or not, this is business that we do not need and more importantly should not want.
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Israel’s broken every UN resolution issued against them, has developed weapons of mass destruction, has engaged in state sponsored terrorism. Violated British passports, Has imprisoned the Palestinian people and stole their land.
Yup… lets get rid of school milk and looking after our children’s health by doing business with them.
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Ill informed till the end.
Reactionary rubbish from people with little else to do than spout small minded views hoping someone will listen.
Well guys sell you soul to the Islam nations, or Christian, the fascists will approve.
Whilst women are stoned to death for having affairs and couples are imprisoned for kissing in public in Islamist States.
Here we have no anti discrimination law or freedom of information legislation and a tax law that is questionable.
Finding fault in a nation is easy.
Egypt and Jordan do business with Israel and they had a war.
Israel a small economy ?
America thinks Israel is important enough that is has an embassy in Israel as does Russia, we need to ask do they think we are important enough for them to bother.
No one needs to work for anyone connected with or accept any money from Israel as soon as Jersey starts doing business with Israel give back your social security cheques and leave the Island.
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“top Israeli trade official will be in the Island next week as efforts to forge closer business links move forward.”
So will Jersey be sending over Jersey milk? Jersey Potatos? or even Jersey Vodka? Some how i don’t think so. So the only thing is Finance. Again tax payers will fund the finance industry again.
9. The future: remember that if the working class leave the island as you wish them to do then who’s going to take your crap to belozane?
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“America thinks Israel is important enough that is has an embassy in Israel as does Russia, we need to ask do they think we are important enough for them to bother.”
America and Russia have embassies in almost every country in the world, so it isn’t really an indication of the county’s economic standing.
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# 9 I’m sorry but I miss your point.I am now living in Egypt, and yes politicians may trade with Israel but there is a morality issue at stake here re Jersey looking for tourism from a country who abuses morality as well the Quran.
More to the point what is the Economic development departments strategy and outcome measures to justify these jollies.
Also please please would someone take the smirk off Senator Mcleans face in the picture.
Israel and its problems is serious stuff and lets not forget the Senator is only an estate agent.!!! Oh sorry he was an angry man until he got elected.!!!
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Completely agree with you no.9. I mean international diplomacy actually costing us something! Gosh!
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Ha, more ill informed piffle of no substance.
Israel has far more countries doing business with it than Jersey ever will.
The list contains most Islamic and Christian countries including the UK.
So Jersey is going to have a trade embargo and show Israel what it means to not do business with Jersey eh.
What a world changing event that will be.
I can see them trembling in Jerusalem now.
As an offshore tax Jurisdiction we are whiter then white after all.
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So, those people who hate Israel want to boycott it – a fairly one-sided and thus meaningless way to secure greater understdaning in the Middle East.
And did you notice how these same people have no problem trading with sch pluralistic regimes as Saudi Arabia and China?
Of course, although Israel is one of the UK’s main trading partners, you could still boycott it. That would cause the loss of thousands of jobs. And that could be blmed on Israel. sic!
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It never ceases to amaze me, the inane uniformed comments that are written in these columns.
So many of the “claims” made by #3 #5 and #8 are totally false. If only they would take the trouble to check their “facts” out properly instread of repeating phrases parrot fashion
#3 does not seem to worry about the phosphorous bombs fired into Israel last week. According to international law these munitions are not illegal although some want them to be.
#5 is pure polemics, war is war and if the terrorists use civilians as human shields it is not illegal to consider those civilians as part of the hostile activities. The Israeli hotel and buses blown up causing 1000 innicent deaths doesn’t seem to bother the writer
#8 does not seem to know the difference between chapter 6 and chapter 7 resolutions of the UN. I suggest he reads up on that before making his comments
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My main concern is that Israel is not a major finance centre such as Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore, and is not a large economy – it’s economy is similar in size to Venezuela or Columbia.
If our government are going to spend our money wisely, the should focus marketing trips on major finance centers or large ecomomies.
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Israel 199,498 Million USD GDP.
What is the GDP cut off point for international visits ?
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Will the honourable Estate Agent be claiming for a new passport before he goes back to the UAE? He might need one.
Tina Turner could provide some appropriate theme music for these jollies; Private Dancer!
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No 18. I don’t think there should be a cutoff, but we should focus on finance centers and all large potential markets before we start sending delegations on expensive marketing trips to smaller ones.
If the story was about Jersey sending
a delegation to Thailand or Venezuela(countries with smilar sizes of economies to Israel), what do you think the readers comments would be?
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Look here at Jersey.co.il.
http://jersey.co.il/
There is already some connection.
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I didn’t realise there were so many Guardian readers in Jersey.
While we’re at it, should we stop importing electricity from France because we don’t like what we think they are doing to Romas? Or ban flights to the UK because of their involvement in something someone said was an “illegal” war in Iraq?
Somewhere I am reminded of a joke about a mouse and an elephant.
Can I suggest that some of you actually go and visit Israel? And perhaps pop into some of the other coutries in the region while you are there? It really is quite enlightening and may replace some of your received ignorance with actual knowledge.
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dave #20.
Should we make it internationally known that we don’t do business with anyone but the top 10? (then we can stop doing business with ourselves).
This is incredibly insulting to Israel who have already sent two delegates to Jersey.
We have to respond appropriately to countries like Israel who send delegates here to see us even though we are incredibly small fry on the world stage.
This is what building international relations is all about, responding to interest shown.
Flying into the capital of a huge economy uninvited achieves nothing.
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no 23. I have not suggested that do not do business with Israel. I just think that we should prioritise expensive marketing delegations on a rational basis and concentrate on countries that are likely to yield the highest return.
Are you suggesting that we should send a delegation to any country which sends delegates to Jersey irrespective of the potential benefits?
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Jersey companies should do business with any honest legitimate enterprise they so choose regardless of the political backdrop. This is called “free markets”. Ask yourself this, if an ordinary Israeli national sat next to you at a dinner party, would you simply ignore him on the basis of his country’s politics? I trust most people on this blog aren’t that ignorant.
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Yankeedoodle #25
MOST ?
Yes
ALL ?
NO
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Seeking tenants for the water front quarter…this island is going to be ruined with rampant materialism ,building and all sorts of foreign sorts….. overpopulation….glad I’m getting old it was such a fab place to grow up in…sad to watch the demise…hands up who used to go to Portelet as a kid….go see now and take the tissues..it’s foul beyond belief.whenever these developers come out with their “all will be well B/S. go up to Portelet and just look how wonderful it is not.sad local.
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Israel’s military broke international laws during its raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, a UN Human Rights Council investigation says.
The three-member panel said Israel’s military response to the flotilla was “disproportionate” and also “betrayed an unacceptable level of brutality.”
Israel insists that its soldiers acted in self-defence during the raid in May.
Nine people were killed on board a Turkish ship as it tried to breach an Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza.
In a 56-page report, the UN panel also said the blockade of the Palestinian territory was “unlawful” because a humanitarian crisis there at the time.
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I have not met anyone who wants this waterfron quarter built.
It will be a disaster. Disruption of St Helier, more imported cheap labour, despite locals unemployed and then no tennants – rather like the sad looking ‘shopping centre’ we looked at last week.
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I think that sometimes anti-Israeli sentiment is just a very thin veneer for anti-Semitism cloaked in criticism of policies towards the Palestinians. Quite frankly I think Israel behaves in a very restrained way considering the fact that they have had to fight for their very existence since at least 1948. People have very short memories and are quite happy to see the Jewish people as victims being persecuted, but as soon as they stand up for themselves attitudes change.
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Ooo another jolly for the economic and development quango.
Yippeee so glad i pay my taxes to these morons to fritter away.
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#19 – cynic
Ha Ha – interesting …
I wonder if each delegate will be issued with two Jersey / UK passports, one for Israeli travel and one for usual travel. Unless one holds dual nationality, therefore two passports, I can’t see them delegates ever entering the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, etc. etc. That will put the kibosh some sunny destinations.
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#30 ahh yes the old chestnut of anti-semitism.
Always trotted our for apologists of Israel
It is not anti-semitic to oppose a country that violates any UN resolution it sees fit.
A regime that terrorises and indiscriminatly bombs residential areas in Gaza.
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First of all, I am not anti-semitic, but I do have concerns about spending our tax monies on sending a trade delegation to Israel without being told exactly what trade they will be promoting – Jersey Royals, Jersey cows? Not likely.
Will our representatives be looking for inward property investment (all those buy-to-lets) to support our property development industry or will they be looking to increase awareness of our offshore financial services? Probably a bit of both.
I will focus my concerns, purely from a business and regulatory point of view. Firstly, the Arab League (comprising 22 Arab member states) has boycotted Israel in support of the Palestinians in a systematic effort to isolate it economically. It is true that the implementation of the boycott has varied over time among member states, such as Egypt and Jordan, however, the UAE (where we are currently in the process of opening a Jersey Finance office) is very much at the forefront of the boycott.
Secondly, and as reported in the 2010 US State Department Money Laundering report, criminal groups in Israel with ties to the former Soviet Union, United States, and European Union often utilize a maze of offshore shell companies and bearer shares to obscure beneficial owners. Recent studies by the authorities estimate illegal gambling profits at over $2 billion per year and domestic narcotics profits at $1.5 billion per year (about 7% of the country’s annual revenue).
Thirdly, again sourced from the US State Department, although the Government of Israel has developed an AML/CFT financial regulatory sector and enforcement capacity that compares with advanced,industrialized nations, Israel remains deficient in regulating intermediaries such as accountants and lawyers, the diamond trade, and other nonbank sectors.
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No 31.
Yes, I would probably be more positive about it if the delegates were a bit more accountable. For example if they published a report detailing the costs and outlining what they believe the visit achieved, with a high level review after, say a year, to check the actual amount of business that resulted from the visit.
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Maybe one of our banks from Israel will leave putting local’s out of work but making some of those above happy.
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UN resolutions are about as reliable and carry as much interest as voting for the Eurovision Song Contest and as valid. Israel has the right of self defence and is under attack from both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip whose governments deny their right to even exist. What would you have Israel do in order to protect itself? Or would we rather they all stood in an orderly line and waited for the inevitable again!
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#37 – there are no UN resolutions in force against Israel.
The Arab boycott may not be of interest to you but it should be of interest to our finance industry, which is trying to expand business in the Middle East.
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