Israel’s sharp slide into dictatorship — fueled by xenophobic, racist, and misogynist sentiments that have now gained presence in the most critical junctions of government — is bad news for the international development community. The upcoming high-level development gatherings at the United Nations General Assembly and the World Bank’s annual meeting are historic opportunities for development leaders to make their voices heard and urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies to abandon the dangerous path they have been pursuing.
In 2018, Netanyahu visited India — the first visit of an Israeli premier in 15 years. A more than 100-strong delegation of business people, composed of Israel’s largest corporations and most innovative startups, accompanied the PM in his meeting with India’s leader Narendra Modi and signed multiple deals with Indian companies.
In sharp contrast, when Israel’s current foreign minister, Eli Cohen, visited India last May, the number of businesspeople in the delegation could be counted on the fingers of one hand. For context, Cohen is a very senior minister in Netanyahu’s cabinet and is second only to the premier in the governing Likud Party’s leadership.
About the author
Zafrir Asaf
Zafrir Asaf is an impact economy and international development activist and businessperson. He has been supporting impactful and complex projects in three continents for over a decade and has worked with governments, development finance institutions, and the private sector to identify innovative solutions toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. He is a long-distance trail runner and a volleyball player.
