The Middle East process of Arab and Muslim countries normalizing with Israel – under which Israel has instated diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco – continues, with additional countries expanding existing ties with Israel.

But some people are hoping that business can come even before the establishment of official ties. Two Arabic-speaking Israelis – co-founder and CEO Andrey Kogan and co-founder and COO Elad Amar – have launched the Israeli Omani Friendship Society, the goal of which is to foster bilateral economic and cultural relations between Oman and Israel.

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According to Amar and Kogan, Oman's economy is based on oil and natural gas, which comprise 90% of its exports. However, they say that the country is deeply invested in agricultural development and wants to develop the high-tech capabilities of its some 5 million residents.

In the Omani capital of Muscat, officials are promoting R&D centers to reduce the country's dependence on oil and gas.

In terms of higher education, Oman has undergone dramatic change under the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who died nearly a year ago, and his successor, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

In terms of economics, Haitham's top priority is to turn Oman into a logistics center for the Persian Gulf, maximizing its proximity to the Indian Ocean, Arab states, Africa, India, and Iran. This means that the Omani government is encouraging foreign investment, including taking steps to reduce local ownership of Omani companies. It has also waived visas for citizens of 103 nations.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Muscat in 2018, and it appears that Oman has accepted the fact that Israel is here to stay. Oman is keen to acquire Israeli water technology and willing to do business, if unofficially.

The new friendship association seeks to show off Oman to Israelis, and vice versa. It also provides financial consultation and facilitates connections between Israeli and Omani businesses. The association is active on a number of platforms, including LinkedIn, where it is attracting a growing Omani following.

According to Kogan, "At this stage, there still aren't official [diplomatic] relations, but the attitude toward Israel is positive and they want contact. The moment there is full normalization, we can expect warm ties."

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The eight-day trip which concluded Monday was organized by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation.

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Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says the trip allowed for an exchange of ideas and educational experiences.

The 12-member Assembly delegation included both Republican and Democratic leaders.

The group met with elected and civic leaders from Israel and attended educational sessions on water technology, infrastructure, business, education, and politics.

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Watergen produces an atmospheric water generator known as the GEN-350, which can produce up to 900 liters (240 gallons) of water per day.

With a weight of just 780 kg. (1,700 pounds), the GEN-350 is transportable and can be installed easily. Each unit contains an internal water-treatment system and needs no infrastructure except a source of electricity in order to operate.

GEN-350 was installed at the orphanage as part of a test pilot, estimated to run for about two months.

A popular tourist destination associated with arid weather conditions, Bukhara has recently been experiencing serious water shortages.

Earlier this month, the water supply was disrupted for almost two days. The entire city of Bukhara was left without drinking water, including several busy hotels. Since the local underground water is unusable, fresh water is currently supplied to Bukhara from the city of Samarkand, almost 300 kilometers (200 miles) away.

Watergen President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili said that "Uzbekistan's water utility company was thrilled with our water-from-air solution and requested to run pilots in several other regions of Uzbekistan. Although there is only 20% humidity in the air of Bukhara, the GEN-350 was still able to generate hundreds of liters of high-quality drinking water."

The inauguration ceremony for the new system was attended by senior Uzbeki political leaders, including First Deputy Prime Minister Achilbay Ramatov; Prosecutor General Otabek Murodov; Bukhara region Governor Uktam Barnoev; and Bukhara Mayor Karim Kamolov.

Michael Rutman, Watergen's vice president of sales and marketing, said the children were "very excited to drink the high-quality water."

This article is reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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The SID Israel representatives presented Horowitz with the main points of their research for what Israel must do to deepen its international development activity.

"The Israeli government sees advancing international development as very important in helping Israeli companies and civil society organizations operate in developing markets. That will contribute a lot to the Israeli economy, as well as to Israel's diplomatic efforts and the global effort to develop these countries," Horowitz said.

Addressing practicalities, Horowitz said he thought that the government should establish an Israeli bank for international development, like the ones that exist in other countries. The bank would offer loans to Israeli entrepreneurs and investors who want to work in developing nations.

Horowitz told Israel Hayom that "the government wants the business sector to succeed and increase its profits from international activity. … The biggest potential in the world lies with developing nations, and Israel has exactly what they need: knowledge in the fields of health care, agriculture, water [technology] and many other areas.

"We need to push and help the business sector go out and take advantage of the relative advantages we have in these fields. ... Success in exporting to developing nations is an engine for major growth. We have a window of opportunity and we need to take advantage of it," he said.

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