On December 15, U.S. and Israeli officials met virtually to participate in the 36th meeting of the U.S.–Israel Joint Economic Development Group (JEDG), the premier bilateral economic policy dialogue between the two nations, first held in 1985. Participants discussed current bilateral economic relations and underscored respective commitments to expanding coordination and cooperation across a variety of important sectors.
The dialogue’s agenda covered the macro-economic outlook, regional economic development in the context of Israel’s normalization agreements, efforts to strengthen the Palestinian economy, financial cyber security, and green economy investments.
Director General of the Israeli Finance Ministry Ram Belinkov headed the delegation which included Chief Economist Shira Greenberg, as well as officials from the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Environmental Protection, the Bank of Israel, and Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog.
U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert headed a large U.S. delegation that included U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Treasury Eric Meyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Roland de Marcellus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Hady Amr and other officials from the Departments of State, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lempert underscored the importance and strength of U.S. – Israeli relations, emphasizing that the JEDG is a key opportunity for dialogue that increases cooperation and further strengthens our respective economies. Ambassador Nides welcomed the guests and noted that the goal of building back better after the pandemic can only be achieved through cooperation. In his remarks, Director General Belinkov noted that “The JEDG is another important pillar in strengthening even more the strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States and is important to the Israeli economy. The discussions were successful and fruitful, and I believe they will promote further firming up of economic ties between the countries.”
