From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 17, 2025
Hebrew U, Sapir College sign research agreement with South Carolina’s Clemson University
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Sapir College in southern Israel, and South Carolina’s Clemson University sign a partnership for joint research in agricultural, nutritional, and environmental issues, particularly those relevant to the Western Negev region.
The collaboration will help Sapir College expand its agricultural technology programs and strengthen its role in the region hit by the deadly Hamas invasion on October 7, 2023.
The partnership will include student exchange programs.
The signing ceremony at Clemson University is attended by, among others, former US ambassador to the United Nations and US presidential contender Nikki Haley, a 1994 Clemson graduate, Clemson Board of Trustees member and former South Carolina governor.
“Today, we celebrate two agriculture giants, two leaders in innovative farming coming together,” Haley says. “Through this partnership, we are sowing seeds that will sprout and bear fruit for generations to come.”
The collaboration follows Haley’s visit to the Negev city of Sderot in May 2024, where she met Amit Kochavi, senior adviser to Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi. Kochavi spoke of his idea to revitalize agricultural communities near Sderot and Sapir College after the Hamas attack, in which 1,200 people from the area were slaughtered and 251 abducted to the Gaza Strip.
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