From next year, the Jewish Agency has decided to eliminate its NIS 10 million budget for small businesses and enterprises in rural communities.
The Jewish Agency also decided to open alternative funds to help various areas around Israel. The funds will be based on the Partnership 2000 programme, which links Jewish communities in the Diaspora with local authorities in Israel.
Ichud Haklai (farmers union) general manager David (Dudu) Kochman said, "The policy changes by Jewish Agency under chairman Sallai Meridor are a serious mistake, which will harm rural communities."
Kochman added that the Partnership 2000 programme was an inadequate replacement of the eliminated budgets. He said Jewish Agency loans were the basis for raising additional money and that it would now be much harder to obtain aid from other institutions.
Source:Asia Intelligence Wire
