“We love Israel.”

That was how Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) president Jay Yuvallos welcomed Her Excellency Dana Kursh, Israel’s new Ambassador to the Philippines, during her visit to Cebu on Thursday — her first provincial stop since assuming the post.

Yuvallos highlighted Israel’s strength in artificial intelligence (AI), a point that Kursh readily picked up. She noted that while Israel can support different development initiatives in Cebu, one of the most promising areas for collaboration is AI technology, especially since Cebu is the second-largest hub for IT-BPM in the Philippines.

“Hopefully, Israel and Cebu will have two concrete projects by 2026,” Kursh said, expressing optimism about fast-tracking partnerships.

She hinted that one potential area of cooperation is river-cleaning technology, which Israel could share to help Cebu with its environmental programs. She also floated the idea of exploring a sister city or sister province agreement between Cebu and Israel.

“We can work on resilience together — through IT, agriculture, food security, tourism and cybersecurity. What we can build is economic diplomacy for a better quality of life,” the ambassador said.

Kursh shared that her Cebu visit included a stop at a dried mango processing facility, a nod to one of the province’s iconic products. She also revealed that Israel is currently in talks with Philippine Airlines for direct flights to the Philippines, and suggested that Cebu could be part of that conversation.

“Let’s hope we can explore direct flights between Cebu and Israel,” she said, stressing that connectivity is more important than ever.

During her visit, Ambassador Kursh also met with Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro to discuss avenues for cooperation and future joint projects.