FIG President visits Israel
Israel, 24-28 May 2006
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President Magel awards Israeli member
President Joseph Kraus with FIG globe. |
On invitation of FIG member Israel Association of Licensed Surveyors and
Survey of Israel, whose Director General Haim Srebro will be the
Congress Director of FIG Working Week 2009 in Eilat, FIG President Prof. Holger Magel
and his wife Ansi have visited Israel from 24 May
until 28 May. During his four-day visit, Prof. Magel has met the President
of Israeli FIG member Joseph Kraus and members of the local
organizing committee of Working Week 2009. President Kraus and Congress
Director Srebro expressed their great engagement and confidence to guarantee
a safe and unforgettable conference 2009 for the whole FIG community and for
all participants from all parts of the world. At the General Assembly in
Munich, October 2006, the Israeli delegation will inform about the topic,
progress and the whole framework of the Working Week at an unique place at
the Red Sea.
FIG President was also informed about a letter from 21 May 2006 of the
Ministry of Tourism to President J. Kraus in which the Director of
International Relations Department pointed out “that there has never been
an incident in Israel where tourists were targeted. Eilat, as Israel’s
‘landsend’, especially, has never suffered from terrorist incidents like
some central cities in the country!” Finally, the State Ministry pointed
out – and this can easily be confirmed by especially Europeans in view of
fully booked flights to Israel (Austrian Airlines e.g. flies three times
daily to Tel Aviv!) – that “in recent years international tourism is
gradually returning to Israel at a rate of growth of 25 % per year. We view
this growth as a vote of confidence in Israel and the Holy Land as a tourist
and a pilgrimage destination.”
President Magel expressed his hope and encouraged his hosts to send a
strong Israeli delegation to the FIG Congress in Munich and to present
according to the high quality and standard of geodetic education and
practice in Israel a lot of papers. Hopefully, so said Prof. Magel, the
Centre of Israeli Geodetic Education and Science, the famous Technion
(Institute of Technology) in Haifa, which will host an ISPRS Commission VIII
symposium in September 2006, could even apply for FIG academic membership
before the FIG Congress.
At the end of Prof. Magel’s visit, the Israeli hosts expressed their
great satisfaction about FIG President’s visit and his decision to get
personal impressions on site instead of trusting only in pictures in TV.
President Magel promised to report on his positive impressions of his
visit, which led him through many parts of the whole country, to the Council
and the FIG members.
Members of the board of the Israeli Association of Licensed Surveyors
welcome FIG President and his wife. |
Three well-known FIG players: (from left to right) Dr.
Joseph Forrai,
Dr. Gershon Steinberg, Dr. Ron Adler. |
The Weiling Wall with the Dome of Rock in Jerusalem.
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Director General
Haim Srebro and his deputy Dr. Joseph Forrai in
Yad Vashem Memorial with Ansi Magel. |
Haim Srebro and Holger Magel in Jerusalem.
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Welcome poster at the Headquarters of Survey of Israel in Tel Aviv. |
Joseph Kraus explains Ansi Magel the problems of the Dead Sea. |
The lowest point of the earth: - 404 m under sea level!. |
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