At the invitation of the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament, Mr Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, the President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), fl ew to the Middle East for his first overseas trip.

Tsang was in Israel from 18– 21 July and proceeded to Jordan afterwards. This is the first time Tsang conducted an official overseas visit in his capacity as LegCo  President since assuming the presidency in 2008. He hoped that the visit  would strengthen the relationship between Hong Kong’s legislature and the  parliaments of Israel and Jordan.

While in Israel, Tsang met with Reuven  Rivlin, Speaker of the Knesset, and with David Rotem, Member of the  Knesset and Chairman of the Friendship Association between Israel and China. Tsang also visited the Supreme Court of Israel and met with Israeli judges. 

Afterwards he had a meeting with Daniel Ayalon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, and Ruth Kahanoff, Deputy Director General for  Asia and the Pacifi c of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Tsang is very keen on education and technological development, which brought him to Prof Yuli Tamir, President of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design and to the Weizmann Institute of Science, one of the top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions in the world.

He also visited Kibbutz Givat Brener, one of the biggest Kibbutzim in Israel, where he viewed a presentation on how the collective communities in Israel have changed in recent years. While in Jordan, Tsang met with Prime Minister Samir Al Rifai and the former Prime Minister Abed Al Raouf Al wabdeh. He left Jordan on 24 July completing the seven-day duty visit.

Pauline Ng Man-wah, Secretary General of the LegCo Secretariat, and Andy Lau Kwok-cheong, Principal Council Secretary accompanied Tsang on his Middle East visit.

_{(Issue September 2010)}