Anders Samuelsen, the Danish foreign minister who appointed the first tech ambassador to Silicon Valley, looks for inspiration in Israel and other tech hubs. Samuelsen, 49, who has headed the ministry since November, has made digital and technological development in Denmark one of the key strategic priorities for the nation’s foreign policy. [...] The country also set up an innovation center in Tel Aviv last year, one of seven the Scandinavian nation has opened globally.

The Sesame synchrotron opened its doors in Jordan this week, allowing scientists who would normally find it difficult to meet because of the troubled relations between their countries, to carry out collaborative research at a local facility.The Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, situated 35 kilometres north of the Jordanian capital Amman, unites Cyprus, Iran, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey – countries usually hostile to each other. The other founding members include Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan.

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s much-anticipated visit to Israel, Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas has played the gift diplomacy. Abbas has presented a mosaic and an artwork to PM Modi with his name written in Arabic, according to Indian Express report. “Invaluable gift of a warm friendhip,” MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay had tweeted. PM Modi’s proposed visit to Israel assumes significance as it would be the first such tour by an Indian Premier. But this gift diplomacy also signals that Palestine wants a plausible closer ties with India.

Any peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will require dialogue, mutual trust, and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians. The "Palestine in Hebrew" Facebook channel demonstrates that the Palestinian government in the West Bank is attempting to foster such dialogue and understating with Israeli citizens. While the profile is but one element in a larger Palestinian outreach initiative, it exemplifies how digital tools, and social media, can be used by governments to overcome the limitations of traditional diplomacy and practice public diplomacy. 

Ilan Lopez, a former Israel Defense Forces soldier and director of StandWithUs Latin America, recently visited South Florida where he spoke with Hispanic groups and at schools. The aim of this new Latin America initiative of SWU, an Israel education organization, is to provide support, material and guidance to Latin students on United States campuses, high schools and the community. Lopez was in town as part of an Israeli Soldiers Tour.

Israeli musician Dudu Tassa, who opened Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with a Friday afternoon performance backed by his band the Kuwaitis and will do the same this weekend, has deep roots. As an Israeli-Iraqi-Yemeni Jew born in Tel Aviv who plays the music of his once-celebrated ancestors.[...] For the last half decade, Tassa has been remaking Saleh and Daud Kuwaity’s songs for new generations as a way to reclaim their glorious musical past.