The US and Israel have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) pledging mutual collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI) and energy projects.
The MOU was signed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the US for the third time since President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Energy and Interior Secretaries Chris Wright and Doug Burgum, along with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, officiated the MOU on the US’s behalf.
Both Israel and the US defined the MOU as securing their leadership in the AI and energy sectors.
“With President Trump’s leadership, the United States will win the AI race and ensure American energy and innovation dominance,” said Secretary Wright.
“The future belongs to those who innovate,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu, “America and Israel are the prime innovation nations on the planet.”
According to the Israeli government, the MOU will “advance cooperation” in harnessing AI to strengthen Israeli and American energy grids.
The MOU also pledges joint efforts in research and innovation, and the advancement of regional projects such as the Abraham Accords and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
The Abraham Accords, brokered by Trump during his first administration, normalized diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and neighboring Middle Eastern countries.
IMEC, launched partly by former President Joe Biden, is a global trade and infrastructure project designed to link India to Europe through the Middle East.
Once completed, IMEC will be a strategic economic corridor connecting India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, and Europe through a network of railways, ports, and highways.
Besides facilitating trade, IMEC will also entwine participating countries’ energy grids, enabling faster and stronger energy transactions.
Economists estimate IMEC will reduce logistics costs by up to 30% and transportation time by 40%, boosting global trade.
“The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor will become a basis of world trade for centuries to come,” forecasted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
