Israel-Thailand Joint Issue 2014 Fruits

  

The State of Israel and the Kingdom of Thailand have enjoyed friendly diplomatic relations for 60 years, since their establishment in 1954.
 
These friendly relations include successful cooperation in many areas such as agriculture, water management, advanced technology, education and medicine.
 
The versatile relations between these two countries have been demonstrated through a number of historical visits by members of the Thai royal family to Israel and by Israeli dignitaries to Thailand.
 
A great many Israeli tourists visit Thailand each year, enjoying the rich culture, beautiful scenery and warm hospitality that Thailand has to offer.
 
The employment of Thai workers in Israeli agriculture led to the signing of a unique agreement in 2011, aimed at protecting the rights of foreign migrant workers.
 
Every year Israel welcomes hundreds of Thai students and professionals who come to attend various training programs, mainly in the fields of agriculture, technology and education.
 
The stamp features two types of fruit that are characteristic of their countries – a pomegranate from Israel and a mangosteen fruit from Thailand.
 
In addition to their tastiness, each of these fruits has symbolic significance in the traditions of its people and its country.
 
In Jewish tradition, the pomegranate symbolizes beauty, fertility and abundance. It is also one of the seven species mentioned in the Bible as being special agricultural products of Eretz Israel.
 
The mangosteen fruit, a very popular tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia, is known as the “Queen of Thai Fruit”, probably because of its beautiful appearance and pleasant taste.
 
Each of these fruits is known to possess its own medicinal properties and they are also combined in food supplements, health drinks and beauty creams.