Archive for March 29, 2016

WATCH: PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu

 

Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu & Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong opened the 2nd meeting of the 2016 Israel-China innovation conference in Jerusalem at the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

By Office of the Prime Minister of Israel

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong declared the opening of talks on a bilateral free trade agreement, a significant step in relations between Israel and China.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu – Photo: Haim Zach, GPO

Prime Minister Netanyahu:
“I was delighted to hear today from Vice Premier Liu that China is prepared to begin free trade agreement negotiations with Israel. Continue Reading »

Israel & India sign multitiered defense cooperation agreement

 

Israel’s Rafael and India’s Reliance Defense firm sign deals to cooperate on air-to-air missiles, air defense systems & surveillance balloons, worth $10 billion.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a cooperation agreement with India’s Reliance Defense firm on Tuesday that will encompass future deals worth 10 billion dollars, the companies announced in Goa, where the 2016 Defexpo exhibition is taking place.

Rafael-produced Namer armored personnel carrier (APC) with built-in trophy anti-missile system. – Photo: DEFENSE MINISTRY

Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a cooperation agreement with India’s Reliance Defense firm on Tuesday that will encompass future deals worth 10 billion dollars, the companies announced in Goa, where the 2016 Defexpo exhibition is taking place. Continue Reading »

New Israel law limits local bankers’ salaries to $658,000 per year

 

Knesset limits bank executives’ salaries to 2.5 million shekels per/year with a new, stringent law that ‘deals with the problem of morals & values concerning excessive salaries.’

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

The Knesset has passed a law capping the annual salaries of bank executives at 2.5 million shekels ($658,000 US), described as among the world’s toughest such restrictions.

Israeli 100 New Shekels currency notes

The law, approved late Monday, says no salary in the financial sector can be more than 35 times that of the lowest-paid worker in the same company, with a ceiling of 2.5 million shekels.

A statement issued just before midnight, quoting Finance Committee Chair Moshe Gafni (UTJ), said the law “deals with a problem of morals and values concerning the excessive salaries of those who undertake to manage the public’s money.” Continue Reading »

Week after hiring Israeli tech-firm, FBI announced it unlocked iPhone of Muslim terrorist

 

A week after the FBI taped Israel’s Celebrate into neutralizing Apple’s encryption security, a Federal hearing was cancelled, no longer needing to force the tech giant into compliance.

By i24news

 

The FBI has unlocked the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, officials said Monday, ending a heated legal standoff with Apple that had pitted US authorities against Silicon Valley.

photo : CHIP SOMODEVILLA:GETTY:AFP

photo : CHIP SOMODEVILLA:GETTY:AFP

Apple, backed by a broad coalition of technology giants like Google and Facebook, was fiercely opposed to assisting the US government in unlocking the iPhone on grounds it would have wide-reaching implications on digital security and privacy. Continue Reading »

Georgia becomes sixth American state to ratify anti-BDS legislation

 

#BDSfail: The U.S. States that have passed anti-BDS legislation before Georgia are, Florida, Illinois, South Carolina, Indiana & Arizona.

By JTA

 

WASHINGTON — Georgia became the sixth state to pass a law targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, and the fifth to include settlements as protected from boycott.

The bill was approved March 24 by the State Senate in a 41-8 vote. Two days earlier, the Georgia House of Representatives passed the measure in a 95-71 vote.

BDS sign ‘Made in Israel’ – featured at Ynet and Yediot Ahronoth’s anti-BDS conference, Jerusalem, 28 March, 2016

Lawmakers from both parties supported the bill, which is expected to be signed into law soon by the Republican governor, Nathan Deal. Continue Reading »

Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin: It’s Time to Take Down BDS

 

Op-ed: President Rivlin clarifies – not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, & not all int’l pressure on Israel is a boycott, but when used as camouflage for anti-Semitism, Israel must stand together to eliminate the BDS threat.

By President Reuven Rivlin

 

Since its establishment in this hostile region, Israel has had to heal with geo-political isolation.

In order to compensate for this isolation, throughout the generations, Israel’s leadership signed a number of strategic alliances with Western powers. These alliances not only guaranteed Israel’s military supremacy, but also ensured the free flow of Israeli culture, trade, and science to the most advanced countries in the world. Continue Reading »

Canada to UN: Don’t name Canadian anti-Israel prof as Palestinian rapporteur

 

A row of Canadian gov’t officials that include the Foreign Affairs Minister & MPs Michael Levitt, Tony Clement and Peter Kent of the Conservative Party have called on the United Nations to disqualify local professor as UN adviser after accusations of his anti-Israel bias.

By Shoshana Miskin

 

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion has joined the chorus of voices calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to review its appointment of a Canadian law professor with an alleged history of anti-Israel bias to a key Middle East position.

Western University law professor Michael Lynk was named on Thursday the UNHRC’s special rapporteur on human rights in “Palestine”. Continue Reading »

Israel’s National Library Receives Rare Ethiopian Torah

 

Used by the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Ethiopia’s Tigray province around 400 years ago, the Orit, translated from Hebrew to Ge’ez, contains the 5 books of Moses, the books of Joshua, Judges & Ruth.

By Yori Yalon

 

A rare copy of the “Orit,” the Ethiopian Jewish Torah, was delivered last week to the National Library of Israel in a festive ceremony full of singing and dancing.

A rare copy of the “Orit,” the Ethiopian Jewish Torah – Photo Courtesy of the National Library of Israel

The scroll, translated from Hebrew to Ge’ez, was written around 400 years ago and used by the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Ethiopia’s Tigray province, Isaac Yaso. Continue Reading »

VIDEO: Bill Maher asks, ‘Maybe now Europe won’t be an a**hole to Israel’

 

WATCH Bill Maher, “I wonder now that Europe has been attacked 4 times now in a little over a year …Maybe Europe will have a little more sympathy for what Israel goes through.”

By JPOST.COM STAFF

 

American media personality Bill Maher thinks that maybe after the attacks in Brussels that killed 31 on Tuesday, Europe will have more sympathy for Israel. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks at the Brussels airport and at a metro station in the city.

Maher made the remarks on Friday on his HBO show Real Time.

“Europe has been real assholes about Israel. Continue Reading »

#BDSfail: Ignoring BDS harassment, musicians are heading to Israel

 

WATCH VIDEO CLIPS:
• May 2: South African duo Die Antwoord will play in Rishon.
• June 8: Alice Cooper will rock out at Bloomfield Stadium.
• June 8: Indie band Real Estate will perform in Tel Aviv.
• August 10: Metal band Symphony X will play in Tel Aviv.

By Ami Friedman

 

There’ll be something for everyone this summer as heavy rock icon Alice Cooper, progressive metal band Symphony X, the rap-rave duo Die Antwoord and rock band Real Estate have all recently announced concerts in Israel.

The first to visit the Holy Land is the New Jersey indie band Real Estate, who will perform at the Barby club in Tel Aviv on May 25. Continue Reading »

Here’s the latest ‘It’s Israel’s Fault!”: PA blames Israel for Brussels attack by ISIS

 

Fatah Revolutionary Council member Muwaffaq Matar as well as Palestinian Authority (PA) Security Forces Spokesman Adnan Al-Damiri have both pointed fingers at Israel explaining why the Jewish State was behind the European terrorist attacks.

By Shoshana Miskin

 

Although the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group announced that they orchestrated the terror attacks in Brussels last week, Palestinian Authority (PA) Security Forces Spokesman Adnan Al-Damiri has suggested that Israel was in fact behind the attacks.

According to the Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), Al-Damiri questioned whether the attacks by ISIS were just “a coincidence” in light of European support for “Palestine” and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Continue Reading »

WATCH: New logistics trailers for heavy armored IDF vehicles set to roll

 

view videoIDF’s armored corps are acquiring the 2-wheeled Backtrails trailers, that can carry 8 tons of logistical equipment and can be attached to the Namer & Achzarit APC’s, as well as all IDF tanks currently in service.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

Command is set to receive dozens of advanced logistical trailers for heavy armored vehicles, designed to improve the ability of units to conduct lengthy offenses.

The two-wheeled Backtrails, produced by the Netanya- based Urdan company, took four years to develop, and came after the IDF experienced severe logistical failures during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, according to Avi Raz, military marketing manager at Urdan. Continue Reading »

Israel, Greece and Cyprus vs: potential Russia, Iran and Syria regional power

 

The tripartite alliance between Cyprus, Greece and Israel in natural gas partnerships, defense agreements and economic cooperation, could serve as a basis for an ever wider regional front.

By LESLIE SUSSER

 

THE PAST several weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity reinforcing the tripartite alliance between Israel, Greece and Cyprus.

On January 28, the three leaders, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a summit meeting in Nicosia; the day before Tsipras brought 10 of his cabinet colleagues to Jerusalem for a government to government session with their Israeli counterparts; and the day before that Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon held security talks in Athens and a month later in Cyprus. Continue Reading »

Analysis: Addressing BDS and its existential threat to Israel

 

Israel is under threat from the BDS movement, with severe implications to its economy should it succeed. In order to confront this organized, global threat, Israel must recognize & deal with several questions to create an effective response to the movement.

By Tal Keinan

 

Let’s be clear on the numbers: The BDS movement is strongest in Europe.

In 2014 – the last year there are full numbers for – 35 percent of Israel’s exports went to Europe. Thirty-two percent of the Israeli GDP is comprised of exports. That means that exports to Europe account for 12 percent of Israeli GDP. Continue Reading »

MK Oren: Obama ‘fabricated’ diplomatic crises with Israel to appease Palestinians

 

Former Israeli Ambassador to the US blames Obama & his administration for having intentionally ‘fabricated’ crises to create distance between the historic allies in a strategy to appease the Palestinians, that in the end, backfired and made them even more intransigent, and hurt White House-Israel relations.

By Arutz Sheva Staff

 

Last year, Kulanu MK and former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren received heavy criticism in some circles for his book Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide.

With the release of the book’s Hebrew edition, Oren spoke to Arutz Sheva, discussing in depth the tensions between Israel and the Obama administration and the push back he received for the English edition.
Continue Reading »