Analysis: Secret Israel-Saudi ties likely to continue after King Abdullah’s death

 

Expert on Saudi foreign policy: “The changes that the Mid-East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the 2 countries.”

By ARIEL ZILBER

 

The tacit security and intelligence cooperation that has come to characterize Israel’s clandestine relationship with Saudi Arabia is likely to remain intact even as the House of Saud undergoes a transition of power following Thursday’s passing of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

POTUS Obama bows to Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud (2nd R) as French President Nicolas Sarkozy (3rd R) and South Korean President Lee Myung -Bak (L) look on before a family picture with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (not pictured) at Buckingham Palace, in London – AFPGetty Images

“The changes that the Middle East has experienced in recent years have created a set of joint interests between the two countries,” said Dr. Continue Reading »

Israel’s President Rivlin rejects Obama’s offer to meet during first visit to US

White House officials plays down current rift, saying no room for ‘blame game’, after Israel’s President declined invitation to meet with Obama during his official 5-day trip to the US.
Video icon JPEGRivlin will address UN Holocaust memorial in NY, hold talks with UN head, Ban & meet representatives of Jewish, African-American communities.

By Itamar Eichner

 

President Reuven Rivlin has rejected an offer to meet with US President Obama, a statement from his office said Sunday as he left on his first official visit to the United States, where he will address a UN session marking 70 years since the end of the Holocaust. Continue Reading »

WATCH: See What American Youth Think of Israel’s Bamba, Bissli & Crembo

Buzz Feed video clip presentation amusingly shows American youth tasting & critiquing  popular Israeli snack products.

 

Following their previous hits, “The Jewish Food Taste Test,” and “Hannukah Explained by Christians,” the BuzzFeed staff struck once again, poking fun at Israeli foods this time, with their latest video sensation: “Americans Try Israeli Snacks.”

Milky
The three minute segment features American twenty-somethings taste-testing and reviewing typical Israeli snacks such as Milky pudding, Bamba, Bissli, Crembo, and Pesek Zman.

Most of the reviewed foods got positive marks, with a comical twist–in typical BuzzFeed fashion.

Stardavid3_biggerThe brave tasters all marveled over Elite’s milk chocolate bar with popping candies, bewildered by the chocolate treat’s tendency to “crackle in your mouth!”; Continue Reading »

VIDEO: Hezbollah caught on film operating in Syrian Golan

Watch Shiite terrorist group with Syrian army in planned ambush on Jabhat al-Nusra fighters. Lebanese media outlets release rare video contradicting Hezbollah leader’s denial of operating in Golan. 

By Roi Kais

 

Less than a week after a strike attributed to Israel killed senior Hezbollah officers, a Lebanese television channel published on Saturday an unusual video allegedly showing cooperation between the Syrian military and the Lebanese terror group.

Hezbollah ambush of al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters – Screenshot: Facebook

The combined forces are seen setting an ambush for Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria. According to media reports, some 30 rebel fighters were killed and dozens wounded in the incident. Continue Reading »

Likud Report: Caroline Glick Offered 11th Spot by Netanyahu

Veteran Jerusalem Post journalist and Latma founder was reportedly offered the number 11 spot at Netanyahu’s personal request, sources say Saturday night.

By Yoni Kempinski

 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has requested that veteran journalist Caroline Glick be appointed to the #11 spot on the Likud list, Likud sources stated Saturday night.

Glick is a veteran journalist who founded the satirical television series Latma, is the deputy managing editor for the Jerusalem Post, and the senior fellow in a Washington-based think tank, the Center for Security Policy.

She has previously not spared criticism of the prime minister, and penned a particularly acid piece in response to the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal in the Post and on Channel 2‘s mako website at the time claiming he had made the deal “at the price of Jewish blood.”

Continue Reading »

Amazon in negotiation to acquire Israeli chip-maker Annapurna Labs

Annapurna Labs, based in Yokneam, has been operating in secrecy ever since it was launched in 2011, with managers refusing to divulge company’s operations or the products it develops.

By Meir Orbach & Assaf Gilad

 

After the announcement that cloud storage giant Dropbox acquired Israel-based startup CloudOn, another Israeli company may be bought out by a big name oversees. According to Calcalist, Amazon is in negotiations with the Israeli chip-maker Annapurna Labs, based in Yokneam – the lower Galilee locale that has come to be known as “startup village” because more than 100 tech-companies, which export billions of US dollars annually, call it home. Continue Reading »

Fact-Checker: Obama Misled Congress & American People in State of the Union Address

When Barack Obama addressed the Congress that U.S. had ‘halted’ the Iranian nuclear program & reduced their nuclear stockpile, the president wasn’t being accurate, and Netanyahu’s upcoming congressional visit will point out more ‘mistakes’.

By Hillel Fendel

 

Experts on the negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear capabilities have taken issue with two main points made by U.S. President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address this week.

Barack Obama – Reuters

“Our diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran,” Obama said, “where, for the first time in a decade, we’ve halted the progress of its nuclear program and reduced its stockpile of nuclear material.”
Continue Reading »

Israel Economy Minister Boosts Arab Hi-Tech Employment In $2.5 million Training Program

Economy Ministry has enacted strategic goal to expand hi-tech employment among Israel’s Arabs, especially the women.

By Israel Today Staff

 

Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett this week awarded tenders totaling $2.5 million to two organizations tasked with training and integrating more local Arabs into the hi-tech industry.

Arab women in high-tech

The two companies, Tsofen and ITworks, will examine hi-tech manpower needs around the country, and accordingly train and provide job placement services for Arab hi-tech students.

“There is a skilled and high-quality workforce in Israel in the form of hundreds of male and female academics from the Arab, Druze and Circassian sectors, available for employment,” said Michal Tzuk, deputy director-general at the Ministry of Economy.

Continue Reading »

Palestinian to lead UN’s Int’l Holocaust Remembrance Day

Maher Nasser, head of the UN Dept of Public Information, will host the UN’s memorial for International Holocaust Remembrance Day, with Israel’s President Rivlin, and government ministers attending.

By Noah Klieger

 

Palestinian Maher Nasser, a United Nations official with over 25 years experience in the organization, will join Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

Photo: AP

In 2005, the UN unanimously accepted then-foreign minister Silvan Shalom’s suggestion to hold an international Holocaust memorial day in honor of the six million Jews, 1 million Gypsies, 250,000 disabled people, and 9,000 homosexual men murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. Continue Reading »

Israel Furious Over White House Leaks, Manipulation and ‘Mossad Lies’

After examining minutes of meeting of senators & Mossad Head, Israel’s Intelligence Minister says, “Leaking the Mossad Head’s statements, even if they had not been falsified, is a serious breach of all the rules. Friends do not behave like this. Information from a secret meeting must not leak out.”

By Gil Ronen

 

A senior Israeli official delivered an uncommonly harsh attack on US President Barack Obama’s administration Thursday evening, following the American report that alleged that Mossad Head Tamir Pardo had warned US senators against further Iran sanctions, in contradiction of Israel’s official stance.

“The fraudulent claims against the Mossad Head were raised by the Americans yesterday, despite a message that had been transmitted to them on Tuesday by Intelligence Minister [Yuval] Steintz,” the senior Israeli source told Channel 2 news.

Continue Reading »

Israel: Jerusalem has no knowledge of reported Putin visit

Palestinian media reports upcoming state visit by Russian President to restart peace talks.

By i24news

 

Israeli government’s spokesperson on Thursday said Jerusalem had no knowledge that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to visit Israel during his tour to the Middle East next month.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a thumbs up after watching a live broadcast of the launch of the Angara rocket from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Moscow on December 23, 2014 – Photo: Alexey Druzhinin/Ria Novosti/AFP

The report saying the strongman leader will visit Jerusalem to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appeared on Thursday in al-Quds, a Jerusalem-based Palestinian broadsheet.

Continue Reading »

Israeli Satellite Intel Reveals New Iranian Long-Range Missile Launching Facility

Israeli satellite imaging concern finds in Iran a 27 meter (89 ft) missile launcher with new missile capable of reaching as far as Israel & Europe
• Teheran is still in the midst of nuclear negotiations with world powers.

By Eli Leon & Israel Hayom Staff

 

Israeli satellite imaging company ImageSat released images from Iran revealing a new nuclear development site.

ImageSat International’s satellite image show missile release facility in Iran

Continue Reading »

IDF Bolsters Borders with Lebanon & Syria Against Potential Hezbollah Attacks

 

The IDF is being ultra-cautious since the air strike on Sunday that killed 6 Hezbollah & 6 Iranian Revolutionary Guards senior commanders near Quneitra, in the Syrian Golan Heights.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN

 

The IDF will increase its presence in northern communities throughout Thursday. As a result, local residents will see an increase in military traffic in their areas.

An IDF soldier stands atop a tank near Alonei Habashan on the Golan Heights, close to the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria. – Photo: REUTERS

The measures are aimed at preparing the IDF for potential Hezbollah attacks.

The defense establishment is being ultra-sensitive since an air strike on Sunday that killed 12 Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps senior operatives near Quneitra, Syria, and Iranian vows to take revenge. Continue Reading »

Argentine President’s Latest Letter: Prosecutor did not commit suicide

In President Cristina Kirchner latest letter, she professes no doubt that Nisman’s death was not a suicide, contrary to her previous claims but goes on to say the Prosecutor’s report was riddled with inaccurate information.

By Ynet

 

In a strange turn of events, the president of Argentina says the death of prosecutor who tried to pin her with covering up Iran’s role in the deadly bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994 was not a suicide, saying she had no doubt there was foul play.

President Cristina Kirchner. – Photo: Getty Image

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner took to Twitter to voice her opinion on the death of Alberto Nisman, which many have said she might have played a role in. Continue Reading »

Israel’s Natanyahu & Mossad Disagree on Iran Sanctions

While Israel PM Netanyahu has been imploring  the US to toughen sanctions against Iran, the Mossad has been advising Senators a different opinion, according to Bloomberg News.

By Moshe Cohen

 

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been urging the United States to continue to strengthen sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, the Mossad is of a different opinion, a report on Bloomberg News said Thursday.

Bushehr nuclear reactor – Reuters

The report said that Mossad officials advised US senators who were visiting Israel recently to hold off on further Iran sanctions, saying that they would hamper, not help, efforts to persuade Iran to give up or allow full international supervision of its nuclear program.

Continue Reading »