Archive for month: June, 2023

News Update

Saudi ambassador to the United States, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, said in an interview, “We want to see a thriving Israel. We want to see a thriving Palestine. Vision 2030 talks about a unified, integrated, thriving Middle East, and last I checked Israel was there. We want a thriving Red Sea economy.” She also expressed her concern over the Israeli government’s current approach in the West Bank, describing it as “extremely concerning.” She added that settlements, in particular, pose problems that need to be addressed. For more, click here. 

Over 100 Israel Air Force reservists signed a letter today stating, “We are announcing today that if the law to abolish the cause of reasonableness, or any other law that is part of the legal reform, passes third Knesset readings, we will be forced to immediately stop our volunteering for reserve service.” Unlike most reservists who are called up for duty with a formal order from the IDF, pilots and other special forces show up for duty more frequently and in a voluntary manner, often not during an emergency, due to the nature of their position. For more, click here.

The Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday summoned the charge d’affaires of Israel’s embassy in Moscow for a reprimand talk related to the statements made by the Israeli Ambassador to Kyiv, Michael Brodsky, that seemed to acknowledge Ukraine’s honoring of historical personalities that persecuted and murdered the Jewish population there. For more, click here.

Sergeant Or Israelov, a 19-year-old IDF’s Paratrooper, was killed late Monday night in a friendly fire incident during an exercise at a military base in southern Israel. The military police have launched an investigation into the event. For more, click here. 

Israel asked Morocco for the extradition of an Israeli Arab citizen wanted in connection to a bombing of a Health Ministry facility in Nazareth in 2021. This is Israel’s first request for extradition from the North African nation since the signing of the Abraham Accords.

News Update

Hundreds of settlers have gathered at the Evyatar outpost in northern Samaria and have begun building a settlement, with government approval. The settlement was begun 2 years ago, but was evacuated in a compromise with the Bennet government, with the promise of resuming construction after the government conducted various land surveys. The settlement building was not resumed until now. The outpost is still officially considered illegal, but settlers are hoping that the current government will make it legal.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Shomron Regional Council, said, “We’re in Evyatar to stay. The government needs to approve the settlement today, regardless of the terror attack. But certainly, after so much blood was shed, the response needs to be the establishment of new settlements. Evyatar is legal seeing that the Israeli government signed an agreement for it.”

In the wake of settler violence against people and property in the Palestinian village of Turmus Aya, in revenge of the the terror attack that killed 4 Israelis earlier this week, US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said, “We are concerned about reports of attacks by extremist settlers against Palestinians. We condemn these violent acts. We expect the Israeli government to prosecute those responsible for these attacks in addition to providing compensation for the property destroyed.” One Palestinian was killed and 3 wounded in the violence.

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar spoke with UN officials and warned that the Palestinian Authority has lost its ability to enforce order in the West Bank areas under their jurisdiction. He added that there are lawless areas in the northern West Bank, which is the reason the IDF has to operate there.

Starting next month, Palestinians with American citizenship residing in the West Bank will be able to use Ben Gurion Airport, just like Israeli citizens. Palestinians must leave and reenter the West Bank via Jordan. But to fulfill the requirements to enter the visa exemption program with the US, Israel must grant equal treatment to all American citizens, irrespective of their origin. For more, click here.

Israel’s carrot and potato exports this year are breaking records, aided by a drought in Spain, Portugal and Italy and a wet winter in Israel. Russia had been Israel’s largest export market for carrots and potatoes, but the Ukraine war has made exports to Russia difficult.

News Update

Seven IDF soldiers and Border Police were wounded in a major arrest raid in Jenin yesterday when their armored vehicles came under heavy attack. The lead vehicle was damaged by explosive devices planted in the road. The four other vehicles came under heavy fire and were immobilized. IDF Apache helicopters were called in to attack the terrorists. This was the first time in 20 years that airpower was used in Judea and Samaria.  At least 6 terrorists were killed and at least 100 wounded.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said overnight Monday in an official statement that the United States is “deeply troubled by Israel’s decision to promote approximately 4,500 housing units in the West Bank, and by the reports of changes in the administration of the settlements that accelerate the planning and approval of construction.” The plans for building the housing units were publicized on Sunday. The UN Secretary General also urged Israel to reverse the decision, calling the settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace. For more, click here. 

Israel has decided to give approval to the development of the Gaza Marine natural gas field off the Gaza coast. The project has to be coordinated with the security services and is subject to direct talks with Egypt in liaison with the Palestinian Authority and to the completion of inter-ministerial staff work led by the National Security Council on preserving Israel’s security and diplomatic interests. For more, click here.

News Update

The IDF has recently created a new Iran branch, in the Military Intelligence Directorate. The new branch is intended to be the lead point in the IDF’s preparations for a scenario of wide and overt military confrontation with the Iranian military. In general, the branch focuses on intelligence learning, similar to the preparations for up-to-date intelligence-based training for combat with Hezbollah and Hamas. One of the departments within the branch is considered operative, collecting intelligence on the regular army of the IRGC. The branch consists of only 30 soldiers and it doesn’t have a name yet, but it is responsible for preparing the IDF for a war against Iran. For more, click here.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced that Israel would send hundreds of thousands of liters of mineral water and more than 10 tons of food to Ukraine in the wake of the floods caused by the destruction of a major dam. The food and drinking water will be distributed by volunteer organizations that work with the Israeli Embassy in Kyiv, and are expected to be purchased in Ukraine in order to help the country’s economy. The aid is expected to reach the Kherson area on Monday or Tuesday.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry recently announced that it’s expanding its presence on social media platforms and establishing two new departments, the TikTok and Instagram departments. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who headed the initiative, said: “This initiative complements other projects aimed at recruiting influential figures and young Israelis to promote Israel’s positive image around the world.”

Germany’s efforts to purchase Israel’s Arrow 3 Missile Defense System are advancing. The German government will ask legislators for approval next week for payment of an advance of over half a billions euros. The total cost is around 4 billion euros. For more, click here.

News Update

An Israeli driver was wounded when 10 shots were fired at his car as a drove through the village of Huwara yesterday. He managed to drive to an IDF post. On Monday, an IDF soldier was wounded in a ramming attack in Huwara.

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen visited the Philippines this week, the first Israeli foreign minister to do so in 56 years. He met with the Philippines president and foreign minister in Manila and discussed strengthening bilateral relations, as well as exploring new opportunities brought about by the signing of the Abraham Accords. Cohen also presented an initiative to establish a maritime and land transportation route between Asia and Europe through the Middle East and Israel, which would significantly reduce international shipping costs. He also inaugurated the new wing of the Israeli Embassy in Manila and met with representatives of the Jewish community.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia yesterday and discussed a wide range topics including the potential for normalization of relations with Israel, and agreed to continued dialogue on the issue.

During a speech she delivered at the reception at Israel’s Embassy in Washington D.C. dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Israel, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris commented on the judicial reform issue and stressed that Israel needs “an independent judiciary”. She also said that the US will continue to build on Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, as well as the historic Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, and that the Biden administration will continue to work toward a “two-state solution” for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response to the speech, Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen told an interviewer that Harris did not understand the elements involved in the judicial reforms. For more, click here.