Israel News for 7-9-18
Syrian Attack
Syrian media reported that Israel attacked the T-4 military airfield in Syria’s Homs province last night, activating Syrian air defenses. The Al Jazeera news network reported that between four and five missiles hit inside the base and that damage was caused. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the attack targeted “Iranian forces and pro-Assad militias” and that “there are likely fatalities.” Israel made no comment on the attack.
The T-4 airbase, which is used by pro-Iranian militias and contains an advanced Iranian air-defense system, was struck in an attack in April, which was also blamed on Israel.
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Temple Mount
Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel and Likud party member Sharren Haskel visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sunday. They were the first Israeli officials to visit the holy site since PM Netanyahu reportedly lifted a ban on Israeli parliamentarians entering the site. Netanyahu had instituted a ban on Israeli lawmakers visiting the site in November 2015 as a measure to ease tensions with the Palestinians.
The PM’s office had no comment about the visits.
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Qatari Proposal
A Qatari diplomat working behind the scenes to ease tensions at the Israel-Gaza border suggested yesterday that Palestinians would stop protests and sending incendiary kites across the border if Israel were to allow in 5,000 Gazans on work permits. Israeli and Hamas officials had no immediate comment on the Qatari proposal.
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Holocaust Controversy
Israel submitted an official protest to the Polish government over the weekend over the publication of a full-page ad in Israeli newspapers containing a Hebrew translation of the joint statement clearing the Polish people of responsibility for crimes committed during the Holocaust. The protest was submitted in Warsaw by Israel’s Ambassador to Poland Anna Azari and in Israel to the Polish embassy.
Israel protested the fact the statement was published in Israeli newspapers in contravention of the agreement reached between the two prime ministers, as well as the fundamental errors in the Hebrew translation.
A senior Israeli official said over the weekend that the explicit agreement between the two governments was that the affair would be put to rest after the two prime ministers read out the statement in English. He asserted that if the Poles hadn’t published the statement in Hebrew, the crisis would have been over. Instead, it had been renewed.
PM Netanyahu has promised to address the issue, while attempting to maintain good relations with Poland, which is one of Israel’s best friends in the EU.
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Powerful Countries
US News and World Report has ranked Israel as the eight most powerful countries in the world. The top 7 are US, Russia, China, Germany, UK, France and Japan. The report defines a “powerful” country as “a leader, economically influential, politically influential, strong international alliances, strong military.”
The report states that, “Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with cut diamonds, high-technology equipment and pharmaceuticals among its major exports. The country is very highly developed in terms of life expectancy, education, per capita income and other human development index indicators. But the country also has one of the most unequal economies in the Western world, with significant gaps between the rich and poor.”
Israel ranks #30 in the overall “best country” rankings.
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