Herzog, 60, took his oath on Wednesday before the Knesset became Israel’s 11th president…reports Asian Lite News
Former Labor party leader Isaac Herzog has been sworn in as Israel’s new president.
Herzog, 60, took his oath on Wednesday before the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, and became Israel’s 11th president, Xinhua reported.
In his first speech as president, Herzog vowed to serve the entire citizens of Israel. He said there is a need for a more moderate tone in Israeli politics and to stop the incitement that divides and polarizes Israeli society.
“The shared values are more brittle than ever,” he said, adding that hate and incitement lead to “heavy prices” such as “harming our national resilience.”
He called for a greater integration of Arabs in society and to stop street violence and killings in Arab towns. “My mission, the task of my term, will be to do everything to rebuild hope” for the society, he said.
Herzog replaced Reuven Rivlin who has served as the president for the past seven years.
Herzog is a former chairman of the Jewish Agency and the son of Israel’s sixth president Chaim Herzog.
Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto called for an investigation into the Pakistani government contact with Israel “done in the darkness of the night,”…reports Asian Lite News
As Pakistani officials work on keeping the Taliban away from India, Prime Minister Imran Khan and his advisors have to try and dodge political bullets with lousy denials of contact with Israel they are finding increasingly hard to conceal, as per an opinion piece in Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“DIDNOT [sic] go to Israel,” tweeted Zulfi Bukhari, the Pakistani Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis, on Monday in response to a report in Israel Hayom claiming that Bukhari had visited Tel Aviv in November 2020 to pass on messages from Khan and Pakistan Army chief, Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa to Mossad head Yossi Cohen.
In December, the same newspaper reported that a “senior adviser to the leader of a large Muslim majority country” has recently visited Israel.” UK-based counter-terror analyst Noor Dahri tweeted the same day that the November 20 visit was undertaken by an unnamed close aide of Imran Khan, setting off a storm of intrigue in the region and outrage in Pakistan.
Opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto called for an investigation into the Pakistani government contact with Israel “done in the darkness of the night,” and asked about persistent reports that a Pakistan army jet had flown to Amman at the time: “If an airplane did not pick up Zulfi Bukhari then whom did it pick up?”
The report said despite the bluff, it was and is easy to deduce that the November 2020 visitor was Bukhari. He has a British passport and, unusually, is close to both of Pakistan’s centres of power: the civilian head, Imran Khan (tasked with campaigning for critical elections in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan-administered Kashmir) and the military leadership (nominated to coordinate with Chinese officials on the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor).
Last year’s report about the Pakistani delegation to Tel Aviv came days after reports resurfaced that Saudi Arabia was putting pressure on Pakistan to formalise relations with Israel. “Senior military and diplomatic officials who told me at the time that Saudi Arabia was arm-twisting over Israel, also confirmed then that Pakistani officials had indeed visited Israel,” the report said.
The report said they have further confirmed that diplomatic engagements have continued into 2021, including a meeting involving no less a personage than Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf, which he inevitably and categorically denied.
The fact is, diplomatic and military engagements between Pakistan and Israel have been a regular occurrence, even in past decades when formalizing ties between the two countries was inconceivable, it added.
Both states being US allies has historically meant intelligence cooperation, mediated or not, between Pakistan and Israel, with even the latest reports of Bukhari’s Tel Aviv visit emerging on the eve of the US hosted ‘Sea Breeze 2021′ naval exercise in which both countries are participating. The two countries’ air forces have also jointly taken part in US-led Red Flag training exercises.
However, today Pakistan is inching towards establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel not at the behest of the US, but propelled by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the report said.
A UAE government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Israeli officials had no immediate comment…reports Asian Lite News
Israeli defence officials were checking whether Iranian forces were behind a possible attack on a cargo ship under partial Israeli ownership on Saturday on its way from Jeddah to the United Arab Emirates, Israel’s N12 Television News reported.
The crew were not hurt and the ship, possibly hit by a missile, was not badly damaged and continued on its journey after the incident, N12 said, citing unnamed sources within Israel’s defence establishment. Lebanese pro-Iranian TV channel Al Mayadeen had reported the incident earlier.
N12 said the vessel, the Tyndall, was owned by Zodiac Maritime Ltd, a London-headquartered international ship management company which later said it did not own or manage the CSAV Tyndall.
Ship-tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon showed the CSAV Tyndall container ship, which sails under a Liberian flag, was last docked in Jeddah and was now off the coast of Dubai.
A UAE government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Israeli officials had no immediate comment.
Iranian media widely reported the attack, citing Al Mayadeen, which was among the first news outlets to report an attack on a commercial vessel owned by an Israeli company in April.
Iran’s largest navy ship sank in early June after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman, in what appeared to be the latest incident in a region of sensitive waterways, where arch-enemies Iran and Israel have traded accusations of attacks on each other’s vessels.
Inauguration of Israeli consulate in Dubai (Pic source WAM)
Israel FM’s revelation of the bilateral trade figure validates the estimates made by some Israeli and UAE officials, soon after announcing the Accords, that even initial bilateral economic engagements would run into hundreds of millions of dollars, Binsal Abdulkader interviews Yair Lapid
Israel-UAE bilateral trade has reached over NIS2.2 billion (AED2.48 billion/US$675.22 million), within ten months of signing the Abraham Accords in September 2020, according to Israel’s top diplomat.
In an exclusive interview, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said, “It is estimated that the bilateral trade potential will multiply many times over in the coming years.”
Lapid, who reached Abu Dhabi on Tuesday morning for a two-day official visit, is the first Israeli minister to visit the UAE since Abraham Accords were signed. This is his second foreign visit since he became the Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the new coalition government formed this month. His first visit was to Rome early this week.
Lapid’s revelation of the latest bilateral trade figure validates the estimates made by some Israeli and UAE officials, soon after announcing the Accords, that even initial bilateral economic engagements would run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Dubai Government announced on 30th January that the emirate’s trade with Israel in five months (September 2020-January 2021) had reached a value of AED1 billion (US$272.26 million).
Pic credits Twitter@IsraelMFA
Not a ceremonial visit
The top Israeli diplomat said “it is a huge honour” to be the first Israeli minister to embark on an official visit to the UAE. “This is not, however, a technical or ceremonial visit; it is part of a deep understanding that begins here with the shared journey of true cooperation.”
“This visit does not occur in a vacuum, it comes after the comprehensive work carried out by many people, which is bearing fruit today. This historic moment is thanks to them, and benefits us all,” he added.
He inaugurated the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday afternoon and met with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. He also opened the Israeli Consulate General in Dubai on Wednesday.
Real peace not on paper
About the prospects in educational, cultural and sports arenas and people-to-people relations between Israel and the UAE, Lapid said, “Real peace does not exist on paper but in peace between nations, peoples, and cultures. I am happy to see that Israelis are coming to visit the UAE and I am sure that joint tourism will expand, and we look forward to welcoming Emirati tourists to Israel.
“The first year [of Abraham accords and first official visit] are just the beginning of the journey.
Pic credits Twitter@IsraelMFA
“We need to allow our economies to integrate and prosper. We need to preserve the open dialogue and open-mindedness.”
Israel’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which will open in October, is another stepping stone in the building of relations, he said, added that the initiative, innovation and cooperation in health, education and technology will build ties for many years that will benefit generation to come.
Cooperation in advanced technologies
The Israeli minister said that business cooperation in the field of advanced technologies between Israel and the UAE “finds expression, among other things,” in B2B-level transactions and in the encouragement of Israeli startups to develop technologically and financially and establish branches in the UAE.
“Since September 2020, a number of transactions, valued at tens of millions of dollars, have been signed between Israeli and Emirati companies in the fields of AI, cyber, renewable energy, water security, health and more,” Lapid explained.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation
“The horizons are promising for companies from both countries operating in these and other fields, including food security and desert-tech.”
Apart from ten economic agreements that had been signed between the two governments, other agreements are in the negotiations stage, “as part of the establishment of the bilateral infrastructure agreement between our countries within the framework of the Abraham Accords,” the minister added.
From media to politics
Lapid, who was a media celebrity before entering politics, said, “The decision to leave life in the media and television was easy for me. I love the State of Israel and I knew that real change is made through political work in the Knesset [parliament] and government.”
His father, Yosef Lapid, a Holocaust survivor and an antireligious politician, once also headed a centrist party and served as justice minister. His mother, Shulamit Lapid, is a well-known novelist.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation@AmbAlKhaja
Although many people and events throughout the life have shaped him, one of the biggest influencers was his father, he revealed.
“His history and his story as a child in the ghetto during the Holocaust whose childhood was stripped away from him, and the deep understanding that Jews need a state and that children need protection, are foundational elements in my worldview. My intelligent mother and her family, as well as my wife and my three children, are also part of who I am today, from my decision-making process through to what drives me,” he said.
“The agreements to normalise relations recently signed by Israel with some Arab countries are an illusion that will not succeed,” said Abbas…reports Asian Lite News
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has slammed the normalisation agreements that some Arab countries have reached with Israel in recent times.
“The agreements to normalise relations recently signed by Israel with some Arab countries are an illusion that will not succeed,” Abbas said in an online address on Tuesday.
The President added that peace and security “will only be achieved” at the end of the Israeli occupation, reports Xinhua news agency.
Abbas also said that peace with Israel can only be achieved by “the recognition of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, mainly the rights of freedom, independence, and establishing a Palestinian state”.
“We agreed to sign painful historic peace agreements, recognized the state of Israel under the UN Resolutions 242 and 338, and signed the Oslo accords in 1993,” he said, adding that the Jewish state has violated these agreements.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation
In September last year, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed separate normalisation agreements with Israel.
Later, Morocco and Sudan followed in their footsteps.
Palestine has also called for imposing international sanctions against Israel to stop its policies against the Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it supports an Amnesty International report issued on June 24 saying Israeli security forces committed violations against the Palestinians.
“Israel doesn’t care about reports issued by credible international organizations like Amnesty International, which considers Israeli practices the most heinous forms of racial discrimination against the Palestinians,” the Ministry statement said.
Pic credits Twitter@IsraelMFA
The statement also slammed the US and the European Union for not exerting serious pressure on the Israeli government to stop its practices against the Palestinians.
On June 24, the Amnesty International report said that Israeli police carried out “a catalogue of violations against Palestinians across Israel and occupied East Jerusalem”.
The report said the violations included “unlawful force against peaceful protesters, sweeping mass arrest and subjecting detainees to torture and other ill-treatment”.
There has been no immediate response from Israeli police to the Amnesty International report.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation
Sharing the vision of deepening economic ties between the two countries for the benefit of both peoples, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Yair Lapid signed key agreement, reports Asian Lite News
UAE’s minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Israeli minister of foreign affairs Yair Lapid on Wednesday met in Abu Dhabi and agreed to cooperate on key areas. Both the leaders expressed their conviction that bilateral ties will be deepened, broadened and “strengthened even further soon for the benefit of both countries and the region as a whole.”
Recognising the brave decision made by the leadership of the UAE and Israel, thus paving the way for historic change in the region and creating a better future for the region’s youth, both ministers expressed the importance of peaceful and friendly relations between the UAE and Israel and between the Emirati and Israeli peoples.
The Abraham Accords are a beacon of light that paves the way for other countries to join the circle of peace and will enhance stability and prosperity for both countries, as well as for the entire region. Both sides also acknowledged the significant advances made since the signing of the Abraham Accords in September 2020.
Both ministers emphasised the importance of the opening of diplomatic missions in the UAE and Israel as a key component of promoting relations between the two countries.
Pic credits Twitter@IsraelMFA
Economic Cooperation
Sharing the vision of deepening economic ties between the two countries for the benefit of both peoples, the two ministers signed an Agreement on Economic and Trade Cooperation.
The agreement reflects the two governments’ commitment to the development of economic relations and the free flow of commodities and services, as well as cooperation in the fields of exhibitions, the exchange of expertise and knowledge, the exchange of delegations, cooperation between chambers of commerce, the promotion of joint research and development, and agro technologies.
The parties agreed on establishing a joint economic committee headed by the respective ministries of economy of both countries and tasked with implementing the agreement to remove barriers and increase bilateral trade.
Both sides expressed that they are looking forward to signing a free trade agreement, and they have commenced discussions on this matter.
Both ministers discussed ways to further explore means to increase investments in each other’s economies, infrastructure, and science and technologies, thereby bringing together the ingenuity and spirit of innovation and vision of both countries’ peoples and leaderships.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation@AmbAlKhaja
Regional Cooperation
The ministers discussed the importance of deepening strategic dialogue and cooperation between the two countries to address regional challenges and seize opportunities. They agreed that close strategic dialogue would provide an effective mechanism to promote the positive force of peace in the region.
The ministers agreed to work together to promote a narrative of peace and coexistence throughout the Middle East to discourage divisiveness, aggression and conflict.
The two countries discussed the importance of regional cooperation in the fields of technology, clean energy, climate change, agro and water technologies, combating desertification, transportation, and health.
Building on the spirit and vision of the Abraham Accords, and believing in the common goal of bringing prosperity not only to their countries but also to the entire region, both ministers discussed opportunities including multilateral cooperation to share the fruits of peace with the peoples of the Middle East.
UAE, Israel ink key pact on economic, trade cooperation@AmbAlKhaja
Overcoming Covid-19 Challenges
Recognising the global challenges presented by Covid-19, both in health and economy, as well as other areas, the two ministers agreed that international cooperation is a key factor to overcome the crisis.
The parties decided to work together towards enabling quarantine-free travel between the two countries for those fully vaccinated against Covid-19, whilst ensuring public health and safety. Both sides will work towards formulating a mutually acceptable mechanism to be implemented as soon as possible.
Meetings between the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to finalise the arrangement began in March intending to increase tourism between the two countries. The travel corridor is also expected to generate additional opportunities to reinforce economic and people-to-people ties.
Both ministers expressed their belief that a successful effort to control the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic will expedite their efforts in this respect.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two top diplomats since Israel’s new government was sworn in two weeks ago….reports Asian Lite News
Israel Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told his US counterpart Antony Blinken that the country has serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal being put together in Vienna, according to media reports.
This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two top diplomats since Israel’s new government was sworn in two weeks ago.
During the meeting, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Lapid said they would also discuss Israel’s normalisation accords with Gulf Arab states, according to reports.
Blinken said the US supports Israel’s normalisation accords, but they cannot be a substitute for engaging in issues between Israelis and Palestinians.
Blinken also said he would also be raising the issue of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.
Meawhile, Lapid said the way to disagreement regarding Iran nuclear deal is through direct conversations, not in press conferences, it was reported.
“In the past few years, mistakes were made. Israel’s bipartisan standing was hurt and we will fix those mistakes together,” reports quoted Lapid as saying.
Meanwhile, Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, has said that it is time for the parties involved in the negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal to take “tough” decisions after “enough” discussions.
“There are a number of pending issues that have been sufficiently negotiated, and it is time for countries to decide,” the senior diplomat told the official Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency on Sunday, after a meeting with MPs earlier in the day.
Tehran, he added, has already taken its “tough decision” when it decided to stay in the nuclear agreement after the US under former President Donald Trump unilaterally quit it in May 2018, and then reimposed sanctions on Iran.
It was Iran’s “big and difficult” decision that has allowed so far to preserve the deal, formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Araqchi said.
Now it is time for Iran’s counterparts to take their “tough decisions” after six rounds of meetings of the JCPOA Joint Commission, he added.
On Saturday, the spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh said the country will not negotiate endlessly, and urged the US to abandon the “failed legacy” of Trump.
India's NIA announces Rs 10L reward each for info on 2 suspects involved in blast outside Israel Embassy
A low-intensity bomb blast had occurred on January 29 near the Israel Embassy on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, less than 2 km from the Vijay Chowk, where the Beating Retreat ceremony was on, sending the security establishments into a tizzy
The Special Cell of Delhi Police on Thursday arrested four students hailing from Jammu and Kashmir in connection with its probe into the blast near the Israel Embassy here on January 29.
India’s NIA announces Rs 10L reward each for info on 2 suspects involved in blast outside Israel Embassy
According to sources, they were brought on transit remand to Delhi from J&K’s Kargil area, and after several rounds of questioning, they have been put under arrest. The source, however, refused to share the details of the students who have been arrested.
A low-intensity bomb blast had occurred on January 29 near the Israel Embassy on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road, less than 2 km from the Vijay Chowk, where the Beating Retreat ceremony was on, sending the security establishments into a tizzy.
The Beating Retreat ceremony was attended by President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries.
The Special Cell had registered a case following the blast. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had taken over the case on February 2 this year.
On June 15, the NIA had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh each for any information on the two suspects involved in the bomb blast. It had also issued the photographs and videos of the alleged suspects seen in the CCTV video footage captured outside the embassy.
The blast had shattered the windscreens of three parked cars, and had coincided with the 29th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Israel.
Kohavi’s remarks came the same day as Iran said it had foiled a sabotage attack on an atomic energy agency building…reports Asian Lite News
Visiting Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi hailed “unprecedented” cooperation with the United States against Iran, according to media reports.
The army chief’s visit, which started on Sunday, was to discuss on cooperation in preventing Tehran from obtaining military nuclear capabilities.
Kohavi’s remarks came the same day as Iran said it had foiled a sabotage attack on an atomic energy agency building, as talks continue in Vienna between Tehran and world powers aimed at reviving their 2015 nuclear deal.
The visit comes after a shaky ceasefire ended an 11-day war that claimed the lives of 256 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.
During the visit Kohavi met Centcom commander General Frank McKenzie at the US military’s Central Command in Florida, where he discussed the Gaza war, the Syrian arena and coordination between the countries.
Kohavi also met US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA head William Burns to discuss Iran.
Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had warned the Islamic Hamas movement that the Jewish state will not tolerate “any more violence” from the besieged Gaza Strip.
Speaking at a memorial ceremony to commemorate the fallen soldiers during Israel’s 2014 military campaign in Gaza, Bennett said on Sunday that his country “has lost its patience.”
He said that Hamas, which controls the besieged Palestinian enclav, will “have to get used to a different Israeli approach, one of initiative, decisiveness, and suspicion”.
“Our enemies must understand the rules: we will not tolerate violence, we will not tolerate sporadic fire and we will not tolerate renegades,” Bennett said.
His remarks came about a week after Bennett was sworn in as the country’s new Prime Minister and amid renewed tensions with Gaza.
Last week, Israel carried out two separate series of airstrikes targeting Hamas sites in Gaza after incendiary balloons were sent into southern Israel amid tensions in the annexed East Jerusalem.
On May 21, a shaky ceasefire ended an 11-day war that claimed the lives of 256 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and US President Joe Biden. (Photo: twitter.com/PresidentRuvi
Rivlin is due to retire next month after the end of his seven-year term…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden will host his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin at the White House on June 28, Press Secretary Jen Psaki announced here.
“President Rivlin’s visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the US and Israel and the deep ties between our governments and our people,” Psaki said in a statement issued on Saturday.
“As President Rivlin approaches the end of his term, this visit will honour the dedication he has shown to strengthening the friendship between the two countries over the course of many years,” she added.
Rivlin is due to retire next month after the end of his seven-year term.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin
Israel’s former Labor chairman and opposition leader Isaac Herzog was chosen by Parliament earlier this month to be the next president.
He would be sworn in at an official ceremony in July.
The role of the President in Israel is mainly ceremonial with little executive power.
The President of Israel is elected for seven years and cannot serve more than a single term.
