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Trump tells Israel peace means compromise; U.S. envoy under fire

in AMERICAS/POLITICS by

U.S. President Donald Trump told Israel on Friday that it too would need to make “significant compromises” for peace with the Palestinians, even as they accused one of his Middle East envoys of bogging down diplomacy with what they see as pro-Israel bias. The Palestinians were outraged by Trump’s Dec. 6 recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, a move overturning decades of U.S. reticence on the city’s status, and say they are looking at additional world powers as potential mediators. In an interview with an Israeli newspaper that was excerpted ahead of its full publication on Sunday, Trump described his Jerusalem move as a “high point” of his first year in office. The language of Trump’s announcement did not rule out a presence in Jerusalem for the Palestinians, who want the eastern part of the city – captured by Israel in a 1967 war and annexed in a move not recognized internationally – as their own capital.

Saudi activist detained after questioning Saudi-Israel ties

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

A UK-based rights group reports that a Saudi activist, who questioned the normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, has been detained in her home country, and could face up to five years in prison. The woman, Noha al-Balawi has reportedly been under detention in the northwestern region of Tabuk for more than two weeks, ALQST, a group advocating for human rights in Saudi Arabia, said on Thursday. According to ALQST, al-Balawi was asked to report to a police station in Tabuk on January 23, only to be arrested, and has been detained ever since. Authorities reportedly questioned al-Balawi about her social media activities, including posts questioning the normalisation of ties between her country and Israel, the rights group said.  In one video clip widely circulated on social media, Balawi declared, “Normalisation means accepting the occupation”, in reference to Israel’s continued control of Palestinian land. And again “Let me make it clear; we will never recognise Israel no matter what it will cost us. There is not a single benefit for Arabs when we normalise relations with Israel. It only serves the best interests of the Zionist state,”.  However, in recent months, relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel have warmed up, with a flurry of diplomatic activities between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.  According to the report, the investigating officer had referred al-Balawi’s case for trial under the country’s cybercrime law. Article 6 of the law states that a person “who creates or transmits anything prejudicial to public order” could face up to five years in jail, and/or a fine of up to $800,000. The Human right group said Saudi authorities are trying to mislead the public by denying al-Balawi’s detention in what seems clearly an “obvious attempt” to silence public opinion. The group call for an immediate and unconditional release and for let her “restoring” her social media presence allowing her to express her opinions. It remains still unclear when and in which court al-Balawi will be judged.

Start of the German shipyard for the new Israeli warships

in BUILDINGS/MIDLE EAST by

The German shipyard has begun to build the four new Israeli warships that will be used to defend the natural gas deposits and territorial waters of the country. According to the Israeli navy commander, the Sa’ar-6 ships are one of the main pillars in the IDF’s naval defensive wall. In recent years the importance of maritime supremacy has been strengthened with the awareness that it constitutes a pillar of the security of the State of Israel. Over 90% of Israeli imports arrive by sea and the Israeli navy is much lower than other IDF armed forces, although they have to protect about 44,000 sq km. of sea, almost twice the size of Israel. The new ships will be used to defend Israel’s natural gas drilling rigs, which supply about 60% (and soon 75%) of the nation’s electricity. According to the naval officer, in peacetime a missile ship will patrol the territorial waters of Israel as a whole, but during the war period, the navy will place a ship near each platform, which are clear targets for Hezbollah. It is believed that the Lebanese group has the ability to hit any point of the Israeli territorial sea, in fact, despite not having any naval capacity, it is believed that it has long-range missiles, including precision ballistic missiles received from Iran, which can hit the facilities and ships within the exclusive Israeli economic zone. Israel hopes to resolve the dispute diplomatically, but is ready to defend its territorial waters. In the words of the ministers, this means that if Hezbollah were to attack, the response would be faster and more devastating than in the past.

Lebanese officials and IDF discuss the construction of the border wall

in BUILDINGS/MIDLE EAST/POLITICS by

Lebanese military officials told their Israeli counterparts during a regular tripartite meeting chaired by UN peacekeepers at their UN positions in Ras al-Naqoura, which the wall that the IDF is building along the border between the two countries violate the sovereign territory of Lebanon. There are increasing tensions between the two countries concerning border works, rights challenged to the exploration of natural gas and Israeli warnings that Iran – through its delegate in Lebanon, Hezbollah – is transforming the country into an advanced base for manufacturing missiles and attacking the Jewish state. The construction of the wall has strained tensions, with Hezbollah, which threatens to open fire on Israeli soldiers who build the barrier. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which hosted the meeting, said in a statement that the talks have attracted attention “due to engineering work south of the Blue Line previously announced by the Israeli side”, referring to the line that marked the Israeli withdrawal recognized by the UN from Lebanon in 2000. Neither side wants to return to a period of growing tensions and a violation of the cessation of hostilities; however, both seem intent on maintaining the line taken.

Military deliveries to Lebanese Army

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

In the last week, the United States delivered ammunition, grenade launchers and combat vehicles worth over $ 11.7 million to the Lebanese Armed Forces, the US embassy in Beirut said. On February 1, LAF received two hundred MK-19 automatic missile launchers; on February 3, eight new Bradley combat vehicles were delivered, part of a package worth over $ 100 million; today 827 Copperhead ammunitions. The goal is to replenish the LAF stocks used to defeat ISIS in the Fajr al Jouroud operation. “With weapons, equipment and training provided by the United States, the LAF will continue to maintain good fighting capabilities, ensuring that it remains a unifying force at the national level, a bulwark against extremism and terrorism, as well as the sole legitimate defender of the Lebanon”. A phrase with which, indirectly, the Embassy refers to the growing presence of the armed group of Hezbollah.

Trump threatens to pull aid to Palestinians if they don’t pursue peace

in AMERICAS/POLITICS by

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to withhold aid to the Palestinians if they did not pursue peace with Israel, saying they had snubbed the United States by not meeting Vice President Mike Pence during a recent visit.Trump, speaking after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the World Economic Forum, said he wanted peace. However, his remarks could further frustrate the aim of reviving long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian talks. Palestinians shunned Pence’s visit to the region this month after Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and vowed to begin moving the U.S. embassy to the city, whose status is at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Opposition grows to Israel’s plan to deport refugees

in MIDLE EAST/POLITICS by

Psychologists have joined the growing ranks of professionals, academics and religious figures who invite the Israeli government to revise the plan to expel tens of thousands of asylum seekers, announcing that they would actively work to thwart forced deportations. During the last week, demonstrations and protests were organized after reports that the government was planning to start deporting refugees in the coming weeks, having signed agreements with Rwanda and Uganda to welcome the approximately 35,000 refugees some years have reached Israel, mainly from Eritrea and Sudan. 530 psychologists have written that the plan would result in further harm to refugees; a separate group of 350 doctors, including managers from hospitals and other medical professionals, including nurses and social workers, signed letters asking the government to stop deportations.

Israeli and Indian industry cooperation to fight drought

in MIDLE EAST/TECHNOLOGY by

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Indian company Tata and the Israeli company Watergen, which specializes in the extraction of drinking water from the air, which could alleviate the problem of India’s deadly drought. The document was signed in New Delhi during the Israeli visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; the financial terms were not disclosed, but the president of Watergen, Mikhael Mirilashvili, explained his company’s plan to solve the water crisis in India by 2022 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the two models of atmospheric water generators of Watergen are able to extract up to 6,000 liters of water from the air every day, depending on the humidity of the air. This is an agreement of fundamental importance in a country where, according to estimates reported by the Government to the Supreme Court, at least 330 million people in 2016 are affected by drought.

Iran and Saudi Arabia: an endless rivalry

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST/POLITICS by

The regional rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is consumed not only indirectly by supporting opposite sides on the battlefields throughout the most critical areas in the middles Est. Indeed, public declarations perfectly show the rivalry between these two key actors. After the Saudis condemnation for supporting Houthi rebels and terrorist groups, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Saudi Kingdom of betraying Muslim world due to the political alignment with the United States and Israel.  The Iranian leader made the remark at a conference held in Tehran on Tuesday, attended by parliamentary representatives from Islamic countries. Khamenei also accused Saudi Arabia of helping the United States and the “Zionists”. This political support has to be marked as a betrayal of the Islamic Ummah and the Muslim World, as he added bitterly. Furthermore, Khamenei affirmed that Iran is ready to help “and act brotherly even with those among the Muslim who were once openly hostile to Iran”. He cried for the unity among Islam Ummah, which must create a great power within the world. Conflicts and wars among Muslim countries must be stopped while political leaders throughout the Middle East “should not allow that a safe haven could be created for the Zionist regime”.

Israel: soldiers’ social media activity restricted under new IDF regulations

in MIDLE EAST/TECHNOLOGY by

A new IDF directive, currently in the final stages of approval, aims to regulate for the first time the way soldiers are allowed to use social media and the way they use group messaging formats, such as those with Whatsapp. The new directive prohibits soldiers and active duty officers from expressing public support online to political figures or parties. In addition, the army is banning soldiers from issuing statements of a political nature, or statements deemed harmful to the IDF, both online and in groups on platforms such as WhatsApp. With the entry into force of the new directive, therefore, IDF soldiers active on social media will be ordered to moderate their online activities; furthermore, any online activity that hurts human dignity and influences the public perception of the IDF is forbidden to them. Such conduct – as well as other online rules violations or the sharing of classified information – could lead to disciplinary or even criminal measures against them.

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