Israel Update 22 Feb

« Back to blog

Hasbara Israel Updates

Zionist Council of NSW | Level 3, 146 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

t: +61 2 9360 6300 | f: +61 2 9360 6004 | e: natalie@zionistcouncil.com.au

w: www.zionistcouncil.com.au | b: www.ozi-zion.com

If Egypt changes treaty, Israel may rule out future deals

If Cairo unilaterally decides to alter the peace treaty with Jerusalem, Israel will ask why sign agreements with other neighbors if these accords are not kept, Intelligence Agencies Minister Dan Meridor said Monday.

Meridor, speaking at a press conference organized by The Israel Project, said that "objectively" there is no reason for either Israel or Egypt to change the peace agreement that has served both sides for more than 30 years.

"If people are rational and act for the good of their country, both Israel and Egypt should keep the agreement," Meridor said. Meridor added that Israel has had no contact with Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the party that won the recent parliamentary elections there.

Regarding Syria, Meridor came out strongly against the killing taking place there, saying the pictures coming out of that country needed to shock the world, and that it was impossible to remain silent in face of the atrocities. But at the same time, he said, Israel had "no policy" in terms of trying to effect what was happening inside the country.

"We can't do much to interfere inside Syria," he said, adding that he had no way of telling who would come after President Bashar Assad if he was toppled.

Meridor said Iran and Hezbollah were actively helping Assad try to put down the rebellion there, and that breaking up the Iran-Syrian-Hezbollah alliance would be a "positive" development.

"Can we affect it?" he asked. "No we can't."

Regarding the halted low-level talks with the Palestinians in Jordan, Meridor bemoaned the Palestinian Authority's decision to sign a unity agreement with Hamas in Doha. He called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to demonstrate the "courage" to accept a demilitarized Palestinian state, and that if he did not, it would be "another missed opportunity that will be bad for us, but worse for them."

Meridor repeated his position, which is not the government's policy, that Israel should "harmonize" its settlement policy with the diplomatic process, meaning that it should build in the large settlement blocs that it hopes to retain in any future agreement, but not build everywhere else in Judea and Samaria.

Alert Soldiers at Egyptian Border Foil Mega-Bomb Attack

Alert soldiers Monday night foiled a massive bomb attack on Israelis by discovering a huge bomb that terrorists were smuggling across the Egyptian border.

Bombs and weapons smuggled into the mostly barren southwestern Negev can easily be carried by terrorists to urban targets, with the city of Be’er Sheva being the closest.

The IDF said soldiers spotted the smuggling in progress and that during an attempt to arrest the terrorists, one of them threw a package, which was not found in the dark. Soldiers and police found it in the morning and discovered that it was a huge bomb that, if exploded in an urban area, could have caused mass casualties.

Sappers neutralized and detonated the bomb, and no one was injured. The IDF did not report any arrests, and the terrorists apparently escaped into Egypt.

“This additional incident again exposes the smuggling route on the western border that is exploited by terrorist organizations against Israeli civilians and soldiers,” military spokesmen said.

The IDF recently has beefed up patrols along the border and have added new unit to patrol in the southern Negev and Arava.

The government has ordered a speed-up ion construction of a fence that officials hope will significantly reduce smuggling of terrorists and weapons as well as drugs and African infiltrators seeking work in Israel.

IAF looking for second stealth fighter squadron

The Israel Air Force is moving forward with plans to purchase a second squadron of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters and hopes to be able to place the order in the coming year and after resolving the standoff with the Treasury over the defense budget.

According to initial plans, the IAF would place the order for the second squadron in late 2012-early 2013 and begin receiving the planes in 2020. It is possible however that the US would attach the new squadron to the one ordered in 2010 and expedite the delivery if the order is placed soon.

Israel finalized the procurement of its first squadron of 20 F-35s in a $2.75 billion deal in October, 2010. The aircraft are manufactured by Lockheed Martin and IAF pilots are expected to begin training on them in the US in 2016 with their planned arrival in Israel in early 2017.

IAF chief Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan, who will step down in April, was a big proponent of the deal and overcame heavy opposition within the defense establishment to gain the government’s approval for the 2010 deal.

His successor, current head of the IDF Planning Directorate Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel, was also supportive of the deal and is expected to push for the second squadron immediately after taking up the post in a month.

The fifth-generation stealth F-35 is purported to be one of the most advanced fighter jets in the world with the ability to fly undetected in enemy territory.

Its uniqueness stems not only from its stealth capabilities but also from its integrated sensor suite that provides pilots with unprecedented situational awareness and enables information sharing between the various aircraft.

The second contract would likely be for a similar number of aircraft and could mean – depending on when the second deal is signed – that the IAF could have 40 operational aircraft by the end of the decade. Nehushtan recently decided that the F- 35s would be operated out of the Nevatim air force base in the Negev.

News of the possible procurement of a second squadron comes amid increasing speculation that Israel is preparing to launch an aerial strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

In recent years, the IAF has invested in qualifying some of its older model aircraft for long-range strike missions. In addition to the F-15I and F-16I, the IAF has reportedly already qualified an additional two F-15 squadrons for long-range missions armed with smart bombs and conformal fuel tanks.

The IAF is also moving forward with the Barak 2020 program aimed at extending the lifespan of its F-16 C/D models to the next decade.

The first aircraft arrived in the 1980s.

The upgrades include the installation of new systems for avionics, mission-debriefing and flight-control system.

The aircraft will also be fitted with new central display units and high-resolution screens aimed at increasing pilots’ situational awareness.

Israeli stocks the best investment of past decade

Israel, under threat of war from its neighbors since being founded in 1948, produced better risk-adjusted returns than all other developed stock markets in the past decade as the technology-driven economy attracted global investors.

The Bloomberg Riskless Return Ranking shows the Tel Aviv TA-25 Index (TA-25) returned 7.6 percent in the 10 years ended February 17, after adjusting for volatility, the highest among 24 developed- nation benchmark indexes. Israel beat Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI), the next-best market with a risk-adjusted gain of 6.7%, and Norway, which had the highest total return.

Israel outperformed as it fought a month-long battle against Hezbollah in 2006, was involved in a similar conflict with Hamas two years later and is now threatened by Iran’s nuclear program. International investors including Warren Buffett bought local companies and the economy, steered by Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer, grew more than twice as fast as the US last year.

Israel’s stocks may extend gains as Apple Inc. and IBM acquire the country’s technology startups.

“Israel is an exciting place to invest,” Michael Steinhardt, the former hedge fund manager who produced returns averaging 24% a year over almost three decades until he retired in 1995, said in a telephone interview from Fisher Island, Florida. “The country is surrounded by enemies, it’s always on the edge of extinction, but it expands and prospers.”

Beating Norway

The Israeli gauge returned 161% including dividends over the last decade, the third-best performance among developed markets after Norway’s OBX Index and the Hang Seng.

“This is a great achievement,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the article in the Knesset yesterday.

The TA-25’s biggest members are Bank Leumi and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, each with an 11% share.

Fischer’s Role

Bank of Israel’s Fischer, a former thesis adviser to Ben S. Bernanke, helped steer the economy back to growth after the worst global recession since World War II. Fischer, who is serving his second term as governor, began buying foreign currency in 2008 after the shekel reached a 12-year high. That more than doubled the central bank’s reserves in an effort to help exports, which are equal to 40 percent of gross domestic product.

Israel’s economy probably expanded 4.8% in 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund, compared with 1.7% growth for the US, data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show. That follows five years of average annual growth in Israel of 4.2%, boosted by foreign investment in local companies.

What would IDF do if soldier were abducted to Sinai?

Israel is increasingly concerned with the continued anarchy in the Sinai Peninsula and is reviewing operational contingencies in the event that it will need to pursue attackers into Egyptian territory.

The concern in Israel is focused on a possible attack along its border with Egypt similar to the one that took place in August when a group of armed Egyptians crossed into Israel and killed eight Israelis. IDF soldiers found plastic handcuffs on their bodies and the defense establishment believes that they planned to abduct a soldier or a civilian.

One question likely to arise is what will the IDF do in the event that a soldier is abducted and taken into Sinai and whether it will have the same freedom to operate there like it has in the event that a soldier is abducted by Hamas and taken into the Gaza Strip. An Israeli incursion into Sinai would immediately be perceived as a violation of Egyptian sovereignty.

The IDF is concerned with the increasing instability in Sinai and the Egyptian’s lack of ability to regain control over the terror-ridden territory. IDF sources said that terrorists from Iraq and Afghanistan were believed to be operating in Sinai alongside Palestinians and Egyptians.

Hamas, for example, is believed to have established forward bases and rocket storage centers in Sinai in an effort to protect its assets from airstrikes. Hamas believes Israel will not strike terrorist targets inside Egyptian territory due to the impact it would have on Israeli-Egyptian ties.

Israel has called on the Egyptian government to increase its efforts to restore order in Sinai but so far the Egyptian military has held back from engaging terrorist elements and from trying to dismantle the infrastructure in the peninsula.

Israel agreed to the deployment of three Egyptian military battalions in Sinai, although they are having limited success in stopping terrorist activity in the peninsula.

Arms smuggling into Gaza is believed to be up by almost 20 percent. Recent caches have included some advanced weaponry stolen from Libyan military storehouses, such as Russian-made

shoulder-to-air missiles.

Hamas has also dug tunnels capable of smuggling cars into Gaza and approximately 40 cars are smuggled into the strip on a weekly basis, according to statistics obtained by the IDF. A Hummer and Land Rover SUVs were recently smuggled into Gaza.

Palestinian prisoner ends 66-day hunger strike

Khader Adnan, a Palestinian held in an Israeli jail without charge, agreed to end his 66-day hunger strike.

Adnan, 33, ended his hunger strike on Tuesday after the State Prosecutor's Office agreed that it would not renew his administrative detention, which is set to end on April 17.

His appeal before Israel's Supreme Court on the case had been scheduled for later in the day and was canceled.

Adnan has been held in administrative detention since his arrest on Dec. 17 on the basis of “secret evidence” that he is a threat to regional security. A prisoner can be held in administrative detention, without charges being brought, for up to four months.

He reportedly is a member of Islamic Jihad.

Doctors reportedly had warned Israeli officials that Adnan could die at any moment. He was taking liquid infusions of salts, glucose and minerals. The hunger strike reportedly was the longest ever undertaken by a Palestinian prisoner in Israel.

Adnan was set to be transferred to a hospital in the West Bank to recover.

Tel Aviv wants buses on Shabbat

The Tel Aviv city council decided Monday to seek a Transportation Ministry permit to run buses on Shabbat.

The city's Mayor, Ron Huladi, has supported the move for a while now. During Monday's discussion he said: "Those who don't want to get on a bus (on Shabbat) can choose not to board it."

According to a decision approved by city council, the municipality will now draft a detailed request and submit it to the Transportation Ministry.

Should the ministry reject the bid, city hall will advance the establishment of an independent transportation company. Such service would enable Tel Avivians to travel to city center and to entertainment venues.

Another option is for the city to seek a permit to extend the limited service currently offered by minibuses.

Responding to the news, Knesset Member Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said: "This is a reckless and populist decision. We shall not allow this deliberate and hurtful harm to the status quo and to the sanctity of the Shabbat. This decision offers nothing with the exception of a stain on the Tel Aviv city hall itself."

Meanwhile, Mayor Huldai noted Monday that "Israel is the only country in the world where public transportation doesn't operate one-quarter of the year, on Shabbat and on holidays."

"What would one do if he cannot afford to purchase a vehicle and seeks to visit his family on Shabbat or spend time at the beach?" Huldai said. "The current situation, alongside the absence of an efficient public transportation system, undermines the country's proper development and the public's ability to give up private vehicles."

The lack of public transportation on Shabbat is attributed to the so-called "status quo" on religious affairs – an understanding that prevails in Israel but was never entrenched by law. Notably, some areas in Israel feature exceptions to the status quo, for example Haifa, where buses run on Shabbat in a limited fashion.

Shalosh’ becomes ‘Three’

As Israel holds its collective breath waiting for the outcome next Sunday of Joseph Cedar’s Oscar nomination for “Footnote,” the local small screen industry scored a success with the purchase of another television show by an American network.

The reality show “Shalosh,” from Keshet Broadasting, about three woman of different ages looking for love, was picked up by CBS Entertainment, Variety reported. To be called “Three” in English, it will be produced by Magical Elves in collaboration with director-producer Chris Columbus, who produced and directed part of the “Harry Potter” film series.

It’s the sixth Keshet show to be purchased by American television; the most well-known is “Hatufim,” or “Homeland,” which, in its Showtime incarnation, recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series.

“Three” offers an intimate look at the search for love as three women who have never before met come together to jointly find the right guy for each of them. Unlike some other reality shows in which back-stabbing and competition is the norm, the three women of “Shalosh” develop friendships and offer each other emotional support during the dating and decision-making process.

In Israel, “Shalosh” won high viewer ratings, with more than 2.6 million viewers over the the show’s run and 700,000 viewers per episode, according to the local ratings company. The final episode, in which the three women made their love-life decisions, had around a million viewers, while the show’s Facebook page has nearly 24,000 “likes.”

According to Variety, while most Israel-US television deals are brokered through agents, this one happened because of a trip that CBS programming chief Nina Tassler took to Israel several months ago, when she met with the Keshet CEO, saw “Shalosh,” and was immediately hooked.

Tassler, an active member of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, travels to Israel on a regular basis to support the organization’s Tel Aviv master class programs in Israeli television and film. Over the years, she’s become acquainted with her Israeli counterparts and gained access to the local television world.

“Three” is the latest US acquisition of an Israeli show, but according to Variety, isn’t the only consideration out there. NBC recently acquired “Pillars of Smoke,” a drama.

“Pillars of Smoke” was written by Noah Stollman, an American-born screenwriter who is also known for his screen adaptation of A.B. Yehoshua’s book “The Human Resources Manager,” which was the Israel’s foreign film nominee choice for the 2011 Academy Awards.

The Newly Silent Prime Minister

When Netanyahu kept talking about Iran, everyone become nervous. Now that he’s stopped, should we be even more concerned?

By Raphael Ahren The Times of Israel

http://www.timesofisrael.com/a-worrying-silence/

Sometimes saying nothing at all says everything. Could Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent radio silence on Iran be the calm before the storm?

Netanyahu is not usually a tightlipped politician, especially when it comes to topics he loves talking about. But during the last few days, the prime minister has become taciturn. He still likes to talk, but, strangely, he’s been avoiding controversial issues, especially his favorite topic: the Iranian threat. During a 30-minute speech Sunday night, when he had the ear of the local and international press, along with that of the world’s Jewish movers and shakers, he barely brushed against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his nuclear program.

“We face four great challenges,” he said at the annual gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem. “The first is nuclear. There is so much talk about it that I’m not going to bore you with more details, so I’ll move on with the next one.”

The crowd started laughing, but Netanyahu wasn’t joking. He went on to talk about what he sees as challenge number two, missiles and rockets aimed at Israeli cities from hostile neighbors.

One reporter looked up from his laptop in disbelief and asked: “Is he serious?”

In the entire speech, Netanyahu mentioned Iran only once, to say the government had rigged the last elections and denied the masses the right to liberty. He didn’t refer to the Hamas-Fatah unity government or Palestinian incitement against Israel — usually among his favorite topics. He also didn’t comment on the statements made by Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who earlier that day had advised Israel against attacking Iran, nor did he say anything about his meeting that same evening with US National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.

Of course Netanyahu still believes that Tehran’s nuclear program is a threat not only for Israel but for the entire Western civilization. If analysts suspect that the increasing number of American military and intelligence officials visiting Jerusalem means they’re smelling a potential Israeli strike, what are we to understand from Netanyahu becoming suddenly so quiet about Iran?

Netanyahu knows how to keep mum when it will help strategically. He has kept relatively quiet on Syria and President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on civil protests. As a Haaretz report described last week, the prime minister’s approach differs from that of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman: While Lieberman increasingly feels Israel is morally obligated to condemn Assad, Netanyahu fears that by openly opposing the dictator he might weaken those who fight against him. Netanyahu thus has never publicly called for regime change.

But even back at home, Netanyahu seems hesitant to take a stand these days. In Sunday’s speech at the Conference of Presidents, he briefly mentioned the disagreement between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who argued Sunday about how much money the state needs to pay to the military.

“What we see is such a huge transformation in our region,” he said, referring to the Arab Spring. “We know that we will have to spend a lot more to defend ourselves. And we have — we just increased our defense budget by 3 billion shekels, that’s a lot. But the defense establishment says we want more. This is like the joke about the rabbi: the Finance Ministry says we spent more, and [the Defense Ministry] says we want more. They’re both right.”

Is the prime minister conflicted? Being quiet for strategic reasons? When he talked constantly about Iran, it put everyone on alert. Now that he’s finally stopped going on about it, should we be more worried?

Israelis fear h

Posted by Masorti Australasia

Views

Posterous theme by Cory Watilo.

Masorti Australasia

Join Mercaz-Masorti Australasia

Some basics...

Australian Masorti Links

Halacha - examples of the Masorti approach

Israel Masorti Links

International Masorti Links

American Masorti Links

Tags

Archive

Contributors

Israel Update 22 Feb