Netanyahu: We love Africa
Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke at a festive luncheon marking the inauguration of the Kenyan president Tuesday (28th).
Netanyahu discussed the struggle against terror and said that it represents a threat for everyone and added if countries work together they can defeat terror.
Netanyahu added that this was his third visit to Africa in the past 18 months and his second visit to Kenya. “We believe in Africa’s future and we love Africa, and we can help to build together a better future for Africa.”
(israelnn.com)
Netanyahu: New embassy in Rwanda is part of expanding presence in Africa
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Nairobi with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and informed him that Israel would open an embassy in Kigali, capital of Rwanda.
“We are opening a new embassy in Kigali, as part of expanding Israel’s presence in Africa and deepening cooperation between Israel and African countries,” Netanyahu said.
At the meeting the two also discussed the possibility of opening a direct airline route between the two countries.
(jpost.com; reuters.com)
Time to recognize Israeli sovereignty in Golan Heights – Maj. Gen. Amiram Levin
Alarming agreements are taking shape in Syria between the U.S., Russia and Iran concerning the deployment of forces near Israel’s northern border. The Israeli response should be a demand for international recognition of Israel’s sovereignty in the Golan Heights and an agreement which won’t allow the presence of Iranian and Hizbullah forces in the Syrian Golan Heights.
(ynetnews.com)
Senior Fatah official: Iran is the key source of Palestinian division
Azzam al-Ahmad, the head of Fatah’s delegation for Palestinian reconciliation, on Monday night (27th) said Iran is the “number one sponsor” of division between Palestinian factions.
Fatah, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, and Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since it took over the enclave in 2007, are currently in the midst of a reconciliation process that began in October.
In an interview with the Saudi satellite station al-Arabiya, in rare full-throated criticism of Iran, a senior Palestinian official pointed to the Islamic Republic as the key cause for tensions between the two main Palestinian factions.
(timesofisrael.com)
Iran regime hails ‘hero’ wrestler who lost match to avoid Israeli
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s government paid tribute Monday (27th) to one of the country’s wrestlers who threw an international bout when he was ahead because winning would have meant fighting an opponent from Israel.
Alireza Karimi Mashiani was praised for his “noble and heroic action” by the government as “a source of pride and praise,” while the country’s wrestling federation called him a “hero” and extolled his “sacrifice.”
(afp.com)
Egyptian commentator blames Israel for Sinai mosque massacre
Abdul-Nassar Salama, writing Monday (27th) in al-Masry al-Youm, argued that Israel was interested in emptying Sinai of its inhabitants and reoccupying it as part of an expansionist agenda.
Salama quoted a tribal leader in Sinai, Aref al-Akir, as having said on television that the carnage, in which 305 people were killed, was “manufactured” by Israel in order to empty Sinai. “We should take this seriously,” Salama advised.
He continued, “No one can deny that only Israel is interested in emptying Sinai of its citizens. Nobody denies that Israel wishes to return to Sinai. It is the spot where God spoke to Moses his prophet.”
(almasryalyoum.com)
Mike Pence: President considering transferring embassy
During a special ceremony marking 70 years since the UN decision on November 29, 1947 to establish the state of Israel, US Vice President Mike Pence said that the transfer of the U.S. embassy is still on the administration’s agenda and that “the president is considering when and how to transfer the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.”
(israelnn.com)
Saudi journalists and academics speak positively of Israel
In a tweet on Friday (24th), Hamza al-Salem, assistant professor at the College of Business Administration at Prince Sultan University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, said, “I expect that if peace were made with Israel and the visa and entering and exiting process were made easy, Israel would become the top tourist destination for Saudis. It is one of God’s most beautiful countries in terms of its nature and development. It has combined the spirit and beauty of the east and west, and old and new civilizations. When we have made peace with Israel, exploitation of it will become nonexistent. The government will not accept inciting against it.”
Saud Fozan, a journalist for alsharq.net, tweeted in October, “I am not here to defend the Jews, i.e., the Israelis, but truth be told…show me one Israeli who killed a single Saudi, and in return I can list 1,000 Saudis who murdered their own kin with explosive belts by joining al-Qaida and ISIS.”
(jpost.com)
With Israel’s knowledge, U.S. Jewish leader holds talks with Qatar over MIAs in Gaza – Yaakov Katz
Malcolm Hoenlein the veteran executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, was in Qatar a few weeks ago, where he met with the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and discussed the missing Israeli soldiers and civilians being held in Gaza.
The Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem is aware of these talks. Hoenlein has for years maintained covert contacts with Arab and Muslim countries and regularly meets with the heads of state of Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and other countries in the Middle East.
(jpost.com)
Three Israeli universities ranked among world’s top 100 most innovative
Three Israeli universities were ranked in the top 100 most innovative universities in the world on an annual list by Reuters.
The Hebrew University was 82nd, climbing 12 spots from last year. Tel Aviv University was ranked 88 and the Technion-Israel Institute of technology was 89.
(jta.org)
