by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : US President Donald Trump has declined to give a timeline for releasing Washington’s plan for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, saying that neither party was committed to the process, the media reported.
“We are going to see what goes on,” Trump told the Israel Hayom daily in an interview released on Sunday.
“Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace, they are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace… So we are just going to have to see what happens,” he said.
The US’ role as a broker in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has come under fire following the Trump administration’s decision in December to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, upending seven decades of US foreign policy, CNN reported.
Top Palestinian officials condemned the move, saying it disqualified the US from playing the role of arbiter. The UN voted overwhelmingly to condemn the decision.
The Israeli daily was also asked about his comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos that “Jerusalem is off the table” in terms of negotiations.
In his reply, he seemed to qualify his earlier remarks, reports CNN.
“I wanted to make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” he told the newspaper.
“As for specific boundaries, I would support what both sides agreed to.
“I think both sides will have to make hard compromises to reach a peace agreement,” Trump added.
Asked about the issue of settlements, the US President called them “something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace”.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Muslim World
Riyadh : Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority late Wednesday denied granting permission to Indian planes to use the Kingdom’s airspace to cross into Israel.
A spokesman for the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Saudi Arabia that the Authority did not grant any permission to fly Air India, Al Arabiya television reported.
Air India said on Wednesday it plans to begin direct flights to Israel and has proposed they pass through Saudi airspace, a route so far off-limits to Israel-bound commercial planes.
It is noteworthy that Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel as a state. An Air India spokesman and Israel’s Airports Authority said the state-run carrier had requested slots for three weekly flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. The Airports Authority said the service would begin in early March.
Air India was awaiting clearance from the Indian aviation regulator to fly over Saudi Arabia, the spokesman said.
However, Israeli media, in unsourced reports, said Riyadh had granted the necessary flyover rights, which would shorten the flight time from New Delhi by more than two hours.
El Al Israel Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, flies four weekly flights to Mumbai but these take seven hours rather than five as they take a route south toward Ethiopia and then east to India, avoiding Saudi airspace.
Israel’s Tourism Ministry said it will grant Air India 750,000 euros for flying the new route, as part of its policy of increasing the number of airlines flying to Israel.
Air India had made a similar request for slots to Israeli authorities last year but never followed through, after that circumventing Saudi airspace was not economically viable.
It is noteworthy that Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj is in Riyadh for an official visit.
—AG/UNA-OIC
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, Entrepreneurship, News, Politics, Startup Basics
New Delhi : India and Israel on Monday pledged to fight terror as the two countries sought to broadbase their relationship on the silver jubilee of establishment of their diplomatic ties with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inviting Israeli companies to take advantage of the liberalised FDI regime in defence sector and to make more in India.
The two countries also underlined the the need for working towards Free Trade and Bilateral Investment treaties.
On the second day of his six-day visit to India, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both one-on-one and delegation level, after which the two sides reached agreements in various fields including a Memorandum of Understanding on Cyber Security Cooperation.
Netanyahu showered praise on Modi saying he is a “revolutionary” leader who has catapulted India into the future.
A joint statement issued later said the two Prime Ministers agreed that renewed efforts were required to realise the full potential for bilateral trade and investment and noted that the next round of bilateral discussions will be held next month in Israel.
The Prime Ministers urged the private sector to actively explore investment opportunities in both countries, including through India’s flagship programmes such as Make in India, Start-Up India and Digital India.
Both sides noted the readiness of Israeli companies to enter into joint ventures with Indian companies in the defence sector under the Make in India initiative. They consider it important to set the direction for developing more business models and partnerships for joint ventures and joint manufacturing including transfer of technology as well as research and development in defence security fields.
Recognising the grave threat terrorism poses to peace and security including from non-state actors, Modi and Netanyahu reiterated that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever and advocated strong measures against terrorists, terror organisations, those who sponsor, encourage or finance terrorism or provide sanctuary to terrorists and terror groups.
They also noted with satisfaction that the next meeting of the joint working groups on homeland and public security will he held next month. They reiterated the importance of building comprehensive cooperation in counter-terrorism, including cyber-space and welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Cyber Security between India and Israel.
At a media briefing later, Vijay Gokhale, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry, said both countries shared similarities in their approach to tackling terrorism. “The two countries have said we will not tolerate terrorism in any manner,” he said.
In reply to a question on not naming Pakistan in the document, he said it was not necessary to name countries each time. There was no divergence of views on the issue, he added.
To a question on cancellation by India of a deal with Israel for the purchase of 8,000 Spike anti-tank guided missiles, he said defence cooperation was discussed between the two leaders but he was not in a position to comment beyond that.
On bilateral investment treaty, Gokhale said there was need to negotiate on the issue for a second round of discussions.
At the interaction with the media, Modi said there were three ways of scaling up bilateral partnership. First, he said, it can be done by strengthening the existing pillars of cooperation in agriculture, science and technology and security.
He said the second way of enhancing bilateral cooperation is by “venturing into less explored areas of cooperation, such as oil and gas, cyber security, films, and start-ups”.
“Several of these areas are indicative of our desire to diversify and broad-base engagement,” he said.
The third way, Modi said, to boost ties would be by “facilitating the flow of people and ideas between our geographies”.
“We are working with Israel to make it easier for our people to work and visit each other’s countries, including for longer work durations. To bring people closer on both sides, an Indian Cultural Center will soon open in Israel.”
The Indian Prime Minister also said that both sides have decided to start an annual exchange of bilateral visits by 100 young people from science-related educational streams.
India and Israel signed nine agreements following the talks, including two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the areas of oil and gas and cyber security, and two letters of intent between Indian Oil and two Israeli entities on metal-air batteries and solar thermal technologies.
On bilateral economic relations, Modi said that “thriving two-way trade and investment is an integral part of our vision for a strong partnership”.
Modi expressed hope and optimism about India-Israel ties, and said: “In Prime Minister Netanyahu, I have a counterpart who is equally committed to taking the India-Israel relationship to soaring new heights.”
Netanyahu said Modi’s historic visit to Israel last July, the first by an Indian Prime Minister, “excited all Israelis and of course many Israelis of Indian descent and origin”.
“Jews in India have never witnessed anti-Semitism like in some other countries,” he stated. “This is a tribute to India’s great civilisation, tolerance and democracy.”
“We remember the horrific savagery in Mumbai (2008 terror attacks), we will never give in and will fight back,” Netanyahu said.
The two sides also discussed the situation in West Asia and UN Security Council reforms but Iran’s nuclear programme did not figure.
The personal chemistry Modi and Netanyahu share was again evident in the address to the media when the two leaders warmly hugged each other.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here.
Netanyahu, accompanied by a 130-member business delegation, arrived here on Sunday on a six-day visit to India that will also see him going to Agra, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
This is the first Prime Ministerial visit from Israel to India in 15 years after that of Ariel Sharon in 2003.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Buzz
New Delhi : With Israel asserting that its relationship with India is much stronger than one vote in the UN, the stage is set for for the arrival here on Sunday of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu on a six-day trip to give a fillip to 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
This is the first prime ministerial visit from Israel to India since the visit of then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The visit comes less than a month after New Delhi voted in the UN General Assembly against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
However, Israeli Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon, at a media briefing here, set at rest all speculation over this saying, “I think the relationship is much stronger than one vote in the UN here and there.”
He also added: “Sometimes it is India that comes to Israel with a request and sometimes Israel comes to India with a request. We cannot always fulfil those requests. That is why we are two countries, two members of the UN.”
B. Bala Bhaskar, Joint Secretary (WANA) in the Ministry of External Affairs, told the media that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Netanyahu will sit for a bilateral summit here on January 15, both sides “will be discussing a lot of issues”.
Netanyahu’s visit also assumes significance as it comes just over six months after the visit of Modi to Israel, the first ever Indian prime ministerial visit to the West Asian nation
Stating that bilateral cooperation has been expanded to several areas, Bhaskar said: “It all started with agriculture, now we have large areas of cooperation predominantly dominated by technology collaboration, innovation, R&D, science, space, so these are actually very qualitative engagements characterised by technological collaboration and innovation.”
According to Carmon, though cooperation in agriculture and water were the highlights of Modi’s visit to Israel in July last year, this time innovation will top the agenda.
“Innovation that would, you know, touch any of the areas in which we cooperate. Innovation could be in the field of defence, innovation could be in the field of agriculture, innovation could be in the field of IT, of R&D,” he said.
The Ambassador described innovation as a “cross-cutting issue” and said this would be reflected in the discussions between Modi and Netanyahu.
Carmon referred to Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to the iCreate Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology on the outskirts of Ahmedabad and said that the centre “has a big clement of Israeli ecosystem in innovation”.
Bhaskar said the ties between the two countries have been expanding in the areas of agriculture, water, innovation, entrepreneurship development, space, education, culture, homeland security and defence.
“We have upgraded our relationship to the strategic level with a special focus on agriculture and water,” he said.
He said the bilateral commerce between the two countries stood at $5 billion in 2016-17 which did not include defence trade.
There is speculation about the revival of talks on India’s purchase of 8,000 Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel that was cancelled last year.
Carmon, on his part, said that the Spike project is an example of Israel engaging in the Make in India programme.
Stating that the project would be a boost to India’s economy, the Ambassador said: “If there is a problem, I hope it would be solved.”
Apart from the summit-level meeting, the second India-Israel CEOs Forum will be held as also a series of other meetings between both sides in New Delhi and Mumbai during the course of the visit. Netanyahu will be accompanied by a delegation of 130 Israeli business leaders.
Asked about the status of the India-Israel free trade agreement (FTA), Carmon said that “the FTA is definitely on our agenda”.
Netanyahu is also scheduled to visit a Centre of Excellence in Agriculture at Vadrad, Gujarat, that has been set up with Israeli assistance.
Carmon said that by the end of this month, there will be 22 centres of excellence set up with Israeli aid up and running across India.
These centres cover areas like vegetables, citrus fruits, dates, mangoes, flowers, beekeeping, he said, adding that “we are now starting work on a dairy farm in Haryana”.
Netanyahu will also be accompanied by Moshe Holtzberg, whose parents, Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Moshe, who was only two years old then, will visit Chabad House, where his parents were killed.
Another major highlight of Netanyahu’s visit will be his participation in this year’s Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
By Eshat Firat,
Nablus, Palestine: Israeli settlers used bulldozers to vandalize some agricultural lands belonging to Palestinian families in Nablus city’s Madama district in occupied West Bank on Wednesday.
Israeli soldiers intervened against Palestinian residents reacting against settlers’ vandalizing of their lands; five Palestinian journalists, including an Anadolu Agency photo journalist, who were trying to photograph the incident, were detained briefly by Israeli soldiers.
Anadolu Agency photo journalist Nidal Shtaya said soldiers seized journalists’ press cards and prevented them from taking pictures of the incident.
Madama district Mayor Ehab al-Qad told Anadolu Agency Israeli soldiers attacked local residents with rubber bullets and tear gas.
“The Jewish settlers are trying to seize these lands, vandalizing them with bulldozers. We call upon all legal institutions, media outlets and authorities to side with Palestinians against those Jewish settlers coming here and vandalizing the lands,” al-Qad said.
The incident came after an Israeli settler was shot dead on Tuesday evening by unknown gunmen, south of the West Bank city of Nablus.
Tension have been high in the Palestinian territories since Dec. 6, when U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, triggering condemnation and protest from across the Arab and Muslim world.
Since then, 12 Palestinians have been martyred — and thousands injured — in clashes with Israeli security forces in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the perennial Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem — occupied by Israel since 1967 — might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
—AA
