With Iran in mind, new Israeli leaders cozy up to Putin

With Iran in mind, new Israeli leaders cozy up to Putin
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) chairs the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on January 3, 2023. (AFP)
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Updated 04 January 2023

With Iran in mind, new Israeli leaders cozy up to Putin

With Iran in mind, new Israeli leaders cozy up to Putin
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, asked his Cabinet colleagues to avoid commenting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict

RAMALLAH: The new Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to restore close ties with Russia in a bid to counter Moscow’s increasingly friendly relationship with Iran, analysts say.

At least one observer believes Russia’s support for Iran could pose a future threat to Israeli security operations against Iranian targets in Syria.

On Jan. 3, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, asked his Cabinet colleagues to avoid commenting on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

He said that the new government will talk less about the war, meaning Israel will avoid denouncing Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, a shift away from the stance adopted by former prime minister Yair Lapid.

“It’s clear that the relations between Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin are much warmer for many years than those between Lapid and former Israeli premier Naftali Bennett with Putin,” Ksenia Svetlova, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council and former member of the Israeli parliament, told Arab News.

Netanyahu is also believed to be unhappy with President Volodymyr Zelensky over Ukraine’s failure to oppose pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN last week.

Putin has worked with Netanyahu for 12 of the 22 years he has been at the helm in the Kremlin, and the two have a close relationship.

The Russian president called Netanyahu to congratulate him on winning the Nov. 3 election and again after the Israeli leader won a confidence vote on Dec. 29.

Israeli experts told Arab News that the Netanyahu government will work to develop close ties with Moscow, but at the same time maintain strategic links with the US, which expressed displeasure over the Cohen-Lavrov call.

Israeli political analyst Yoni Ben Menachem said that Putin expects Netanyahu to shift Israel’s Russia policy away from the approach taken by Lapid, who attacked Moscow in his UN speech and media statements.

Israel fears Moscow may prevent it from continuing to bomb Iranian targets in Syria. Russia might provide anti-aircraft missiles to Iranian forces that would pose a threat to Israeli warplanes.

Russia now enjoys “a very close relationship” with Iran to the extent that it may end the freedom given to the Israeli airforce to bomb Iranian targets in Syria, Ben Menachem said.

There are 1 million Russian Jews in Israel who speak Russian. Most are over 18 and vote and influence Israeli elections.

Previous Israeli governments included ministers and deputy ministers of Russian origin, such as Avigdor Lieberman, Yuli Edelstein and Sophia Lander.

On Dec. 31, Netanyahu spoke with Zelensky and asked him to oppose pro-Palestinian resolutions at the UN. Zelensky said he would agree if Tel Aviv provided Ukraine with advanced weapons. Netanyahu rejected the offer and told Zelensky that Israel could not supply Ukraine with more than humanitarian aid for fear of spoiling Tel Aviv’s ties with Moscow. Ukraine was absent from the voting session and avoided voting against Israel.

Zelensky hoped to receive air defense systems from the Lapid government, but these failed to arrive. It is unlikely Netanyahu will supply the systems.

“In any case, Israeli-Russian relations would be better between Netanyahu and Putin than they used to be between Lapid and Putin,” Svetlova told Arab News.

Alexander Grinberg, an expert on Russia-Israel affairs, told Arab News: “I am sure that Netanyahu will be able to balance Israel’s position and its relations with Russia with the continuation of the war in Ukraine, as the position of his predecessor Yair Lapid in support of Ukraine was personal and emotional, nothing more.”

He said Netanyahu’s position on Russia was consistent with the Israeli army, Military Intelligence Directorate, and the rest of the Israeli security apparatus regarding Israel’s security interests concerning Tehran, whether in Syria or inside Iran.

“The Israeli people stand against Russia on the war in Ukraine, while the political and security leadership cooperates closely with Putin,” he said.


Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant

Updated 9 sec ago

Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant

Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant
BEIRUT: A Lebanese judge questioned central bank chief Riad Salameh on Wednesday after Beirut received a second Interpol Red Notice targeting him, this time following an arrest warrant from Munich, a judicial official said.
Salameh has been the subject of a series of judicial probes both at home and abroad into the fortune he has amassed during some three decades in the job.
France earlier this month issued an arrest warrant for Salameh after he failed to appear for questioning in Paris.
On Wednesday, Lebanese judge Imad Qabalan questioned Salameh over accusations of “money laundering, fraud, embezzlement and illicit enrichment,” the judicial official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Two days earlier, Lebanon received an Interpol Red Notice pursuant to the arrest warrant issued in absentia by Munich’s public prosecutor, according to the judicial official.
Last week Qabalan had questioned Salameh, banned him from traveling, confiscated his French and Lebanese passports and released him pending investigation, after receiving the first Interpol Red Notice, issued following the French arrest warrant.
An Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but asks authorities worldwide to provisionally detain people pending possible extradition or other legal actions.
Lebanon does not extradite its nationals but Salameh could go on trial in Lebanon if local judicial authorities decide the accusations against him are founded, an official previously told AFP.
Qabalan on Wednesday again banned Salameh from travel and released him pending investigation, the judicial official said.
He also requested Salameh’s file from the judiciary in Munich and noted that “only the Lebanese judiciary has the authority to try him,” the official added.
In March 2022, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in a move linked to a probe into Salameh’s wealth.
In February, Lebanon charged Salameh with embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion as part of its own investigations.
The domestic probe was opened following a request for assistance from Switzerland’s public prosecutor looking into more than $300 million in fund movements by Salameh and his brother.
Salameh, who was questioned for more than an hour on Wednesday, again “denied all charges against him” and said wealth came from private sources, the official added.
Salameh continues to serve as central bank governor. His mandate ends in July.
Activists say the travel ban helps shield him from being brought to justice abroad — and from potentially bringing down others in the entrenched political class, which is widely blamed for endemic corruption in the crisis-hit country.
His brother Raja was due to appear for questioning in France on Wednesday, but his lawyer said he was unable to attend due to medical reasons and the judge postponed the session for two months, the official added.

UAE launches quality mark for local products

UAE launches quality mark for local products
Updated 24 min 38 sec ago

UAE launches quality mark for local products

UAE launches quality mark for local products
  • The label will signify that the item meets national quality and safety standards, boosting its competitiveness in foreign markets

DUBAI: The UAE government has launched Made in the Emirates, a new quality mark for Emirati-produced products.

The label will signify that the item meets national quality and safety standards, boosting its competitiveness in foreign markets, the Emirates News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Saba Sanabel flour, made by Sharjah Agricultural and Livestock Production Establishment, was the first to bear the Made in the Emirates label.

The mark has also been issued to Yas Electronic Systems for traffic management technologies, Euro Pack Industries for biodegradable plastics, and Rubber Plas Tech LLC for food contact materials.

The new quality mark is in line with the UAE’s strategy for industry and advanced technology, which aims to support the growth of national industries while enhancing the reputation of the country’s industrial products and increasing exports to global markets.

Companies can apply for a license to use the Made in the Emirates mark directly through the website of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.
 


Jordanian university grants 10 scholarships to mark royal wedding

Jordanian university grants 10 scholarships to mark royal wedding
Updated 43 min 38 sec ago

Jordanian university grants 10 scholarships to mark royal wedding

Jordanian university grants 10 scholarships to mark royal wedding
  • Crown Prince Hussein will marry Saudi citizen Rajwa Al-Saif on Thursday

AMMAN: Jordan’s Zarqa University has granted 10 scholarships in honor of the upcoming wedding of Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II and Saudi citizen Rajwa Al-Saif, the Jordan News Agency reported.

The university said on Wednesday that the scholarships would be given to students from central Zarqa governorate.

Dr. Mahmoud Abu Shaira, chairman of the university’s board of directors, congratulated King Abdullah II, Queen Rania Abdullah and the Jordanian people on the royal wedding, which takes place on Thursday, and wished the couple a happy life together.
 


Houthis abduct 17 Baha’is in Sanaa raid: HRW

Houthis abduct 17 Baha’is in Sanaa raid: HRW
Updated 31 May 2023

Houthis abduct 17 Baha’is in Sanaa raid: HRW

Houthis abduct 17 Baha’is in Sanaa raid: HRW
  • Human Rights Watch: ‘The Houthis have systematically violated the rights of minorities in Yemen’
  • UN expert: Militia engaging in ‘persistent pattern of persecution’ of Baha’is

LONDON: Yemen’s Houthi militia detained and disappeared 17 people belonging to the Baha’i faith in the capital Sanaa on May 25, Human Rights Watch reported.

The religious minority has faced significant persecution under Houthi rule, with the Baha’i International Community, the faith’s world body, saying its members were deliberately targeted in the raid.

The abductions took place during an annual meeting by Yemeni Baha’is to elect members to their national body.

The 17 people were joined by other attendees via Zoom, one of whom described the incident to HRW based on footage he witnessed and recorded in the video call.

About 15 minutes into the meeting, he said, a loud bang, which “sounded like a door being knocked in,” shook the room.

The attendees “looked frightened and stood up,” and were then met by four armed Houthis who had entered the room and forced everyone to sit.

“I heard screaming and crying voices in the background. I saw their faces … They were shocked and some of them automatically raised their hands,” he said.

One of the Houthis then closed the laptop in the room, ending the footage of the event. The Baha’i International Community said all 17 people present in the meeting were detained and transported away, with Houthi authorities refusing to respond to requests for information on their whereabouts.

Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at HRW, said: “Houthi authorities’ flagrant targeting of Baha’i solely on the basis of their religious beliefs is a clear violation of their human rights.

“They (the Houthis) should immediately reveal the condition and whereabouts of the detained Baha’i, release everyone detained solely for the peaceful religious practice, and respect the rights of all Yemenis to freedom of expression and belief.”

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN expert on freedom of religion, previously warned that the Houthis were engaging in a “persistent pattern of persecution” of Baha’is.

He noted that Abdel Malik Al-Houthi, the militia’s leader, had referred to Baha’is as “infidels” and “urged Yemenis to defend their country from the Baha’is and members of other religious minorities,” in a 2018 speech.

The raid on May 25 was the latest in a series of targeted attacks against Baha’is in Houthi-controlled areas across Yemen, HRW said.

In 2016, the militia raided a conference hosted by the faith in Sanaa and arrested more than 60 people.

Two years later, at least 22 Baha’is were charged with espionage and apostasy in a Houthi court, with the cases still remaining active.

The Baha’i member who spoke to HRW about the latest raid said many Yemenis of his faith were “forced to relocate to new houses, sometimes to new cities,” and that they have been forced to “keep a low profile.”

Jafarnia said: “The Houthis have systematically violated the rights of minorities in Yemen and show no sign of letting up on the pressure.

“The international community should stand in solidarity with the Baha’i community and exert pressure on the Houthi authorities to release the detained people immediately.”


Blast at Palestinian base in Lebanon kills five: security source

Blast at Palestinian base in Lebanon kills five: security source
Updated 31 May 2023

Blast at Palestinian base in Lebanon kills five: security source

Blast at Palestinian base in Lebanon kills five: security source
  • Palestinian group accused accused Israel of carrying out “overnight raids” at the base in Qusaya
  • Israel denied any involvement

BEIRUT: Five fighters from a pro-Syrian Palestinian militant group were killed in an accidental explosion at a base in eastern Lebanon, a Lebanese security source said Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC) instead accused Israel of carrying out “overnight raids” at the base in Qusaya, near the Syrian border. Israel denied any involvement.
“An old rocket exploded in an arms depot on the base and five fighters were killed,” the security source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The Damascus-based group has close ties with the Syrian government and its main Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and has bases in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley.
PFLP-GC spokesman Anwar Raja said Israel had carried out “overnight raids” on the base.
“Five fighters were killed,” he told AFP, adding that “for now we do not have more detailed information on the operation.”
The Israeli military, however, denied any involvement in the deadly blast.
“This is not IDF (Israeli army) activity,” a spokeswoman told AFP.
In August 2019, suspected Israeli strikes targeted the PFLP-GC in Qusaya.
In July 2015, a security official said a blast at a PFLP-GC base in Qusaya wounded seven people, while the Palestinian group blamed it on an Israeli strike.