May 4, 2018
Israeli President Visits Ethiopia – Sue Surkes
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday (1st) began an official visit to Ethiopia. Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said ties between the two countries date back 3,000 years to when the Ethiopian Queen, Makda (the Queen of Sheba), visited King Solomon in Jerusalem. Shraga Brosh, President of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, who is part of the Israeli delegation, said, “Ethiopia is experiencing huge growth and we want to be part of it.”
(timesofisrael.com; aa.com.tr)
IDF Spokesperson Urges Protesters Against Flying Incendiary Kites
IDF Spokesperson Maj. Avichai Adraee appealed to the residents of the Gaza Strip to warn them against sending incendiary kites flying into Israeli territory.
“The phenomenon of incendiary kites is not hidden from our eyes and we see it very severely,” he tweeted, adding that “the IDF views Hamas responsible for everything that happens in Gaza and comes out of it.”
Then addressing the residents of Gaza directly, Adraee said: “Hamas is using you, and is pushing you towards the circle of terrorism.”
(ynetnews.com)
IDF Chief: Israel Foiled Multiple Recent Abduction Attempts At Gaza Border
Intelligence reports indicate that Hamas terrorists intend to infiltrate Israel under cover of the weekly Friday riots, and that they are likely to attempt to abduct IDF soldiers and raid communities near the border, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Gadi Eisenkot revealed.
“In recent weeks we have had to withstand mass riots, including abduction attempts and efforts to infiltrate communities,” Eisenkot said on Tuesday (1st), speaking about events along the Israel-Gaza border.
(worldisraelnews.com; jns.org)
Israel Busts Hamas Money-smuggling Terror Cell
Israel’s combined security services were recently successful in taking down a Hamas terror ring that was entrusted with building and funding Hamas infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.
The Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency), in conjunction with the Israel Police and the IDF, arrested several Hamas members in the Ramallah area who are suspected of having received tens of thousands of Euros, which were hidden throughout Judea and Samaria and were designated for Hamas activities.
(worldisraelnews.com)
Anger As Palestinian Authority Cuts Gaza Salaries And Pays Late
GAZA – The Palestinian Authority cut salaries for its staff in Gaza by 20 percent on Thursday (3rd) and failed to make up for skipping the previous month’s pay, leaving civil servants in the impoverished territory fuming that they were pawns in a factional power struggle.
Some 38,000 civil servants in the Gaza Strip learned of the new disruptions to their incomes upon arriving at their banks on payday, intent on withdrawing cash ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on May 16.
(reuters.com; jpost.com)
Israel Signs Deal With PA To Transfer Control Of Electrical Infrastructure – Max Schindler
The Israel Electric Corporation signed a 15-year agreement with the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday (1st) to transfer much of the West Bank’s power supply to the PA in a step toward granting the Palestinians more autonomy over their affairs. The IEC will construct four high-voltage power plants in Jalama, Nablus, Ramallah and Tarkumiya. Most Palestinians in the West Bank currently get their electricity from Israel, with the city of Jericho relying on Jordan for its power. The deal will also see the PA pay off a $280 million debt to the IEC.
(jpost.com)
Iran Uranium Enrichment Site Opens For First Time In 2 Years, Images show
For the first time since the Iran nuclear agreement was signed, the entrance gate to Iran’s Fordow uranium enrichment facility was opened and activity at the compound commenced, according to satellite images published Thursday (3rd) which were taken last Sunday (4/29).
In the photos, provided by ImageSat International (ISI), visible are new structures that were built recently in the nuclear compound, as well as buses and other vehicles parked outside the complex.
The nature of the activity is unknown at this time.
(jpost.com)
Iran Ordered To Pay $6 Billion to Relatives of 9/11 Victims – Aaron Katersky
A federal judge in New York Tuesday (1st) ordered Iran to pay $6.27 billion to family members of 1,008 9/11 victims. A lawsuit first filed in 2004 alleged that Iran provided assistance, including training, to the 9/11 hijackers. “In December 2011, a New York federal court held a hearing and found that the evidence presented established that Iran’s provision of material support to al-Qaeda was a cause of the 9/11 attacks and the resulting damage, injuries and deaths,” said attorney Robert Haefele who represents the plaintiffs. However the judgment is largely symbolic and Iran is unlikely to ever pay.
(abcnews.com)
Guatemalan Embassy Moves To Jerusalem – Noa Landau
Guatemala’s embassy in Israel moved on Monday (4/30) to its new location in Jerusalem. An official ceremony celebrating the move will take place on May 16, after the U.S. relocates its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
(haaretz.com)
Bolstered By Indian Deals, Israeli Arms Exports Were Up 40% In 2017
The export of Israeli arms reached $9.2 billion in 2017, up 41.5% from 2016, according to data released by the Israeli Ministry of Defense Wednesday (2nd). The dramatic increase was buttressed by $2 billion-worth of missile system deals signed between state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India.
Israel has a major advantage among global arms exporters as it can often market its arms as “battle-tested.”
(timesofisrael.com)
