News Digest — 7/13/23
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen Addresses iranian Attack On Israeli Embassy In Azerbaijan
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Serbia on Wednesday morning (12th) in what was the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to the country in 14 years.
Cohen called on Serbia to condemn and oppose Iranian terrorists’ arms, as they recently attempted to attack the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan, and told Vucic that Iranian terrorism is a global threat.
The Iranian-inspired attempted attack in Azerbaijan was prevented by Azeri authorities, and the suspect, an Afghani citizen, was arrested on suspicion of conspiring with additional individuals to conduct a terrorist attack on the embassy of a third country in Baku.
“Only a joint struggle against Iran will bring results and prevent it from continuing to undermine regional stability,” the foreign minister stressed.
“After three years of political stagnation, today we start a new page in relations between Israel and Serbia. Serbia is a very significant country in the Balkans and a supporter of Israel,” Cohen said. In the meeting, Cohen also thanked the Serbian leader for “his commitment to Israel and recording and teaching the traumatic memory of the Holocaust.”
The two also discussed strengthening relations between Israel and Serbia and the great potential between the two countries to work together in the fields of economy, innovation, and cyber-defense. Furthermore, the minister congratulated Vucic on Belgrade being able to host Expo 2027 and mentioned that Israel had supported Serbia’s candidacy to do so.
Nasrallah: ‘If Israel Clears Out Tents, It Won’t Go Unnoticed
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah commented for the first time, in a speech he gave on Wednesday (12th) to mark the 17th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, on the confrontation with Israel about the tents that the organization set up on Mount Dov.
“If Israel takes action against the tents that have been set up across the blue line – it will not go unnoticed. This is Lebanese land and must be in Lebanon’s hands at any cost, and it is Hezbollah’s responsibility to do so. We will also return our land in Ghajar in cooperation with the Lebanese government,” Nasrallah stated.
According to him, “Israeli deterrence has been eroded, but there is no erosion in Israeli arrogance. Israel continues to violate Lebanese sovereignty.”
According to him, the responsibility for handling the violation of Lebanese sovereignty rests with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, however, so far they have documented the violations but have not been able to change the situation despite referrals to international authorities.
He claimed that “the victory in the Second Lebanon War put an end to the Great Israel Plan, and the US New Middle East Plan failed in Lebanon and was destroyed in Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Iran.”
According to him, “The victory in 2006 put Israel on the path of retreat. The Israeli enemy tried all means to prevent the strengthening of Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon, but it was not successful. The peace and security in southern Lebanon is the result of the public’s confidence in the existing deterrence capacity compared to the terror on the Israeli side.”
He also accused Israel of being responsible for the burning of the Koran in Sweden by an extremist. “The man who burned the Koran in Sweden had a connection to the Israeli establishment and his goal was to provoke a conflict between Muslims and Christians,” he claimed.
Palestinian Authority’s Abbas In Jenin
For the first time in over a decade, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Jenin on Wednesday (12th) following Israel’s largest counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank in recent years.
Abbas called Jenin an “icon of struggle and steadfastness” after he and his entourage landed there in two Jordanian helicopters in the cemetery where Palestinian terrorists, killed recently, were buried.
Abbas addressed a proposal that arose during the Trump administration and emphasized that “Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Palestine, not Abu Dis. We will continue to be resilient and remain in our land until those who occupy our land depart. The entire Palestinian people are with the residents of Jenin and its camp until we achieve victory.”
Abbas also sent a strong hint against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. “The hand that dares to undermine the unity of the people will be uprooted.”
At the end of his speech, Abbas told his Palestinian audience: “We must rid ourselves of the occupation and signal them: Leave us, we are here to stay, Long live Jenin and its camp, you are a symbol of resilience.”
Many Palestinians came out to welcome Abbas despite the negative feelings among the residents of Jenin toward him and the Palestinian Authority in the past, which allowed terrorist organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad to build a broad public infrastructure within the “refugee” camp. Now it seems that there is a noticeable change in attitude toward Abbas and the PA, but children were also seen cheering the security forces’ vehicles in praise of the Jenin Brigade. This indicates their legitimacy among the public and the Palestinian leadership.
The positive change in the residents’ attitude toward the PA is a result of the Palestinian security mechanisms’ efforts toward reconciliation, in addition to significant gestures from Israel. Israeli security forces have had close cooperation with the PA, aiming to restore some of its control in the area. Abbas’ visit represents a significant step in the PA’s attempt to regain some control in Jenin, where the Palestinian security mechanisms recently carried out an operation to restore governance.
Jordanian Child Receives Life-Changing Surgery In Israel
Diplomatic relations between Jordan and Israel are not very cordial, but among medical establishments and personnel in the two countries, politics is fortunately irrelevant.
Surgeons at Haifa’s Rambam Health Care Campus have this week performed a very difficult but successful surgery on a seven-year-old girl from Amman who was born with a severe and increasingly painful congenital deformity. Now she can walk and have a normal life.
Amal (not her real name to protect her identity) is a sweet girl who was born with a dislocated hip that over time left her with a severe limp and one leg markedly shorter than the other. Even after multiple surgeries, she was in constant pain that affected every aspect of her life. But her mother would not give up and made every effort to find a solution elsewhere – something or someone that could improve Amal’s quality of life.
A year ago, Prof. Mark Eidelman – Director of the Pediatric Orthopedic Unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital – got a call from an American colleague. He recalls, “He asked if he could refer a case of a seven-year-old girl, a Jordanian citizen with a congenital hip dislocation to me. The cost of the surgery in the US is high and to cut costs, my colleague suggested that Amal’s surgery be performed close by, in Israel.” Although after several unsuccessful operations in the past, she was still struggling and her condition had become increasingly complicated. Eidelman was not worried about the complexity of the situation and agreed to take her case.
It took many months to arrange for Amal’s arrival in Israel and her surgery at Rambam, but finally, a few days ago, Eidelman and his multi-disciplinary team performed the complex procedure of lengthening her thigh bone (femur).
“Amal’s surgery was challenging, but we were successful, and it ended well,” Eidelman noted. “We repaired her femur with a plate, screws and an implant. Following the surgery, we immediately noticed an improvement in her condition. She can now walk again, has less pain, and is able to enjoy her life. Amal is calm and her parents are delighted. After being discharged, the family returned to Jordan, and in six weeks, Amal will come back to Israel for a follow-up visit at Rambam. I am very optimistic.”
Eidelman’s unit at Rambam is the only center in northern Israel treating disorders of the musculoskeletal system in children. The hospital specializes in skeletal trauma, deformities, limb elongation, clubfoot and early detection and treatment of congenital dislocated hips.
In First, Israeli National Anthem Hatikvah Played In Saudi Arabia
Israel’s national anthem was played in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh on Tuesday (11th) at an esports tournament with Israeli competitors, likely the first time in the country’s history.
An Israeli team competing in the world finals for the soccer video game FIFA flew the Israeli flag and were greeted with Israel’s anthem Hatikvah at the tournament’s opening ceremony Tuesday (11th) after they arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday (7th). Israeli media reported that the gaming team, (ranking second in the world), flew to Riyadh via the United Arab Emirates and entered the country on their Israeli passports.
This year’s FIFAe World Cup tournament is part of the larger Gamers8 esports competition organized by the Saudi Esports Federation and has a prize pool of $3 million. The tournament will run from the 16th -19th of July.
Saudi Arabia has no official diplomatic relations with Israel and Israeli passport holders cannot generally travel to Saudi Arabia, though Israeli business figures, media personalities, and journalists have increasingly been able to do so in recent years. FIFA, the global governing body for soccer that also organizes the FIFAe tournament, reportedly negotiated with the Israeli and Saudi authorities to ensure that all participants, including the Israeli team, could compete.
The UAE allowed the Israeli anthem to be played at the tournament the following year after another Israeli athlete won gold, which was widely interpreted as an early signal pointing towards the UAE’s eventual recognition of Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords.
The availability of Israelis to travel to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was also a difficult sticking point in that nation’s hosting of the global soccer tournament. Some 30,000 Israelis are thought to have attended the event, which included the first direct flights between Israel and Qatar.
For now, the Israeli FIFAe team appears to be an exception in Israeli participation in Saudi-hosted events. According to a report in Axios, Saudi Arabia has refused to confirm whether they will allow Israeli officials to participate in a meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee slated to be held in Riyadh in September.
