News Digest — 8/18/22
Israel And Turkey To Exchange Ambassadors In Diplomatic Reset
Israel and Turkey will restore full diplomatic relations and dispatch ambassadors for the first time in years, the latest step in months of reconciliation between the two countries, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Wednesday (17th).
The two countries, once friendly, had a more than decadelong falling out, but earlier this year, Israel and Turkey began a process of rapprochement. “The resumption of relations with Turkey is an important asset for regional stability and very important economic news for the citizens of Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office announced.
Once warm relations between Israel and Turkey disintegrated under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians – Israel in turn, has objected to Turkey’s embrace of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.
The countries withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2010 after Israeli forces stormed a Gaza-bound Turkish flotilla that defied orders to dock at an Israeli port. The incident resulted in the deaths of Turkish activists.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu confirmed the decision to reappoint ambassadors and said Ankara would be sending its ambassadors to Tel Aviv. He said however that Turkey would continue to support the Palestinians despite the normalization process with Israel.
“A dialogue process began with Israel after the new government took office,” Cavusoglu told reporters. “The appointment of ambassadors was among the steps we said we would take to normalize relations. We will continue to defend the rights of Palestine, Jerusalem and Gaza,” he added.
Turkey, beset by economic troubles, has been trying to end its international isolation by normalizing ties with several countries in the Mideast, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia.
Earlier in June, Lapid visited Ankara, a month after his Turkish counterpart visited Jerusalem, the first high-level visit by a Turkish official in 15 years. In March, President Isaac Herzog met with Erdogan in the Turkish capital.
“Upgrading relations will contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade, and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability,” Lapid’s office said in a statement.
Dr. Dore Gold, President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and a former ambassador said, “Israel has a paramount interest in fully restoring its diplomatic ties with Turkey.” Gold, who in 2016, as the director general of the Foreign Ministry signed a normalization agreement with Turkey, added that “despite the setbacks in their relations in years past, both Israel and Turkey have shared concerns today about the spreading of Iranian influence in the Middle East, especially Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons capability.”
(pmo.gov.il; jcpa.org; israelhayom.com)
Arabs Riot As Jewish Worshipers Enter Joseph’s Tomb
Hundreds of Jewish worshipers on Wednesday evening (17th) entered Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), under heavy security by the IDF and the Border Police.
When the Jews entered Shechem, Palestinian Terrorists fired at the Israeli troops, who returned fire. The Palestinians reported that 30 people were wounded and evacuated to hospitals in Shechem. One terrorist was killed.
Among those entering the Tomb was MK Ofir Sofer from the Religious Zionism Party, head of the Samaria Regional Council Yossi Dagan, Likud candidates Dan Illouz and Nissim Vaturi, and Tzvi Succot who is running in the primaries for the Religious Zionism slate.
MK Sofer said, “Following recent shooting incidents, I arrived tonight, together with hundreds of worshipers, with a clear statement that Joseph’s Tomb is ours forever and terrorism will not deter us. Those who don’t want us here, don’t want us in the Galilee, the Negev and the center of the country either. Only a persistent fight and belief in our right to our land will lead to a situation where Jews will be able to pray safely and in daylight at Joseph’s Tomb.”
Dagan said, “The people of Israel are strong and will defeat the barbarians, we will never bow our heads to them, we will come to Joseph’s Tomb again and again and again and the flag of Israel will return to fly over this holy place. The people of Israel will win.”
Sukkot said, “The IDF did well to continue allowing worshipers to come here, even in the face of the shooting threats of the terrorist organizations. At the same time, we are tired of entering like thieves in the night. The permanent Jewish presence at Joseph’s Tomb must be renewed as stipulated even in the Oslo Accords. 22 long years have passed since the Tomb was abandoned – it’s time to return.”
(isnn.com)
Palestinian General Talks Military, Intelligence Cooperation With Moscow
The top commander of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces discussed military and intelligence cooperation with a senior Russian defense official in Moscow on Wednesday (17th), Reuters reported.
According to the report, Palestinian Maj.-Gen Nidal Abu Dukhan met with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin on the sidelines of a Russian weapons expo and security conference in Moscow.
The report of Dukhan and Fomin’s talks comes as Moscow looks for new allies as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drags into its sixth month.
The PA has long sought to bypass U.S. mediation of the Mideast conflict by making the UN, European Union and Russia more active players in the peace process.
The Palestinians intend to try to seek full member status in the UN also.
Russia has long expressed support for Palestinian statehood over the years, while maintaining a complicated relationship with Israel.
(reuters.com; worldisraelnews.com)
Israeli Students Take First Place In International Math Competition
Recently students from Tel Aviv University won first place in the International Mathematics Competition for University Students (IMC).
The event took place in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, between August 1-7 with the participation of nearly 600 students from all over the world, according to the website of the French Association of Tel Aviv University.
The TAU delegation included eight students from the School of Mathematics: Shvo Regavim, Noam TaShma, Lior Hadassi, Shahar Friedman, Lior Shain, Dror Frid, Tommy Winetraub and Uri Kreitner. The team members were accompanied by their coaches, Dr. Dan Carmon and Dor Mezer from the university’s School of Mathematical Sciences.
“We are very proud of our students who took first place in the International Student Mathematics Competition. The investment, commitment and pursuit of excellence of the team members and their coaches, are worthy of great admiration,” said Prof. Yaron Ostrover, director of the school and Prof. Yehuda Shalom, team coordinator, in a congratulatory statement.
“The School of Mathematics of Tel Aviv University considers the training of the future generation to lead Israel’s science and technology research and industry as an absolute priority,” the pair continued.
“This impressive achievement once again expresses the global academic power of Israel in general and of Tel Aviv University in particular in mathematics. Congratulations also to our colleagues from other Israeli universities for their good results,” they added.
“We competed against the best math students in the world and it’s a great honor for us to have won first place,” said Carmon, math team coach and engineer at StarkWare.
“I congratulate all the Israeli participants for their excellent performance. The competition required a set of skills from the students: high mathematical knowledge, and a high level of resistance to pressure and creativity. I am sure the tools they acquired during the competition will also be useful in the future. I would also like to thank my colleagues at StarkWare who have helped us a lot in financing the costs of the expedition,” he concluded.
Israeli Athletes Visiting Munich Massacre Memorial Shocked By Nazi Salute
A German security guard was detained Wednesday (17th) after performing the Nazi salute in front of a group of Israeli athletes visiting a memorial to the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, police said in a statement.
The 16 athletes from the Israeli European Championships canoe team were visiting the Olympic Park in Munich when the forbidden gesture was made. One of four security guards present at the scene made the National Socialist salute, the statement said.
Police immediately arrested the suspect, a 19-year-old from Berlin. He has also been banned from all further European Championship events.
The arrest comes at a particularly sensitive time as Munich is hosting the European Championships ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Olympic Massacre in which 11 Israelis were murdered.
Relatives of the dead athletes have long-criticized how German authorities handled the attack and its aftermath and demands for further compensation have threatened to overshadow an upcoming planned memorial event.
