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Tens of Thousands of Israelis Join ‘March of Shame’ Against Netanyahu in Tel Aviv

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March of Shame

March of Shame

Protest march follows new legislation being pushed by Netanyahu’s coalition that critics say is meant to protect the prime minister from police investigations
Tens of thousands of people rallied in protest on Saturday night in Tel Aviv against government corruption and new legislation that critics say is intended to shield Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from police investigations.
The so-called “march of shame” comes in response to a bill that will prevent Israel’s police from making public their recommendations to indict following an investigation. The bill will come up for its second reading on Monday.

Netanyahu is suspected of involvement in two corruption cases. The first involves receiving gifts from wealthy businessmen and the second involves negotiating a deal with a newspaper owner for better coverage in return for curbs on a rival daily.

The protesters marched along Rothschild Boulevard to Habima Square and called forNetanyahu’s imprisonment, along with slogans associating government with big business and the underworld. Tel Aviv’s iconic Rothschild Boulevard was closed to traffic in both directions, the police said. Hundreds of protesters also gathered in the cities of Haifa and Rosh Pina.
Among the protesters who addressed the crowds were former Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair, foreign policy and security expert Prof. Uzi Arad, and Maj. Gen. (res.) Amiram Levin.
Meni Naftali, a former chief caretaker at the prime minister’s Jerusalem residence who won a civil suit against the Prime Minister’s Office for violation of his employee rights and has since become a leader in the protest movement against Netanyahu, spoke to the crowds.

 

Source; https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.826364

‘Extraordinary, magical, unprecedented’ – Little Singers of Armenia perform at Israeli music festival

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The Little Singers of Armenia choir, conducted by Tigran Hekekyan, has taken part in the 52nd annual Abu Ghosh Festival of vocal music hosted by Israel. The Armenian choir has left for Israel upon the invitation of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the Israeli Choral Federation and Abu-Gosh Vocal Festival.

The concert tour of the Little Singers of Armenia was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Armenia and Israel, the choir said in a Facebook post.

The Armenian singers performed concerts in a number of cities in Israel – Rehovot Akko, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Emek-Hefer and Abu-Gosh.

Abu-Gosh Festival is held at the church of the country’s Abu-Gosh village, with the participating soloists, choirs and vocal ensembles meticulously selected by the organizers.

No other Armenian children’s choir has received an invitation to participate in the festival before the Little Singers. The choir enjoyed such a great popularity in Israel that months before the its arrival, the Israeli media already reported that renowned children’s choir conducted by Tigran Hekekyan was among the participants of the festival.

The performance of the Little Singers of Armenia was held in the overcrowded temple. The choir presented a program that combines music by Mozart, Bizet and Debussy with Armenian folk songs, receiving a stormy response by the audience: “It is wonderful, extraordinary, magical, unprecedented ….”

An Israeli deputy foreign minister noted in his speech that many of the choirs are unable to perform Hebrew songs with such a flawless manner as the Armenian Little Singers did. “I cannot find words to say. This is inexplicable. It is impossible to believe everything I heard today. It is wonderful, divine,” he added.

Source Panorama.am

During an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, claimed Israel initiated the Kurdistan referendum.

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Commenting on the results of last month’s independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan during an interview with Sputnik, Hossein Sheikholislam, an advisor to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, pointed the finger at Israel, which he claimed initiated the referendum.

He said that the idea of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence was floated by Israel, which “wants to achieve the disintegration of a number of states through their fragmentation on a national basis.”

“This plan stipulates that part of the territories in the Middle East should go to maroons and druses, while other territories should be taken by Jews. One of the first steps in implementing this plan was a referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan,” Hossein Sheikholislam said.

As for President of Iraqi Kurdistan Masoud Barzani, he is most likely supported by Israel, according to Sheikholislam.

“Israel is doing its best to exacerbate tensions in the region and now that the fight against Daesh is coming to a close, Tel Aviv he wants to play a national card to create new conflicts and destabilization,” he pointed out.

Sheikholislam said that all of the countries in the region should unite in order to prevent this scenario.

He described Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum as an illegal event which is out of line with Iran’s constitution and international law.

Sheikholislam reiterated that the referendum was endorsed by Israel and fully meets its geopolitical interests in the region. He also warned of far-reaching consequences for the referendum.

“This pertains to all neighboring countries and taking into account what happened, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey should join their efforts to prevent ethnic separatism and attempts to split the Middle East,” he concluded.

Late last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country has no links to the referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence but sympathizes with the Kurds’ independence drive.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that Israel was the only country that supported and recognized the Kurdish referendum in Iraq, adding that the Israeli intelligence services had allegedly helped the organizers of the referendum.

The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan was held on September 25.

According to the official results of Kurdistan’s Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, 92.7 percent of the voters cast their ballots in support of Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence from Baghdad.

The vote has been harshly criticized not only by Iraq itself, but also by a number of other countries, including Iran and the United States.

Source: https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/201710021057860943-iraqi-kurdistan-independence-referendum-israel/

 

Erdogan says Israel’s Mossad spy agency has played a role in the recent Kurdish independence referendum

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at a meeting in Istanbul on September 25, 2017. (Photo by the Turkish Presidential Press Service)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Israel’s Mossad spy agency has played a role in the recent Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraq.

During a televised speech in the eastern Turkish city of Erzurum on Saturday, Erdogan expressed sorrow that Iraqi Kurds had acclaimed the recent independence referendum with Israeli flags.

“This shows one thing, that this administration (in northern Iraq) has a history with Mossad, they are hand-in-hand together,” Erdogan said.

“Are you aware of what you are doing? Only Israel supports you,” he added.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) held a non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of Baghdad’s stiff opposition on September 25. Kurdish officials said over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to separation from Iraq.

While much of the international community, including the UN, the European Union and Iraq’s neighbors, has opposed the referendum, Israel has been the only entity to openly support an independent Kurdish state, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backing “the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state” of their own.

Erdogan vowed that Iraq’s Kurdistan “will pay a price” for the “unacceptable” independence referendum.

“An independent state is not being founded in northern Iraq, but on the contrary a continuously bleeding wound is being opened,” he said.

“To ignore this reality benefits neither us, nor our Kurdish brothers in Iraq,” Erdogan said, urging Iraqi Kurds to “wake up from this dream” of independence.

Ankara has threatened a series of punitive measures against Iraqi Kurds, including shutting the land border between Turkey and the region and stopping the transit of oil from Iraqi Kurdistan to the southern Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Turkish carriers Turkish Airlines, Atlas and Pegasus suspended their flights to Iraqi Kurdistan for an unspecified period of time on Friday.

Before the Kurdish referendum, Ankara was boosting its trade ties with Iraq’s Kurdistan region, with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani becoming a frequent visitor to Turkey.

In 2016, the business boom with Iraqi Kurds made Iraq, including the Kurdish region, the second-largest market for Turkish exports after Germany.

However, economists have warned that closure of Habur border gate between Turkey and Iraq’s Kurdistan could undermine the $7billion trade between Ankara and Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region.

After the Monday referendum, the Baghdad government ordered the KRG to hand over its international airports in Erbil, and the city of Sulaymaniyah, as well as its border crossings.

It also asked the KRG to either cancel the result of the plebiscite or face potential sanctions, international isolation, and military intervention.

A ban on international flights into and out of the Iraqi Kurdish region also took effect on Friday.

The KRG has refused to either hand over the airports and land terminals or annul the outcome of the vote.

Israeli defense ministry bans drone supplies to Azerbaijan ?

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Israeli-based Aeronautics company has published a stock communique according to which the department for export control in the Ministry of Defense temporarily blocked a deal to supply Orbitier K1 drones to an important client, haqqin.az reports citing NEWSru.co.il.

The document says that the supplies worth $20 million have to be implemented in 2017-18. The company is not naming a client, but says this is a country having Ba credit rating according to Moody’s which also has close economic ties to Israel, Bizportal reported.

In addition, this country is a home to a plant producing drone repair parts under Aeronautics license.

The website says that there are only two countries among Aeronautics clients – Serbia and Azerbaijan, but only Azerbaijan hosts Aeronautics plant. However, the document does not name Azerbaijan directly.

NEWSru.co.il addressed defense ministry for comments, but has not received a response.

An article published in Israel’s Maariv newspaper several weeks ago said Israeli defense ministry is investigating the complaint saying Aeronautics Defense Systems refused to demonstrate the capabilities of new drones on Armenian targets as requested by Azerbaijan.

Israel continues to deliver Azerbaijan killer drones to be used against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)

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The Israeli company Elbit Systems, which has set up the military drones “Hermes 900” for the Israeli army, could sell these drones again to Azerbaijan, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Brazil and Switzerland. Information provided by NexsSru.co.il. The site also informs that Azerbaijan has 12 drones “Hermes 450” bought from Israel in 2006. In 2016 Israel also supplied 15 drones “Hermes 900” to Azerbaijan. These killer drones that Baku regularly uses on the front of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) against the Armenian positions can fly over 9,000 meters above sea level and can carry 350 kg loads.

Israel, which despite the genocide of the Nazi Jewish people during the Second World War, has still not recognized the genocide suffered by Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, continues to deliver to Azerbaijan Weapons that will be used against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia. Business before ethics …

Krikor Amirzayan

Armenian-Israeli relations ‘hit by drone’ – Komersant

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The Israeli Ministry of Defense is conducting an investigation against Aeronautics Defense Systems (ADS), a company manufacturing unmanned drones, a correspondent for the Russian Komersant, Kiril Krivosheev, says in a recent article.
In an earlier report, the Israeli Maariv expressed concerns that the company’s employees based in Tel Aviv might have joined the airstrikes against Armenian defense positions in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in April 2016. Though the company dismisses the accusations, the cooperation with Azerbaijan has been long known as an accomplished fact, writes the Russian journalist.

The specialists managing the drone were earlier reported to have rejected the offer, leaving the task to top representatives of the company.

A complaint filed recently with the Ministry claims that the Aeronautics Defense Systems team, which left for Azerbaijan to conclude the Orbiter 1K drone’s sales agreement, was asked target an Armenian military objective by using the system.

According to the Israeli publication, the two Israeli specialists operating the drone refused to conduct the deadly airstrike, standing firmly their ground even after facing personal threats. High-ranking representatives of the company later moved to equip and use the vehicle themselves. Due to a lack of experience, however, the two unmanned vehicles did not hit the right target, falling short of inflicting material or human damage. The document claimed that one of the vehicles hit an object lying 100 meters away from Armenian defense positions.

One of the specialists has reportedly left the company, with the other planning to step down soon.

Krivosheev cites the Armenian media reports confirming July 7 as the day of the attack (citing their own sources). Azerbaijan’s defense office has issued no official statement in that connection; neither did they respond to Komersant.

The Israeli ministry also refrained from comments. “The Ministry of Defense does not normally comment upon reports addressing military exports. The issue is in the process of verification by the corresponding the Defense Ministry departments,” reads the agency’s response.

“Even if engineers of Aeronautics Defense Systems left for Azerbaijan, they weren’t accompanied by Israeli scientists,” the Ministry added.

The Komersant source close to the Israeli government described the news story in Maariv as an “extraordinary” report. “Nothing of the kind had ever happened before. The non-interference principle applying to foreign conflicts is of a pivotal value for the Israeli military industries. I do want to believe the report will not be confirmed. Should, however, it prove true, the military agency will certainly enforce sanctions against the company.”
No known specific timeframes for concluding the investigation are reported.

The website notes that Azerbaijan made its first use of Israeli unmanned drones under military conditions in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2016. After the end of the confrontations on April 14, the Israeli-Armenian Diaspora conducted a protest outside the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, making calls for ending the weapons sale to the country.

“The need to halt Azerbaijan’s armament is our community’s coordinated decision. As for the article in Maariv, we are waiting until the investigation comes to a close, as there is no common opinion here. Some Armenians think the operators who refused to hit a strike are real heroes. Others do not believe the newspaper, doubting that it is just an attempt to spoil the Armenian-Israeli relations which have quite improved recently,” Artyom Chernamoryan, the head of the local Armenian NGO Nairi, is quoted as telling Komersant.

The website further cites Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s 2016 statement saying that the country signed US $5 billion worth military industry agreements with Israel last December (adding that most of the deals have been already accomplished). The military agreements implemented between Moscow and Baku over the past five years are worth an estimated $ 4 billion or more, according to the publication.

 

Malicious act by an Israeli company against Armenia

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Joghovourd reports on the news of the Israeli newspaper “Maariv” that the representatives of the Israeli company for the production of drones, Aeronautics Defense Systems, have yielded to the demands of the Azerbaijani side and would have accepted, during a demonstration of One of the Israeli “suicide” drones, to send them to Armenian combat positions on the Armenian-Azeri border in order to film the attacking scene of Armenian positions. While the Israeli Ministry of Defense initiated an investigation into this information, Aeronautics Defense Systems rejected this accusation, stating that “the operational action was carried out by the buyer alone and under his responsibility.” Joghovourd considers the actions of the representatives of Israeli society as a “malicious” gesture towards Armenia and notes that this information was published when Armenia and Israel try to warm their relations.

Extract from the press review of the Embassy of France in Armenia dated 15 August 2017

Tuesday 22 August 2017,
Stéphane © armenews.co

Israeli opposition: We should recognize Armenian Genocide

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Israel Armenian GenocideIsraeli opposition party leader said Israel has to recognize the Armenian Genocide and support Kurdish state amid the policy of Turkey’s president Erdogan.

Talking to reporters, Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid said time has come to stop ingratiating themselves to the Turks, who every time come and kick us harder, the Jerusalem Post reported.

“We need to say, ‘okay, we understand, now we have to run our own policy: from now on we support the establishment of an independent Kurdish state, we need to recognize the Armenian genocide, we need to do all the things that we didn’t do when we had good relations with Turkey, because we don’t, and we will not have in the future,” he said.

He also urged to give up the idea of a gas pipeline to Turkey.

Erdogan has recently made some critical remarks in connection with the Temple Mount crisis.

Armenian-Israeli economic cooperation discussed in Yerevan

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Israel ArmeniaPrime Minister Karen Karapetyan on Wednesday received the Israeli minister of regional cooperation, who is in Yerevan on an official visit .

Greeting Tzachi Hanegbi in his office, the chief of Armenia’s cabinet expressed the country’s interest in developing cooperation with Israel to intensify particularly the economic dialogue, reports the Government’s press service.

Emphasizing his country’s willingness to deepen the economic partnership with Armenia, the Israeli official for his part attached importance to the recently launched direct flights between Tel Aviv and Yerevan.

He said that his visit is aimed at considering, and identifying possible avenues of cooperation in the IT sector, economy, tourism, trade and agriculture.