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The Defense Army of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic presented a photo of an Azerbaijani drone that was shot down by Karabakh army.
The sides agreed to cease fire starting from April 5. There have been no clashes, but Azerbaijani side continues firing at Karabakh positions.
By Nick Thompson, CNN
CNN)American taxpayers doled out $5.9 billion in foreign military financing in 2014, according to the government’s Foreign Assistance report — that’s roughly the GDP of Somalia. But where did the money go?
Laura Codruta Kovesi, Romania’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor ©AP
Romania has arrested two employees of an Israeli intelligence company on charges of spying on and trying to intimidate the country’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, officials say.
“An investigation has been launched and two people have been arrested,” Mihaela Porime, a spokeswoman for the anti-crime and terrorist prosecutors’ office, said on Wednesday, adding that the suspects work for the Israeli private intelligence agency, Black Cube.
The firm reportedly has several former operatives of Israel’s Mossad spy agency on its payroll.
The pair were identified as Belgian David Geclowitz and Israeli-born Ron Weiner, who holds a French passport.
They are suspected of hacking the emails of people close to Laura Codruta Kovesi, the chief prosecutor of Romania’s National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), and of threatening and harassing her family members.
The arrest warrant said the two had in March set up a “criminal group … aimed at sullying Kovesi’s image.”
According to Romanian judicial sources, the two are believed to have been employed by a client being investigated by the DNA.
Meanwhile, Kovesi confirmed that the detentions were “linked to a failed intimidation bid.”
Kovesi, who was appointed last month for a second term as Romania’s chief anti-corruption prosecutor, is known for her tough approach to high-level graft.
Her agency prosecuted some 1,250 cases only in 2015, with targets including a former premier and five ex-ministers.
The counterterrorism bureau of Israel has urged its citizens visiting Turkey to leave because of a terrorist threat in the country.
The aforementioned is noted in a statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
According to this document, the recent terrorism in Istanbul showed yet again that there is a high level of threat that the Islamic State would attack Turkish tourist attractions.
Thus, the Israeli authorities have raised the warning against travel to Turkey to “level 2.”
Four people, including three Israeli citizens, had died in the March 19 suicide bombing in Istanbul.
Terrorism is Turkish favorite tools for establishing relation.
A terrorist attack which killed three Israelis forced Turkey and Israel to talk despite severed ties, but will that be enough to create momentum toward reconciliation?
Turkey’s rift with Russia over the Syrian conflict left Israel having to choose between Putin and Erdogan when it comes to forming major regional partnerships.
A Daesh suicide attack in Turkey’s Istanbul, which killed three Israeli tourists and one Iranian, among others, forced the two countries, which do not have formal relations, to talk, at least when it came to mutual offers of condolences. A week before that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned a terrorist attack in Ankara in a rare statement, as Netanyahu previously refrained from comments on attacks in Turkish cities.
“What we saw from the Turkish officials was the good will [in the aftermath of attack]. It was very clear. We can use this for widening the volume of our relations,” an Israeli diplomatic source told Turkish media.
Whether the tragedy could be enough to improve ties, the mood may be different in Jerusalem, as Israeli political analyst Ben Caspit wrote in his column for Al-Monitor.
“The Turkish tyrant is viewed in Jerusalem as a lost cause. The Israeli-Turkish military alliance will not be renewed so long as Erdogan’s party remains in power, and Jerusalem has no illusions,” Caspit wrote.
When it comes to normalization of ties, there does not appear to be much of a push, however. The two countries’ demands toward each other, from Turkey’s request to lift the blockade of Gaza, to Israel’s demand to boot Hamas from Turkey, outweigh the benefits of fully restored ties.
“Why do we need to pay the price and give in to Turkey’s demands to improve ties, given the country’s current volatile state?” Turkey expert at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University Efrat Aviv said, cited by the Times of Israel.
Turkey’s instability therefore remains a prime concern for Israeli diplomats and policy makers, as Turkey’s descent into terror has made Israeli policy makers doubtful that any long-term compromise could be reached at this point. The terror attacks, as well, could sever existing economic ties, as Israel warns its citizens away from visiting Turkey.
A Justice and Development Party (AK Party) official, on Saturday, shared a post on Twitter hoping that the Israelis who were wounded in the Istanbul attack “will all die.”
The post by İrem Aktaş, a member of the AK Party’s Eyüp District Women’s Branch triggered a backlash on the social media site, causing the user to shut down her account.
Turkish media reported that one of those killed in the bomb attack on Saturday morning, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive near İstiklal Avenue in İstanbul, is an Israeli citizen. Six more Israelis are thought to be among the 36 wounded by the explosion.
Stem cell harvesting procedure performed by Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
LOS ANGELES—Seven years ago, when Maria, a Yerevan resident, became a bone marrow stem cell donor with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR), she had no clue that someday she would actually be able to help save someone’s life. That opportunity presented itself on March 9.
After Hadassah Medical Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department, in Jerusalem, contacted ABMDR for a matched-donor request, Maria, 36, was identified as a match for a cancer patient in Israel. As further tests confirmed Maria as a perfect match, Hadassah requested from ABMDR that her stem cells be harvested for a bone marrow transplant that could save the life of the Israeli patient.
Maria’s stem cells were harvested at ABMDR’s Stem Cell Harvesting Center, in the Armenian capital. Once the painless, non-invasive harvesting procedure, performed by Dr. Andranik Mshetsyan, was completed, the donated stem cells were flown to Israel through a special courier. Maria has been an ABMDR bone marrow stem cell donor since 2009. She is a nurse and the mother of two children: Alex, 15; and Knarik, 18 months old.
Present at Maria’s harvesting procedure were ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan and Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, as well as Dr. Bella Kocharian, former First Lady of Armenia. Dr. Kocharian became ABMDR’s very first registered bone marrow donor when the organization was established in 1999, and has served as its Honorary Chair ever since.
“We Armenians are a Mediterranean people, and, as such, share our genes with peoples throughout the region, whether they be Jews, Greeks, Italians, or Ethiopians,” Dr. Avagyan said. “Today we are absolutely delighted that the life of a patient in Israel is poised to be saved through an Armenian bone marrow donor. Nothing can be more gratifying!”
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry was established in 1999, and is a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 28,000 donors in 28 countries across four continents, identified over 3,500 patients, and facilitated 26 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.
Israel in turn has demanded to know whether the weapons were intended to attack Kurdish rebels positioned on the Turkish-Syrian border, Kuwaiti paper reports.
A representative appointed by Turkey’s Defense Ministry has been sent to Israel in order to procure Israeli made weapons and aircraft equipment as a condition for the return to normalized relations between the two countries, Arab media reported Wednesday.
According to Kuwati based newspaper publication al-Jarida, Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz sent a special envoy Tuesday to meet with Israel’s security echelon in order to negotiate financial terms concerning weapons sales.
Israel in turn has demanded to know whether the weapons were intended to attack Kurdish rebels positioned on the Turkish-Syrian border, according to the report. TAG START { player: “IR_InRead-Jpost-US-020716”, owner: “Ybrant Digital”, for: “Ybrant Digital” – BEINJS }
The Turkish government made clear that the weapons sales, including the purchasing of unmanned aerial vehicles, was part of a wider framework agreement in which the two countries would normalize relations, according to the al-Jardia report.
Israel has yet to responded to the Turkish request, waiting to see if Ankara was still committed to honoring previous agreements to buy gas from the Jewish state. In turn, Turkey has yet to respond to Israeli inquiries concerning the use of UAV’s against the Kurds.
In response to reports that Turkey and Israel were close to reaching an agreement in returning to normalized relations, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said earlier this week that it was difficult to proceed in negotiations between the nations if Turkey continues to support the terrorist organizations Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
“I am not sure if we can arrive to an agreement” if they continue funding these extremist organizations, Ya’alon said. “They must comply with the terms of our agreement so that we can overcome these obstacles,” he added.
Turkish-Israel relations soured in May 2010 after an Israeli raid on a Turkish boat, the Mavi Marmara, saw ten people killed as the vessel attempted to breach a blockade on the Gaza Strip.
After the Mavi Marmara incident, then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan put three condition on a normalization of ties: an Israeli apology, compensation and a lifting of the blockade of Gaza.
Netanyahu apologized in 2013 and the issue of compensation has apparently been resolved. Israeli officials have said Israel would not lift the blockade, which it sees as of cardinal importance to its security, to please Erdogan.
For Zehava Galon, Yisrael Beiteinu supports the interests of the Azerbaijani state oil company and works diligently to prevent Israel to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.
The leader of Meretz Zehava Gal-On accused Avigdor Lieberman, the creator of the party Yisrael Beytenu, of being an agent of the Government of Azerbaijan, during a debate in the Knesset.
The National Assembly, the Knesset, agreed at first reading the draft law submitted by the Foreign Agents chairman of the party Yisrael Beytenu Robert Ilatoy.
The bill was tabled as an amendment to the charter of government transparency, and require that each NGO that receives foreign government funds make the declaration. Each quarter, the organization will submit a report to the register of foreign agents.
In addition, all publications of the NGOs will include the term “foreign agent” next to the name of the group, and the funds received from foreign governments will henceforth exempt from taxation.
The project includes exceptions for higher education institutions and hospitals.
The member of the Knesset Ilatov explained that “given the situation of the state of Israel today there are dozens of organizations supported by foreign governments in exchange for promises to promote foreign interests. Sometimes these interests are completely in conflict with those of the state of Israel.
He continued, “My law will give the opportunity to end this activity if it does not pay or it is useless. It is time to face and fight these moles that are trying to harm and destroy Israel from within. “
The bill faced opposition from leftist parties; one in particular Knesset member Zehava Gal-On (Meretz), who accused the leader of Yisrael Beytenu, Avigdor Lieberman, of being a foreign agent for Azerbaijan.
“The party Yisrael Beytenu is a foreign agent of the Government of Azerbaijan and receives benefits from it …. When Liberman was Foreign Minister, he favored the Azerbaijani national companies. You act to prevent the recognition of the Armenian Holocaust because you are agents of the government of Azerbaijan. You dare speak of the obligation of transparency and pretend to require civil society organizations? You will need to respond to the police. “
Lieberman responded by saying: “Zehava Gal-On was heard by the police for 12 hours on doubts about the disappearance of tens of thousands of dollars which she was the Executive Director. She also received € 60,000 ($ 67,000) for a conference that never took place. The prosecutor who filed the case, under the pressure of these organizations, said the case was closed for lack of evidence, not for lack of guilt. You were little and you will remain small.
Galon retorted: “You were corrupted and you will remain corrupt.”
Translation: Gilbert Béguian
Panos Kammenos in France, 2013. (Wikipedia/dupontaignan/CC BY-SA 2.0)
Ankara wants to lead Islamic world, says Panos Kammenos, adds that Jerusalem-Athens defense alliance second only to that with US
There is little chance that Israel will be able to rehabilitate its ties with Turkey, Greece’s defense minister told Israeli journalists on Thursday
“The fact the Turkey trades with Daesh [Islamic State], as Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has described, funds Daesh, and allows its fighters to enter and leave Syria raises questions in both Israel and Greece,” Panos Kammenos told Israel Radio in an interview while on a visit to Israel.
“A state that behaves this way,” he added, “I don’t believe you have much chance to rehabilitate your ties with Turkey. Turkey’s isolation is growing, and its stance toward Israel remains as hostile as in the past.”
Kammenos noted that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu last year said he longed to see the Palestinian flag flying over Jerusalem.
“Turkey’s behavior as an Islamist state that seeks to lead the Muslim world doesn’t fit its alleged desire to restore relations with Israel,” he added.
Kammenos’s harsh rhetoric comes as Greece seeks to strengthen its alliance with Israel, considered a regional military superpower, as both countries face an activist and often hostile Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Muslim-oriented AKP party.
“The defensive and strategic agreement I have signed with Minister Ya’alon,” Kammenos said of the new defense agreements between the two nations, “is like no other that Israel has, except that with the United States. The agreement is a defensive barrier that begins in Israel, continues through Cyprus and ends in Greece.”
This week’s visit to Israel was Kammenos’s third in recent weeks, while Greece’s prime minister Alexis Tsipras has also visited twice, together with other ministers. Last month, a trilateral summit of the leaders of Israel, Greece and Cyprus met in the island nation to discuss security and energy cooperation.
Greece, too, has been mistreated by Ankara, Kammenos told Israel Radio.
“In the past two days, the rate of refugees fleeing to Greece [through Turkey] grew five-fold,” the defense minister said, insisting that Turkey could control the number of people passing through its territory. “It uses them as hostages, as negotiating chips with the European Union,” he charged.
Turkey has also recently increased its unauthorized overflights of Greek territory, he said.
Israel’s relatively new status as a regional energy power following the discovery of massive offshore natural gas reserves also played a role in the alliance, Kammenos indicated. On both energy and counterterrorism, Israel and Greece stand to benefit greatly from working together, he said.
“The joint battle against terror is important also for our cooperation on gas. Our shared success in the energy field constitutes a counterweight to the oil that today comes from Daesh [IS]. Energy cooperation will certainly help in the battle against terror.”