Israeli Archives

An Israeli Firm Reportedly Sent A Suicide Drone To Bomb Armenian Troops For Azerbaijan

August 31, 2018 By administrator

ISIS Islamic State may have pioneered the use of the suicide drone on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria, but formal governments are increasingly getting in on the action.

An Israeli drone maker apparently attempted to bomb Armenian military personnel with “one of its unmanned kamikaze aerial vehicles” back in October 2017, the Times of Israel reported on Wednesday. According to the leaked complaint with the Israeli Defense Ministry, drone manufacturer Aeronautics Defense Systems’ Orbiter 1K suicide drone was dispatched to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region “at the request of Azerbaijani clients during a sales demonstration.”

Here are the technical details, per Joseph Trevithick at The War Zone:

Aeronautics employees reportedly refused to carry out the 2017 mission and company executives subsequently stepped in to fly the drone themselves. Though it’s not clear if this was deliberate or not, the drone reportedly missed the target, only injuring two ethnic Armenian fighters.

It could very well be that the executives made this decision consciously since Orbiter 1K has a so-called man-in-the-loop guidance system whereby the operator is either actively flying or otherwise monitoring the video feeds from the drone and they can see what it sees throughout the mission.

“The Israeli government has permitted private defense companies to demonstrate their wares in actual combat,” he writes, “but this is rare and is unlikely to have occurred in this case, since Israel does not view Armenia as an enemy.”

State-run suicide drones are nothing new: U.S. Special Operations Command, the U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Army have all independently pursued kamikaze drones deployable through man-portable systems. Indeed, the Israeli military has embraced kamikaze drones in recent years, and the Justice Ministry’s complaint primarily focuses on Aeronautics’ violation of the country’s security and arms export control regulations rather than, say, a new form of explosion delivery.

But the incident underscores the practical future of kamikaze drones in government arsenals, a rising concern among national security experts. In April 2015, a drone deployed radioactive material to the top of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s official residence. More recently, anti-government dissidents attempted to assassinate Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with an explosives-laden drone during a military celebration.

Ironically, the world first learned that the Israel had sold suicide drones to the Azerbaijan thanks to an April music video from pop star Narmin Karimbayova that appeared to show one of Israel’s IAI Harop loitering munition systems launched from a truck-mounted missile battery.

Israeli right shifts stance on Armenian genocide amid Turkey spat

May 23, 2018 By administrator

Members of the Armenian community attend a memorial march marking the 100th anniversary of the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces, Jerusalem’s Old City, April 23, 2015.

Akiva Eldar,

As long as I can remember, I’ve known that there was only one unique Holocaust in the history of humankind. We learned that the Armenians had suffered a “genocide” and that “a people’s massacre” had been perpetrated in Rwanda. We learned that Israel’s Arab citizens experienced a catastrophe, known in Arabic as the “Nakba,” when the state was established 70 years ago and they were uprooted from their homes. We were told that the use of the term “Shoah,” Hebrew for “Holocaust,” to characterize atrocities committed after World War II does a moral and historic injustice to the 6 million Jews exterminated by the Nazis.

However, a sea change has now occurred, and senior elected officials have ceded the Jewish monopoly over the Holocaust. On May 16, Education Minister Naftali Bennett used “Shoah” in calling on Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to “promote Israeli recognition of the holocaust against the Armenians carried out by Turkey.” Last month, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan of the Likud used the same term in urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize the “Armenian Holocaust.”

Knesset member Amir Ohana, also of the Likud, drew a direct line between Nazi crimes and the massacre of an estimated 1.5 million Armenian people by Ottoman forces during World War I. “When Hitler presented the Wehrmacht officers with his plan for mass extermination,” Ohana wrote on Facebook, “he reassured those worried about the reaction of the world by saying: ‘After all, who mentions the extermination of the Armenian people anymore?’” He added, “If for no other reason, that is why we should have already recognized this murder officially.” An original and winning argument? Not really. A quick glance through the Knesset minutes from February reveals that Yair Lapid, chair of the Yesh Atid opposition party, presented this argument virtually word for word three months ago to

present proposed legislation recognizing the Armenian genocide.

“The question facing the Knesset today is not a practical one, it is not a foreign relations issue, it is a fundamental moral issue,” Lapid said. “Can we as Jews ignore a holocaust?” Himself the son of a Holocaust survivor, the late Knesset member Yosef Lapid, he added that the State of Israel could not afford to ignore the genocide of another people, the murder of its children, women and elderly. “It is not moral, it is not just and we have a commitment,” Lapid concluded. And how did his fellow Knesset colleague Ohana vote? Like the 15 other Likud members who bothered turning up for the debate, he voted “nay.” So did the Knesset members of Bennett’s HaBayit HaYehudi. Their leader, along with the Likud’s Erdan, skipped the vote altogether. Deputy Minister Michael Oren, who said during a 2015 Knesset debate, “It’s time for us as a state to recognize the massacre of the Armenians and do it justice and close the circle,” also voted against the proposed bill. So did all the members of his center-right Kulanu. The Knesset voted down the proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide by 41 to 28.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely informed the Knesset in that same session that her ministry was opposed to the legislation proposed by Lapid’s party. She conceded that it was important to recognize the suffering of the Armenian people and the tragedy they experienced, but despite “our deep identification with them stemming from the experience of the Jewish people, there’s no room to take a stand on the issue.” She went on to explain, “Given the complexity and the diplomatic repercussions, and the clear political context, there’s no place for a step that could necessarily be interpreted as recognition of the Armenian genocide.” Hotovely added, “This situation is not expected to change anytime soon.”

It is unclear yet whether the verbal clash between Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the killing of Palestinians during violent demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border changed the “situation” to such an extent that the government is at long last heeding calls for recognition of the Armenian genocide. But if it does so, the world in general and the Armenians in particular will see through the claims of morality and conscience and recognize the move for what it is: taking cynical advantage of a genocide to exact diplomatic retribution and score PR points.

It’s true that joining the 29 other states, among them 11 members of the European Union, that have recognized the genocide would undermine the prospects of eventual reconciliation with Erdogan’s regime. To resolve its previous contretemps with Turkey over the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla that sought to breach the Israeli siege of Gaza, Israel relented and paid compensation to Turkish victims of its commando raid on the vessel. It will not be able to go back on its recognition of the Armenian genocide. Such decisions cannot be made in the heat of the moment, nor as public relations ploys. The Talmud had this to say about such situations: “Woe unto me from my creator and woe unto me from my inclination.”

Knesset member Yair Tzaban (Meretz), who first proposed recognition of the Armenian genocide some 30 years ago, told Al-Monitor that such a move now would raise an issue of Jewish law that questions the value of a good deed born in sin. Tzaban suggests instead adopting the approach of conscientious Israelis who take a stand on each issue on its merits rather than conducting moralistic scorekeeping. The opportunity now emerging for Israeli recognition of the genocide, he advised, should not be missed.

Turkish criticism of the current right-wing Israeli government, harsh as it may be, “will not turn me into a fan of Erdogan and his dark and oppressive regime, which have inflicted deep scars on the bodies and souls of Turkish, Kurdish and Armenian freedom fighters and lovers of democracy,” Tzaban said. At the same time, he added, no condemnation of Erdogan and of Hamas rulers of Gaza will blunt his harsh criticism of Netanyahu and Co. for leading Israel on a dangerous road that stifles the Jewish people’s hopes of national revival and of peace.

Syrian army says destroyed most of Israeli rockets

May 10, 2018 By administrator

The Syrian army command says its air defense systems have managed to intercept and destroy the biggest part of a “successive wave” of Israeli rockets fired at military bases in the Arab country.

The army spokesman said in a statement on state television on Thursday that the recent Israeli strikes had demolished a radar station and a weapons depot, without elaborating on the location of the targets.

The Israeli attacks on Syria also killed three people and wounded several others, according to the statement.

It further reaffirmed “the alertness of the army and readiness to defend the sovereignty of the homeland against any aggression,” stressing that attempts to support terrorism would prove futile.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Israel had used 28 planes in its Syria strikes and fired 70 missiles, adding that Damascus had shot down over half of the missiles.

In the early hours of Thursday, Israel attacked dozens of targets inside Syria in what was said to be the most extensive strike in the Arab country in decades.

The Tel Aviv regime claimed that its assault was a response to a barrage of 20 rockets that were fired from Syria at Israeli military outposts in the occupied Golan Heights. It also blamed the rocket fire on Iran.

Syrians unmoved by Israeli strikes

A video released by Reuters later on Thursday showed Syrian people shopping in a Damascus neighborhood says that they were not afraid after the heaviest Israeli strikes on the country since the foreign-backed militancy started.

One Damascus resident said they had stood on a roof to watch Syrian air defenses shoot down Israeli missiles and celebrate “our army’s achievements,” while a retired army officer was quoted by Reuters as saying that Syria should always respond when attacked “no matter what it costs.”

Russia alarmed by Syria escalation

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Thursday that Moscow was “concerned” about the recent escalation in Syria in the wake of the Israeli strikes.

“We have established contacts with all parties and we call for restraint from all parties,” he said. “The current … exchange of rocket fire is dangerous, as it distracts from the fight against Daesh terrorists, hampers the political settlement of the situation in Syria.”

Over the past few years, Israel has frequently attacked military targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.

Israel has been providing weapons to anti-Damascus militants as well as medical treatment to the Takfiri elements wounded in Syria.

On the contrary, Iran has been offering advisory military assistance to the Syrian government fighting an all-out foreign-sponsored militancy.

Breaking: Massive confrontation breaks out between Israeli and Syrian forces near occupied Golan Heights

May 9, 2018 By administrator

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:30 A.M.) – At approximately 1:00 A.M. (Damascus Time), the Israeli military fired several artillery shells towards the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) positions in the Al-Quneitra Governorate city of Al-Ba’ath.

The Syrian Army responded by firing missiles towards an IDF base in the occupied Golan Heights – no confirmation on whether or not anything hit its target.

The Israeli Defense Forces then responded with their own barrage, which resulted in the Syrian military attempting to intercept the Israeli missiles.

No casualties have been confirmed.

The exchange is still ongoing between the two forces, with both sides firing missiles at one another.

More than 60 female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails

March 7, 2018 By administrator

female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails

A prominent non-governmental organization says 62 female Palestinian prisoners are currently held in Israeli jails.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club said at least six of the 62 female Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails are under the age of 18.

The NGO also called on international human rights groups to shed light on the issue.

Some 7,000 Palestinians are currently behind bars in 17 Israeli prisons and detention centers, according to reports.

More than 400 Palestinians are being held without trial under so-called administrative detention, which is a policy according to which Palestinian inmates are kept in Israeli detention facilities without trial or charge. Some Palestinian prisoners have been held in administrative detention for up to 11 years.

Palestinian detainees have continuously resorted to open-ended hunger strikes to voice their outrage at the administrative detention.

Palestinian prisoners complain that they have been subjected to assault and torture at Israeli prisons.

Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon slam Israeli tax, land grab plans targeting churches

February 27, 2018 By administrator

Pilgrims and journalists gather in the yard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem al-Quds’ Old City on February 25, 2018. (Photo by AFP)

Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine have spoken out against Tel Aviv’s tax and land grab plans targeting churches in Jerusalem al-Quds, with Beirut and Amman describing the measures as a violation of international regulations.

The Jerusalem al-Quds municipality recently canceled a tax exemption it had granted church-owned commercial properties in the Israeli-occupied city.

It also announced plans to start collecting 650 million shekels (over $186 million) in tax from 887 properties, which have no houses of prayer, and foreclosing the bank accounts of the Armenian, Catholic and Greek-Orthodox churches.

In another controversial development, Israeli cabinet ministers are studying a bill to expropriate land in Jerusalem al-Quds that churches sold to private real estate firms in recent years.

The new tax policy and the proposed land grab law led the heads of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, considered one of the holiest sites in Christianity, to shutter its doors until further notice due to an Israeli “systematic and unprecedented attack against Christians.”

Israeli plans ‘breach international law’

Reacting to Israel’s measures on Monday, Jordan, the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem al-Quds, expressed “full solidarity” with the churches in the city.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said the Israeli moves “violate international and humanitarian laws,” calling on the Tel Aviv regime to “immediately reverse the decisions taken against churches.”

Additionally, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said the new Israeli measures fall within the framework of ongoing Israeli attempts to change Jerusalem al-Quds’ legal and historical status quo.

“These systematic Israeli measures against churches in the holy lands and its daily assault on the sanctity of al-Aqsa Mosque pose a threat to the Christian and Islamic presence in al-Quds,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Israeli attacks on the holy sites constitute a blatant violation of all international laws and conventions,” it added.

The ministry further described the closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as a “a resounding shout to the international community and all international legal institutions about the need to put limits to Israel’s intransigence and its violation of the sanctity of Christian and Islamic sites in al-Quds.”

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun also said the new tax policy of “the Israeli occupation authorities” is “in contravention of international laws and conventions.”

Aoun stressed that he considers the move “a deliberate targeting of the remaining Christian presence” in the occupied territories and violating “the ethnic and religious rights of all non-Jewish [people] in order to achieve all aspects of its racist project.”

Meanwhile, Yousif al-Mahmoud, a Palestinian Authority spokesperson, said the Israeli measures constitute a new act of aggression targeting Jerusalem al-Quds, the Palestinian people and their holy sites.

He also urged the international community to intervene to “stop Israeli practices.”

Israel lays claim to the whole Jerusalem al-Quds, but the international community views the ancient city’s eastern sector as occupied land and Palestinians consider it as the capital of their future state.

In December last year, US President Donald Trump sparked global uproar by announcing a dramatic shift in Washington’s policy on Jerusalem al-Quds. He declared that the US was recognizing Jerusalem al-Quds as the “capital” of Israel and planning to relocate the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the city.

Almost no Israeli PM finish term without going to prison,Police recommend Netanyahu be indicted on corruption

February 13, 2018 By administrator

PM Benjamin Netanyahu

by Corky Siemaszko

The move came two months after Israeli media first reported that Netanyahu was grilled by police investigators for more than three hours at his official residence on suspicion of receiving illicit gifts and favors from wealthy donors.

“Bibi,” as he is known to Israelis, is also accused of working out a deal for favorable coverage with the publisher of an Israeli newspaper called Yediot Aharonot in exchange for backing a bill that would weaken a rival newspaper called Israel Hayom.

“Police have concluded is that there is sufficient evidence against the prime minister on suspicions for the offense of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust,” a police spokesman said in a statement listening the alleged offenses.

Now that police have made the recommendation, the decision on whether to actually indict Netanyahu rests with Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Mandelblit, 54, is Netanyahu’s former cabinet secretary and he has already rebuffed calls to recuse himself from this case.

Netanyahu is no stranger to scandal. But this is the first time he faces the possibility of being formally charged with a crime.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Netanyahu once again called the charges “baseless” and said “I’ll continue to lead Israel responsibly as long as the people of Israel elect me.”

The 68-year-old Israeli leader, who is serving his third consecutive term as prime minister and his fourth overall, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Netanyahu even leveled a public broadside last week against Israeli Police Chief Roni Alsheikh, who is leading the investigation.

After Alsheikh told Israeli television that “powerful figures” had hired people to “sniff around” the detectives working on the Netanyahu case, the prime minister accused him of saying “delusional things.”

Earlier, after Netanyahu was questioned by police, he tweeted: “There won’t be anything because there is nothing.” He also decried “years of daily persecution against me and my family.”

But Netanyahu and his family’s luxurious lifestyle — often at taxpayers’ expense — has also previously come under scrutiny.

Five years ago, Netanyahu was criticized for reportedly spending $127,000 in public funds for a special sleeping cabin for a five-and-a-half hour flight to London for Margaret Thatcher’s funeral. That came just months after the Netanyahu family’s taxpayer-funded food budget included $2,700 for artisanal pistachio and French vanilla ice cream.

Syrian anti-aircraft shot down Israeli F-16 jet military says

February 10, 2018 By administrator

An Israeli F-16 fighter jet crashed Saturday in northern Israel due to “massive anti-aircraft fire” from Syrian forces, the CNN reports, citing the Israeli army.

Both pilots aboard the Israeli jet are safe, the Israeli army reported.

The incident was reported after an Israeli combat helicopter came in contact with an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle that had been launched from Syria, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

Israeli forces also launched attacks on what they described as Iranian targets in Syria, the IDF said.

Jonathan Conricus, a spokesman with the Israel Defense Forces said in a tweet that “Iran is responsible for this severe violation of Israeli sovereignty.

Israeli opposition calls to stop “humiliating itself” and to recognize Armenian Genocide

December 26, 2017 By administrator

Israeli opposition leader one again urged the government to recognize the Armenian Genocide and support the Kurds.

Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid kept some of his harshest criticism for Netanyahu’s handling of Turkey, saying that the agreement with that country reached in 2016 to put an end to the Mavi Marmara affair was a mistake, The Jerusalem Post reported.

At a press briefing with diplomatic correspondents, Lapid said that Israel should stop “humiliating itself” before the Turks and has to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Lapid added that “putting gas in Erdogan’s hands” is a crazy move.

Israeli party leader calls out #Erdogan, cites the #ArmenianGenocide

December 11, 2017 By administrator

Leader of the Israeli Yesh Atid Party Yair Lapid spoke out against Erdogan, invoking the Armenian Genocide to denounce the Turkish President.

“Those who deny the murder of children in the Armenian genocide should not preach morality at us,” Lapid tweeted on Sunday.

The comments come after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to use “all means to fight” against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital.

“Palestine is an innocent victim… As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist!” Erdogan said. “We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in turn, called Erdogan a ‘brutal dictator.’