Israel's diplomatic spring

[Solomon2]

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PM hails Azerbaijan cooperation as beacon of Jewish-Muslim coexistence
During Netanyahu’s historic visit to Baku, Azeri leader says his country has bought some $5b in weapons from Jewish state
BY RAPHAEL AHREN December 13, 2016, 5:00 pm

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at Baku’s Zagulba Palace on December 13, 2016. (Haim Zach/GPO)

BAKU, Azerbaijan — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hailed Israel’s multi-billion dollar military cooperation with Azerbaijan as a positive example of Muslim-Jewish coexistence.

“Israel is the Jewish state and Azerbaijan is a Muslim state with a large Muslim majority,” Netanyahu said after meeting with Azeri President Ilham Aliyev. “Here we have an example of Muslims and Jews working together to promise a better future for both of us.”

A secular state that has long had warm relations with Israel, the overwhelmingly Muslim Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s main trading partners, buying weapons systems and providing the Jewish state with the lion’s share of its oil.

“The world sees so much intolerance and darkness, this is an example of how the Muslim-Jewish relationship can and should be everywhere,” Netanyahu said on the first leg of his historic two-day visit to Muslim-majority countries in bid to further develop security, economic, and diplomatic ties.

Netanyahu in his remarks also noted the growing cooperation between the two countries in the energy, agriculture, IT and education sectors.
At the press conference, Aliyev said that Baku has purchased nearly $5 billion in Israeli weapons over the years.

“We actively cooperate in the area of defense industries. This cooperation has lasted for many years already,” Aliyev told Israeli and Azerbaijani reporters at Baku’s Zagulba Palace.

“To give you one figure to illustrate how broad this cooperation is, so far the contracts between Azerbaijani and Israeli companies with respect to purchasing of defense equipment is close to $5 billion. To be more precise, $4.85 billion.”


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) greeted by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev at Baku’s Zagulba Palace on December 13, 2016. (Haim Zach/GPO)

Though most of the military contracts have already been executed, Aliyev said there was room for increased partnerships with Israel.

Two Israeli officials said they were surprised that Azerbaijan chose to reveal exact figures detailing its defense deals with Israel.

Earlier this year, Armenian forces claimed Baku deployed Israeli-made kamikaze drones in a battle against them in the ongoing fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

According to reports, Baku is interested in acquiring Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, a deal that was likely to be discussed during Netanyahu’s visit.

“We’re very satisfied with the level of this cooperation,” Aliyev told reporters.

Nearly 98 percent of Azerbaijan’s 10 million inhabitants are Muslim, the vast majority of them Shiites, along with a tiny, 20,000-member Jewish minority.

Netanyahu was to later Tuesday lay a wreath at Şəhidlər Xiyabanı, or Martyrs Lane, a memorial dedicated to Azeris killed by the Soviets during the 1990 January Massacre and the Nagorno-Karabakh War, which lasted from 1988 to 1994. He also planned to visit the Ohr Avner Jewish educational complex, run by the Chabad movement, where he was scheduled to meet with representatives of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu and his delegation will travel to Kazakhstan for talks with officials interested in Israeli counterterrorism know-how and in doing business with Israel’s high-tech sector, a means of diversifying its economy, which is currently dominated by exports of hydrocarbons.

 

[Solomon2]

As should be obvious now, the Obama Administration has revealed its true colors by subscribing to the "Palestinian" narrative in toto, essentially legitimizing the murder of Jews within their own homeland. (By the way, such encouragement can be classed as a crime against humanity.)

However, the fact that the U.S. won't be taking the heat for defending Israel anymore has other effects. Among these may be propelling the quiet and secret supporters of the Jewish State to be more vocal in their support of Israel, perhaps even to the point of publicly "changing sides." We'll see what develops.

 

[Jugger]

Solomon is obsessed with proving Israel as the knights-chancellor of the world in nobility. Good luck to him because most people today realize the brutish tactics and aggression of the current Israeli state.

The present situation can change with time, nothing is permanent in this world, I hope to see peace between Israel and Muslim countries.
It may take compromises and sacrifices but it will happen.

 

[Solomon2]

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AZERBAIJAN WANTS PAN-ARAB SUMMIT WITH ISRAEL, ENVOY SAYS
BY MICHAEL WILNER

APRIL 15, 2017 21:55

Baku’s strong relationship with Jewish state goes beyond defense, Iran.

Netanyahu with Azerbaijan President Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev. (photo credit:CHAIM ZACH / GPO)

WASHINGTON – A US-led summit gathering Israel’s prime minister and the Palestinian Authority president on one stage with Levant and Gulf leaders would greatly benefit the region, and likely advance a stalled peace process, Azerbaijan’s envoy said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

Israeli officials told the Post last month that the Trump administration is exploring the feasibility of such a summit, which would bring Israel and Sunni leaders from Saudi Arabia and neighboring nations together for the first time.

Egypt and Jordan are reportedly on board with the initiative, as long as Israel informally freezes settlement activity outside of established blocs, the officials said.

Elin Suleymanov, who sat down for a discussion shortly after speaking at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference, acknowledged Baku’s limited role in the storied Middle East peace process.

But as an ally of Israel with warm diplomatic ties around the Muslim world, the Azerbaijani government sees itself as a potential voice of encouragement, if not one with much leverage.

A regional summit hosted by the Trump administration would be a “great idea,” the envoy said in a wide-ranging discussion at Azerbaijan’s embassy in Washington.

“There seems to be some growing relationship between Israel and the Gulf states,” Suleymanov said. “The Trump administration wants to see a more regional approach, and I think that’s right – it’s the way it should be.”

The ambassador spoke positively of President Donald Trump, characterizing him as a refreshing departure from the previous administration. Trump, he said, is a more practical figure than Barack Obama, and thus may be better positioned to create a friendlier environment for a peace process.

“The previous administration, I believe – with all due respect to my good friends – had been somewhat ideological. And for the last eight years it hasn’t been the easiest time in our relationship,” Suleymanov said, describing the US-Azerbaijani relationship as a strategic one focused on counterterrorism, energy and the challenges posed by Afghanistan and Iran. “When you put your views over the reality, and prefer to believe in something that should be happening whether its the reality or not, then strange things happen.”

“It doesn’t work, that’s the reality,” he added. “And to superimpose your views onto others – it never works.”

Baku was thought to have been cozying up to the incoming administration over the holiday season, when it chose to host a Hanukka Party at Washington’s new Trump International Hotel along with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. But the impression was misleading, and the lede from the party was buried, Suleymanov said. It was a rare event that featured both envoys from Israel and the PA , who appeared cordial away from the view of cameras.

“Our real leverage over both sides is very limited, but we are here to help,” he said. “We’re happy to see this. The sooner you see peace, the better it is.”

Azerbaijan’s strong relationship with Israel caught media attention during some of the most heated years of the Iran nuclear crisis, when Israeli officials contemplated how to successfully strike targets of its nuclear program without having to return its planes back home for refueling. Reports surfaced that Israel was coordinating with Baku on contingency military plans.

But the bilateral relationship extends well beyond the issue of Iran, Suleymanov said.

“Practicality is a lot of our relationship with Israel – it’s very tactical, it’s pragmatic and it’s reality-rooted,” Suleymanov added. “Your survival depends on how well you understand your reality.”

The relationship has long focused on defense, but Israel and Azerbaijan have in recent years been lending other skills to one another: Israel is teaching Azerbaijan some of its information technology capabilities, while Azerbaijan has been helping Israel develop its oil and gas industry. The two nations also work on educational initiatives, Suleymanov said.

As the only nation neighboring both Russia and Iran, Azerbaijan is a critically located partner for both the US and Israel – and has unique perspective on the regional ambitions of both former empires. Suleymanov did not know whether it was fair to characterize the Iranian government as one with hegemonic ambitions, but said he is confident individuals within the government are working to expand the country’s influence beyond its borders.

To that end, the nuclear deal brokered by Iran and international powers was of great benefit to Tehran, he said.

“They can say: At the end of the deal, we have achieved what we wanted,” Suleymanov said. “So now the question is – if you undo the deal, what’s the goal? What can be achieved?”

He noted that Israel broadly accepts Baku’s claim over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that has been the subject of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

“The Israelis support Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity – what the Israelis are doing is recognizing the chain,” Suleymanov said. “You have territorial integrity issues today in Ukraine, in Georgia, Moldova and in Azerbaijan. They’re all very similar, to be honest. It’s an occupation of territory, controlled by someone else, in violation of sovereignty.

“The fact that the Israelis understand that is good,” he added.

 

[shahbaz baig]

the jews policies maker in U.S destroying Muslims world... so in order to make sure peace and prosperity in the world..
we should build a muslims alliance and accept the recognition of israel by muslims alliance ASAP. so we can live peacefully.. i hope so. muslims world should do this so there will be no excuse by world if jews break the peace agreements with muslims world.

 

[shahbaz baig]

mr. @Solomon2 mejority know the truth, lets us see what's the end of devil's thinking.. our thinking start where you end your thought

 

[Solomon2]

Norwegian minister: 'We now get what Israel goes through'
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ynet in Oslo, Immigration Minister Sylvi Listhaug says Europeans 'are experiencing now the fear that you have experienced for decades'; supporting Israel's right to defend itself, Listhaug adds 'you live in a region that has a lot of problems.'
Yaron Druckman, Oslo|Published: 28.09.17 , 13:20



OSLO - Norway’s minister of immigration drew comparisons Wednesday between the plight of Europeans suffering from increasingly common terror attacks with the experiences endured by Israel for decades.

“We are experiencing now the fear that you have experienced for decades,” said Sylvi Listhaug in an exclusive interview with Ynet in Oslo. “Many people now understand the situation you live in. We see what is happening in Sweden, in Britain and in France.”

Interview with Sylvi Listhaug


Sylvi Listhaug (Photo: Ze'ev Yanai)

“That does not mean that we support everything you do but you have a right to defend your people and your borders because you live in a region that has a lot of problems,” she acknowledged.

The interview took place a day after Denmark’s Immigration Minister Inger Stojberg posted a screenshot of her iPad showing a drawing of the Prophet Mohammad on Facebook, one of the satirical cartoons that caused outrage among Muslims around the world more than a decade ago.


While saying that she did not necessarily agree with the caricature, Listhaug insisted her Danish counterpart had every right to publish it in the interest of free speech.

[..]
Satirical cartoon of Mohammas


“People have been murdered because they have expressed their opinion like (what happened with) Charlie Hebdo,” she highlighted in reference to the French satirical magazine that was firebombed in 2011 for publishing a cartoon of Mohammad and was then the target of an brutal attack by two radical Muslim brothers in 2015 in which 12 people were massacred.


“It’s the new norm,” Listhaug concluded, “for Europeans to impose limits on freedom of speech in order to avoid offending minorities.”

Media overlooks Sunni Arabs' Israel overtures

27 Sep, 2017 11:17
Norman Bailey

Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among the region's countries warming to Israel.


I never cease to be amazed at the ability of the media to concentrate on the unimportant and ignore the serious and significant.

Case in point. In recent days three events have taken place in the Arab Middle East that indicate that a rapprochement with Israel is becoming ever-more apparent, to wit: The King of Bahrain (yes, the same one who not long ago appointed a Jewish woman as ambassador to the US) proclaimed publicly that boycotting Israel was stupid and counterproductive and invited Israelis to visit his country.

The Saudi government for the first time publicly denounced Muslim extremism of all kinds and origins without exception. This cannot have gone over well with the Wahhabi clergy, whose doctrine is the epitome of Muslim extremism. One sees the hand of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan in this and many other measures, including letting women attend soccer matches and over the past 24 hours permitting women to drive.

By an order of magnitude most important, the love-fest between Netanyahu and President al-Sisi of Egypt in New York. Not only did the meeting go on for a long time and not only was it open to the press and television but both participants behaved as if they were long-lost best friends, laughing, smiling constantly and shaking hands as if they really meant it.

Of course, the Kurdish referendum may, and probably will, be a game-changer in the Middle East. Either the Kurds achieve their independence despite all odds and threats, or Iran and/or Turkey invade and try to strangle the infant in its cradle (they may find it's not so easy - shades of Israel 1948).

North Korean missiles and Russian war games and continued internecine conflicts in Syria, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere; the weakening of Chancellor Merkel in Germany, the odd hurricane or earthquake here or there - the list goes on and on.

But the warming of the Sunni Arabs towards Israel is the really GOOD news, which should not be ignored amidst the pervasive gloom and doom. Heavens, it's even more important than American football players refusing to honor the national anthem (at least in the US another media obsession due to President Trump's insistent and excessive tweets).

Norman A. Bailey, Ph.D., is Professor of Economics and National Security, The National Security Studies Center, University of Haifa, and Adjunct Professor of Economic Statecraft, The Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC. He was formerly with the US National Security Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The views he expresses are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of "Globes."

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 27, 2017

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2017

 

[DavidSling]

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