RSS
Israeli West Bank Leaders Visit UAE on Historic Trip to Strengthen Economic and Political Ties
Yesha Council representatives meet with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi in UAE. Photo: Israel Ganz’s X account
A delegation of Israeli leaders from the West Bank visited the United Arab Emirates this week on their first trip organized by the Yesha Council—an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in the West Bank—to a Muslim country, in an effort to foster new alliances, the organization announced Thursday.
During the visit to Abu Dhabi, Yesha Council chief Israel Ganz, CEO Omer Rahamim, and Hebron Hills Regional Council head Eliram Azulay met with government officials, business leaders, influencers, and the Jewish state’s envoy to the country, Yossi Shelley.
According to local media, the Yesha Council representatives engaged in “direct discussions about economic and political opportunities in the region.”
“Our visit to the UAE is proof of the regional shift and the need for fresh thinking,” Yesha Council chief said in a statement.
“A new world order requires new alliances and out-of-the-box thinking,” Ganz continued. “Cooperation between nations, based on mutual respect and recognition of reality, is the key to strengthening our communities and securing a strong future for both countries.”
For the first time, we were invited as heads of the Yesha Council for an official meeting in a Muslim country.
The meeting with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi in UAE was fascinating and opened a window to a genuine partnership based on principles of truth, thank you Dr. Rashid!
pic.twitter.com/IiTWGBYkS3
— ישראל גנץ – Israel Ganz (@israelganz) March 13, 2025
They also met with Ali Rashid al-Nuaimi, a member of the Emirates Federal National Council and chairman of its committee on defense, interior, and foreign affairs.
“This is a first step toward fruitful collaborations that will benefit the entire region,” Ganz said.
Upon returning from the trip, Hebron Hills Regional Council head said it was “incredible to see courageous leaders” who are interested in the development of Judea and Samaria.
“I met leaders who share our fight against Hamas, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran, including their civilian arms operating in Judea and Samaria,” Azulay said. “These leaders are not afraid to say openly that we must combat the Palestinian Authority’s education system, which promotes evil and hatred of Jews.”
“The direct connection established between our communities and senior figures in the UAE opens new opportunities for implementing the Abraham Accords in Judea and Samaria,” he continued.
Despite the war in Gaza, both diplomatic and economic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained strong.
Last year, annual Israel-UAE trade was reportedly projected to reach a record $3.3 billion compared to $2.95 billion in 2023.
Trade is mainly centered on diamonds, with precious stones being the largest exports between the two nations in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, Israel strengthened its defense ties with the UAE by agreeing to sell the SPYDER air defense system, made by the Israeli company Rafael.
The post Israeli West Bank Leaders Visit UAE on Historic Trip to Strengthen Economic and Political Ties first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
i24 News – The Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.
According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.
In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.
The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.
Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.
RSS
Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen
The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.
IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.
Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.
Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
RSS
Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – Blue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.
Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.
Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.
“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”