Middle Eastern Roundup: August 23, 2016

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Israeli diplomat visits Muslim African nation with no formal ties to Israel

(JNS.org) Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director Dore Gold on Monday visited the African country of Guinea, a Muslim nation that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Gold’s three-day trip to West Africa included the visit to Conakry, the capital of Guinea on Sunday, to meet with President Alfa Conde and ten government ministers.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced plans to visit many West African countries by the end of the year, hoping to improve Israeli-African relations by focusing on shared interests in development and ways to fight Islamic terrorism.

In July, Netanyahu traveled to East Africa to re-establish ties with Guinea. A few days later, Gold also visited the president of another Muslim African nation, Chad, which also has no diplomatic ties to Israel.

 

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Russia willing to host direct peace talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders

(JNS.org) Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi claimed in an interview on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready and willing to host direct peace negotiations in Moscow between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

“Unfortunately, the case is like stagnant water and requires international will and effort,” the Daily News Egypt quoted El-Sisi as saying in an interview held with editors of Egyptian newspapers. “There is more and more conviction on behalf of the Israelis of the importance of the peace process, which is a positive indication.”

El-Sisi, who supports the recent French initiative for peace talks, also said that the internal fighting between Hamas leaders in Gaza and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction continues to be an obstacle to reaching an agreement.

Egypt’s president hopes that both Israelis and Palestinians will allow his country to play an integral part in renewing ties that broke down in 2014.

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3,500-year-old artifacts from Israeli sea returned

(JNS.org) Ancient metal artifacts as old as 3,500 years were recently given to the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) by a family whose father had collected them from the sea near Hadera.

The Mazliah family inherited the artifacts from their late father, who pulled the objects from the sea while he was employed at the Hadera power station. After realizing they belonged to the state, they contacted IAA and invited them to their home to inspect the items.

IAA discovered the objects had fallen overboard from a metal merchant’s ship in the early Islamic period.

“The finds include a toggle pin and the head of a knife from the Middle Bronze Age (from more than 3,500 years ago). The other items include two mortars and two pestles and fragments of candlesticks that date to the Fatimid period in the 11th century CE. The items were apparently made in Syria and brought to Israel. The finds are evidence of the metal trade that was conducted during this period, said IAA’s curator Ayala Lester.

The Mazliah family will receive a certificate of appreciation from the IAA for turning over the artifacts.

 

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Israel busts seven Palestinian weapons mills in massive West Bank raid

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli security forces raided seven illegal Palestinian weapons mills in the Hebron and Bethlehem area on Monday night, in the largest crackdown of its kind over the last year.

The raids were carried out by five IDF battalions, the military’s Judea and Samaria Division, the Shin Bet security agency and the Judea and Samaria District Police in an effort to root out illegal weapons production and trading.

IDF and Border Police troops found 22 lathes in seven separate weapons factories. Dozens of firearms, weapons parts and cartridges were also uncovered in the operation. The lathes and weapons found were seized by security forces.

Two suspects were arrested in connection to production and trade of weapons. One of the suspects is believed to be a top weapons dealer in the area. He is currently being held by the Shin Bet for questioning.

Some of the guns found in the raid were foreign models while others were made in the increasingly sophisticated local weapons mills. Along with the firearms, security forces found stolen bullets, knives, handcuffs, nunchucks, flak jackets and American army uniforms, according to Israeli media reports.

 

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After Golan Heights explosion, Israel strikes Syrian military target

(JNS.org) After a mortar shell exploded on the Israeli side of the Golan Heights, the Israeli Air Force on Monday struck a Syrian military missile launcher near Quneitra.

The mortar fell in an open area and no warning sirens were activated. No casualties or damages were reported.

While the shelling was considered part of internal fighting in the Syrian region, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Syria is still responsible for errant fire occurring in its borders and any effort to threaten Israeli sovereignty or its citizens won’t be tolerated.

This is the second counter strike from Israel within two days, the first being an airstrike on Hamas targets after rocket fire hit Sderot, near Gaza on Sunday.

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