Israeli defense firm awarded $70 million contract to supply fighter jets
(JNS.org) Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense firm, on Monday announced it was awarded a $70 million contract to supply advanced electronic earfare (EW) systems that will be installed on various Israeli Air Force fighter jets over the next five years.
The Directorate of Production and Procurement of the Israeli Ministry of Defense awarded the contract to Elbit, who developed and manufactured the EW and SIGINT – Elisra Ltd. systems.
“We are proud to provide the Israeli Air Force, recognized as one of the world’s most advanced air forces, advanced EW systems, covering the full range of fighter jets, and we trust that this win will further enhance our position as one of the world’s leading EW manufacturers,” said BezhalelMachlis, President and CEO of Elbit Systems.
“The modern global air combat arena is extremely challenging, and pilots are facing many new threats. Our systems provide a solution to a wide variety of current and future threats, and we hope that other customers will follow the IMOD and the Israeli Air Force and select our EW systems,” Machlis said.
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Israel’s President hosts Christian communities for New Year reception
(JNS.org) Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Monday hosted various Christian denominations at a traditional New Years’ reception.
Rivlin expressed gratitude for the Catholic Church’s Nostra Aetate declaration against anti-Semitism by mirroring Pope Francis’s words “A true Christian cannot be an anti-Semite.”
“A faithful Jew cannot be anti-Christian or anti-Muslim,” said Rivlin.
“Israel protects freedom of religion for all faiths,” Rivlin added.
“Jerusalem is the center of the world. Billions of people look to this city in hope and prayer. We all have a duty – at the beginning of the New Year and every day – to stand together and show the world that the conflict in this region is not a war about religion, it is a war against hate.”
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Theophilos III, responded to Rivlin’s seasonal greeting at the reception.
“[We] wish to express our appreciation for the strong stand you have continued to take in demonstrating respect for all religions, and your condemnation of violence from whatever side it comes.
“We join you in these affirmations and condemnations. Allow us to reiterate our commitment to education based on the principles of moral values that derive from our common heritage. This is paramount to the shaping of our social fabric.”
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Turkey sets conditions as normalization talks stall
(JNS.org) Turkey has no plans to normalize its ties with Israel unless specific conditions are met, said a spokesman for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.
“Turkey – Israel relations will not normalize until Israel realizes the three conditions. We have not given up on these,” Ibrahim Kalin said, Reuters reported.
Turkey demands that Israel issue an apology and compensate the families of those who were killed in clashes in the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla incident. The third request is that Israel lift the blockade on Gaza which is intended to restrict the movement of weapons to Hamas and other terrorist organizations.
“Turkey will continue to play its role until a two-state solution is reached, and the Palestinian people have their own state. There cannot be permanent peace in the region until the Palestinian problem is solved,” Kalin said.
In recent weeks, Turkey was reportedly moving closer to normalizing relations with Israel following a meeting in Switzerland this month with head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, Yossi Cohen, Israeli envoy Joseph Ciechanover and Turkish foreign ministry under-secretary Feridun Sinirlioglu.
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IDF forms new commando brigade to counter Islamic State threats
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday officially inducted its new Commando Brigade, which brings together four elite military units: Maglan, Duvdevan, Egoz and Rimon. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said the move was necessary to properly counter the threat to Israel by the Islamic State group.
All four are uniquely trained special forces units: Maglan operates deep behind enemy lines, Duvdevan’s forte is undercover urban warfare, Egoz focuses on reconnaissance and counter-guerrilla warfare, and Rimon’s specialty is desert warfare.
Speaking at the brigade’s inauguration ceremony, Eizenkot said, “Looking to the north and seeing the brazen statements made [by Hezbollah] and the overall atmosphere from Lebanon, the threats made by Islamic State commanders in Iraq and Syria, the security escalation we have been dealing with in Judea and Samaria, and the threats on the southern front, we must make the most of our abilities.”
He said the Commando Brigade “will serve as the front guard and represent the ability and spirit of the IDF in the future. I have every confidence that you will be vigilant and ready should we be ordered to fulfill our purpose — to protect and defend the State of Israel, ensure its existence, and, if we are put to the test, defeat any enemy.”
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