Deputy FM reveals secret ties between Israel and Indonesia
(JNS.org) Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely revealed during a Knesset debate over the recent denial of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi entry to Ramallah that Israel has unofficial secret ties with Indonesia.
According to Hotovely, Israel has had “continuous contact” with Indonesia, the Jerusalem Post reported. Marsudi was denied entry into Ramallah on Sunday to inaugurate Indonesia’s consulate.
Indonesia, which is the world’s largest Muslim country, does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Israel. However, Indonesia recognized Palestinian statehood in 1988 and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Indonesia’s capital Jakarta last week, where he attended an Organization of Islamic States summit on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Hotovely said that while the two countries do not have formal relations, Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General in the Asia-Pacific Division Mark Sofer recently visited Jakarta, where he reached an understanding with Indonesian officials that Marsudi would also meet with senior Israeli officials during his visit.
She added that that is normal protocol for all foreign dignitaries to visit both Jerusalem and Ramallah.
“It was the Foreign Minister of Indonesia’s decision to violate that understanding, and she understood that, by her action of skipping Jerusalem, she is going against the rules Israel set for official visits to the PA and Israel,” Hotovely stated.
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UK Labour Party re-suspends member over anti-Semitic tweets
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A day after reinstating her, the British Labour Party re-suspended party activist and parliamentary candidate Vicky Kirby on Tuesday for a series of anti-Semitic comments on Twitter dating back to 2011.
Kirby was first suspended in 2014 after tweeting that Hitler may be a “Zionist God” and asking why the Islamic State group wasn’t attacking “the real oppressors,” Israel.
She is also reported to have commented: “We invented Israel when saving them from Hitler, who now seems to be their teacher.”
The Labour Party had initially announced it would not revisit the matter of her reinstatement further, but reversed that decision Tuesday after a barrage of criticism from fellow party members and Jewish groups.
At the faction meeting during which it was decided to re-suspend Kirby, Labour MP Louise Ellman said that the party’s relationship with the country’s Jewish community had reached a low point.
In 2011, Kirby posted on Twitter that Jews “have big noses.” She was forced to resign at the time but later returned to activity within the Labour Party.
Labour MP Wes Streeting, who had questioned Kirby’s reinstatement, welcomed her suspension, saying on Twitter: “Better late than never. Well done to everyone who spoke out.”
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Netanyahu tells Ivory Coast leader: We are united against terrorism
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Ivory Coast President Alassane Dramane Ouattara on Tuesday and expressed his condolences and the solidarity of the Israeli people following Sunday’s al-Qaida terrorist attack at a seaside resort in the town of Grand-Bassam in which at least 18 people were killed.
A statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu told Ouattara that Israel was “ready to assist in the common fight against terrorism.”
Netanyahu also invited Ouattara to visit Israel.
The statement said Ouattara thanked Netanyahu for his condolences, support and willingness to assist in the fight against terrorism.|
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Russian envoy seeks to reassure Israel on Syria drawdown
(JNS.org) Russian envoy to Israel Alexey Drobinin attempted to assuage fears in Israel over his country’s surprise announcement on Monday that it would begin to drawdown its forces in Syria.
“We will try to ensure that this (Syria) crisis is resolved, and we will also do everything so that Israel’s national security interests are not harmed in the process,” Drobinin told Yedioth Ahronoth, without elaborating.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin out of the blue announced that “the main part” of Russian armed forces will begin to withdraw from Syria, but that Russian forces will remain in a limited capacity at its naval base in Tartus and Hmeymim airbase.
In separate remarks to Israeli Army Radio, Drobinin said that Russia will remain mindful of Israel’s concerns.
“Israel is a neighboring country. It cannot be indifferent to what is happening in Syria. We take this into account, of course,” he said. “We have an ongoing dialogue with the Israeli side on all levels – the military level and diplomatic level.”
Israeli military officials said they were also surprised by the Russian move.
“We had no prior information about the Russian announcement of a reduction in its involvement, just as others didn’t,” Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said at a Knesset hearing on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin arrived in Moscow on Tuesday evening ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. While Rivlin’s trip to Moscow was planned before the surprise announcement on Monday, Rivlin said that he will take the opportunity to focus on Russia’s military draw down in Syria and potential threats to Israel from Iran, as well as terror groups like Hezbollah and the Islamic State.
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British Justice Secretary says BDS movement engages in ‘prejudice’
(JNS.org) British Justice Secretary Michael Gove strongly criticized the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for indulging in “prejudice rather than fighting it,” at an anti-Semitism conference in Berlin.
In his speech at the Inter-parliamentary Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism Conference in Berlin, Gove said he considers the BDS movement’s comparisons of Israel to apartheid South Africa “offensive.”
“Israel is a democracy in which all citizens are equal: whether Jewish, Arab, Christian, Muslim, of Ethiopian heritage, Bedouin and Druze – all have the same votes and rights, which is why Arab Muslim politicians sit in the Knesset and a distinguished Arab lawyer sits on Israel’s Supreme Court.”
“[The BDS movement] calls for the shunning of Jewish academics, the boycott of Jewish goods, the de-legitimisation of Jewish commerce. We have seen these all before. And we know where it takes us,” Gove said.
Recently the British government has taken steps in the fight against the BDS movement through a new bill that would prevent public bodies, universities and student unions from boycotting Israeli products.
“We have made clear that local authorities and public bodies cannot adopt BDS policies aimed at Israel; they cannot use public resources to discriminate against Jewish people, Jewish goods and a Jewish state,” Gove said.
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