Israel and Turkey renew diplomatic dialogue for first time in 6 years
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Yuval Rotem will visit Turkey next week in a move meant to renew dialogue between Jerusalem and Ankara for the first time in six years.
Rotem is scheduled to meet with his Turkish counterpart and with Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin. He will also meet with Israeli Embassy officials in Ankara, staffers at the Israeli Consulate General in Istanbul and local Jewish community leaders.
“The director general’s visit is intended to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries and to strengthen diplomatic, economic, cultural and other types of cooperation,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. “The convening of diplomatic dialogue sends a positive message of mutual commitment to deepen the relations between the two states. Such a dialogue, following six challenging years, will enable serious discussion of the considerable changes that have taken place in the region, with the aim of establishing a basis for increased regional stability.”
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Israeli military sees spike in number of women serving in combat units
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The upward swing in the number of women in combat units of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues, with about 2,800 women slated to serve in combat roles this year.
The number of women serving in combat roles in the IDF’s Homefront Command is up 38 percent this year, while the number of female combat soldiers in artillery units is up 19 percent. The Israeli Navy has seen the number of women in combat roles increase by 93 percent, and the number of women in combat service in Israel’s Border Police has doubled. The figures were revealed during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee devoted to the subject of female IDF soldiers in combat roles.
Brig. Gen. Eran Shani, head of the Planning Brigade and Manpower Administration in the IDF Personnel Directorate, told the committee meeting that “as we are an army of the people, we aspire to integrate all population sectors and allow the greatest possible equality of opportunities.”
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IDF gives residents of Amona outpost eviction orders
(JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered residents of the Amona outpost in Judea and Samaria to evacuate the area within two days.
“After 48 hours, no person will be allowed to enter this area or be permitted to remain in it…. Owners of any property found in the area declared [closed by this order] will be obligated to remove it,” an IDF eviction notice in Amona stated, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The IDF’s order comes amid growing tension over the outpost, which the Israeli High Court ruled as illegal because it sits on private Palestinian land. In December, residents struck a deal with the Israeli government to delay the eviction for 45 days until Feb. 8, and it was agreed that the residents would move to an adjacent plot of land. That plan has stalled, however, because a Palestinian claimed ownership of the new plot.
Residents of Amona claim that the Israeli government has violated the initial agreement, prompting them to renew their campaign against the community’s relocation.
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Netanyahu to visit White House Feb. 15
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump Feb. 15.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, who announced the meeting Monday, said that “our relationship with the only democracy in the Middle East is crucial to the security of both our nations, and the president looks forward to discussing continued strategic, technological, military and intelligence cooperation with the prime minister.”
Following Spicer’s announcement, Netanyahu issued a statement saying that he “deeply appreciates” Trump’s invitation and that he looks forward “to discussing with him the areas of cooperation between us that are so vital to the security and wellbeing of our two countries.”
Following Iran’s reported ballistic missile test Sunday in defiance of United Nations resolution, Netanyahu said on Facebook that he “will meet President Trump in Washington soon, and among the issues I will address, is the need to renew the sanctions against Iran.”
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Iran reportedly tests ballistic missile, defying UN resolution
(JNS.org) Iran reportedly conducted a ballistic missile test Sunday that appears to violate a United Nations resolution.
Iran launched the Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile at a well-known test site out of the city of Semnan, about 140 miles east of Tehran, U.S. officials told Fox News. The missile flew about 600 miles before exploding in an apparent failed test of a reentry vehicle.
U.N. Resolution 2231, which was put in place after the nuclear deal between world powers and Iran was signed in July 2015, forbids the Islamic Republic from conducting ballistic missile tests for eight years.
“Iran has once again defied Security Council resolutions and revealed its true intentions. The international community must not bury its head in the sand in the face of this Iranian aggression,” Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon said.
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