Obama 'Moves Towards Abandonment of Israel' guess who's going to take our place?

[vector7]

America 'Moves Towards Abandonment of Israel'

by IsraelNN Staff
03/18/09

(IsraelNN.com) An unnamed former highly-placed U.S.intelligence official has broken silence and says that America may soon be abandoning Israel in favor of the Arabs. “This is just the beginning”, he said, "Israel could be about to lose the support of the United States."

The source made these remarks in an exclusive interview with Douglas J. Hagmann, the director of the Northeast Intelligence Network, which is comprised of veteran licensed professional investigators, analysts, military affairs specialists and researchers. The group has combined their resources to provide accurate and well-sourced information via their website.

Hagmann appeared on Israel National Radio's Weekend Edition with host Tamar Yonah. When questioned about the possible abandonment of Israel by America, Hagmann told Yonah, "The Obama administration is no friend to Israel, is no friend to the Jews in America and is no friend to democracy or freedom in America. …Just by his very appointments, we can see him filling positions of power with people who are anti-Semitic, who want to see Israel essentially dissolved as a nation, if not by diplomacy, then certainly by war."

In his report, the unnamed intelligence source told Hagmann, “I have every reason to believe, based on what I’ve seen at my level of [security] clearance especially over the last several years, that Israel will soon be completely on their own… or worse.” He explained this would happen “when our administration provides more support to Arab countries [with] financial and military aid, undercutting Israel’s defense efforts all while pushing Israel to succumb to the pressure of unreasonable demands designed to end with their political annihilation as a nation.”

Haggman told Yonah that this official broke silence because he had already retired from his highly placed position, and because of his knowledge of the NIN's (Northeast Intelligence Network) position as pro-Israel and the way it valued the relationship between Israel and America. Another reason, he said, was his own perception of the Biblical aspect of this scenario developing.

The intelligence officer explained that the turnover of American policy towards Israel could occur through a manner that he dubbed 'malicious intelligence," which Haggman defined as information that is taken from its raw form. I then is morphed into something else to promote different interests, "where intelligence and politics meet and often collide,” he said. A method “that has been molded and massaged to advance the agendas of a select few,” he elaborated.

In the case of the relationship between America and Israel, he noted, malicious intelligence is being used to turn over the U.S. to a more anti-Israel policy and forge ahead with a more pro-PA or pro-Islamist one.

Hagmann told Yonah in the radio interview, "A perfect example of this is when there was a shooting in Seattle a couple of years ago at a Jewish center. The police were ordered by the city officials and by the Federal Government, basically, to not protect the synagogues and other Jewish centers in Seattle, but to have protection details [instead] at the mosques in Seattle."

U.S. administrations have apparently been following a policy of abandoning Israel for several years, according to Hagmann's report. His interview with the intelligence official cited "the 2005 surrender of Gush Katif to the Palestinian Authority as one critical example of the slow dismantlement of Israel as a viable nation. Despite critical intelligence outlining in every possible manner imaginable that this would be a disastrous move leading to the events we are seeing today [rocket and missile fire on Israel], it was done anyway," he stated.

In the report that Hagmann posted on the NIN (Northeast Intelligence Network) he cited one of his sources explaining, “Now you can see where intelligence and politics meet and often collide,… " the Obama administration is being purposely filled with people who are truly anti-Israel, either because of their own financial interests or a larger globalist agenda that does not include Israel, or for that matter, the United States as a sovereign nation.

"Whatever the reason, the anti-Israel, pro-Islamist policy makers will be appointed or have already infiltrated nearly all levels of the U.S. government. These are the people who place anti-Semitic references in school textbooks, promote revisionist history regarding Islam, 9/11, and are the same people who allow or even promote the Islamic agendas in all aspects of Western society, especially the restrictions on speech against Islam.

"With regard to the latter, note that the United Nations is quite involved in forcing the restriction of “hate speech” and the implementation of global standards, some that have already been adapted by European nations,” noted the source.

Hagmann reports that "the Middle East will be the site of 'the coming war,' and Israel will be at its epicenter. If we survive as a nation, the U.S. will not be on the side of righteousness in this war, instead turning our back to - or our guns against - our only true friend in the Middle East - Israel," he said.

[vector7]

Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Report: Iran has assembled network of lobbyists that has 'penetrated' administration

WASHINGTON — The number of significant pro-Iran lobbyists has grown and key players have gained access to the new administration of President Barak Obama, a report said.

The Center for Security Policy said veteran Iranian lobbyists, several of them former government officials, have been granted access to the Obama administration.

"A complex network of individuals and organizations with ties to the clerical regime in Teheran is pressing forward in seeming synchrony to influence the new U.S. administration's policy towards the Islamic republic of Iran," the report, titled "Rise of the Iran Lobby," said.

"Spearheaded by a de facto partnership between the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC), the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other organizations serving as mouthpieces for the mullahs' party line, the network includes well-known American diplomats, congressional representatives, figures from academia and the think tank world."

[vector7]

Incoming Israeli FM urges strategic partnership with Russia

DEBKAfile Special Report
March 19, 2009, 8:36 AM (GMT+02:00)

Avigdor Lieberman knows the ropes in Moscow
Tapped as foreign minister in the future Netanyahu government, Avigdor Lieberman says relations between Israeli and Russia "must and can rise to a level of strategic partnership." In an unusual interview with the Russian Interfax news agency, the leader of the right-of-center Israel Beitenu said Wednesday, March 18: "However paradoxical it may seem, the global economic crisis gives Israel new opportunities to reach the Russian market after many Western companies abandoned it."

He added: "The same refers to military-technical cooperation. Israel has quite a few things to offer Russia in this sector – from electronic systems for fighter jets to drones."

Israel Beitenu came third in the February general election. His party has been awarded key portfolios in Binyamin Netanyahu's future administration, including foreign affairs and internal security.

Lieberman promised Israel would attend the upcoming Middle East peace conference which Moscow is planning as rejoinder to the Bush administration's failed Annapolis project. "We hope the agenda will be negotiated in advance and we'll try to draw our positions nearer in advance. We see Russia as a very important factor, especially in the Middle East," he said, voicing the hope that Moscow would adopt a balanced position in the region.

[vector7]

Thursday, March 19, 2009
Update: Israel's chief of staff comes home early after doors close in Obama's Washington

WASHINGTON — Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi cut short his visit to Washington after getting an extraordinarily cool reception from the new U.S. administration.

Last year, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi had no problem setting up meetings with top officials in the U.S. government.

On his current trip to Washington, Ashkenazi sought to meet the administration of President Barack Obama, but most officials were unavailable.

A statement to WorldTribune.com by the Israel Defense Forces spokesman attempted to downplay the snubs. But diplomatic sources said Ashkenazi failed to obtain access to any Cabinet member, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The Israeli military
chief, who sought to discuss the Iranian nuclear threat, was also unable meet his counterpart, Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[On March 19, the Israel Defense Forces spokesman e-mailed the following statement to WorldTribune.com: "The schedule for the United States visit of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, was preplanned according to requests made by American officials. Any meetings that were cancelled were substituted with telephone conference calls."]

The IDF Internet site reported on March 17, that Ashkenazi cut short his trip to the United States in order to participate in a security cabinet meeting regarding the abducted soldier Gilad Shalit.

"The Chief of the General Staff wishes to send his sincere apologies to the 1500 senior donors of the Friends of the IDF in the United States, who will gather for their annual donation gala dinner in New York City on Tuesday night (Mar. 17), in which Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi was supposed to participate as a guest of honor," the IDF report stated.

On March 12, Ashkenazi left for a five-day visit to the United States meant to lobby the Obama administration to abandon the planned U.S. dialogue with Iran, Middle East Newsline reported. Ashkenazi, scheduled to meet with the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee, was expected to have brought new Israeli intelligence on Iran's nuclear weapons and missile programs.

But the diplomatic sources said the administration made it clear that nobody in a policy-making position was available to sit with Ashkenazi. This included the president, Vice President
Joseph Biden, Gates, National Intelligence director Dennis Blair or Mullen.

["With regards to a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, one was not scheduled between Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi and Adm. Mullen," the IDF stated. "Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi has met with Adm. Mullen five times in the past year."]

"The administration is sending a very clear message to Israel, and this is we want to talk about Palestine and not Iran," a diplomat who has been following U.S.-Israel relations said.

Ashkenazi obtained an appointment with National Security Advisor James Jones. But the sources said the meeting was to focus on U.S. demands for Israel to ease military restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"The Obama administration believes that Israel is as much or more of a problem as it is an ally, at least until Israel's disagreements with its neighbors are resolved," former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said.

Bolton envisioned that the White House would pressure Israel to legitimize Hamas and Hizbullah. At the same time, he said, Obama would continue to woo Iran.

Already, economic and diplomatic advisers to Obama have urged the president to launch a U.S. dialogue with Hamas. The US/Middle East Project, which includes such Obama supporters as former Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Chuck Hagel, was said to have elicited a promise from Obama to listen to any proposals made by Hamas.

"The main gist is that you need to push hard on the Palestinian peace process," former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft said. "Don't move it to the end of your agenda and say you have too much to do. And the U.S. needs to have a position, not just hold their coats while they sit down."

The Israeli chief of staff had also scheduled a session with Dennis Ross, the special adviser on Iran to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. But the sources said Ross was not regarded as being in a policy-making role.

The diplomatic sources said the White House and the senior echelon of the Obama administration have refused a dialogue with Israel on the Iranian threat. They said Ms. Clinton, during her visit to Israel, was largely silent during briefings by Israeli intelligence on Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

During her visit, Ms. Clinton received written recommendations on U.S. policy toward Iran from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. The U.S. secretary said the recommendations would be relayed to the White House.

"The Israeli government and military have been alarmed by the rapid and dramatic reversal in the U.S. policy toward Iran," the source said. "This reversal took place without any consultation with Israel, Gulf Arab countries or even Congress."

The sources said Israel has sought a U.S. commitment to limit its dialogue with Iran. Israel has also urged Obama to make it clear that the military option against Iran's nuclear program exists.

But Obama and his top aides appear uninterested in hearing Israel's position. The sources said a key aim of Ashkenazi was to urge the administration to release weapons and systems long sought by Israel in the area of aerial refueling, air-to-ground weapons, sensors as well as the F-22 fighter-jet.

In 2008, under the Bush administration, Gates and then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice blocked U.S. requests for these military systems. The sources said Gates and Ms. Rice concluded that Israel could use this equipment for an air strike on Iran's nuclear weapons facilities.

"Ashkenazi sees this U.S. refusal as what has been undermining Israeli deterrence toward Iran and boosting the confidence of the Teheran regime," the source said. "The mullahs in regime have concluded that America has dropped the military option and won't allow such an option to Israel."

[vector7]

Apr 10, 2009 12:51 | Updated Apr 10, 2009 15:35
Russia: Deal signed for Israeli drones

By JPOST.COM STAFF


Russia announced Friday that it had signed a contract to buy Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from Israel.

Photo: http://www.israeli-weapons.com/weapo...t/uav/searcher

"We signed a contract...for the delivery of unmanned flying vehicles," the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin as saying.

It is unclear how many drones will be supplied, but according to Russian media reports, the deal is worth some $50 million and the drones will be bought from state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
The sale requires US approval.

In December, The Jerusalem Post reported that the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry disagreed over whether to sell the advanced drones to Russia. Defense officials said then that Russia was seeking to buy 100 UAVs, including some of Israel's most sophisticated drones.

The Russians decided to establish a UAV capability following last summer's war with Georgia, which operated Israeli-made drones.

[vector7]

Obama's charm offensive for radical rulers abandons Israel to Iranian threat

DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis
April 18, 2009



The new US president's dramatic global policy steps have easily dwarfed the knotty Israeli-Palestinian peace issue handed down from one US president to the next over decades. Barack Obama's outstretched hand to Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Iran's best friend in the Americas, on April 17, at the summit of American leaders in Port of Prince, made the talk surrounding Special Middle East Envoy George Mitchell's mission to Jerusalem and Ramallah this week sound eerily like voices from the past.

After talking to Mitchell, Israel's prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu and defense minister Ehud Barak tried the usual bromides: They protested that Jerusalem's ties with Washington and Jerusalem were as strong as ever and they would work together toward an agreed solution for the Palestinian problem.

But those words were lost in the black Iranian cloud hanging over the relations.

Barack Obama has set his sights and heart on friendship with the rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran and their radical allies. The name and policies of the occupant of the prime minister's office in Jerusalem do not matter - any more than Tehran's determination to complete its nuclear weapons program in defiance of the world, or even its first A-bomb test in a year or two, for which intelligence sources report Tehran is already getting set.

Obama's Washington believes America can live with a nuclear-armed Iran – a decision probably taken first under the Bush presidency. But Israel cannot, and may have no option but to part ways with the Obama administration on this point. As a nuclear power, Iran will be able to bend Jerusalem to the will of its enemies, make it unconditionally give Syria the Golan plus extra pieces of territory, tamely accept a Hamas-dominated Palestinian West Bank louring over its heartland and let the Lebanese Hizballah terrorize Galilee in the north at will. All three would make hay under Iran's nuclear shield, while Tehran lords it over the region in the role of regional power conferred by Obama's grace and favor.

In no time, Israel would be stripped of most of its defenses.

Israel is not the only nervous country in the region. But Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is the only Middle East leader brave enough to stick his neck out, albeit with Saudi backing, and stand up to the Iranian peril, direct and through Hizballah.

He has also outspokenly criticized Washington's courtship of the revolutionary Islamic republic.

Cairo's Al Ahram Saturday, April 18, accused Iran, Syria, Qatar, Hizballah, Hamas, al Jazeera TV of a conspiracy to overthrow Egyptian government.

But the US president is not daunted by the radicalism or enmity of his new friends or the loss of old ones. At the Summit of All Americas, Obama greeted Hugo Chavez 24 hours after the Venezuelan ruler said: "The United States Empire is on its way down and will be finished in the near future, inshallah!"

Using the Muslim blessing to underline the wish for America's downfall was no bar to the smile and handshake; neither was Venezuela's recent severance of its ties with Israel for no provocation or its willingness to host a delegation of Hizballah (internationally branded a terrorist organization) in Caracas.

What is relevant to Obama is Hugo Chavez's role as co-architect of the joint Russian-Iranian campaign to displace American influence in the southern hemisphere. The US president has opted for winning America's enemies over with smiles and embraces rather than punishing them like George W. Bush.

Obama continues to woo Bashar Assad apace despite his blunt refusal to loosen his strategic ties with Tehran or stop supporting the Lebanese Shiite group [with arms] because Hizballah is dedicated to fighting Israel, - as he is quoted as saying in the pro-Hizballah Lebanese publication al Akhbar on April 17.

For the first time in years, the administration this week sent a high-ranking delegation to Syria's independence day celebrations at Washington's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, headed by Jeffrey Feltman, former ambassador and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs.

The thaw in relations has gone so far that some Washington wags are calling Assad's capital "Syria on the Potomac."

The American storm besetting the Middle East leaves Israel's most vital interests way behind. The condition Netanyahu put before Mitchell for progress in peacemaking - that Israel be recognized as a Jewish state, which was instantly rejected by Palestinian Authority leaders – aroused scant attention in Washington or anywhere else.

As Netanyahu will find when he meets Obama in Washington early next month, Israel is no longer a prime factor in US global policy, because America has fundamentally reshuffled its Middle East allegiances and alliances. Even Tzipi Livni at the helm in Jerusalem would not divert Obama from his détente with Ahmadinejad, Assad and Chavez.

To gain points with his new friends, Obama's White House is not above nudging Israel to please them. This week, his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told Jewish leaders whom he met in Washington that if Israel wants America's help for thwarting Iran's nuclear program, it must first start evacuating West Bank settlements.

This was of course cynical claptrap.

Even if every single settlement were to be removed and Israel lined up with Obama's quest for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, the US president would not drop Tehran or help Israel strike Iran's nuclear facilities. He has already ceded Tehran's uranium enrichment program (and therefore its drive for nuclear arms), and would forcefully oppose any Israeli military action. US defense secretary Robert Gates indicated as much this week when he went to almost absurd lengths to play down the Iranian nuclear threat and Israel's ability to handle it.

So what options are left to Israel at this juncture?

1. To bow under the Obama tempest until it blows over in keeping with the old proverb which says that trees bowing in the wind remain standing. This would entail going along with US acceptance of Iran as a nuclear power. The question is will Israel's trees still be standing when the storm has passed and, if so, in what strategic environment?

2. To follow the example set by Likud's first prime minister Menahem Begin in 1981. He stood up to Ronald Reagan's fierce objections and sent the Israeli Air force to smash the Iraqi nuclear reactor before it was operational. Saddam Hussein never rebuilt the facility. By following in Begin's footsteps before it is too late, Netanyahu would change the rules of the game regionally and globally.

(The London Times reported from Jerusalem Saturday that the Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government. Two civil defense drills have been scheduled to prepare the population for missiles that could fall on any part of the country without warning.)

3. Israel could go for a more modest target, one of Iran's faithful surrogates – Syria or Hizballah – to warn Washington that a larger operation is in store for their boss. If the Gaza offensive against Hamas last January was meant to send this message, it failed. Hamas is still the dominant Palestinian power and Barack Obama was not swayed from forging ahead with his policies of rapprochement with Iran and other radical world leaders.

[vector7]

Israel Tightens Relationship With Russia

Written by: Aaron Katsman | April 13, 2009

While many have criticized the pick of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister, it may turn out to be a very wise move. Why? Because Lieberman can help solidify Israeli relations with the wannabe superpower. It now appears that Israel aerospace industries will sell unmanned drones to the Russians.

According to Globes:”Foreign media sources report that Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI) (TASE: ARSP.B1) will sell unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to Russia for $50 million, after the Russian Parliament approved the deal.The deal is important on two levels. First, it tightens Israel’s security relations with Russia, and lessens the chance that Russia will sell its S-300 surface-to-air missiles (SAM) to Iran or Syria. Iran wants these missiles very much. Both Iran and Syria also want to collaborate with Russia on arms systems. Second, the deal opens a new and potentially lucrative market for Israel’s defense industry.”

With the Obama administration tightening the noose on Israel, it is very wise for israel to try and diversify and not rely on US support only.

Lieberman’s pick looks more and more like a very wse decision.

[vector7]

Russia and Israel

Ahmed Hany
May 12, 2009

The ex-Soviet Union was the first country that recognized Israel. Moreover, there was an untold agreement between it and the Western powers to keep the military balance in the Middle East in the favor of the Hebrew State.

The military relaxation in the Middle East was the term agreed by both superpowers while Israel was occupying Sinai, Golan, West Bank and Gaza. Egypt fought against the will of both superpowers to create new strategic facts on the ground, so that political negotiations could be profitable.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia kept the same views in the Middle East. It opened doors for its Jewish community to immigrate to Israel and within few years about a million and half Jews reached Israel from Russia. It kept the military balance by limiting arms supplies to its allies. It frankly assured Israel that its arms supplies to Syria and Iran will not change the military balance in the Middle East. These facts mean that Russia have an interest in keeping Israel in the region and safeguarding its security against all countries including Russia´s allies. This should be clear for those who still see the solution of the conflict in the Middle East would be only achieved by throwing Israel into the sea.

In fact Napoleon was the first who thought about creating a nation for Jews in the East separating Egypt from Turkey so that, the Ottoman Empire would collapse. Let us not forget that Russia saw the Ottoman Empire a strategic threat. The Egyptian army saved Turkey in its war against Russia. Few years later, when Mohamed Ali was about to transfer the capital of the Empire to Cairo to renew it against the will of the Ottoman Sultan, Russia joined the international alliance against Egypt. Then, Russia sees Israel beneficial for its strategy provided that Israel itself does not pose a threat to it. This clears the swinging Russian policy in the Middle East since creation of Israel. The Russians see the Israeli nuclear force hostile because they consider it a part of the Western nuclear force. However they see Israel vital for not creating a great power on their Southern borders.

Within the frame of the global conflict between NATO expansion to the East and the Russian desire to safeguard its vital space, the Balkan War erupted. Regardless of the victory over Georgia, the Russians discovered that their aerial surveillance by their unmanned aircrafts was not advanced like the equipments that their tiny rival used. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Levini asked the military institutions to stop exporting arms to Georgia not to anger Russia. In fact, the untold agreement that kept the military balance in the Middle East is more important for Israel than Georgia.

Israel always tries to keep military relation and cooperation with any country that produce arms. That happened with China, India, Brazil, Argentina and even Turkey. While the Arabs might buy arms from these countries, Israel might provide technical aid to develop their industry. Of course cooperation with Israel is more profitable for these countries.

Anyhow, Arabs would buy the older less advanced versions because they have no other choice. Israel even may spy on the US and exchange secrets with these countries as what happened with China. Therefore, it was normal for Russia to buy advanced unmanned aircrafts with 49 million dollars from Israel. One should not be astonished if Russia went into more cooperative steps as military exercise.

Since the Balkan War, Russia applies a new strategy that compete militarily with the US up to the level of threatening it European allies with ground to ground missiles and with long range strategic bomber planes. It consolidated its military presence in Latin America. Russia chose to return differently to the Middle East. It is returning to this volatile region as one of the Quartet not as a rival to the US. The difference shows the limit of Russian support to the Palestinian cause. Being a rival to the US opens the door for Russia to stand against Israel. Being one of the Quartet means that Russia would support solving the problem to reach the Two-States solution while safeguarding the presence and security of Israel.

Regarding the Iranian nuclear file, Russia is in favor of dialogue. However it refuses and perhaps more than the US that Iran becomes a nuclear power.

Russia does not want another war on its Southern border that may destabilize Central Asia. Even in Afghanistan, Russia is ready to fight if NATO lost the war. It does not want to see Taliban rule again at any cost as the extremism would spread to it small republics that seek independence.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization SCO that was formed by four Central Asian republics along with Russia and China did military exercise and is ready for development in Afghanistan. Some strategic analysts predict that SCO would not last long. However, it showed to the Russians that NATO operations in Afghanistan may form a good base for SCO-NATO cooperation. It is known that the US and NATO use unmanned aircrafts heavily for offensive operations against Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The conclusion is to change the military balance in the Middle East the Arabs should develop their ability to industrialize weapons. Russia may not take policies that contradict with the western powers and at the same time its policies are not a copy of them. The global strategy may open doors for some countries to be allies for a certain aim and their contradicting national strategies may lead them to be rivals in other subjects. The military industry and export is now more opened than before. While Russia buys unmanned aircrafts from Israel and provides Iran with military and nuclear aid, it may sell advanced air defense systems to Turkey, the NATO member while assuring that these systems will not be deployed in Syria and Iran.

Arabs should define their regional strategy and their role in the global strategy before talking to or criticizing global powers. They may discover opportunities by coordinating their strategy with the strategies of some global powers and they would know how to defuse threats. The real security strategy is built in schools, laboratories and research centers.

[vector7]

15:14 20/05/2009
Report: Russia won't sell Syria fighter jets due to Israel pressure

By Reuters
Tags: Russia, Israel news, Syria

Russia has halted plans to sell MIG-31 fighter jets to Syria because of pressure from Israel, the Kommersant daily reported on Wednesday citing an unidentified source in Russia's defense industry.

In 2007, Russia agreed to supply Syria with eight MiG-31 fighters, known in the West by NATO codename Foxhound, for about $400-$500 million, the paper said.

Kommersant, a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia, quoted an unidentified person close to Russia's state arms exporter as saying that Moscow had halted the contract due to pressure from Israel.

The paper quoted another source in an unidentified Russian ministry as saying that the contract had been halted because Syria could not produce the money to pay for the fighters.

The MiG-31 is a supersonic, high-altitude fighter plane. It has a maximum speed of 3,000 km/hour (1,860 miles/hour) and a combat radius of 720 km (450 miles.)

Russia's state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport, declined to comment on the report. A spokesman for the Syrian embassy in Moscow was unavailable for comment.

Russia's defense industry, which says it is starved for investment, was rattled last year when Algeria returned 15 MiG-29SMTs to Russia, saying the aircraft contained some substandard parts.

[vector7]

Russia FM: We'll demand Iran nuclear program stays civilian

By Haaretz Service and The Associated Press

Tags: Avigdor Lieberman, Russia

Russia will demand that Iran commit to utilizing its nuclear program for civilian purposes only, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his visiting Israeli counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, in Moscow on Tuesday. "We have confirmed the need to assure the international community of the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program," Lavrov said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. Lieberman expressed concerns about Russian arms supplies to Iran, and said that he had been assured such sales would only take place if it did not affect the "regional balance of power." Lavrov said the new U.S. administration's approach to Iran has increased chances of resolving the standoff over its nuclear program, but gave no indication of whether Moscow would increase pressure on Tehran. Speaking after meeting with Lieberman, he also ceded no ground publicly over Russia's engagement with the violent group Hamas, which has angered Israel. Lieberman also met with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on Tuesday in the Russian capital. At the start of the meeting, Lieberman and Medvedev offered praise for one another. The Russian premier congratulated Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beiteinu, for its strong showing at the polls in Israel's recent parliamentary elections. Medvedev added that the Kremlin's ties with Jerusalem have special significance due to the large Russian-speaking community that lives in Israel. During Lieberman's meeting with Lavrov earlier, the Russian foreign minister said his government would demand an explicit Iranian commitment that its nuclear program be geared for civilian purposes only. In commenting on his policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians, Lieberman said he seeks to involve the Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, in the peace process. The foreign minister added that he ready "to pack his suitcase today" for talks with Syria provided that Damascus does not place preconditions on the negotiations. Lieberman said the dispute with the Obama administration over construction in Israeli settlements in the West Bank is common amongst allies who occasionally disagree, though the Netanyahu government was not ready to compromise on "natural growth" - the term used to describe the expansion of existing settlements to accommodate the growing populations within their municipal boundaries. "The United States, like every other normal country, has its own interests," the foreign minister said. "In this case, Israel's interests are identical." "Israel is ready to abide by prior commitments, but there are things on which we cannot compromise," Lieberman said. "We cannot halt natural growth." The foreign minister added that the relationship with the U.S. is on "a constructive track." Lieberman's talks focused on the Iranian nuclear program given the fact that Russia plays a key role as the primary supplier of nuclear equipment. In addition, it is currently opposed to levying additional sanctions against Tehran. The foreign minister said that if dialogue with the Tehran regime fails, then the international community will have to employ more aggressive means to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Lieberman said the countries' ties "are probably at their highest point" since diplomatic relations were established diplomatic 18 years ago. Israel wants Russia, however, to use its close relationship with Iran to pressure Tehran to stop nuclear activities it believes are aimed at developing weapons. Lavrov said he told Lieberman about steps Russia is taking along with other UN Security Council members and Germany, but he said nothing about any efforts by Moscow itself. He said Russia and the other nations "expect a constructive answer" from Tehran on proposals aimed toward reviving negotiations. "We really have a very good chance now, in part due to the position of the new U.S. administration," Lavrov said. Lieberman also met with Medvedev, and was expected to fly to St. Petersburg to meet with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Born and raised in the Soviet Union, Lieberman speaks Russian smoothly and seemed at ease in Moscow. But it was unclear if his background would help him sway Russia on points such as Iran and Hamas - issues that continue to cloud relations. Unlike its partners in the Quartet leading Mideast peace efforts - the United Nations, European Union and United States - Russia has engaged Hamas and said isolating the group is counterproductive. Lieberman expressed "deep disappointment" last week over Lavrov's recent meeting in Syria with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal. On Tuesday, Lavrov said Hamas must help "create the conditions for removal of the blockade of Gaza." "We are sending the corresponding signals to Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas in terms of the necessity to cooperate in the most serious way," Lavrov said. Russia has also sought to maintain close relations with the Palestinians. The Interfax news agency cited an unnamed Russian military official as saying Tuesday that Moscow would deliver 50 armored personnel carriers to the Palestinian Authority from July to September. Israel initially had balked at the planned deliveries, but has since given its approval. Russia says the vehicles would be used to help the Palestinians keep order.

[vector7]

Israel’s Foreign Minister Cozies Up to Moscow


By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
Published: June 13, 2009

MOSCOW — “Would you mind speaking without an interpreter?” Vladimir V. Putin asked, and his visitor, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s new foreign minister, responded that he could not imagine doing business any other way. The two then chatted in Russian, as if their meeting this month were a homecoming for a local boy who made good.
Avigdor Lieberman.

In some sense, it was. Mr. Lieberman is an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, and the notably warm reception that he received in Russia could be a sign of things ahead. His hard-line positions have disquieted the Obama administration, but in Moscow, there was no such squeamishness.

There was no way to tell, of course, how much of the cordiality was simply a display for the cameras. Still, it pulled back the curtain a bit on how Israel and Russia are trying to navigate the crosscurrents of a Middle East profoundly in flux — notably in the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and in Iran, where the tumultuous election on Friday was perhaps the most vivid illustration.

[/b]Israel’s new government has voiced its reservations about the United States’ new policies under President Obama[/b] in both of those areas, so Mr. Lieberman’s trip could easily be seen as a tactic — using his access in Russia to suggest that Israel might become less dependent on the United States and look to Moscow for support.

Even if it is just a bluff, his pivot toward Russia — which itself seeks a larger diplomatic role in the Middle East — adds one more element to a list of shifts under way in the region. All of these changes are traceable, to some extent, to reactions to Mr. Obama’s emphasis on improving relations with the Arab and Muslim worlds through diplomacy, and pressing Israel to stop the growth of settlements in the West Bank.

Last week was a case in point: It started with an American-aligned coalition winning an unexpected victory in parliamentary elections in Lebanon, and it ended with the fiercely fought Iranian election, in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an anti-American populist, faced surprisingly spirited competition from Mir Hussein Moussavi, a relative moderate who favors fewer strictures on personal freedom in Iran.

This week, Mr. Lieberman is to visit Washington for talks with American officials, but Mr. Obama is not scheduled to see him. In Russia, by contrast, Mr. Lieberman had a parade of meetings with Prime Minister Putin, President Dmitri A. Medvedev and others. And Mr. Lieberman went to Russia before Washington.

“We would like to add some diversity in our foreign policy,” Mr. Lieberman told a Russian-language television station in Israel upon his return. “And, of course, Russia is a key player.”

Mr. Lieberman stressed that he did not favor weakening Israel’s fundamental bond with the United States. And whatever his strategy, ultimately it is Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has the final say on foreign policy (and who has met in Washington with Mr. Obama).

In fact, the maneuvering in recent weeks has at times had the feel of shadowboxing. With a new diplomacy-oriented administration in Washington and a new hawkish one in Jerusalem, the various parties in the region are trying to prod and test one another to see how positions are being recast.

The Kremlin is hoping to use this period to reassert itself in the Middle East and challenge American dominance there. If it has good relations with both Israelis and Arabs, it can more readily present itself as an honest broker. It is also planning to sponsor a Middle East peace conference in Moscow.

Mr. Lieberman seemed to thrive here because he speaks not only the language of Russia, but also that of the Russian leadership. Both sides believe in a tough use of state power, according to political analysts, as well as a resolute nationalism and a willingness to act against Islamic extremism in ways that may be perceived in the West as excessive.

For example, Mr. Lieberman, who reflects the right-wing views of many immigrants from the former Soviet Union, has called for Arab citizens in Israel to swear an oath of loyalty to the state. The Kremlin recently established a panel to combat what it termed attempts to falsify history in ways that demean the achievements of Russia.

Tatyana A. Karasova, head of the Israel department at the Institute for Oriental Studies in Moscow, said Mr. Putin and Mr. Lieberman had a rapport because they are both “gosudarstvenniks” — a term that derives from the Russian word for state or government and implies a person who likes wielding official power. “Putin, as a gosudarstvennik, can really understand another gosudarstvennik like Lieberman,” she said.

While the Soviet Union was among the first nations to recognize Israel at its founding in 1948, it later became a staunch cold war ally of Arab countries like Egypt, Syria and Iraq. Soviet Jews encountered pervasive discrimination, which is one reason so many left.

Since the Soviet collapse, Russia’s relations with Israel have steadily improved; the one million immigrants who fled the former Soviet Union for Israel became one reason. Many maintain a cultural bond to Russia. (Mr. Lieberman himself emigrated from Moldova in the late 1970s.)

Russia and Israel have eliminated visa restrictions for travel between their countries, and Russian tourists now flood Israel, with Israeli executives often going the other way. Anti-Semitism in Russia still exists, but is much less widespread. Because of the immigration, Russia arguably has closer societal ties to Israel than the United States does.

(On his Russia visit, Mr. Lieberman even boasted that the immigrants so revere Russian culture that celebrations for the birthday of Pushkin would be more elaborate in Israel than in Russia itself.)

At the same time, Russia retains strong diplomatic and business interests in Arab countries and Iran that it does not want to damage. It talks to Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and to the fundamentalist Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite Israeli objections.

Russia is also building a civilian nuclear power plant in Iran, and is less willing than Washington to use sanctions to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. This is a point of friction with Israel, and at least for now, it did not seem that Mr. Lieberman had much success in convincing the Kremlin to move more aggressively against Iran.

Even so, it appears that he believes that he has a better chance than other Israeli officials in wooing Moscow. And Mr. Putin indicated that Mr. Lieberman may be right.

“It is gratifying to realize that people who know more than hearsay about this country are appointed to such high posts in Israel,” Mr. Putin told Mr. Lieberman. “I hope that it will be an additional impetus for the development of Russian-Israeli relations.”

Analysts pointed to another aspect of this budding relationship: both the Kremlin and rightist Israelis nurture grievances about how they are seen in the United States and Europe.

“Both sides feel marginalized and pushed into a corner,” said Dmitri Babich, a political commentator with the state-run news agency in Moscow.

“If we look at all the criticism from the West about the Chechnya problem, it is very similar to what you hear people say in accusing the Israeli government,” he said. “Even the terms are the same — disproportionate use of force, too much collateral damage, etc. They feel that the West doesn’t realize how complex these problems are.”

Mr. Lieberman himself alluded to that confluence.

“Russia, more than anyone, is very familiar with terror,” he said. “Russia itself has suffered from double standards.”

[Beetle]

Israel-Russia: The New Borscht Belt

Michael Keating | Bio | 18 Jun 2009
WPR Blog
In the days preceding this week's historic meeting of the BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- in Russia, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was in Moscow promoting Israeli-Russian ties. Lieberman took the opportunity to point out that Russian attitudes towards Israel were better than in a lot of Western European countries where, in Liberman's calculus, sympathy for the Palestinians in the wake of Gaza amounts to anti-Semitism.

Born in Moldova and a fluent Russian speaker, Lieberman was able to speak to Putin directly in Russian. Each pledged to develop ties further, to involve Russia in Middle East issues. Could a new Jerusalem-Moscow axis be emerging to counter the nascent Washington-Cairo-Ramallah one?

Given that Lieberman's early educational aspirations were stunted by Soviet-era anti-Semitism, it's a surprise to see him sidle up to Putin. But in fairness, Putin is no anti-Semite and Lieberman feels culturally more attached to Mother Russia than he does to Washington. A broader point could be made that Israel itself, with its hundreds of thousands of recent Eastern European immigrants, is, as a whole, more Borscht than Broadway. Just take a stroll along the boardwalk in an Israeli city like Ashdod, one of Liberman's power bases, and try to find someone who isn't speaking Russian.

What should Washington make of all this?

On one level, Lieberman is trying out his new role as foreign minister in a country where he feels at home. It's a little bit like the prodigal son coming back to the old neighborhood to show the bullies who forced him out that he was too good to fail.

On a policy level, however, it really makes sense for Israel to broaden its diplomatic outreach, even though it is likely to raise a few eyebrows elsewhere. The Russians want Israeli technology (as evidenced by their recent purchase of Israeli anti-missile technology) and Moscow will likely find a friend in the Israeli high-tech and real-estate sectors.

On a more prosaic level, Russian organized crime would also benefit from closer ties with Israel, as a new destination to launder money and expand their franchises for drugs, prostitution and smuggling. It's difficult to believe that the other countries in the Middle East would be quite so open to these colorful pastimes.

One of the startling revelations coming from Lieberman in Moscow was his statement that Israel had no plans in the works to bomb Iran. This is a contradiction to the recent Israeli proclamations that "all options are on the table." Perhaps getting Lieberman to back down on Moscow's ally Tehran was Putin's doing. But in exchange for what?

With Washington exerting almost no leverage over Tehran, can the judo-master Putin bend the ayatollahs into shape and put Russia back into the Middle East game after decades on the sidelines?

Whatever happens between Jerusalem and Moscow can't be good for U.S. interests. But given that U.S. support for Israel seems to be wavering, what choices does Israel have?

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/b...g.aspx?id=3945

[vector7]

Russia ,China oppose new sanctions on Iran

Iran ,Clinton, Russia, Israel,tough sanctions, China, US senate voted, nuclear fuel swap, Iran nuclear pro
Qatar:Clinton is in the Persian Gulf to gather support for sanctions against against Iran’s nuclear programme Clinton is facing opposition from China and Russia.

In a major diplomatic effort Clinton appealed to Muslim leaders to help in halting Iran's nuclear programme, saying its policies suggested it was developing nuclear weapons.

"The evidence is accumulating that that's exactly what they are trying to do," she said. "I would like to figure out a way to handle it in as peaceful an approach possible, and I certainly welcome any meaningful engagement, but... we don't want to be engaging while they are building their bomb.

" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's in a meeting with Russian president Dmitry medvedev expressed doubts over Russia’s .support to impose more sanctions on Iran for its nuclear program.

Now US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is pressurizing Saudi Arabia to help persuade China to support a tougher stand against Iran's nuclear programme . US wants Saudi Arabia, which has growing trade relations with China, to persuade Beijing to abandon opposition to a fourth round of UN Security Council sanctions. "We would expect them [the Saudis] to use these visits, to use their relationships in ways that can help increase the pressure that Iran would feel," Jeffrey Feltman, the acting assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs.

"The official said “ the prime minister has clarified, as he has to other leaders, that this is the time to impose strict and paralyzing sanctions on Iran." . In addition to the Iranian nuclear issue, Israel has for a number of years been lobbying in Moscow against the sale of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to the Islamic Republic.

Israel's prime minister called for "crippling sanctions" against Iran over its nuclear program after a meeting with Russia's top officials, whom he praised for showing "an understanding" over the issue. Russia has generally resisted new sanctions, but has shown increasing frustration over the past week as Iran proceeds with uranium enrichment despite international pressure. Critics say the enrichment is aimed at producing nuclear weapons.

On the other hand Speaking with Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, Prince Saud al-Faisal said the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions demanded a more immediate solution than sanctions.

Al-Faisal described sanctions as a long-term solution, and said the threat is more pressing. "But we see the issue in the shorter term because we are closer to the threat. We need immediate resolution rather than gradual resolution," he said. The minister did not identify a preferred short-term resolution.

Al-Faisal also said efforts supported by the US to rid the Middle East of nuclear weapons must apply to Israel.

China opposes sanctions

While she also remarked that "Together, we are encouraging Iran to reconsider its dangerous policy decisions. We are now working actively with our regional and international partners, in the context of our dual track approach, to prepare and implement new measures to convince Iran to change its course." China, which wields a veto on the Security Council as a permanent member, is against imposing more sanctions.

Clinton is opf the view that Beijing fears a major loss of revenue from investments in Iran, and disruption in oil supplies from a country providing it with 400,000 barrels a day.

Israel wants "sanctions, and sanctions that have teeth," Netanyahu said, calling for a blockade on Tehran's energy trade. "The sanctions have to focus on the importing and exporting of fuel." Netanyahu praised Russian officials for showing "an understanding."

"I can say that Russia definitely understands there is a need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and it understands that steps must be taken," he said. "I trust what I heard from the president of Russia, whose decisions are driven by concerns of regional stability."

On Middle East talks

Netanyahu said he trusts Medvedev will "behave in a way that will ensure stability in our region" despite talk that Moscow has already signed a contract promising their delivery to Iran.

Netanyahu also relayed to Medvedev information about peace talks with the Palestinians. He said that for now the US was brokering the talks, but that Russia may be able to intervene at a later point. "The prime minister urged Russia to be a catalyst and enter Abbas into negotiations without preconditions," the senior official said.

According to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, nations have the right to nuclear power so long as they accept the responsibility of demonstrating unequivocally that their programmes are used solely for peaceful civilian purposes." She alleged that Iran has consistently failed to live up to its responsibility and it had refused to demonstrate to the international community that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

"We joined Russia, France, the United Kingdom, China, and Germany to endorse an offer to provide Iran with fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which creates medical isotopes for medical treatment. This offer demonstrated a good-faith commitment to working with Iran toward a future civil nuclear programme for peaceful purposes," Clinton said. "Iran agreed in principle, but then refused the IAEA's terms.

Now, Iran has announced that it will increase its enrichment activities to produce up to 20 per cent enriched uranium, in violation of successive United Nations Security Council resolutions," she said adding that its explanation doesn't add up.

[vector7]

Russia's Putin tells Israel's Netanyahu that Russia will build Holocaust museum

By: The Associated Press | 16 Feb 2010 | 11:18 AM ET

MOSCOW - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has told his visiting Israeli counterpart that Russia will build a Holocaust remembrance museum.Putin met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, promising Russia will build a museum dedicated to the Nazi's extermination of millions of Jewish people.

Netanyahu said Israel will erect a monument to the Soviet army, adding construction would be complete by the time Putin visits Israel next year, the 65th anniversary of Victory Day.

Russia is on a patriotic drive to erase any doubt of the Soviet Union's role in the allied victory in World War II, signing a number of recent bilateral agreements to that effect.

Netanyahu is in Russia to urge tougher sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

[vector7]

Friday, February 19, 2010
Netanyahu in Moscow: Israel not planning war

By Associated Press, Haaretz Service
16/02/2010

Prime Minister responds to Iranian claims that his government is eyeing a 'spring or summer offensive'.

Israel is not planning any sort of war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday following talks with Russian leaders in Moscow.

"Israel is not planning any sort of war," he told journalists following a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Netanyahu was apparently responding to claims made earlier in the day by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who reportedly accused Israel of "planning a spring or summer war".

"It was the Iranians who began talks with Syria on this issue and they are using all sorts of manipulations," Netanyahu said.

He added: "It would not surprise me if Iran's behavior is a direct result of the growing international debate on sanctions against Iran at the UN Security Council."

In a recent telephone conversation, Ahmadinejad reportedly told his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad that if Israel goes to war, "we need to put an end to the Zionist regime once and for all".

Earlier on Tuesday, Putin told netanyahu that Russia would build a Holocaust remembrance museum.

In return, Netanyahu said Israel would erect a monument to the Soviet army, to be completed in time for Putin's scheduled trip to Israel next year to mark the 66th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

Russia, which was allied to Germany until the Nazis invaded it in 1941, hopes to erase any doubt about the Soviet Union's role in the allied victory.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu appeared to be making progress toward the main goal of his visit - persuading Russia to back new international sanctions against Iran.

Israeli officials traveling with the prime minister said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had made "harsh statements on the Iranian issue, the likes of which we've never heard from him".

Russia also reportedly agreed to delay the delivery of advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, another key Israeli request.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1150191.html

[vector7]

Barak signs military deal with Russia

By YAAKOV KATZ
09/07/2010 05:31


Photo by: Associated Press

Nations to join in fighting terror and nuclear proliferation; agreement could also lead to Israeli weaponry being sold to Russian military.

Talkbacks (12)

Israel and Russia made history on Monday, signing for the first time a military agreement that will increase cooperation on combating terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but also could lead to the sale of Israeli weaponry to the Russian military.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak and his Russian counterpart, Anatoly Serdyukov, signed the agreement during a ceremony in Moscow. Later in the day, Barak met with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at his private residence in Sochi.

RELATED:
Barak to head to Moscow to prevent missile sale to Syria
Barak heads to Russia in bid to halt Iran, Syria arms deal

Russia is particularly interested in acquiring Israeli unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). In 2009, Russia bought 12 drones from Israel Aerospace Industries, following its war with Georgia, during which Georgian military forces used Israeli Elbit Systems Hermes 450 UAVs.

The Russian army is training 50 soldiers to operate the 12 pilotless aircraft, Interfax reported.

Israel recently put plans to establish a joint venture with Russia to manufacture UAVs on hold, amid concerns regarding the transfer of sensitive technology.

On Monday, Serdyukov said, following his meeting with Barak, that it was important to borrow experience and know-how from the Israeli armed forces for the modernization of Russian armed forces.

Barak’s visit to Russia comes amid Israeli concerns regarding Moscow’s sale of advanced military technology to Syria and Iran.

Israel is particularly worried by a deal to supply Syria with advanced supersonic P-800 Yakhont cruise missiles, which would pose a major threat to Israel Navy ships if transferred to Hizbullah. During the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah hit the Israel Navy missile corvette ‘Hanit’ with an Iranian-supplied surface-to-sea missile, killing four sailors.

Barak said that Russia was an important world power and played a dominant and influential role in the Middle East. He briefed Serdyukov and Putin on Israel’s strategic standing in the region and the way it views the various threats it faces, particularly from Iran, Syria and Lebanon.

The two defense ministers agreed to meet again soon, either in Israel or Russia.

“Security issues are our No. 1 priority,” Barak said. “We will not compromise on Israel’s security.”

AP contributed to this report.

[vector7]

Chinese army chief due in Israel next week

By YAAKOV KATZ
08/08/2011 02:24



In signal of growing Sino-Israeli ties, meeting between Beijing’s top general, IDF chief Gantz follows Barak’s trip to China 2 months ago.

In a sign of growing Sino-Israeli ties, Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of General Staff of the People’s Liberation Army, will visit Israel next week as a guest of IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen.Benny Gantz.

It is the first visit of a Chinese military chief to Israel.

RELATED:
Why China can be a game-changer in the ME
IDF strengthening ties with Chinese military

Defense officials said that Bingde’s visit did not signify a change in Israeli policy regarding defense relations and exports to the Chinese military. Israel significantly downgraded its defense ties with China in recent years due to American pressure, and Israeli companies are forbidden to sell weaponry to the Chinese military.

Bingde’s visit comes after Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s visit to China in June, the first visit of a defense minister to the country in a decade. Bingde will visit Israel as part of a three-country tour that includes stops in Russia and Ukraine and will meet individually with Barak, Gantz and other members of the General Staff.

Senior defense officials said recently that all of Israel’s ties with China are under careful US scrutiny and in most cases are approved ahead of time by the Pentagon.

Israel attaches a great deal of importance to ties with China due to the role it plays on the United Nations Security Council. A recent UN report accused China of supplying Iran with missile technology and components from North Korea.

When Barak was prime minister in 2000, he gave into pressure from the United States and suspended the sale of four $250 million advanced early warning Phalcon aircraft to China as they were installed with American technology.

In 2005, Israeli-US defense ties hit a snag after Israel agreed to upgrade Israel Aerospace Industries drones that were sold to Beijing in the 1990s. As a result, the US downgraded Israel’s participation in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, which was reinstated several years later.

Despite the ban on arms sales, Israeli- Chinese defense ties have picked up in the past 18 months.

On May 25, Adm. Wu Shengli of the People’s Liberation Army Navy visited Israel and met with Barak and OC Navy V.-Adm. Eliezer Marom. In 2010, a number of IDF generals including head of the Home Front Command and of Military Intelligence visited Beijing.

In June, Israel Aerospace Industries reached the second stage of a competition to set up a factory in China to build executive jets with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China. If IAI wins the tender, which is strictly for civilian aircraft, it will be the first large aviation deal between Israel and China in over a decade.

[vector7]

Netanyahu congratulates Putin on regaining presidency

PM phones the newly elected Russian president, discusses developments in Iran and the region

By Philip Podolsky March 8, 2012, 2:03 pm



Vladimir Putin (right) welcomes Benjamin Netanyahu in Moscow last March (photo credit: Avi Ohayon/GPO/Flash90)

Related Topics

• Benjamin Netanyahu
• Vladimir Putin
• Iran

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday phoned Russian president-elect Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on his return to the Kremlin.

The call was one of Netanyahu’s first actions following his return from the AIPAC conference in Washington and his discussions there with US President Barack Obama.

Putin was elected president for the third time this week, gaining 63 percent in Sunday’s vote. His election campaign was marked by public protests and allegations of voting irregularities. Nevertheless, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated Wednesday that the United States is ready to work with Putin.

In their call, the Israeli and Russian leaders discussed the situation in Iran and the Middle East. Netanyahu invited Putin to make another visit to Israel, which Putin reciprocated by inviting Netanyahu to visit Moscow.

[Malsua]

Putin > Israel

Obama > Palestine

_________________________

Obama Putin

[vector7]

Companion Threads:

• Obama working to divide Israel
• Obama takes aim at Israel
• Obama isolating America from its Allies
• Obama Administration Tries To Weaken Sanctions Against Iran
• Netanyahu Prepared To Go It Alone On Iran
• Obama Administrations actions pushing Saudi Arabia toward China and Russia
• China's strategic alliance with Iran is off most radar screens
• China's new alliance strategy to isolate U.S. from its allies before war

China-Israel ties begin to warm

Cooperating in commerce, military areas

Comments (4) By Josef Federman and Christopher Bodeen

Associated Press Tuesday, May 29, 2012

E

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to China in ... more >


3 PhotosChina-Israel ties alarm human rights advocates

JERUSALEM — After a prolonged chill, security relations between Israel and China are warming up.

The improved ties have been highlighted by last week's visit to Beijing by Israel's military chief and a training mission to Israel by the Chinese paramilitary force that, among other things, polices the restive Tibetan and Muslim Uighur regions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to travel to China in the coming weeks.

After their meeting last week, both China's chief of staff, Gen. Chen Bingde, and his Israeli counterpart, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, hailed the growing ties and held out the possibility of even closer military cooperation.

Gen. Chen told the official China Daily that China "attaches importance to the ties with the Israeli military and is willing to make concerted efforts with the Israeli side to deepen pragmatic cooperation."

In a statement released by the Israeli military, Gen. Gantz mentioned a commitment to developing the relationship, including "joint courses that are scheduled to take place." It did not elaborate.

Such comments are a remarkable turnaround from just a few years ago, when ties deteriorated after the failed arms deals.

Warming trend
Israel and China est ablished diplomatic relations in 1992, and the two countries traded military technology for nearly a decade. Some military analysts believe that Israel helped China develop its J-10 fighter plane during the 1990s, a claim that both countries have denied.

These ties suffered a blow in 2000, when the U.S. pressured Israel to cancel the sale of a sophisticated radar system to China, fearing it could alter the balance of power with Taiwan. The cancellation infuriated China, cost Israel hundreds of millions of dollars, and frayed ties.

Then, in 2005, the U.S. persuaded Israel not to service spare parts for unmanned aircraft drones already sold to China, concerned that it would upgrade China's airborne anti-radar capability. Israeli officials say that Israel has since halted weapons sales to China.

But in recent months, relations have begun to improve.

Last June, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak traveled to China. Gen. Chen, the Chinese military chief, visited Israel in August, and in December, Israel's paramilitary Border Police unit hosted a delegation from the People's Armed Police.

During the monthlong course, "cadets were taught a variety of information, with an emphasis on fighting terror, dealing with disturbances, self-defense, open-field combat and more," according to an Israeli police statement. It was the first such exercise, police said

.
This newfound cooperation has raised concerns among human rights advocates.

Use of forces

Israel's Border Police serve on the front lines of anti-Israel demonstrations in the West Bank and have been accused of using excessive force dispersing crowds. It denies the allegations.

The People's Armed Police, or PAP, also has been accused of using excessive force, particularly in Tibet, a western region where the indigenous Buddhist population has pushed for independence.

Policing Tibet is a small part of a challenging mission. Believed to have as many as 1 million members, the PAP is responsible for asserting government control over a rapidly changing society beset by soaring numbers of protests, strikes and ethnic unrest by Tibetans and Muslim Uighurs on China's Central Asian frontier.

Set up in the early 1980s to take over domestic security from the armed forces, the PAP has been derided for much of its history as undisciplined. The units proved unfit to handle the Tiananmen Square democracy demonstrations in 1989, forcing the Communist Party to call in the People's Liberation Army.

In the past decade, the government has launched a full-force upgrade. It now has rapid-response, counterterrorism, anti-hijacking and other specialized units.

Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said PAP units engaged in "widespread abuses" in putting down a mass Tibetan uprising in 2008, using live ammunition against unarmed protesters, disappearances and other acts of disproportionate brutality.

He said the Israeli training "must include a human rights component, such as the principle of proportionate use of force."

Mutual interests

Israeli officials rejected any notion of wrongdoing, saying that all cooperation was "transparent" and done with the full knowledge of the U.S. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a sensitive diplomatic issue.

The Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv did not respond to a request for comment.

According to Israeli diplomats and analysts, the interests on both sides are clear. Israel has a strong interest in getting closer to a rising world power, while China is interested in Israeli military and technological know-how.

"I'm sure Israel does whatever it can to let the Chinese know that despite limitations on military transfers, Israel still has a strong will to attain good relations," said Yoram Evron, a China expert at Haifa University and the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank.

He said he believes the warming ties were initiated by the Chinese, who were caught off guard by the Arab Spring protests convulsing the region in the past year and a half.

"Due to the Arab Spring, China may have the impression, a stronger impression than before, that Israel is relatively stable compared with other players in the region," he said.

An Israeli diplomat involved in Asian affairs said the security ties are part of a larger blossoming of relations.

China is now Israel's third-largest trade partner, after the European Union and United States. Bilateral trade exceeded $8 billion last year, roughly 20 percent higher than the previous year.