Prime minister tours new Jerusalem office, holds meeting with military secretary and National Security Council chairman after replacing Benjamin Netanyahu as premier
Lorde cancels Israel gig even as culture minister asks her to reconsider
Lorde cancels Israel gig even as culture minister asks her to reconsider
I Pride Myself On Being An Informed Young Citizen, And I Had Done A Lot Of Reading And Sought A Lot Of Opinions Before Deciding To Book A Show In Tel Aviv, But I m Not Too Proud To Admit I Didn t Make The Right Call On This One, The Melodrama Singer Wrote. PTI | Updated on: 26 Dec 2017, 09:19:56 AM
Los Angeles:
As Lorde called off her concert in Tel Aviv, Israel, following calls for the singer to pull out from the gig due to the ongoing cultural boycott in the country, Culture Minister Miri Regev has requested her to rethink her decision.
Terror Incident: A Palestinian man stabbed two Israelis and was then shot and killed near a light rail station in East Jerusalem yesterday.
️♂️ Promotion: Mossad Deputy Director David Barnea will assume the agency’s top role next week, succeeding outgoing chief Yossi Cohen. Incoming: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is reportedly planning a visit to Israel this week to celebrate the retirement of Cohen as head of the Mossad. Side Effect: In
The Atlantic, Anshel Pfeffer explores how Israel’s Iron Dome saves lives but removes the immediate urgency for a long-term solution to violence with Gaza.
️ Blame Game: Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad blamed Israel for a series of attacks, which have been occurring for more than a year, on oil tankers headed to Syria.
Good Wednesday morning!
President Joe Biden spoke with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed yesterday. The White House said Biden “underlined the strategic importance of the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel,” noting his “full support for strengthening and expanding these arrangements.”
Jared Kushner is launching an organization called the “Abraham Accords Institute of Peace,” aimed at deepening ties between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, together with Avi Berkowitz, Haim Saban, UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, Bahrani Ambassador Abdulla Al-Khalifa, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. Rob Greenway, formerly a top Middle East advisor to President Donald Trump, will serve as executive director.
Big Boom: A mysterious explosion at an Israeli air base last week was purportedly caused by a rocket engine test, say analysts.
☢️ Sanctions Demands: Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi said that the U.S. must remove sanctions designations from 1,500 people in order to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. Reassurances: Brett McGurk, the National Security Council’s Middle East and North Africa coordinator, told Jewish leaders on Friday that the administration will not lift sanctions on Iran before any agreement on the 2015 deal. Big Deal: Israel’s Delek Drilling is working on plans to sell its stake in the Tamar offshore drilling plant to Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Petroleum for $1.1 billion.