Israel

TEL AVIV: Israel received its first batch of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday (Dec 9), with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring the pandemic's end was "in sight" and vowing to get the first jab. "This is a great celebration for Israel," he said on the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, as a fork-lift truck started unloading the cargo from a red and yellow DHL air freighter. The shipment was the first of eight million doses ordered from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer BioNTech. It came ahead of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, which begins on Thursday. "The end is in sight," Netanyahu said referring to the disease which has infected 348,948 Israelis, 2,932 of them fatally, according to a Wednesday update. "What is important to me is that Israeli citizens get vaccinated," he added. "I want to serve as an example to them and I intend to be the first to be injected with this vaccine in the state of Israel." The Pfizer vaccine has yet to … [Read more...] about Israel gets first delivery of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

WASHINGTON: On the face of it, the deal announced by President Donald Trump on the normalisation of Israel-United Arab Emirates (UAE) ties was something that his administration can claim as an achievement. From the point of view of the administration’s project in the Middle East, it is. Less obvious is that the prospect of Joe Biden being the next president of the United States also had something to do with it, as uniform Democratic opposition to Israeli plans to annex parts of the West Bank was key in the calculus. Let’s be clear: The UAE and Israel have had expanding cooperative relations for some time, including in intelligence, technology, military, business, and politics. Both governments have been close allies of the Trump administration – and both may still have an interest in seeing Trump re-elected in November. But leaders in Israel and the UAE also read the polls, and know that the odds are that Joe Biden is likely to win the White House in November. It’s even … [Read more...] about Commentary: The one person Israel and UAE are both afraid of

JERUSALEM: Israel foresees US$220 million in non-defence trade with Bahrain in 2021, the Economy Ministry said on Wednesday (Dec 2) as it hosted a delegation from the Gulf state to cement newly established ties. Bahrain and neighbour the United Arab Emirates normalised relations with Israel on Sep 15, a US-brokered pact motivated by business prospects as well as shared worries about Iran. Meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Bahrain's minister for industry, commerce and tourism, Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani, said he saw an "immense opportunity to even develop (ties) further, not just in terms of business - in terms of culture, sport, exchange, tourism". The Economy Ministry trade forecast anticipated growth in Israeli exports to Bahrain of diamonds and refined metals for chemicals, and of imports of oil and aluminium from Bahrain. READ: Israel premier says 'many more' secret talks with Arab leaders A Sep 13 memorandum by Israel's Intelligence … [Read more...] about Israel expects US$220 million in non-defence trade with Bahrain in 2021

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s president said on Wednesday (Dec 2) he wants maritime border talks with Israel to succeed and that disagreements during the last round of negotiations can be resolved based on international law. President Michel Aoun spoke during a meeting with John Desrocher, the US mediator for the negotiations, who was in Beirut for discussions with Lebanese leaders. The fourth round of talks, which was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, was postponed until further notice , officials in the two countries said. The negotiations are the first non-security talks to be held between the two countries, which have no diplomatic relations and are technically in a state of war following decades of conflict. Resolving the border issue could pave the way for lucrative oil and gas deals on both sides. Israel and Lebanon each claim about 860 sq km of the Mediterranean Sea. During the second round of the talks the Lebanese delegation - a mix of army officers and experts … [Read more...] about Lebanon’s president expresses hope for Israel border talks

BEIRUT: Talks between Israel and Lebanon over disputed maritime borders that were scheduled to take place this week have been postponed, Israeli and Lebanese officials said on Monday (Nov 30). The two countries have engaged in indirect, US-mediated talks to draw a sea border, despite formally being in a state of war. The last round of talks were held in November and hosted in by the United Nations in a southern Lebanese border town. The negotiations are the first non-security related talks between the two states. READ: Lebanon, Israel start landmark maritime border talks An Israeli official confirmed that Wednesday’s scheduled summit was postponed, and said the American mediators “decided to focus on dialogue between the two sides at the moment, in order to prepare the ground for the next round of talks". The official spoke on condition of anonymity as the official wasn't authorised to speak to journalists. In Beirut, a Lebanese official confirmed that the talks have … [Read more...] about Israel-Lebanon maritime border talks postponed, officials say