Page 146 - Israel

Israel, India ink pact to allow 42,000 Indians to work in Jewish state

The addition of workers from India is expected to help deal with the rising cost of living in Israel and help thousands of families waiting for nursing care

Israel keen to finalise FTA with India: Foreign Minister Eli Cohen

Israel is keen to finalise an FTA with India as there is a huge scope of trade between the two nations, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said, and expressed hope that the agreement will further strengthen bilateral economic ties. From a humble beginning of USD 200 million in bilateral trade (primarily in diamonds) in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, merchandise trade has diversified and reached USD 7.86 billion (excluding defence) during the period 2021-2022. In addition, bilateral trade in services in 2021 was USD 1.1 billion and in FY 2022-23, bilateral merchandise trade from April to December 2022 stood at USD 8.09 billion (excluding defence). "The scope for trade opportunities between our countries is huge and there is a strong desire to finalise an FTA that hopefully will further strengthen our economic ties...I believe the scope of the FTA is far larger than trade numbers. We should discuss it with the vision of bilateral relations

India and Israel to 're-accelerate' work to strengthen strategic relations

Expressing "great satisfaction" at the achievements of 30 years of full diplomatic ties between India and Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said that it is time for the two nations to "re-accelerate" their relations in various fields to strengthen the strategic partnership. Just ahead of his three-day visit starting on Tuesday, Cohen told PTI that the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel in 2017 and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to India in 2018 helped bring the bilateral relations to "new heights of cooperation, understanding and even deepened the friendship not only between the governments but also between the peoples". "We expect that Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to India later this year will continue the momentum in relations both in the areas in which I will be engaged during my visit and in other areas", he said. India and Israel have seen an intense last few months of engagement starting with the visit of Knesset's (Israeli parliament

3,000 small businesses in Israel fined for disobeying Covid directives

As part of the operation, which lasted for a year until the beginning of May 2023, 730 applications were submitted by various debtors in about 3,000 penalty cases

Israel launches fresh missile attack at military sites in Syria: Report

It is not known yet if there were any casualties

Indian oil export basket in FY23 was most diversified ever, shows data

Israel, Brazil, and South Africa broke into top 10 list of destinations for Indian refined petroleum products

Israeli Protests: Thousands rally against govt's judicial reform plan

Crowds of Israeli protestors held banners in Tel Aviv at Saturday's protest, the latest in a series of weekly actions since the start of the year

India-Israel FTA should be as wide as possible: Israeli Minister

The proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between Israel and India should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as it brings people together, Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry M K Nir Barkat said on Tuesday. The minister said he will hold discussions with the Indian side regarding an FTA between the two countries, negotiations for which have been going on for over a decade. "As a government to government I am going to be proposing to your ministers to naturally expand the free trade agreement, focus on business development in a smart way, share knowledge and experience as much as possible," Barkat said at a CII event during his visit here. He said both sides will have to focus on complementary areas for the proposed free trade deal where India and Israel hold a competitive advantage. "It (FTA) should be as wide as possible to enable more and more trade as free trade brings the people together," Barkat said. He added that Isreal has a lot to offer in sectors li

Israeli military retaliates after rockets fired from Syria, no casualties

The Israeli military said its forces attacked targets in Syria early Sunday after six rockets were launched from Syrian territory in two batches toward Israel in a rare attack from Israel's northeastern neighbor. After the second barrage of three rockets, Israel initially said it responded with artillery fire into the area in Syria from where the rockets were fired. Later, the military said Israeli fighter jets attacked Syrian army sites, including a compound of Syria's 4th Division and radar and artillery posts. The rocket firings came after days of escalating violence on multiple fronts over tension in Jerusalem and an Israeli police raid on the city's most sensitive holy site. In the second barrage, which was launched early Sunday, two of the rockets crossed the border into Israel, with one being intercepted and the second landing in an open area, the Israeli military said. In the first attack, on Saturday, one rocket landed in a field in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. ...

Why is Al-Aqsa mosque, raided by Israeli police, so important for Jews, Christians and Muslims?

The site is considered holy by Muslims, Jews and Christians and is a focal point of Israeli-Palestinian tensions.

Israel hits Gaza with rockets as Netanyahu vows to extract 'heavy price'

The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza Strip while Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets rockets into southern Israel early Friday, with the region edging closer toward war following two days of unrest at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site and a rare rocket attack from neighbouring Lebanon. The fighting comes during a delicate time when Jews are celebrating the Passover holiday and Muslims are marking the Ramadan holy month. Similar tensions spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers in 2021. The current round of violence began Wednesday after Israeli police twice raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. That led Thursday to rocket fire from Gaza and, in a significant escalation, an unusual barrage of nearly three dozen rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel. As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened his Security Cabinet late Thursday, the military struck what it said were four sites in Gaza belonging to ...

Rockets fired from Gaza raise tension for 2nd day as passover begins

Palestinian militants fired a barrage of rockets early on Thursday, setting off air raid sirens in southern Israel, as violence erupted for the second day in a row during a sensitive period of overlapping holidays. The barrage came after another tense night at Jerusalem's most sensitive holy site, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Israeli police clashed with Muslim worshippers attempting to stay overnight, in defiance of long-standing compromises about management of the compound. The Israeli military said seven rockets launched from the Gaza Strip all exploded in midair. No group claimed responsibility for the barrage. Unrest in the region was less intense than the previous days, but the rocket fire raised fears of a wider conflagration as Jews began the week-long Passover holiday, hundreds of Christians in the Old City gathered for Holy Thursday at the Holy Sepulcher to mark the Last Supper, and Muslims marked the Ramadan holy month. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam and stands o

Israel backs India's call for bringing 26/11 masterminds to justice

Echoing the sentiments of a "vast majority" of Indians, Israeli Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Tuesday called for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack

Israel's former envoy to India appointed chairman of Adani's Haifa port

Ron Malka, former envoy of Israel to India, has said that he has assumed charge as the Executive Chairman of the Haifa Port Company (HPC) owned by a consortium led by the ports-to-energy conglomerate Adani Group. A consortium of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) and Israel's Gadot Group won the tender in July last year to privatise the strategic Port of Haifa in Israel for USD 1.18 billion. "I'm honoured and privileged to take office today as Executive Chairman of the Haifa Port Company, on behalf of @AdaniOnline. The experience and expertise of Adani and Gadot, combined with the dedication of the port workers, will take Haifa Port to new heights of prosperity," Malka tweeted on Sunday. Malka served as the ambassador of Israel to India from 2018 to 2021. The Port of Haifa is the second largest port in Israel in terms of shipping containers and the biggest in shipping tourist cruise ships. The Adani Group officially took over the Israeli port in January this year at a .

Israelis continue to protest legal overhaul despite suspension by Netanyahu

Tens of thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday against a controversial plan to revamp the country's legal system, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's suspension of the changes earlier in the week. The protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial hub on the Mediterranean, for the 13th weekly demonstration, raising Israeli flags and banners against what they said were plans to weaken the Supreme Court. Several smaller rallies took place in other towns and cities. The protests have been going on since Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in the country's history, introduced the changes. But on Monday, Netanyahu delayed the overhaul plan that deeply divided the Israelis, saying he wanted to avoid civil war by making time to seek a compromise with political opponents. Protest organizers, however, vowed to keep up the pressure, calling for the plans to be scrapped. The proposal has plunged Israel into its worst domestic crisis in decades. Business leaders, top

Cyprus, Israel, Greece join forces on energy, defence, economy and tourism

The foreign ministers of Cyprus, Israel and Greece agreed to cooperate more closely on issues including energy, defence, economy and tourism.

Netanyahu supporters block Tel Aviv's main highway to support judicial plan

Thousands of right-wing Israelis on Thursday blocked a main highway in Tel Aviv as they demonstrated in favor of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the country's judicial system. The crowd was much smaller than the hundreds of thousands of people who have taken to the streets in recent months to demonstrate against the plan. But the gathering had the same effect. Protesters honked their car horns and hoisted blue and white Israeli flags crippling traffic along the Ayalon highway, the main north-south thoroughfare running through the coastal city. After especially intense protests, Netanyahu this week froze the plan and began negotiations with his political opponents aimed at finding a compromise plan. But his opponents have vowed to continue their protests as well. The plan would give Netanyahu's parliamentary coalition control over judicial appointments and the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions it opposes. Netanyahu and his allies say the plan is needed

Israel launches missile attack on sites in Syrian capital: Report

No casualties have been reported so far

Netanyahu rejects Joe Biden's suggestion to pause judicial overhaul

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rebuffed President Joe Biden's suggestion that the premier walks away from a contentious plan to overhaul the legal system, saying the country makes its own decisions. The exchange was a rare bout of public disagreement between the two close allies and signals building friction between Israel and the U.S. over Netanyahu's judicial changes, which he postponed after massive protests. Asked by reporters late Tuesday what he hopes the premier does with the legislation, Biden replied, I hope he walks away from it. The president added that Netanyahu's government cannot continue down this road" and urged compromise on the plan roiling Israel. The president also stepped around U.S. Ambassador Thomas Nides' suggestion that Netanyahu would soon be invited to the White House, saying, No, not in the near term. Netanyahu replied that Israel is sovereign and makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroa

Israel PM Netanyahu delays judicial reform plan amid general strike

Embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to back down on controversial plans to overhaul the country's judiciary on Monday, amid unprecedented nationwide strikes