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Air India to Israel route takes off tomorrow for the first time
New route set to operate thrice a week will reduce journey time by 2 hours flying over Saudi airspace Direct flights operated by Air India between Tel Aviv and New Delhi are set to begin tomorrow after permission for the route to pass through Saudi Arabian airspace was granted last month, a decision lauded by Israel’s Tourism ministry as a “marketing revolution.” “I am pleased that the great efforts we made with Air India over the last two years are bearing fruit and a direct route from New Delhi to Israel has now opened,” Minister of Tourism, Yariv Levin said …
Trump says he will meet Putin to discuss ‘arms race that is getting out of control’
03/21/2018 US President Donald Trump said he will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the not too distant future to discuss an arms race that Trump called “out of control.” He also congratulated Putin on his election victory. Trump answered a question about Putin as he was holding a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. “We will be meeting in the not too distant future to discuss the arms race which is getting out of control,” Trump said, expanding on the content of the phone call with Putin on Tuesday. Read more New arms …
UN envoy: ‘The State of Israel is here to stay’
UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov denounces anti-Semitism, says global body committed to fighting it. 03/20/2018 Watch this video on YouTube Nikolay Mladenov, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, spoke on Monday at the 6th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism being held in Jerusalem. “The most appropriate today to open this forum is to have three very clear and simple messages and to address them to all who fans the flames of hatred, terror and war around the world,” the envoy said. “The State of Israel is here to stay. It is the home of the Jewish …
UK not satisfied with Israel’s response to poisoning of Russian double agent
The United Kingdom has expressed its discontent with Israel’s phrasing of a statement last week which condemned the poisoning of Russian spy on British soil but failed to blame Russia. “Israel views the event that took place in Great Britain with gravity and strongly condemns it,” an official statement put out by the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. “We hope that the international community will be able to join forces to prevent the recurrence of such events in the future.” London says it is “not satisfied” with the wording. Ynet
More than 12,000 Jews visit Temple Mount since September
Temple Mount groups publish new data showing at least 12,125 Jews visited holy site in first half of current Jewish year, compared to 8,229 in comparable period last year—a 47% increase; actual number most likely higher, since report excludes Jews who visited independently. Kobi Nachshoni|Published: 03.20.18 , 09:41 Jewish Temple Mount organizations published new data showing that more than 12,000 people made a pilgrimage to the holy site in the first half of the current Hebrew year—an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the same period last year. In light of security tensions in Jerusalem and the fear of …
ISIS TAKES DAMASCUS AREA AFTER REBELS PULL OUT
ISIS has lost almost all its territory in Syria. 03/20/2018 – ISIS fighters holding a small district in Damascus have gained some ground after driving out Syrian army units that moved into a neighboring area that rebels abandoned last week, a war monitor said. In fighting that lasted 24 hours, the ultra-hardline militant group killed 36 Syrian soldiers, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment. The district of al-Qadam lies in the Syrian capital’s southern suburbs and has not been part of the month-long offensive waged by the army …
How Kushner forged a bond with the Saudi crown prince
03/20/2018 One year ago, two young princes began to forge a friendship at a lunch meeting in the White House’s regal State Dining Room. A snowstorm had kept away President Donald Trump’s scheduled guest that day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel – giving the president and his advisers, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, more time to spend with the visiting son of Saudi King Salman. Kushner and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both in their 30s, had met before, but this would be their first formal sit-down since Trump’s inauguration, and a bond developed between the two men, according to people familiar with …
RUSSIAN THREAT BECOMING ‘MORE UNPREDICTABLE AND MORE AGGRESSIVE,’ MILITARY LEADER WARNS
03/20/2018 Russia is becoming “more aggressive,” a NATO leader warned Sunday Russia is becoming more “unpredictable and more aggressive” but to avoid war Western European allies must show force while continuing to neutralize the threat by other means, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The concern is that Russia will continue to build up its nuclear weapons and invest in its military capabilities, he added. Russia is becoming more “unpredictable and more aggressive” but to avoid war Western European allies must show force while continuing to neutralize the threat by other means, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg …
Kurdish militants vow to make Afrin a ‘nightmare’ for Turkey
Ankara’s army and Syrian rebels celebrated taking over the once peaceful town, where armed Kurdish fighters say they are lying in wait and poised to strike Monday, 19 March, 2018, Turkish forces pillage Syrian city after expelling Kurdish fighters 18 Mar 2018 MIDDLE EAST Assad visits army troops near front in eastern Ghouta, Syria 18 Mar 2018 MIDDLE EAST Thousands more Syrians flee their homes as battles rage on Kurdish militants have vowed to wage a guerilla war against the Turkish military and their Syrian rebel proxies after the latter swept into the northern Syrian city of Afrin, seizing control …
A Czar is born. Now that Putin has consolidated all Russian power in his hands, what must President Trump & his team do to counter the rising Kremlin threat? (My new column for Fox News.)
(Ft. Myers, Florida) — The following are excerpts from my new column for Fox News: 03/19/2018 Vladimir Putin didn’t simply secure re-election on Sunday, winning 77 percent of the vote in a rigged election. He has consolidated all power in his hands and emerged as a modern-day Czar. He has also set his country on a collision course with the West, one that could prove catastrophic. A close look at Putin’s record and rhetoric reveals a man consumed with re-creating a totalitarian state, expanding the country’s borders and rebuilding the glory of Mother Russia…. In the face of such a grave and …
Syria prepares against a US offensive
03/19/2018 The Syrian regime is preparing countermeasures against a possible American military offensive, the London-based Arabic-language Asharq al-Awsat daily reported this morning citing Western diplomats. As part of these measures, Russian military forces were deployed in “sensitive targets” of the regime in order to deter the United States from striking there. One of the diplomats said that Syrian President Bashar Assad met last Saturday with the heads of the army and defense establishment, and decided to take a series of precautions, including calling on Russia and Iran to provide Syria with protection. Ynet
What does Turkey’s seizure of Afrin mean for Syria war?
Ankara may move refugee populations back over border after taking control of Kurdish area, enlarging its territory By AFP/03/18/2018 — The capture of Afrin from the Kurds by Turkish-led fighters on Sunday could have major repercussions for Syria’s protracted war. Here we look at what it means for Turkey, the Syrian regime, and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia who were in control of the city. Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP What has Erdogan won? Forces led by Turkey launched an offensive on January 20 to retake the …