Middle East & North Africa

Israel to sign largest missile deal with Germany

JERUSALEM, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel announced on Thursday that it will sell its most advanced missile defense system Arrow-3 to Germany, marking the country's largest-ever military deal.

The Israeli and German defense ministries "will sign the landmark 3.5-billion-U.S. dollar defense agreement," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, senior officials from both sides will soon sign a Letter of Commitment, with a preliminary payment of 600 million dollars, and the full contract will be signed by the end of 2023.

As Israeli settlements thrive, Palestinian taps run dry. The water crisis reflects a broader battle

JIFTLIK, West Bank (AP) — Across the dusty villages of the occupied West Bank, where Israeli water pipes don’t reach, date palms have been left to die. Greenhouses are empty and deserted. Palestinians say they can barely get enough water to bathe their children and wash their clothes — let alone sustain livestock and grow fruit trees.

In sharp contrast, neighboring Jewish settlements look like an oasis. Wildflowers burst through the soil. Farmed fish swim in neat rows of ponds. Children splash in community pools.

Israel clinches largest-ever defense deal with Germany for $3.5 billion after securing US approval

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it has secured its largest-ever defense deal selling a sophisticated missile defense system to Germany for $3.5 billion after the United States approved the deal.

Although Israel has long had close economic and military links with western European countries, the deal with Germany could draw the attention of Russia. Israel has maintained working relations with Russia throughout the war in Ukraine and has repeatedly rebuffed requests to sell arms to Kyiv for fear of antagonizing Moscow.

Lebanon without electricity after power plants run out of money

17 August 2023; MEMO: The Electricity Corporation of Lebanon (EDL) announced yesterday that two power stations have stopped operating for financial reasons, resulting in power cuts throughout the country. The corporation said that the operator, Primesouth, had informed it of the suspension of operations at the Deir Aamar and Zahrani power stations due to the failure to pay the operating company in foreign currency. A sum of at least $10 million is required.

Israel: hackers threaten to release medical information about Netanyahu

17 August 2023; MEMO: Hackers have threatened to release sensitive medical information about senior Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Times of Israel has reported. The hackers said that the information they got from a Haredi hospital is related to politicians and rabbis and they want millions of dollars not to release it. 

US chief of staff to visit Israel amid IDF combat readiness crisis

17 August 2023; MEMO: The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, will visit Israel next week to assess the impact to the Israel Defence Forces combat readiness following the refusal of some reservists to report for voluntary duties in protest against the government’s judicial overhaul plan, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. Senior Israeli military leaders, including Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar, have warned of a gradual degradation in the IDF’s combat readiness amid the protests. 

Israel demolishes Palestinian school in West Bank

17 August 2023; MEMO: Israeli occupation forces this morning demolished a Palestinian school in the occupied West Bank under the pretext that it lacked the necessary building license, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

The Israeli authorities demolished Ein Samia School, located east of Ramallah, which provides educational services to a number of students in the Bedouin community, a ministry statement said.

Freedom Flotilla Coalition concludes first stage of new mission to end Gaza siege

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition vessel Handala has concluded the first stage of the new mission to break the Israeli-led siege of the Gaza Strip. The vessel has returned to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said on Wednesday.

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