The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Israel

  • Israel declares war on Hamas after surprise attack

    Israel declares war on Hamas after surprise attack

    Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

    As warning sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, including in Jerusalem, Israel’s military said it was on a war footing and the defense minister said the Iran-backed Hamas had made a “grave mistake” by declaring war on Israel.

    The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions.

    The attack marked an unprecedented infiltration by an unknown number of Hamas gunmen into Israel from Gaza, and one of the most serious escalations in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in years. At least two Israelis were killed, Israel public broadcaster Kan reported. Medical officials said there were dozens of wounded.

    Israeli media reported gunbattles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in towns in southern Israel. Israel’s police chief said there “21 active scenes” in southern Israel, indicating the extent of the attack.

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    In Gaza, people rushed to buy supplies in anticipation of days of conflict ahead. Some evacuated their homes and headed for shelters.

    Hamas military commander Mohammad Deif announced the start of the operation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight.

    “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.

    The last major flare-up between Israel and Hamas was a 10-day war in 2021.

    NBC

  • Protests erupt in Libya over reported talks with Israel

    Protests erupt in Libya over reported talks with Israel

    Protests have erupted in Libya after Israel said its foreign minister had met with his Libyan counterpart in spite of the two countries having no formal diplomatic links.

    Libyan media reported this on Monday.

    Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh suspended Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush after she met with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, news portal al-Wasat Gate reported.

    Meanwhile, the Libyan Foreign Ministry denied Mangoush had held formal talks with Cohen and said the meeting in Rome was a casual, non-official, and previously unprepared meeting.

    In an online statement, the ministry said it fully and categorically rejected any normalisation of relations with Israel.

    Under a 1957 Libyan law, dealing with Israel is punishable by law, by up to nine years in prison.\

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    The Libyan news site Al-Wasat reported on Monday, citing security circles that the foreign minister had meanwhile flown to Turkey on a government plane.

    The source added that the minister left the airport with the help of the Internal Security Agency.

    The parliament based in eastern Libya called for an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss what it termed as the “legal and ethical crime against the Libyan people,’’ referring to the reported encounter.

    Protesters reportedly set fire to the residence of Dbeibeh and called for his resignation on Sunday night.

    It was not immediately clear if Dbeibeh was at the residence.

    Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011.

    Countless militias are still fighting for power and influence in the oil-rich country.

    The conflict is further fuelled by foreign states.

    Currently, two rival governments are fighting for power in the country.

    All diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict peacefully have failed so far.

    (dpa/NAN)

  • Israel bars activists planning to disrupt Eurovision

    Israel intends to deny entry to people known to be planning to disrupt next week’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv by protesting against the Jewish state, the Foreign Ministry said according to a report published in The Guardian Tuesday.

    Supporters of the BDS movement, a Palestinian-led campaign advocating boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel, have been calling on artists to pull out of this year’s contest because of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. Activists have also been rumored to be planning to travel to Israel to disturb the event, and Iceland’s representatives have threatened to protest onstage.

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon told the British newspaper that Israel would only ban those who broke Israeli law, which includes a prohibition on support for boycotts of the Jewish state.

    “This is going to be a huge party in which thousands of people will participate but we will remain extremely vigilant in order to make sure that no one comes here in order to disturb and destroy,” Nahshon said, according to The Guardian.

    “We don’t want to prohibit the entry to the State of Israel for people. But on the other hand, if we know for certain that we will be facing people who are anti-Israel activists and whose sole purpose is to disturb the event, then we will use the legal instruments that we have regarding the entry to Israel,” he added, according to the British newspaper.

    Read Also: Israeli Army prepares for Gaza invasion

    Singer Netta Barzilai’s win last year with the catchy pop anthem “Toy” earned Israel the honor of hosting the 2019 Eurovision competition. Thousands of tourists are expected to arrive in Tel Aviv for the campy, gay-friendly spectacle. The semifinals will be held on May 14 and 16, followed by the Grand Final on May 18.

    However, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is in charge of battling BDS, reacted to the report on Twitter, saying it was “another lie by The Guardian.”

    In 2017, Israel passed a law allowing the state to bar entry to BDS supporters. Israel says it retains the right to bar entry to those who wish to harm the country, and that its border procedures are done out of security concerns.

    Israel said last week that it had uncovered a BDS-backed network of bots and fake Twitter accounts urging a boycott of Eurovision in Tel Aviv.

    www.timesofisrael.com

     

     

  • Israel inaugurates 2nd Bible contest on promotion of moral education in Nigeria

    The Embassy of Israel in Nigeria has inaugurated the 2nd National Old Testament Bible Contest in Nigeria and Africa at large to promote moral education.

    Mr Shimon Ben-Shoshan, Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, said this in his address at the official inauguration of the National Bible contest on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The event on the theme: ”Unveiling the Secrets of the Land” was organised by Israeli Embassy in collaboration with Israel’s Ministry of Education and the Christians United for Israel, a faith-based organisation.

    Ben-Shoshan described the theme as significant to Nigeria because it is a nation that is blessed with many visionaries and entrepreneurs.

    According to him, the Jewish people are blessed by receiving the Bible and have studied it for centuries; the study of the Bible is the unveiled secret of our culture of innovation nowadays.

    Ben-Shoshan said: ”Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion welcomed the creation of a Bible contest in 1958, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the state of Israel.

    ”As that first competition was broadcast on radio 61 years ago the nation’s pulse raced; Israel followed the competition with sense of pride that swelled from being country of the Bible.

    ”Since then, the Bible contest has been an annual event that has drawn Biblical scholars and enthusiasts from all ends of the globe to compete on knowledge of the Old Testament.

    ”For these reasons, we desire the contest in Nigeria continues every year; the contest has helped to ring people of diverse religious background together on importance and relevance of biblical education.

    ”I therefore believe that holding a country-wide bible competition in all six-geo-political zones can serve as a cultural bridge between people of Nigeria and Israel.”

    He said that the contest is open for people from 21 years and above and that it would commence on April 15, across the country through registration on www.abuja.mfa.gov.il

    He mentioned that the contest would be carried out in three stages at state, zonal and then national level, with two finalists from each stage proceeding to the next level.

    Also, the first two stages would be internet-based and the final stages which hold in November in Abuja would be handwritten in front of professional judges from Israeli Ministry of Education.

    Speaking, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), commended Israel for the ability to turn challenges into opportunities, being a lesson Nigerian can learn from.

    Ayokunle, represented by Rev. Steven Adegbite, Director, National Issues of CAN, said that the contest would help to divert the attention of young people from irrelevant thing to reading the scripture.

    According to him, for you to now have something like this is to return us to the scripture.

    ”Joshua Chapter 1 Verse 8, says the book of the law must not depart from you, you must meditate on it day and night and you must teach it to your children.

    ”When that is done, it is going to be well with you and with your children and that is what you have asked us to do.

    ”We thank you for the opportunity to ask the younger ones to come to the knowledge, instead of dissipating their efforts in other things that we notice in the world today.”

    He explained the Old Testament to mean New Testament contained and that the New Testament is the Old Testament explained.

    He, however, promised to support Israel in the organisation of the event and in other areas of bilateral relations with Nigeria.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 1,800 people participated in the first edition of the contest in 2018, which had the theme: ”Living peacefully in the promised land”.

    This event is part of activities to mark the 71st anniversary of Israel’s Independence on May 14 and also 61 years since the first Bible contest was held in Israel

  • Osun to team up with Venezuela, Israel, others on economy

    THE Osun State government has unveiled plans to strengthen its economy by creating an enabling environment for business and investment to thrive.

    Governor Adegboyega Oyetola stated this on Wednesday when he received the Venezuela Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. David Nieves Valasquez-Caraballo; envoys from Israel, Cuba, Cote d’Ivoire and Republic of Benin.

    The envoys, who were received on behalf of the governor by Chief of Staff Dr. Charles Diji Akinola and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr. Oluwole Oyebamiji, were among those on a two-day visit to

    Osogbo, the state capital, to attend the International Agriculture Technology Exhibition and Conference tagged “First Agrictech Nigeria”.

    The conference was organised to explore business opportunities in agriculture and to expand the sector.

    Apart from Mr. Valasquez-Caraballo; Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Carlos Trejo Sosa was represented by the Deputy Head of Mission, Ms. Leydis Bernal Suarez; Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Pear Duchi, was represented by Mr. Madu Chibueze, among others.

    Speaking on behalf of the governor, Akinola said Osun remained resolute to maximise its potentials for greater productivity.

    He said his administration is committed to enhancing Public Private Partnership, thus creating workable environment for business to grow.

    Oyetola said the state is open for business and had mapped out modality to facilitate local and foreign partnership for positive changes across all sectors.

    He added: “We have just had a meeting with ambassadors, who have come to our state to discuss myriads of business opportunities and explore their potentials as regards the need to strengthen bilateral relationship.

    “This administration is giving priority to agriculture, mining, tourism, information and communication technology among others, to ensure proper diversification of the economy.

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    “We had a very fruitful session with them; we have reached a compromise on the need to expand the window of business opportunity, particularly in the areas of agriculture, mining, tourism, science and technology.

    “They have shown interest to partner the state in these areas to ensure that Osun achieves her goals.

    The Venezuelan Ambassador said his country was ready to collaborate with the Osun state government to promote agriculture, mining and tourism.

    Valasquez-Caraballo, who described the agriculture exhibition as fruitful, rewarding and adventurous, said no effort would be spared to partner Osun towards actualising its set objectives.

    He said: “We have come to Osun to deliberate on some of the areas in, which we can collaborate and strengthen bilateral relationship.”

  • Economy: Osun to collaborate with Venezuela, Israel, Cuba, others

    The Osun state government will strengthen its economy by creating an enabling environment for business and investment to thrive.

    Governor Adegboyega Oyetola stated this on Wednesday while receiving the Venezuela Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr David Nieves Valasquez-Caraballo;  envoys from Israel, Cuba, Cote d’Ivoire and Republic of Benin‎.

    The envoys, who were received on behalf of the governor by Chief of Staff Dr. Charles Diji Akinola and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mr Oluwole Oyebamiji, were among those on a two-day visit to
    Osogbo, the state capital, to attend the International Agriculture Technology Exhibition and Conference tagged ‘1st Agrictech Nigeria.’

    The Conference was organised to explore business opportunities in agriculture and to expand the sector.

    Apart from Mr. Valasquez-Caraballo; Cuban Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Carlos Trejo Sosa was represented by the Deputy Head of Mission, Ms. Leydis Bernal Suarez; Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, ‎Mr Pear Duchi, was represented by Mr Madu Chibueze, among others.

    Speaking on behalf of the governor, Dr Akinola said Osun remained resolute to maximize her potentials for greater productivity.

    He said his administration is committed to enhancing Public Private Partnership, thus creating workable environment for business to grow.

    Governor Oyetola said the state is open for business as the state had mapped out modality to facilitate local and foreign partnership for positive changes across all sectors.

    He added: “We have just had a meeting with Ambassadors who have come to our state to discuss myriads of business opportunities and explore their potentials as regards the need to strengthen bilateral relationship.

    “This administration is giving priority to agriculture, mining, tourism, information and communication technology among others, to ensure proper diversification of the economy.

    “We had a very fruitful session with them; we have reached a compromise on the need to expand the window of business opportunity particularly in the areas of agriculture, mining, tourism, science and
    technology.

    “They have shown interest to partner the state in these areas to ensure that Osun achieves her goals.

    “As a government, we shall continue to create the enabling environment that would help to facilitate bilateral cooperation in all sectors of the economy.

    “We are looking forward for investment partnership from these countries. It is our hope that this collaboration will bring about the desired results.

    “With this Agrictech, our state stands to gain a lot as this will help to expose the state to various opportunities embedded in every aspect of the economy.

    “This is going to strengthen the economy and enhance commercial activities in the state as we are doing everything possible to record success in our economic diversification bid,” he added.

    The Venezuelan Ambassador said his country was ready to collaborate with the Osun state government to promote agriculture, mining and tourism.

    Valasquez-Caraballo who described the agriculture exhibition as fruitful, rewarding and adventurous, said no effort would be spared to partner Osun towards actualizing her set objectives.

    He said: “We have come to Osun to deliberate on some of the areas in which we can collaborate and strengthen bilateral relationship.

    “We are here to build a strong bilateral relation that will bring about the desired development in all aspects of the economy.

    “We have had a conference where issues were raised and deliberated upon on the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation between our government and government of the state of Osun.

    “Our interest is to pursue things that will drive the economy. We are happy to have been given warm reception, we are also glad with the high level of hospitality received as.

    “We have seen the reasons where the two governments must collaborate to advance their economies as we have been exposed to various business opportunities to which we can tap from,” he said.

  • Minister denies issuing ultimatum to Israel over Kanu

    MINISTER of Information Lai Mohammed yesterday denied the report that he gave Israel ultimatum over the return of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu to Nigeria.

    Kanu, who resurfaced in Israel at the weekend, threatened to unleash hell on Nigerians.

    Briefing State House correspondents, Mohammed said: “I was in London when I heard the story about Nnamdi Kanu surfacing in Israel. I was not in a position to make any statement.

    “But before I knew it, within a few hours, I saw my picture with a story saying that I had actually given Israel ultimatum to return Nnamdi Kanu otherwise, we will send them missiles.

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    “I just laughed. It speaks to what we are talking about fake news because it is probably the biggest threat in the run-up to the elections.

    “Having said that, I have nothing more to add to the issue of Nnamdi Kanu.”

    He said the appropriate authorities in the country would speak on the issue at the appropriate time.

    He said: “At the appropriate time, the various authorities will make a statement about the issue of Kanu.

    “But this has proven that all along when Kanu disappeared and the mob was asking the Nigerian Army to account for the whereabouts of Kanu; I kept saying that Kanu knows where he is.

    “He was not in the custody of the Federal Government. We have been vindicated today. Any other statement will be made in due course.”

  • Congo approves four more experimental Ebola treatments as cases rise

    Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has approved four more experimental treatments against the deadly Ebola virus, the health ministry said as it raced to contain an outbreak in its violence-torn east.

    Health authorities on Aug. 11, started administering the U.S.-developed mAb114 treatment to Ebola patients, the first time such a treatment had been used against an active outbreak.

    The DRC health ministry said in a daily bulletin that the 10 patients who received mAb114 since Aug. 11 have experienced a “positive evolution”, but the outbreak has continued to grow.

    The four additional treatments approved by Congo’s ethics committee are Remdesivir, made by Israel’s Gilead Sciences; ZMapp, an intravenous treatment made by San Diego’s Mapp Pharmaceutical; Japanese drug Favipiravir; and one referred to as “Regn3450 – 3471 – 3479”.

    Remdesivir was administered to its first patient in the town of Beni on Tuesday, who is doing well, the ministry said in its bulletin.

    Read Also: Expect more Ebola cases in Congo – WHO

    The ministry said six new cases and four new deaths have been confirmed from the haemmorhagic fever, which causes vomiting and severe diarrhea.

    That brings the total number of deaths to 59 and confirmed cases to 75 since July.

    Congo, whose heavily forested interior makes its a natural home for Ebola, is at the forefront of a global campaign to combat the virus, which killed more than 11,000 people when it swept through West Africa from 2013 to 2016.

    The Central African country has experienced ten Ebola outbreaks since the virus was discovered in northern Congo in 1976, more than twice as many as any other country and 33 people died in a flare-up in the northwest that ended last month.

    In addition, a vaccine manufactured by Merck, which proved effective against the earlier outbreak in northwestern Congo, has been administered to 1,693 health workers and contacts of Ebola patients.

    Insecurity in Congo’s eastern borderlands with Uganda has continued to complicate the response, with some contacts of Ebola patients located in so-called “red-zones”, which are off limits to emergency responders due to militia activity.

    Instead, local health workers in those areas are monitoring the contacts and no Ebola cases have yet been confirmed there.

    NAN

  • Israel bombed Iranian-backed militias in Syria – Netanyahu

    Israel has attacked Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militias in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, casting such actions as potentially helping to stem a Syrian Sunni Muslim refugee exodus to Europe.

    Israeli officials have previously disclosed scores of air strikes within Syria to prevent suspected arms transfers to Lebanon’s Shi’ite Hezbollah guerrillas or Iranian military deployments.

    But they have rarely given detail on the operations, or described non-Lebanese militiamen as having been targeted.

    Netanyahu accused Iran, which has been helping Damascus beat back a seven-year-old rebellion, of bringing in 80,000 Shi’ite fighters from countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan to mount attacks against Israel and “convert” Syria’s Sunni majority.

    “That is a recipe for a re-inflammation of another civil war – I should say a theological war, a religious war – and the sparks of that could be millions more that go into Europe and so on.

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    “And that would cause endless upheaval and terrorism in many, many countries,” Netanyahu told an international security forum.

    “Obviously we are not going to let them do it. We’ll fight them. By preventing that – and we have bombed the bases of this, these Shi’ite militias – by preventing that, we are also offering, helping the security of your countries, the security of the world.”

    Netanyahu did not elaborate. About half Syria’s pre-war 22 million populations has been displaced by the fighting, with hundreds of thousands of refugees making it to Europe.

    Syria’s population is mostly Sunni Muslim. President Bashar al-Assad is from the Alawite religious minority, often considered an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

    Under recent deals between Assad’s government and mainly Sunni rebels, insurgents have left long-besieged areas sometimes in exchange for Shi’ite residents moving from villages surrounded by insurgents.

    The political opposition to Assad says the deals amount to forced demographic change and deliberate displacement of his enemies away from the main cities of western Syria.

    The Damascus government says the deals allow it to take back control and to restore services in the wrecked towns.

    NAN

  • Israel blames Palestinians for cancellation of Argentina friendly

    Israel on Wednesday blamed Palestinian pressure for Argentina’s cancellation of its World Cup  warmup against Israel, a match that had been set for contested Jerusalem.

    The Palestinians accused Israel of using the fixture and the participation of Barcelona ace Lionel Messi to underpin its disputed claim to Jerusalem, which U.S. President Donald Trump recognised in 2017 as Israel’s capital in a break from international consensus.

    The Israeli Embassy in Argentina confirmed the cancellation on Twitter, saying it was saddened by the news following the threats directed at the players.

    The embassy expressed its hope that the players would come to Israel soon.

    “The threats and provocations directed at Lionel Messi, which logically aroused the solidarity of his colleagues and fear of playing the friendly, are no strangers to the daily life of Israel’s civilian population whose sporting stars, to put it simply, have been on numerous occasions the targets of violence and attacks,” the embassy wrote.

    “The friendship between Argentina and Israel, which will soon celebrate its 70th anniversary, is not about a football match. The democratic country and plural state (composed of Jews, Muslims and Christians), will always eagerly await the chance to receive one of the stars of Argentine sport.”

    The match at Jerusalem’s Teddy Kollek Stadium was to be Argentina’s last before they kick off their World Cup campaign in Russia on June 16.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Argentinian President Mauricio Macri on Tuesday night to ask him to persuade the team not to cancel their visit, but a diplomatic official said the chances of salvaging the fixture were very slim as Macri can’t force the players to come to Israel.

    Read Also: Israel Minister threatens to end Assad’s rule

    “Macri has some influence, but it’s their decision and they’re afraid to come in the current climate,” the official added. “Israel is still pressuring them to reverse the decision.”

    In a second conversation Tuesday night, Macri told Netanyahu he had no influence on the matter.

    Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev received updated from the game’s producer, Danny Ben Naim, on the efforts to reverse the Argentinean decision.

    The minister was informed that since Argentina had announced their arrival for a friendly with Israel, different terror organisation had started sending messages to the players and their family members with explicit threats, as well as images and videos of children’s bodies.

    Addressing claims that the Argentinean team refused to arrive because of the decision to move the game to Jerusalem, the sports minister said: “That’s nonsense which legitimizes terror and the BDS campaign.

    Unfortunately, we have trojan horses in the Knesset who supporting terror.”

    President Reuven Rivlin said in response to the cancellation, “This really is a sad morning for the fans, including some of my grandchildren, but there are values that are even bigger than Messi.

    “I’m very concerned in the politicisation concealed in the Argentinean move. Even in the most difficult times, we made every effort to leave considerations which were not pure sport out of the soccer fields, and it’s a shame the Argentine team failed to do it this time.”

    The visit of twice world champions Argentina has attracted huge interest among Israeli fans, mainly because of Barcelona great Lionel Messi’s planned participation.

    Palestinians celebrated the cancellation.

    In Gaza, people cheered and in Ramallah in the West Bank, the Palestinian Football Association issued a statement thanking Messi and his colleagues for cancelling the game.

    NAN