Russia sanctions Turkey over downed jet, will buy from Israel instead
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced sanctions against Turkey over the Russian jet that was downed by Turkish forces this past week.
The decree published
on the Kremlin's website Saturday came hours after Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan had voiced regret over the incident, saying his
country was "truly saddened" by the event and wished it hadn't occurred.
It
includes a ban on some goods and forbids extensions of labor contracts
for Turks working in Russia as of Jan. 1. It doesn't specify what goods
are to be banned or give other details, but it also calls for ending
chartered flights from Russia to Turkey and for Russian tourism
companies to stop selling vacation packages that would include a stay in
Turkey.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev earlier in the week had ordered his cabinet to develop a list of goods to be sanctioned.
Putin's
decree also calls for ending visa-free travel between Russia and Turkey
and orders the tightening of control over Turkish air carriers in
Russia "for security reasons." The decree was issued "to protect Russian
citizens from crimes," a Kremlin statement said.
In terms of filling the void, Israeli tourism providers have already
begun selling the Jewish state as an alternative attraction for Russians
seeking a break in the sun, and say deals are in the works.
Israel's tourism ministry has stepped up its game as well, investing $2.6 million in efforts to woo the Russian market.
As for food imports, Russia's Minister of Agriculture Alexander
Tkachev said his country would be replacing Turkish produce with goods
from Iran, Israel and Morocco.
The minister officially sites healthy and safety concerns, but the
timing of the announcement indicates it is politically-motivated.
...
Over the past 10 months Turkey imported agricultural produce and food
worth just over $1 billion (one billion euros) to Russia, down 21.2
percent compared to the same period last year.
"Turkish vegetables account for 20 percent of the total Russian
imports of vegetables. Import of vegetables, tomatoes in the first
place, will be substituted with those from Iran, Morocco, Israel,
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan," he told Russian media.
Turkey also accounts for a quarter of Russian citrus fruit imports,
he said, adding that the country would similarly be switching to
alternative providers.
"Turkey imports about 250,000 tons of citrus fruits, a quarter of the
total citrus imported into Russia. We can replace citrus imports by
supplies from South Africa, Morocco, China, Argentina, Israel, Abkhazia,
Georgia," Tkachev stated.
Russia also said it could redirect its Turkish exports including wheat and oil to countries in the Middle East and Africa.
Over the past 10 months, Russian exports to Turkey amounted to $1.3 billion.
As long as that doesn't mean a price rise in Israel, that's fine with me, except that there are Jewish law issues with exporting the citrus crop this winter because it is considered produce of the Shmittah (Sabbatical) year.
In the meantime, the 'Palestinians' can cry me a river!
Due to the tension between Russia and Europe, and Russia’s decision
to halt imports from Europe, Israel has been asked to increase exports
of fruits, specifically apples and plums, said Porat.
“Unfortunately,
the Russian market isn’t a big consumer of mangoes, so it can’t replace
the declining demand from Europe,” said Porat.
Porat
noted that lower European demand could be tied to an excess of produce
there created by the Russian boycott, and not necessarily due to
anti-Israel sentiments in Europe.
Hmmm. And the Russians really should try the mangoes. Frozen, they make a great dessert.
#BDS_Fail Asia to overtake US as number 2 destination for Israeli exports
For the first time, Israel exported nearly as much to Asia as to the US in 2013, and is likely to export more in 2014.
The region is expected to come in as Israel’s second-largest trade
partner for 2014 behind the European Union, shifting the United States
into third place, according to the ministry’s Foreign Trade Authority.
In 2013, exports to Asia nearly equaled those to the US for the first
time, coming within 0.6 percentage points as a share of total exports.
When countries are not clustered into regional groups, however, the United States remains Israel’s largest single trade partner.
The ministry expects exports to Asia to grow from 21 percent of total
exports in 2013, to 24.5% in 2018, while combined exports to the EU and
US will shrink from a 63% share to 59.9%.
Exports to all other countries amounted to 16% in 2013, and are projected to fall to 15.5% by 2018.
A decade ago, Asia accounted for just 15% of Israeli exports, while the
US provided more than a third of the market, Foreign Trade Authority
director- general Ohad Cohen said.
Asia to replace Europe as Israel's biggest trading partner?
In light of last month's publication of Europe's Nuremberg guidelines, which seek to force Israel to declare that Judea, Samaria, 'east' Jerusalem and the Golan Heights are not part of our country, there are increasing calls in Israel to turn away from Europe toward Asia as its main trading partner. Here's former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold.
[Former Middle East expert for the US Vice President's office David] Wurmser concludes that Israel
make Asia its preferred export destination and not Europe. This is a
decision Israel will have to make as it influences how it builds its
energy infrastructure. If Europe begins to present itself as an
unreliable trading partner, then there will be many more Israeli voices
who adopt the idea of making Asia into Israel's preferred market for its
gas exports.
Professor Yisrael Aumann, Nobel prize winner in Economics, reaches a similar conclusion in an interview with Yisrael HaYom.
Is there an alternative to the West?
"There's an economic awakening in Asia --
China, Korea, India, Singapore, Kazakhstan. That's something new. It
increases global competition, and competition is good for the economy. I
see it as a good thing, not just for Israel but for the whole world."
Do you see it as the rise of a new civilization in place of the one we've known so far?
"I don't want to be that kind of prophet. It's
obvious that the Far East is waking up, but it's still too early to
talk about the decline of the West. The Chinese asked me what I
suggested for them. I said: 'Learn English now so that in another 50
years, the whole world will learn Chinese.' They're not interested in us
for nothing. Despite the political difficulties, there are games that
we, as a nation, are winning. Israeli scientific research is such a
victory. So are Israeli technology and the start-ups -- what the world
calls 'the start-up nation.'"
Gold believes that Europe needs Israel economically more than Israel needs Europe.
A
German adviser to Chancellor Angela Merkel told The Jerusalem Post last
month that European cooperation with Israel in research and development
in the EU's Horizon 2020 program is a European interest and not just an
Israeli interest.
The background to the
EU's program with Israel is the need for Europe to improve its global
competitiveness and increase jobs and economic growth on the continent
after years of sluggish growth. The Horizon 2020 program is not a
European handout to Israel, but a joint initiative by which Israel puts
up funds by itself and receives 1.6 euros for joint research and
development for every euro it puts in.
Because of its
scientific prowess, Israel is the only non-European country to have been
invited to take part in this program. The Europeans knew what they were
doing by inviting Israel, which is no longer viewed as a country known
only for its Jaffa oranges, as it was in the 1950s. Clearly, both sides
benefit from this cooperation and both have much to lose by its
politicization by EU bureaucrats in Brussels.
So what were the
Europeans thinking when they got Israel involved in the first place?
Economists have long recognized that knowledge-based industries are the
fastest-growing portion of the global economy, and serve as engines for
economic growth. These are precisely the technological fields in which
Israel leads and which Europe needs.
In their book "Start-Up
Nation," Dan Senor and Saul Singer quote an American high-tech
executive who admits that for companies like Google, Microsoft, and
Intel, "the best-kept secret is that we all live and die by the work of
our Israeli teams."
Why should Europe
jeopardize its cooperation with Israel, which has served as such an
important partner for the U.S. companies? To go down the path of
limiting its scientific cooperation with Israel seems to be, ultimately,
a self-defeating policy for Europe itself.
Then there is the issue
of Israel's offshore gas fields. Europe presently imports most of its
gas from Russia and from North Africa. David Wurmser used to serve as a
Middle East expert for the U.S. vice president's office and later
advised Noble Energy, which is involved in Israeli gas exploration. He
points out in a paper for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs that
there are today five existing or planned pipelines connecting Europe
with the gas of North Africa. Four of the pipelines come through
Algeria, which is facing growing threats from al-Qaida affiliates.
Elsewhere in the Middle East, as in Sinai, they have shown their
readiness to sabotage such pipelines. Having another source of gas from
Israel could be critical for Europe if some of its current energy
sources do not come available.
Aumann, whose specialty is game theory, believes that Israel doesn't need European money for scientific cooperation.
"The scientific cooperation
doesn't depend on money. It doesn't depend on grants. On the contrary.
The grants depend on the scientific cooperation. Here at the Center for
the Study of Rationality, we had long-term cooperation without European
money. The money doesn't create cooperation, so it doesn't look like it
will be affected."
Aumann's manner is calm even when I mention
things that should be upsetting -- not just to him, of course, but also
to the entire institution of higher education. This is how he responds
to Hebrew University Professor Shai Arkin's statement that severing
research relationships would damage the universality of Israeli research
and make it provincial:
"I don't share those concerns. It seems to me
that there was good cooperation with the Europeans and the Americans
before, and it will go on afterward, too. The Europeans aren't
threatening to sever scientific connections. Scientific connections
aren't money. I had a case where I had a close scientific connection
with one of the European researchers. He visited us in Israel often. One
day, he joined the boycott of Israel. We were shocked and acted in a
way that resulted in him losing more than we did. We continued to
thrive. Now it's different. I'm afraid of what could happen if we give
in."
What do you mean?
"We're opening a door here for worse things to
happen -- for there to be no scientific cooperation at all. The next
stage could be a threat that if we don't leave Judea, Samaria and
Jerusalem now, a scientific boycott will be declared against all of
Israel, not only on the institutions in Judea and Samaria. The thought
that concessions bring calm is inaccurate. If we agree to a boycott of
Judea and Samaria and don't resist it, thinking that we'll be left alone
if we consent, we'll get the opposite result.
"The thing is that the people who are shouting
that it's bad for Israel's scientific community are the same ones who
have it in for Judea and Samaria anyway. So they're not exactly acting
out of pure intentions toward Israeli scientific research. I admit that
this applies in the reverse situation, too -- as far as people who
support living in Judea and Samaria, as I do. The question is not
entirely political, but politics are involved, at least partially. Most
of the people who are terribly worried about the future of Israel's
scientific research are on the left side of the barricades anyway, and
those who aren't so concerned hold different political opinions."
Is Israel's scientific research dependent on Europe?
"Israeli scientific research isn't dependent
on Europe. Still, scientific cooperation with Europe, and mainly with
the United States, is an important factor. But that's scientific
cooperation; we're not getting any money from the Europeans.
Incidentally, cooperation isn't important just to us, but to them too."
What's unmentioned in either article is the increasing Islamization in Europe, which is likely to assure (as if Europe's anti-Semites needed the push) that these sorts of initiatives from Europe will continue. In 50 years, Europe may well be a backwater to western civilization, but a center of Islam. Israel should start pushing for Asian markets now to get in on the ground floor. Perhaps the next President of the United States will similarly stop that country's euro-centrism.
Israeli Brigadier General: 'We have technological solutions to Russia's S-300 system'
This ought to keep Iran and Syria - both of whom have or would like to get the Russian S-300 air defense system - up at night. Buried in the middle of an article on Israel's booming arm exports (okay, they also stuck it in a below the mast headline) in the JPost is this assessment of Israel's ability to respond to the S-300.
Brig.-Gen. Eitan
Eshel, head of research and development for the Defense Ministry’s
Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure
(known as “Mapat“), said the IDF had access to technological solutions – both
operational and under development – to the threat posed by the Russian S-300 air
defense system. Moscow has vowed to complete the sale of the system to Damascus,
which would threaten IAF activities in the region.
Of course, the real danger of Syria getting the S-300 is that they turn it over to Hezbullah - the chances of Syria using it against Israel right now are remote in the short term. But knowing that Israel has a response ought to make everyone think twice.
The United States and India are both interested in learning about Israel's border security fences according to a report in Monday's Jerusalem Post.
A growing number of countries are flocking to Israel to study border security as the Defense Ministry works to complete the construction of a physical and technological barrier along the Egyptian border.
In August, a delegation from India will arrive to study the various technologies used by the IDF to secure the borders with the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Egypt, and which could be implemented as part of India’s own fence with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
...
India is interested in beefing up its border security to prevent future incidents like the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
The Indian press reported Sunday on a tunnel that had been discovered under the border with Pakistan in the contested Kashmir region.
Another country closely following Israel’s decisions on border security is the US, which is building a barrier along its border with Mexico.
The Department of Homeland Security is, for example, testing the ELM-2112 family of persistent ground surveillance radars, developed by Elta Systems, a subsidiary of Israel Aerospace Industries, and used by the IDF to detect intruders before they reach the border.
Five different versions detect individuals at ranges from 300 m. up to 20 km., and vehicles at up to 40 km.
The radars feature four stationary antennas, each covering a 90-degree sector enabling persistent surveillance and tracking over a wide area.
Of course, none of those countries will have to deal with a Supreme Court that knows nothing about security but dictates the fence's route. Nor will they have to worry about the International Court in the Hague, or various bodies of the United Nations getting involved and condemning them.
Israel's latest export to the US: Prime Time television
I don't watch television - in fact we don't even own a working television. But the following video may look familiar to those of you who do watch it.
Let's go to the videotape.
Homeland is actually an Israeli television show - and it's just one of several that are on US television or that are in the pipeline to be on US television. The Jewish state has found another export (Hat Tip: Ricky G).
"Homeland," which broke Showtime's ratings record for a first-year series finale, is adapted from the Israeli show "Hatufim" (Prisoners of War). It's one of a host of U.S. programs that began life as a Hebrew-language series in this Mediterranean nation of only 8 million people. "Who's Still Standing?," the new NBC quiz program in which contestants answering incorrectly are dropped through a hole in the floor, is also an Israeli import. So is the former HBO scripted series "In Treatment," which starred Gabriel Byrne and ran for three seasons.
And that's just the beginning: Nearly half a dozen shows in development at U.S. networks — including the divorce sitcom "Life Isn't Everything" (CBS), a time-travel musical dubbed "Danny Hollywood (the CW) and the border-town murder-mystery "Pillars of Smoke" (NBC) — are based on hit Israeli series, their themes and language tweaked for American audiences.
Unbeknown to most viewers, a small group of creators and industry types has built a pipeline between Israel and the Los Angeles entertainment world 9,000 miles away. Although many American Jews have a political relationship with Israel, the entertainment pipeline is a new development born of the maturation of the Israeli television industry — and has turned a nation known for politics into Hollywood's hottest spawning ground.
"I know it can sound strange, but when you think about it, the two countries have a lot in common, whether it's in social values or storytelling," Gideon Raff, the creator of "Hatufim" and an executive producer on "Homeland," said in a Tel Aviv cafe a few days before the "Homeland" finale aired in the U.S. "And Israelis as a people don't really care that much about traditional rules, which fits a little with what's going on in cable television in the U.S. right now."
Stupid Jews to allow exports from Gaza despite terror activity
A senior IDF officer told Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini this week that Israel plans to let Gaza exports be shipped through Israeli crossings starting in mid-2011 despite the fact that it will bring the Hamas government more money for purchasing weapons and ammunition, and despite the fact that Gilad Shalit remains a hostage in Gaza (Hat Tip: Shy Guy).
Israel has already begun to prepare for resumed exports from Gaza, Dangot said. Work is being done at the Kerem Shalom crossing to increase its capacity.
Some exports have already begun. Israel is already allowing flowers and strawberries to be exported via Israel.
Dangot reported that Israel has significantly relaxed its policy on imports to Gaza as well. While Israel initially allowed only humanitarian aid to enter the region from Israel following the Hamas takeover, today approximately 250 trucks enter the region every day bearing a wide variety of goods, and everything but weapons and dual-purpose goods is allowed through.
As the work at Kerem Shalom progresses, imports are expected to rise further, and by early 2011 an estimated 400 trucks will deliver goods to Gaza daily, he said.
Frattini was shown a live video feed of activity at Kerem Shalom, where workers were busy checking goods entering Gaza. He and Dangot also discussed projects taking place in Gaza in the fields of housing and education.
While the world has focused primarily on Israel's Gaza policy, the region also shares a border with Egypt. Egyptian authorities have also relaxed their policy regarding Hamas-run Gaza recently, allowing Gaza residents to exit via Egypt's Rafiah crossing and allowing foreign activists bringing goods to enter.
Bwahahaha: What do they think they are going to export?
Fifteen Gaza businessmen have made inquiries about exporting their products to the United States.
Daniel Rubinstein, the Uniteed States consul in Jerusalem, met Monday in Ramallah with 15 Gaza businessmen in the high-tech field in conjunction with the opening of the Palestinian Authority (PA) high-tech and information exhibitions in in Gaza and Ramallah, according to the PA's Wafa news agency.
The businessmen said they discussed ways to export their products to the U.S. and the serious situation in the Hamas-controlled area because of Israel's closure of Gaza .
High tech? Gaza? They can't even fix their sewer system....
Maybe they want the US to subsidize the prices too....
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
