Category: Partnerships

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Netanyahu Meets With Yahya Cholil Staquf, Indonesian Islamic Leader

Yahya Cholil Staquf, Top Indonesian Cleric with 60 Million Followers says to Lead with Mercy when visitin Prime Minister Netanyahu

Leading Muslim cleric Yahya Cholil Staquf, the General Secretary of the global Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama took time to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu during the cleric’s visit to Israel.



Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following on meeting Yahya Cholil Staquf:

“Israel is the innovation nation, and I’m very happy to see that the Arab countries and many Muslim countries getting closer to Israel. I hope that we have some movement with Indonesia.”

In response, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Fahri Hamzah proposed to the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a fatwa banning Muslims, especially Muslims in Indonesia, from coming to the territory occupied by Israel.

“In order to avoid the same incident, then MUI needs to issue a fatwa banning a visit to Israel. Because, it violates our national commitment to liberate Palestine.”

“In fact, every day they commit crimes and conduct colonialism and oppression,” he said.

While this reaction is not surprising, there is an opposite trend as more and more Sunni states are opening up to dealing with Israel.

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Germany Approves €1 Billion Deal to Lease Israeli Drones

Despite small protests outside Germany’s Bundestag, the German parliament approved a €1 billion deal for leasing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). These UAVs  are capable of carrying payloads of weapons. For Germany, this is important  and carrying out attack missions in the German army’s theaters of operation in Mali and Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following concerning the deal:

“I am very pleased by the decision of the German parliament yesterday to approve the giant deal to lease Israeli UAVs. This is an incredible deal that has implications, first of all, for our security industries and for the Israeli economy, but also for the continued strengthening of security relations between Israel and Germany. Germany helps Israel with security, and Israel also helps Germany. This is a very important development and I would like to personally thank Chancellor Merkel. I spoke with her about this ten days ago. She told me that she would pass it through the parliament and she did so.”

Why is this deal important?

Simply put, it cements Israel as the preeminent military drone developer.  Not only that, it provides Israel with a huge win in a country that originally saw this deal nearly torpedoed by the German Social Democratic Party (SDP). While Western Europe has increasingly been confrontational with Israel at the UN, its continuous diplomatic antagonism appears empty as countries like Germany realize that only Israel can provide the type of technology it needs.

According to Globes the deal includes:  €720 million payment to the Airbus Defense and Space company, which will lease seven UAVs from IAI (five regular UAVs and two for training) and €177 million to the Israeli government for use of airports, command and control facilities, and support and maintenance services.

Essentially Germany will have its first permanent presence in Israel.



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Israel and Latin America: Continuing Their Growing Partnership

Prime Minister Netanyahu met with a delegation of chairpersons of foreign affairs committees of Latin American parliaments and noted he is due to fly to Guatemala this November for a regional meeting. This meeting continues the growing partnerships Israel has in Latin America.  Evidence of this was on full display as Guatemala and Paraguay both moved their embassies to Jerusalem after the USA became the first country to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

Will Latin America Be Israel’s New Africa?

With the large amount of believing Christians in Latin America, most being pro-Israel, there is clear evidence that the same sort of synergy that catipulted Israel and Sub-Saharan African relationships exists in there as well.  Israel’s growing partnerships with a variety of countries in Latin America provide it with new markets and partners who are hungry for Israeli know-how and technological innovation.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following to the delegation:

“You’re very welcome here. Our relations with the countries of Latin America are obviously changing very rapidly for the better. I’m very proud of the fact that I was the first Israeli prime minister to visit any country south of Texas.

I had an opportunity to go first to Argentina, then to Colombia, then to Mexico. And I intend to have another meeting in November, September. We’re going to Guatemala for a regional meeting, so I’ll have the opportunity to meet the leaders of all your countries.

You’re all parliamentarians, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re all ambassadors. Now you’re ambassadors of Israel and of the truth. Please convey to your fellow citizens, this is very important, for us and people who know Israel as it is.

Here’s something about Israel. You’re sitting now in the seat of the Israeli government. It’s here in Jerusalem. Right next to us, is the Knesset, our parliament. It’s in Jerusalem. Right next to that is the Supreme Court. It’s in Jerusalem. The President’s house is in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. We are very …And it will always be the capital of Israel. It’s been the capital of Israel for three thousand years. This is a description of our government under King Solomon, the son of King David, three thousand years ago. Jerusalem has been our capital for three thousand years and it will be our capital.

I’m very glad that Guatemala has moved its embassy. I’m very glad that Paraguay has moved its embassy. And I ask you, as well as being Israel’s ambassadors, to ask your governments to move their embassies to Jerusalem. So we can say, ‘Next year in Jerusalem’.”



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Israel and Italy: 15 Million Shekel Cooperation in Innovation

The Israel-Italy Joint Innovation Council for Industrial, Scientific, and Technological Cooperation in R&D, in which both the Israel Innovation Authority and Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology and Space participate, has decided to promote eight academic and six industrial cooperative projects, funded by both governments at a sum of 15 million shekels per year, over the course of two years.

“Investment in joint research leads to a threefold return on investment.”

Israeli Minister of Science, Technology, and Space Ofir Akunis said: “Investment in joint research leads to a threefold return on investment. Italy understands the value of investing together with Israel, and is indeed seeking to expand this cooperation. Like many other countries around the world, Italy is interested in joint ventures and has tightened its science and technology ties to Israel.”

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen said: “The bilateral Israeli-Italian cooperation is among our most fruitful. Throughout 17 years of cooperation, some 100 projects have been funded in the industrial sphere, and dozens more in the scientific arena. A large portion of these projects have reached commercialization, and cooperation between the two sides has proven to be quite beneficial to participating companies. In light of this, both governments are highly committed to continuing this level of cooperation.”

Within this framework of scientific cooperation, universities and research institutes from both countries have been working together on research in selected fields. The eight approved scientific projects will be published by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space for researchers in the fields of marine biology and marine agriculture and the physics of complex systems.  In addition, the Israeli Ministry of Science, Technology, and Space will help fund the establishment of joint bio-robotics laboratories in its first phases at a cost of 8 million shekels.

In the field of industrial cooperation, approved projects are in such areas as: innovative manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical development, cybersecurity and transportation. The Israel-Europe R&D Directorate (ISERD), under the auspices of the Israel Innovation Authority, is responsible for coordinating cooperation on the Israeli side.

Calls for proposals for next year’s industrial and scientific R&D cooperation will be published in June 2018, and requests for funding can be submitted until the end of October 2018.

Both parties agreed to expand joint activities including workshops, seminars and other events in order to deepen cooperation between companies, universities, and research institutions from both countries. The council has also decided to once again award the Rita Levi-Montalcini Prize, which will enable outstanding scientists from both Italy and Israel to benefit from scholarships from one another’s country.

Israel and Italy will also expand their collaboration as part of the Horizon 2020 program, with the two countries increasing cooperation to promote startups from both countries. Horizon 2020 is the pan-European program for cooperation in research, development, and innovation, and is considered the largest R&D program in the world. Some €80 billion are being invested in research from 2014-2020 as part of Horizon 2020.