FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Israel will send a warship to join a NATO anti-terror force, bolstering its ties with the alliance.
An Israeli missile ship will join NATO’s Active Endeavor naval force in the Middle East within the next few months, according to media repots. The force works to prevent the passage of terrorists and weapons of mass destruction in addition to protecting the security of the shipping industry in the region.
Israel already had a liaison officer with the force, but its defense officials say having a ship as part of the force is a major step forward in the Jewish state’s relations with NATO.
Israel is not a member of NATO, but other non-NATO countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, are also part of the force.
Plans are for an Israeli ship to occasionally join one of the force’s month-long operations, and that the force would try to avoid Israeli ships approaching the shore lines of Arab countries with which it does not have diplomatic relations.
Abbas: Israel Talking to Hamas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel is conducting secret negotiations with Hamas.
Ha’aretz reported that in a BBC interview in Arabic, Abbas said Israel and Hamas were discussing a Palestinian state with temporary borders. A Hamas spokesman denied the existence of such talks, telling a Palestinian Web site, “We don’t negotiate with the enemy.”
Abbas also said that the Israeli government wasn’t truly interested in peace, and that “Washington isn’t pushing Israel enough to advance the peace process.”
In the interview, Abbas also said that Palestinian elections scheduled for January would be postponed, and that he had made a final decision not to run for a second term.
More Israeli Recruits Seeking to Join Combat Units
The Gaza war has spurred more Israeli recruits to request service in combat units, the country’s army said.
According to figures released Sunday by the Israel Defense Forces, requests to join combat units have increased by 6 percent in this November’s draft over last year’s.
Some 73.7 percent of all recruits this year requested to serve in combat units, compared to 67.2 percent last year.
Seven recruits are competing for every spot in the highly sought-after Golani infantry brigade.
Recruits are more interested in combat units because of last winter’s Gaza war, the IDF told Ha’aretz.