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Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told US Vice President Kamala Harris that shared values and interests allow their two countries to overcome any differences between them, as he capped off the first day of meetings with senior US officials in Washington on Tuesday.
“Even when we have differences, I know that our goal is common, which is to see Israel strong, secure, and thriving,” Lapid told Harris. Earlier in the day, Israel’s top diplomat met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan along with a group of senior bipartisan lawmakers led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Relatedly, Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on Wednesday set to have a “candid” conversation with Lapid, during which the former reportedly will caution against Chinese investment in the Israeli economy. “As the secretary has noted, with allies and partners worldwide, we’ll be candid with our Israeli friends over risks to our shared national security interests that come with close cooperation with China,” a senior State Department official said.
The comments — made during a briefing with reporters prior to the Wednesday meeting in Washington between Blinken, Lapid and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed — appeared to mark an uptick in US rhetoric against Israel’s warming ties with China. Washington’s main concerns lie in potential dual-usage, whereby various Israeli technologies imported by China would have both civilian and military applications.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi next Friday. They will reportedly discuss diplomatic, security and economic matters, as well as regional issues, foremost of which is the Iranian nuclear threat, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The invitation comes on the heels of a phone call between the two leaders last week. The meeting will take place amid rising tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow surrounding the deconfliction mechanism in Syria.
In August, the Russian military in Syria said its air-defense systems had shot down 22 of 24 missiles launched by Israel into Syria.
Israel attacks Iranian operatives in Syria that are trying to establish a beachhead on the Jewish state’s northern border or are attempting to transfer weapons to the Tehran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
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The Israeli government is expected to announce the reopening on November 1 of the country’s borders to many foreign tourists who are fully vaccinated.
Initially, visitors from 40 countries will be permitted entry, mostly from European Union nations with which Israel has mutually recognized vaccination standards.
In line with the COVID-19 booster campaign conducted in Israel, only tourists who have either received two shots within six months of their visit or a third dose will be allowed in. Visitors to the Jewish state will be required to provide a negative coronavirus test result from within 72 hours of their flight and to conduct a PCR test upon arrival.
The Health Ministry is reportedly mulling a proposal to allow all vaccinated tourists entry from November 21.
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A new survey has found that antisemitic prejudice towards Jews persists among more than 30 percent of the population in countries across Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, hostile views of the State of Israel command similar levels of agreement despite a sharp decline in traditional antisemitic attitudes.
The results of the study were publicized by the Brussels-based European Jewish Association (EJA) at a conference addressed by senior Jewish and Israeli leaders. Based on polling among 1,000 respondents in each of sixteen EU member states, the survey demonstrated that antisemitism is still “deeply ingrained in Europe and hard to treat,” the EJA’s president, Rabbi Menachem Margolin, said.
In response to the findings, President Isaac Herzog noted the continued “threats to Jewish religious and cultural life in Europe including calls, legislations and judgments that support a ban on Jewish circumcision and productions of kosher meat.”
Herzog urged those at the conference “to use all of the tools at your disposal to ensure that European Jews can live an open, free and secure Jewish life,” adding: “Israel will always be a home for you and will always be by your side.”
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Every Wednesday, HonestReporting uploads special content for its followers to share on social media to help generate international impact. We upload images, infographics, trending news stories, petitions and tweets that help spread the word that Israelis are also involved in global conversations! Check in every #IsraeliWednesday to see what’s new and be sure to tag us when you share!
Recommended Reading
- HonestReporting In the News: Media Outlets Give Platform to Antisemitic Posts (Jewish News Syndicate)
- Israel’s US Envoy Blasts ‘Ignorant and Hypocritical’ Ben & Jerry’s (Ariel Kahana, Israel Hayom)
- The Story Behind Iraq’s First Pro-Israel Conference (David Isaac, Jewish News Syndicate)
- We Have to Stick With Israel No Matter What (Jeffrey Green, Jerusalem Post)
- From Judeo-Greek to Karaim, Oxford Courses on 12 Rare Jewish Languages Aim to Keep Heritages Alive (Michelle Krasovitski, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- 7-Eleven to Open Hundreds of Stores in Israel, But They’ll Be Closed on Shabbat (Stuart Winer, Times of Israel)
