Reuven Rivlin (Israel) - Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

German foreign minister due in Israel, Palestine

Oliver Towfigh Nia — Wed, 19 May 2021 17:48:00 +0000

BERLIN

Germany’s foreign minister is scheduled to travel to Israel and the West Bank for political talks late Wednesday night amid the escalating Gaza conflict.

“I am planning to travel to Israel for talks in Jerusalem and Ramallah later tonight,” Heiko Maas told reporters in Berlin.

According to a Foreign Ministry statement, Maas will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

In Ramallah he is slated to meet with Mohammad Shtayyeh, the Palestinian Authority prime minister.

Talks will focus on the current escalation in the Middle East and international efforts to end the violence.

Germany is a staunch ally of Israel and has repeatedly supported Tel Aviv’s military aggression on Gaza, claiming that Israel is exercising its right to self-defense.

Meanwhile, a German Foreign Ministry spokesperson has called for a cease-fire in the Gaza conflict amid the mounting death toll, especially among Palestinian civilians.

“We are trying to get both sides to first have a truce and then a cease-fire,” Andrea Sasse told reporters.

Despite the growing violence – now in its tenth day – diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire have failed to make much progress.

The US continues to block the UN Security Council from issuing a joint statement urging an end to the hostilities, telling diplomats that a public statement would not help calm the tensions.

Berlin has repeatedly ruled out direct talks with the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza strip.

At least 227 Palestinians, including 64 children, have been killed in Israeli military airstrikes on Gaza since the latest violence erupted on May 10. About 1,620 Palestinians have been injured.

Twelve people in Israel have died, while nearly 300 Israelis have been wounded, according to local media reports.

Source: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-foreign-minister-due-in-israel-palestine/2247510

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Israel has not fully deterred Iranian aggression in Syria

Israel Kasnett — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 11:00:27 +0000

An old Israeli tank with a flag overlooking the Syrian town of Quneitra in the Golan Heights on Feb. 11, 2018. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90.

(February 4, 2019 / JNS) Israel’s now overt war against Iran has moved to the airwaves as well. At the Cybertech2019 conference held last week in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Iran threatens us in many other ways. They issued … threats that say they’ll destroy us. … We’re not oblivious to these threats. They don’t impress us because we know what our power is, both in defense and in offense.”

Netanyahu was responding to threats made by Hossein Salami, Iran’s second-in-command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who threatened recently to “eliminate” Israel if it tries to attack Iran. He said, “Our goal is to eradicate Israel from the world’s political map.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani, a close aide to Iranian leader Ali Khamenei, threatened Israel as well, saying Iran would continue to develop its ballistic-missile capabilities to counter Israel’s “acts of stupidity.”

On Jan. 29, Dan Coats, U.S. director of national intelligence, warned of increased chances of a regional war when he told the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence that “Israeli strikes that result in Iranian casualties increase the likelihood of Iranian conventional retaliation against Israel.”

In Coats’s view, Israel has not succeeded in deterring Iran from building up its military presence in Syria.

Indeed, Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin, speaking at the 11th annual INSS conference that just took place from Jan. 29-31 in Tel Aviv, warned that Iran will likely “intensify its responses” to Israeli strikes in Syria and will “retaliate with greater force.”

Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, agrees with Coats. Inbar told JNS, “It’s a continuation of what we’ve seen before. We tried to prevent the enrichment of the military presence of Iran in Syria. So far, we have been successful in preventing [them from] establishing air bases and naval bases, and probably also bases for launching missiles. And we see a determined effort on the part of Israel, which is not likely to stop. On the other hand, we see a similar determined effort on the part of Iran. It’s not clear that so far we have been successful in deterring them from continuing.”

“I think the goal is clear—to establish an additional front near northern Israel on the other side of the Golan Heights, and they believe they will be able to establish something similar to what they have established successfully in Lebanon,” said Inbar. “To some extent, our determined effort is a clear admission that we were wrong about Lebanon. For years, we were saying that [Hezbollah’s] missiles will get old and not be effective, and we learned the hard lesson in 2006. So this is part of the Israeli learning curve. We are determined not to repeat this experience.”

Asked if Israel would pursue Iran in Iraq even if it pushed Iran out of Syria, he said, “There are reports of Israeli military activities in Iraq as well. Definitely we will try to do it anywhere possible. Iran is a nuclear issue. It’s a separate issue from Iran establishing a front for a war of attrition against Israel. We will continue to fight the Iranians and their proxies in Syria and elsewhere probably. A war of attrition will not solve the nuclear issue. [Syrian president Bashar] Assad is linked, of course, to the Russian intervention, and we have no interest in entering into a conflict with the Russians. As long as Assad is not helping Iran, we do not care what kind of regime is beyond our borders.”

‘The Iranians have yet to be deterred’

Norman Roule, a former senior U.S. intelligence official and a senior adviser to United Against Nuclear Iran, also agreed with Coats. He told JNS, “Israel has now conducted hundreds of strikes, and the Iranians continue to build this infrastructure. Thus, the logical explanation is what Israel is doing is not yet a sufficient deterrent to Iran and the Quds Force to keep it from conducting these activities in the future. … The Iranians have yet to be deterred. … Iran has been able to move the border of confrontation to its adversary’s doorsteps, while at the same time removing it from its own border.”

“When you speak to policymakers around the world and the region, their first comment is that they wish to avoid a regional conventional war,” said Roule. “Well, let’s look at what we’ve got. We’ve had hundreds of Israeli airstrikes into Syria. I’d call that an air war. We’ve had hundreds of [Iranian-backed] missiles fired into Saudi Arabia. I’d call that a missile war. We’ve had naval activity, and we have finally some small numbers of Iranian ground forces in the Middle East. We have an Iranian war against the region already ongoing, but because it’s been disaggregated, it receives far less international attention than it should. The danger with all this is that Iran is changing the DNA of the region.”

He pointed out that Israel has “certainly been able to conduct multiple strikes against Syria, which have prevented the Iranians from establishing an infrastructure in that country. And the Quds force has significantly failed to establish an infrastructure in the Golan. This has also shown that Russia has shown some weakness. They have not been able to stop Iran from conducting these activities. They have not been able to stop Israel or the United States from punishing Iran or Bashar al-Assad.”

Asked what it would take for Iran to be deterred, Roule said, “It requires multilateral diplomatic and economic pressure of sufficient stature to cause the Iranians to believe that actions will risk an economic pressure that might threaten regime stability. … They are going through a very difficult period. They are facing unprecedented and simultaneous demographic, economic, ecological, political and social crises. They are also looking at the succession of perhaps a new supreme leader and a presidential election in 2021. Iran needs stability now more than ever, but Iran needs to know that the international community is opposed to its actions.”

Roule warned that any series of events could easily spiral into a regional war. “Unless the international community sets a real red line with the Iranians—and enforces that red line, and that involves some risk—Iran may believe there are no red lines and continue to push until they achieve a success such as a terrorist action, a missile strike [and/or] an armed drone strike, which could then compel the wounded party to undertake actions that provoke the regional war we all wish to avoid.”

“Iran has a very carefully considered calculation as to what they can achieve without facing serious consequences,” he continued. “And that is a statement on the international community’s response to terrorism, to missile proliferation, not just missiles in Iran’s own inventory that can strike Israel, but the missile technology they have provided to Hezbollah and to the Houthis, which is unacceptable. The drone attack that was conducted by the Houthis against the Yemenite government recently used the drone that was based on an Iranian system. That was the first action by a government—Iran in this case—using a proxy to kill an official of another government, I believe, in history.”

Asked if Iran will ultimately fire missiles at Israel, Roule said “we have seen the Iranians use the excuse of actions against ISIS to demonstrate their capacity to fire ballistic missiles into Syria. There are reports they have provided ballistic missiles to the Iraqis. I think for Israel, there is a danger not only that Iran might do this at some point in the future, but that they will give these weapons to Iraqi Shi’ite or certainly to Lebanese Hezbollah, which would then undertake this without Iran receiving any criticism from the international community because of Russian protection at the United Nations Security Council.”

Source: https://www.jns.org/experts-agree-that-israel-has-not-yet-deterred-iranian-aggression-in-syria/

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Czech president vows to move embassy to Jerusalem in speech to Knesset

I24 News — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 01:06:37 +0000

Czech President Milos Zeman, pictured July 2018, released a joint statement with other Czech political leaders saying the opening of a “Czech House” in Jerusalem would be “the first step in the plan to move the Czech embassy” there Michal Cizek (AFP/File)

Czech President Milos Zeman reiterated his promise to open his country’s embassy to Jerusalem in a speech to the Israeli parliament (Knesset) on Monday, while stressing his solidarity with the Jewish people.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the Czech Republic is the best friend of Israel in Europe. I wonder why only in Europe,” Zeman said, causing laughter in the parliament.

“My speech is a message of solidarity with Israel and Jewish people,” Zeman continued. “We Europeans, and now I do not speak about America, I speak about the EU in fact, sometimes hesitate more. We sometimes are cowards. It is very impolite, isn’t it? But I am afraid it is frank. And that’s why it is necessary all the time (to stand in) solidarity with Israel. Because if we betray Israel, we betray ourselves.”

Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu told his Likud faction that Zeman had promised to move the Czech embassy to Jerusalem, a promise the Czech President echoed in the Knesset on Monday.

“Tomorrow I will open the Czech House. Where? In Jerusalem. And it connects CzechInvest, CzechTrade, CzechTourism, and so on. I am no dictator, unfortunately. But I promise I will do my best in order to realize the third step, after the honorary consulate and Czech House. And you can guess what is to be the third step,” Zeman said.

The new “Czech House” will shelter government institutions including the foreign ministry’s Czech Center, the CzechTrade trade agency and CzechTourism tourism agency.

Czech President Milos Zeman (left) speaks alongside President Reuven Rivlin (right) in Jerusalem, November 26, 2018 Mark Neiman (GPO)

The Czech Embassy has been located in Tel Aviv since 1949, except during the interruption of diplomatic relations under the former communist regime in Prague between 1967 and 1990.

The Czech President also said his European counterparts often acted as “cowards” on issues concerning Israel, and that they should stand in solidarity with the Jewish state.

Netanyahu welcomed the Czech President in the Knesset, praising him for being “one of the first leaders in this generation to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.”

The Israeli Prime Minister also spoke about the need for Israel’s presence in the Judea and Samaria (West Bank).

Without Israeli defense in that area, Netanyahu said, radical Islamism will fill the void and threaten the existence of Israel.

Netanyahu also warned about the consequences of “dangerous concessions, including uprooting communities,” which he said “hasn’t happened, and won’t happen with me.”

Source: https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/189622-181126-czech-president-vows-to-move-embassy-to-jerusalem-in-speech-to-knesset

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Firefighters battle 3 fires caused by flaming kites on Gaza border

Judah Ari Gross and Toi Staff - Times of Israel — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 10:59:52 +0000

Fresh blazes reported near Moshav Netiv Ha’asara and Kibbutz Nir Am, as Israeli official warns Hamas over incendiary tactic.

Firefighters were dispatched Tuesday morning to the Gaza border area after flaming kites were sent soaring over the border, causing at least three fires in Israeli territory, ahead of expected violent demonstrations along the Strip’s security fence.

Two large fires broke out near Kibbutz Nir Am, northeast of the Gaza Strip, while the third was reported in the area of Moshav Netiv Ha’asara, to the north.

Since the “March of Return” protests began along the Gaza border at the end of March, hundreds of kites and helium balloons have been flown into Israel outfitted with Molotov cocktails and containers of burning fuel, setting fire to large swaths of land.

A large blaze was reported south of Nir Am, across the street from the nearby town of Sderot’s Sapir College.

Footage from the scene, filmed by a student, showed the fire spreading rapidly as firetrucks were heard rushing to the scene.

The fire forced authorities to temporarily close down the Route 232 highway in southern Israel until the flames could be brought under control, according to a spokesperson for the local Sha’ar Hanegev regional council. The road later reopened.

The second fire outside Nir Am broke out in nearby grazing lands, according to the Sha’ar Hanegev spokesperson.

The military anticipated that large protests would take place on Tuesday along the security fence to commemorate what Palestinians refer to as the Naksa, or setback, of Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six Day War, which brought East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights under Israeli control.

Firefighters, soldiers and local residents have worked on an almost daily basis to try to contain fires in Israeli fields ignited by the burning kites.

On Sunday, the heads of the local governments in the Gaza periphery sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Interior Minister Arye Deri calling for increased investment in the area in light of the precarious security situation.

“In the past week, including last night, almost 200 mortar shells and Qassam rockets have landed in Gaza periphery communities, serving as a painful reminder that the Gaza periphery must manage a fragile and complicated way of life, under constant threat to its residents,” the local mayors wrote.

Israeli officials have said that since the start of the protests at the Gaza border, there have been more than 200 fires in the Gaza periphery, destroying some 17,500 dunams (4,300 acres) of land, the majority of it in nature reserves and parks.

According to the Nature and Parks Authority, approximately 10,000 dunams in parks and reserves in southern Israel were burned, though a spokesperson for the authority said investigations were still underway to determine exactly how much of that was caused by incendiary kites and balloons, and how much was from other sources.

Palestinian protesters fly a kite with a burning rag dangling from its tail to during a protest at the Gaza Strip’s border with Israel, April 20, 2018. (AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

On Saturday, a blaze devastated the Carmia nature reserve in southern Israel Israel, in what officials said was the worst day of fires since the demonstrators adopted the fire kite tactics a few months ago.

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Tuesday that Israel should initiate a program of targeted assassinations against those who fly burning kites from Gaza to Israel, as well as Hamas commanders.

“The fact that Hamas is the one enabling the shooting and the sending of the kites means we must return to targeted assassinations, and the kite-launchers and Hamas commanders should be targeted for killing,” said Erdan during a visit to the southern Israeli town of Sderot.

An undated photo of an Israeli farmer in the Gaza-area driving his tractor next to a field apparently set aflame by a burning kite flown from the Gaza Strip. (Courtesy)

On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered that funds be withheld from the Palestinian Authority to compensate Israeli farmers living on the Gaza border who had their agricultural lands destroyed.

Israel’s Tax Authority said the agricultural damage alone stood at NIS 5 million ($1.4 million) and that damage caused to nature reserves and other land could drive up the figure.

President Reuven Rivlin called PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday and asked him to condemn the airborne arson attacks on the Gaza border and attempts to cross into Israel.

“The terror coming from Gaza is a problem for both sides and we should hear your voice on this matter,” Rivlin said, according to Hebrew media reports. “We have to see how to stop the arson and infiltration of the border fence.”

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/firefighters-battle-2-fires-caused-by-flaming-kites-on-gaza-border/

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Liberman, Netanyahu to Iran: Israel has never been more prepared to fight

i24 news[Israel] — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 05:36:56 +0000

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, speaks with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman during a special cabinet meeting to mark Jerusalem Day in Ein Lavan, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Thursday, June 2, 2016. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP) Israel celebrated its 70th Independence Day this week, where Iran was mentioned several times in speeches

Following Friday’s threat by Iranian general Hossein Salami, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back at Iran, saying Israel has never been more ready to defend itself.

Asked about the Iranian threats by reporters on Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said Israel was fully prepared for a “multi-arena” conflict, referring to fire from both Gaza and Lebanon.

“We have been hearing these threats for many years now, and I am suggesting that all those on the northern border [in Lebanon] really think hard about what they do — they really should not test the IDF or the State of Israel,” Liberman said in response to Salami’s threat that Israel’s air bases are within reach.

“We are ready for a multi-arena scenario and I don’t remember a time of such preparedness and readiness, both in the army and among the people of Israel,” the defense minister said as he was touring the Gaza border amid Friday’s protests in the Strip.

Salami, the vice commander of Iran’s revolutionary guards, issued a harshly-worded threat to Israel on Friday, warning that the Jewish State’s air bases were “within reach” for Iranian missiles and once they strike the only escape will be the sea.

In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader on Wednesday, May 20, 2015, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, right, arrives at a graduation ceremony of the Revolutionary Guard’s officers, while deputy comm (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

“Israel: Don’t trust in your airbases; they’re within reach,” Salami wrote on Twitter.

“Don’t have hope in US and UK; when they arrive, you’re not there… Smallest goal will be your existence.You can’t bear. When you escape, you’ll have no way but to the sea,” he added.

Tensions between arch-foes Israel and Iran have reached a crescendo in recent weeks since Israel’s pre-dawn attack on an Iranian-operated T-4 (Tayfur) airbase that killed 14 people, reportedly including 7 Iranian personnel.

In an earlier tweet on Friday, Salami wrote: “Hands are on the trigger and missiles are ready and will be launched at any moment that enemy has a sinister plot… North and west of Israel are at the intersection of fire; you will not escape. You live in the dragon’s mouth.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu fired back at the Iranian general’s threats, saying the IDF will fight whoever tries to harm the Jewish state.

“We hear the threats from Iran. The IDF and the security forces are ready for any development. We will fight whoever tries to harm us. We will not shy away from the price and we will exact a price from those who want to hurt us. The IDF is ready for the job and the people will stand strong.”

Israel celebrated its 70th Independence Day this week, where Iran was mentioned several times in speeches by President Reuven Rivlin and Netanyahu.

At a reception for ambassadors, diplomats and military attaches from around the world at Rivlin’s residence in Jerusalem on Thursday, the President stated that Iran continues to be a threat to the stability of the region.

“Of course there are others who do not want peace. The Iranian regime – not the Iranian people – continues to support terror and hatred and to endanger world’s security. This is a challenge for the whole world, and the whole world must face it together. We all must do everything we can to stop these evil regime.”

Netanyahu appealed to the foreign diplomats by calling Iran an enemy of the entire international community.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at Israel’s 70th Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem, April 18, 2018 i24NEWS

“There are two things that you can do to help Israel celebrate this great Independence Day. The first thing is – speak out against Iran. Iran is the enemy of us all – of Israel and the Arab world. It openly speaks about liquidating Israel in the 21st century.”

Netanyahu’s comments came a day before the Iranian general threatened to annihilate Israel.

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Solidarity with Israel central to German foreign policy, new FM says

Raphael Ahren — Sun, 25 Mar 2018 11:44:02 +0000

Ahead of maiden trip to the region, Heiko Maas reiterates commitment to Jewish state’s security, notes 70th anniversary of independence.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas takes the oath of office after the new government was appointed after German Chancellor Angela Merkel was elected for a fourth term as chancellor in the German parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Solidarity with the Jewish state is a cornerstone of German foreign policy, Berlin’s new top diplomat said Sunday as he boarded a plane to Israel for his first visit.

“Responsibility for and solidarity with the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, standing up for its security and against anti-Semitism — that’s at the center of our foreign policy,” he said. “And it’s the compass that I followed on my way to politics.”

During his two-day trip to the region, Maas is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. He will also visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum and meet with survivors. In Ramallah, he is set to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

“Every trip to Israel is special, especially a few weeks before celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the state,” Maas said. That momentous occasion is an important date in Germany, he added, “because the friendship that we enjoy today with Israel is thanks to the great men and women that made it grow. For us, it is a great gift.”

Maas, who became foreign minister earlier this month, affirmed German “continuity” regarding Middle East policy. “We want to strengthen our special connection to Israel in the future,” he said.

His talks with Netanyahu, however, may focus on some contentious issues, as Germany, along with other European states, is currently advocating for the maintenance of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, while Israel has been seeking to have the pact, in which Germany was a key partner, either significantly modified or abrogated altogether.

“Germany remains committed to the nuclear agreement with Iran in order to avoid an increasing arms race in the Middle East,” the German Foreign Ministry posted on its website on Sunday morning.

Another potential point of friction between Jerusalem and Berlin is the upcoming vote for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for 2019-2020.

The two countries are competing for the same slot, which dramatically decreases Israel’s chances to enter the prestigious council for the first time.

During his March 14 inauguration at the German Foreign Office headquarters in Berlin, Maas reiterated his personal commitment to Israelbut also made plain that Germany will not withdraw its candidacy for the Security Council.

“For me, German-Israeli history does not only entail a historic responsibility. For me personally, it is a deep motivation of my political activity,” he said.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/solidarity-with-israel-central-to-german-foreign-policy-new-fm-says/

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Israel leaders embrace Pence as a ‘mensch,’ others show their anger

Maureen Groppe - USA Today — Tue, 23 Jan 2018 14:05:49 +0000

WASHINGTON — Vice President Pence repeatedly made headlines during a four-day trip to the Middle East taken weeks after the Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel —– a move that sparked protests throughout the region after Trump’s December announcement.

Here are highlights from the trip, which ended Tuesday with a visit to the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial and to the Western Wall.

Faster timeline for embassy move

Addressing the Israeli parliament Monday, Pence announced the U.S. embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2019. That’s a faster timetable than administration officials had projected after Trump announced in December that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. While the announcement was applauded by Christian conservatives in the Unites States — a strong base of support for the Trump administration with close ties to Pence — Christian leaders in the Middle East canceled meetings with Pence that had been on the original schedule before the trip got pushed into January. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also called off a planned meeting with Pence in Bethlehem after the December announcement.

Vice President Mike Pence

@VP

The Trump administration will advance our plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem – and the Embassy will open before the end of next year. #VPinIsrael

Protests continue

Arab lawmakers interrupted the start of Pence’s speech with protest signs proclaiming that Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine. They were pushed out of the chamber by Knesset security officers as other lawmakers loudly applauded. Continuing his opening remarks, Pence called it “deeply humbling for me to stand before this vibrant democracy.” Pence received a lengthy standing ovation after his speech. But the chief negotiator for the Palestinians tweeted that “The messianic discourse of Pence is a gift to extremists & has proven that the US Administration is part of the problem rather than the solution.”

Jenna Johnson

@wpjenna

As Vice President Pence began to speak at the Israeli parliament, a group of lawmakers stood to protest and were kicked out of the chamber. There are now 13 empty seats. Pence stood quietly and watched, then commended this “vibrant democracy.”

Pence is a “Mensch”

The criticism Pence faced from Palestinians was offset by the love he got from Israelis. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin summed up his effusive praise of Pence, as someone who stands “very firm behind your words,” by saying there is only one word to describe him: a mensch. That’s the “highest of Jewish compliments,”The Jerusalem Postreported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Pence that “the day I met you, I knew you were a true friend. Netanyahu also said he was touched to learn from Pence that he has a photo of their 2009 meeting in the Vice President’s residence, in Washington.

Pence concluded his trip Tuesday by touring Yad Vashem with Netanyahu and visiting the Western Wall, an outer wall of the Second Temple left behind when Rome destroyed it in 70 A.D., and the holiest site where Jews can pray.

Vice President Mike Pence

@VP

A privilege to pray at the Western Wall. This is our 4th trip to the Holy Land, but Karen & I never fail to leave without a sense our faith has been renewed – our faith in God, but also our faith in the people of Israel & their commitment to freedom, security & peace. #VPinIsrael

No progress on peace talks

While Pence insisted that recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel makes a peace agreement more possible, not less, an administration official told reporters there has been no contact with the Palestinian leadership since the announcement. Pence told Reuters the White House is working with partners in the region to develop a framework for a peace agreement. But, Pence said, “it all just depends now on when the Palestinians are going to come back to the table.”

Vice President Mike Pence

@VP

I truly believe that in making the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, PEACE is now MORE POSSIBLE, not less possible. #VPinIsrael

Pence breaks silence on Trump

In an interview with the Associated Press in Jerusalem, Pence offered his first response to reports that Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries,” and that Trump had an affair with an adult film actress in 2005, shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to his youngest son. Although the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s lawyer paid the actress to not talk to reporters before the 2016 election, Pence called the allegations “baseless.” Trump has also denied making the “shithole countries” comments, reportedly made during discussions about whether to include immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti and African countries in an immigration bill. Pence told the Associated Press that he “knows the president’s heart” and Trump wants a merit-based system that doesn’t consider an immigrant’s “race or creed.”

Ken Thomas

@KThomasDC

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Pence says adult film star’s account of a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 is a `baseless’ allegation.

Ken Thomas

@KThomasDC

JERUSALEM (AP) _ Pence defends Trump on comments disparaging Africa, says his `heart’ aimed at fair immigration system regardless of race.

Traveling amid government shutdown

While other parts of the federal government prepared for a shutdown, the White House said Pence’s trip would proceed as scheduled because it was “integral to America’s national security & diplomatic objectives.” But Pence took the unusual step of giving reporters Internet access during his departure flight Friday night so reporters traveling with him could send out a statement from Pence blaming Democrats for the showdown that “has dangerous consequences for our national defense.” Pence repeated his criticism of Democrats while visiting a military facility near the Syrian border. Bill Kristol, who was the top aide to Vice President Dan Quayle and is a critic of the Trump administration, tweeted that it was depressing for the vice president to use American troops “as props for a partisan political message.”

View image on Twitter

Bill Kristol

@BillKristol

Depressing. The Vice President, visiting American troops abroad, uses them as props for a partisan political message.

Pence intervenes for journalists

Pence had to intervene after Egyptian officials tried to bar the 12 reporters traveling with the vice president from attending his meeting with Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. While one cameraman was allowed into the start of the meeting, the rest were blocked from getting out of the press van during what a reporter called a “prolonged and tense negotiation by the US delegation to get more press access.” In the end, the group was allowed in the room for about nine minutes after the leaders had been meeting for about 90 minutes. The meeting itself may also have been tense, as suggested by this LA. Times headline: Vice President Mike Pence gets an earful in Cairo on his first official Middle East tour. For his part, Pence described the Egyptian leaders’ dissatisfaction with the new U.S. policy on Jerusalem as “a disagreement between friends.”

Brian Bennett

@ByBrianBennett

Vice President Mike Pence gets an earful in Cairo on his first official Middle East tour http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-fg-pence-egypt-20180120-story.html …

Female reports complain about “Pence Fence” in Israel

While male reporters covering Pence’s visit to the Western Wall were given front-row spots, female journalists were relegated to the back where they had to stand on chairs to see. Outraged female journalists started tweeting about the #PenceFence. The Washington Post reported that the ultra-Orthodox Jewish Western Wall Heritage Foundation set up two platforms side by side, straddling the barrier that divides the section of the wall where men pray from the section women use. (The foundation said the arrangement was the same as when Trump visited in 2017.) One reporter tweeted that White House staff removed the “white #PenceFence awning that prevented us women from seeing Veep,” but the women were “still stuck behind men.”.

Tal Schneider

@talschneider

Separation at the Western Wall. The women stuck in isolation and can not photograph, work. Women journalists are second-class citizens. The American women photographers are frantically yelling at the representatives of the White House. #PenceFence

Karen Pence promotes art therapy

Second Lady Karen Pence, who often travels with her husband, found the one practicing art therapist in Egypt to promote her signature cause. In addition to her meetings with art therapists in all three countries visited, Pence toured ancient sites in Jordan, participated in diplomatic events and sat for an interview with an Israeli station during which she called Israel one of her favorite places in the world. “For us as Christians, it’s a very special place,” Pence said. “It’s the place where Jesus walked.”

Karen Pence

@SecondLady

Great conversation in Cairo, Egypt with the only art therapist in the country. She’s doing fantastic work with the clients—making a difference! Encouraged to learn how she’s trying to get an art therapy education program in Egypt. #ArtTherapy

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/23/israel-leaders-embrace-pence-mensch-others-show-their-anger/1057712001/
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