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22-24 Nov 2016 Milestones Snippets1 1

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IS-AU:161122:(24-NOV-16):Australia and Israel: Good Guys Should Stick Together......................................1CV:161121:(24-NOV-16):Nearly 1 billion passed through Holy Doors during Year of Mercy..........................3UKB:161117:(24-NOV-16):News: UK maritime leaders discuss Brexit with Transport Secretary..................3UK-US:161121:(24-NOV-16):Royal rendezvous? Queen Elizabeth to invite Trump for UK state visit............4EU:161121:(24-NOV-16):Make Europe Great Again............................................................................................4CR-RU:161121:(24-NOV-16):Orthodoxy and Russia inseparable - Putin..........................................................5EGR-ECY:161122:(24-NOV-16):Cyprus leaders fail to agree territory deal.......................................................5IS-MJO:161122:(24-NOV-16):Regional Cooperation Ministry: Israeli, Jordanians and Palestinians to Work

Together to Save the Dead Sea.................................................................................................................. 6EGE:161121:(24-NOV-16):Angela Merkel will run for a fourth term as chancellor of Germany......................6RU-EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):These maps show how Russia has Europe spooked..........................................7IS-UK:161123:(24-NOV-16):British warship docks in Israel amid rising tensions in Mediterranean..............8RU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Russian naval aviation to get almost 2 dozen new jets & helicopters by year’s

end – Navy chief.......................................................................................................................................... 9WORLD:161123:(24-NOV-16):You may be higher up the global wealth pyramid than you think....................9MAR-MSY-RU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Putin Seeking ‘Economic Share’ from Syria’s War...............................10IS-MPA:161123:(24-NOV-16):Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Remarks to the Jerusalem Post

Diplomatic Conference.............................................................................................................................. 10CV-CR:161123:(24-NOV-16):Vatican cardinal meets with Russian patriarch.................................................13IS-IN:161124:(24-NOV-16):After 25 years, Israeli-Indian relations appear to be coming of age....................13EU-EGE:161124:(24-NOV-16):Martin Schulz to quit as EU parliament leader................................................14EEU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Opinion: Requiem for a European dream...............................................................14UKB-EU:161124:(24-NOV-16):Britain holds the aces in Brexit talks...............................................................15IS-UK:161123:(24-NOV-16):Middle East minister: UK ‘very proud’ of role in establishing Israel.................17ARCH:161124:(24-NOV-16):World’s Oldest Harbor Discovered in the Red Sea.............................................17IS-RU:161124:(24-NOV-16):PM Netanyahu Speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin..........................17UKB-EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Stay out of EU affairs, leading MEP tells British government........................17EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):DAWN OF EU ARMY: MEPs APPROVE new £420million-a-year SUPER FORCE to

defend Europe........................................................................................................................................... 18EU-TU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Growing Sentiment in EU to End Membership Talks with Erdogan’s Turkey. 19UK-IN:161123:(24-NOV-16):UK, India tech firms call for Israel-style tech hub...............................................19IS-TU:161124:(24-NOV-16):Turkey Offers to Send Large Firefighting Plane..................................................20IS-US:161124:(24-NOV-16):Weekly Commentary: Best to Level With Trump.................................................20IS-US:161121:(24-NOV-16):Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem: A Great Opportunity for the New

President.................................................................................................................................................... 21IS-MPA:161116:(24-NOV-16):Israel’s Population Bomb is Disappearing........................................................22RU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Russia successfully tests missiles that fire from 'nuclear trains'....................................22

Sorry for the length, I have finally caught up! Don

IS-AU:161122:(24-NOV-16):Australia and Israel: Good Guys Should Stick TogetherBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 379 22-Nov-16EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Australia and Israel should develop a more significant strategic partnership. They are each small countries that play important roles in their respective regions. They have democratic values in common as well as a pro-American orientation in their foreign policy. But while they support one other, neither completely grasps the extent of their shared strategic concerns. Both states are affected by four serious global trends: the retreat of American power, the rise of China, the spread of radical Islam, and the threat of nuclear proliferation. An enhanced bilateral relationship is warranted.

Australia and Israel have a warm relationship. In addition to the bond of their common values, both countries well remember the important Australian military contribution to the eviction of Turkish forces from the Land of Israel in 1917, and many Israelis have fond memories of the Aussies who passed through Mandatory Palestine during WWII.The two countries also share serious strategic concerns. They should work together more closely to tackle them.In the Middle East, the Obama administration has projected weakness and encouraged Iran’s quest for hegemony. The

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vacuum created by the lower American profile has been partially filled by the Russians, a trend with worrying implications.Asian as well as Middle Eastern states view the declining American role with concern. Despite the Obama administration’s rhetoric about pivoting to Asia, it did little to reassure its allies. Indeed, many of them now fear the rise of China, which is aggressively pursuing ambitious goals. The Philippines, under the colorful President Rodrigo Duterte, appears to wish to substitute its American orientation with a Chinese one.China has been more active of late in the greater Middle East, offering support to anti-American states like Iran and Syria. The Chinese Belt and Road initiative, while primarily motivated by economics, nevertheless has strategic significance in East and West Asia.The spread of radical Islam, too, is a challenge for both Australia and Israel. In the Middle East, it is not only small radical Islamist states and groups that cause trouble. States with an Islamist agenda are contributing to the radicalization of the Muslim world.Saudi Arabia, for example, has spread its Wahhabi version of Islam for decades. Since 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has disseminated its revolutionary understanding of Shia, gaining control of four Arab capitals in the process – Baghdad, Beirut, Damascus, and Sana. Since 2002, Turkey has been ruled by an Islamist leader who supports Sunni radical elements in Gaza, Syria, Libya, and Iraq.Radical Islam is increasingly infiltrating South and East Asia, with the potential to destabilize countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. This prospect is of great concern to Australia, the Muslim minority of which is displaying signs of unrest.Finally, the specter of nearby nuclear proliferation is much feared by both Australia and Israel. Until recently, the Americans’ traditional position as security provider was a disincentive for nuclear proliferation. The 2015 nuclear deal with Iran changed that by legitimizing Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure.Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia are unlikely to stand idly by as Iran, their regional competitor, makes nuclear progress. Unfortunately, the increased mistrust of Washington’s leadership has made American security guarantees less credible.A similar development is underway in East Asia, where Chinese assertiveness and the growing North Korean nuclear threat are believed to be receiving an inadequate American response. The perception of American disengagement increases the likelihood that South Korea and Japan will adopt a nuclear posture, starting a chain of proliferation in other parts of Asia.Australia’s and Israel’s common apprehensions about these global trends provide the strategic glue with which to build closer relations in defense and foreign affairs. With that in mind, Anthony Bergin of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) and I co-authored a report, The Wattle and the Olive: A New Chapter in Australia and Israel Working Together, which suggests that the two countries move towards greater cooperation.Up to now, there have been almost no high-level military exchanges between the two countries. Israel doesn’t have a

uniformed military attaché in Canberra (although it has posted a civilian from the Ministry of Defense). The Australian military attaché to Israel is based in Ankara, Turkey.A regular and sustained dialogue of foreign and defense ministers is clearly in order. A strategic interchange involving senior uniformed and civilian defense personnel should look at strategic thinking, US alliance issues, military-to-military cooperation, and defense industry cooperation.Australia should upgrade military and diplomatic relations with Israel to tap into its expertise in counter-terrorism, hi-tech weapons systems, and cyber-security. The Australian and Israeli militaries would benefit from enhanced cooperation: both operate American equipment, and both have invested heavily in world-class technology.The two militaries can share doctrinal insights and intelligence. Israel, whose military doctrine is based on self-reliance, can learn from Australia’s experience in military coalitions. Israel, in turn, has experience in urban warfare and in the development of unmanned aerial systems for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and combat, an area in which the Australian air force is developing its capability.Israel also has expertise in countering improvised explosive devices (an area in which Australia also displays considerable proficiency) and is a global pacesetter in active measures for armored vehicle protection, defense against short-range rocket threats, and the use of robotics in the battlefield.Both countries are close to major choke-points along maritime oil and trade routes, making naval affairs an important component of their national strategies. Australia has a big navy and Israel plans to expand its own, in part to protect its offshore gas fields.Regarding air power, both countries have acquired the US-made F-35A, so there might be potential for collaboration. (In the technical domain, collaboration is most likely to occur in the broader community of international operators of the F-35A.)Beyond hard security, social resilience is another area where information can be shared. Israel has managed to preserve social cohesion even when hit by terror and rocket attacks. It has endured decades of conflict, yet has still succeeded in building a flourishing economy and vibrant democracy.The two countries can also share expertise on water management. Israel is a world leader in dryland farming, drip irrigation, and waste water recycling. There is, furthermore, a clear area for cooperation in international development programs in the Asia-Pacific and Africa that support Australian foreign policy objectives. Canberra, in turn, can help Jerusalem enhance the diplomatic progress it has already made in Asia.Unfortunately, there is a tendency in Australia (and elsewhere) to see Israel purely through the lens of the Palestinian issue and the peace process. This is not the right prism. It is unlikely that an enhanced relationship with Israel would damage Australia’s standing in the Arab or Muslim world. Israel has peace treaties with Egypt, the most important Arab state, and with Jordan. Other Arab countries



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are quietly getting closer to Israel because of the rise of Iran in the region and the shared fear of radical Islam.Jerusalem has very good relations with the Muslim states in Central Asia and the Caucasus. There is no evidence that Australia’s relationship with Israel has in any way hindered its own defense relations with Arab countries, its defense engagement in Southeast Asia or the Pacific, its international efforts to counter terrorism and proliferation, or the ability of the Australian Defense Force to operate in Afghanistan and Iraq.Our recently issued report could serve the two countries well right now. Israel’s prime minister has announced plans to visit Australia in February 2017, at which time he will seek greater cooperation. The respect ASPI and the BESA Center command in their respective countries ensures that the highest government echelons will be aware of the report.

There is really no country in the Middle East whose interests are more closely aligned with Australia’s than Israel. Neither state has sufficiently recognized the extent to which they contribute to one another’s national interests. Australia and Israel can cooperate in strategic affairs to the benefit of both countries. The bilateral relationship could be significantly expanded. Good guys should stick together.Efraim Inbar is professor emeritus of political studies at Bar-Ilan University and the founding director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Jerusalem Report on November 20, 2016.

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CV:161121:(24-NOV-16):Nearly 1 billion passed through Holy Doors during Year of MercyCatholic World News 21-Nov-16Events organized in Rome for the Jubilee Year drew 21.3 million pilgrims, Archbishop Rino Fisichella informed reporters at a November 21 briefing.Archbishop Fisichella—who as president of the Pontifical Council for New Evangelization had primary responsibility for organizing the Vatican’s observance—estimated that nearly one billion people passed through a Holy Door somewhere in the world during the Year of Mercy. On a worldwide basis, he said, “the average participation among the Catholic population as a whole was between 56% and 62%.” He said that these statistics were based on reports from “some important dioceses around the world.”

The archbishop also called attention to the large number of pilgrims who traveled to Catholic shrines: 22 million to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico; 3 million in Krakow, and an all-time record at Santiago de Compostela in Spain.In Rome, the archbishop said, the greatest number of pilgrims registered for Jubilee events were, not surprisingly, Italian. They were followed by German-speaking pilgrims, Americans, Poles, and Spanish. But the list also included visitors from China, Chad, Rwanda, Nepal, and the Cook Islands. “In short,” Archbishop Fisichella said, “we can say that the whole world has come to Rome.”

Top of the DocumentUKB:161117:(24-NOV-16):News: UK maritime leaders discuss Brexit with Transport SecretaryMaritineUK Press Releases 17-Nov-16The Secretary of State for Transport has chaired a roundtable with maritime industry leaders to listen to their priorities for the sector in the light of the referendum vote to leave the EU.The Secretary of State chaired the meeting alongside Shipping and Ports Minister John Hayes, Trade Minister Mark Garnier, DExEU Minister Lord Bridges, Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill and Defence Procurement Minister Harriet Baldwin, to hear the views of industry leaders on the forthcoming Brexit negotiations and talk about the opportunities Britain’s decision to leave the EU could bring to the sector.Maritime is crucial to the UK’s economy - contributing around £35 billion annually. As the engine of British trade, and with a world leading marine manufacturing sector, the UK maritime industry supports over 700,000 jobs, and drives exports and inward investment.The sector is a vital part of the UK’s island nation heritage and of its modern economy – supporting jobs, driving innovation and enabling trade. The sector also enables millions of people to enjoy the recreational benefits of the UK's coastal and inland waterways.The roundtable gave Ministers from across government an opportunity to listen to the sector and get their views on the priority issues and opportunities following the public vote to leave the EU.

Members representing all maritime sectors - shipping, ports, marine industries and maritime business services were all represented at Board level to discuss new trading opportunities, market access, customs, exports, inward investment, visas, skills, and support for a renaissance in British shipbuilding.These insights will help ensure that the sector’s views are reflected in the analysis being conducted by the government on the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.Following the meeting, the Chairman of Maritime UK, David Dingle CBE said:“In light of the decision to leave the EU, the UK must now, more than ever, capitalise on our global reputation as a world class maritime nation, embrace trade opportunities and deliver prosperity across the country.“There are now huge opportunities to be seized and the industry recognises the significant responsibility it has in ensuring that Britain is open for business, and is committed to working in partnership with government to ensure that our voice is heard in the discussions ahead.“Today’s roundtable with Ministers from right across government demonstrates the crucial role that our sector plays in enabling trade with the rest of the world, and of the close partnership industry now has with government to



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ensure the UK strengthens its position as a world-class maritime centre.”

Top of the DocumentUK-US:161121:(24-NOV-16):Royal rendezvous? Queen Elizabeth to invite Trump for UK state visitJerusalem Post 21-Nov-16Discussions between British officials and Trump's team will reportedly start soon to ensure that a date can be agreed for June or July next year.Queen Elizabeth will invite US President-elect Donald Trump for a state visit to Britain next year to try to cement close ties between the two countries, The Sunday Times newspaper said.Citing two ministers and a senior official close to Downing Street, the Sunday Times reported that discussions between British officials and Trump's team would start soon to ensure that a date could be agreed for June or July next year.Britain is keen to reinforce its "special relationship" with the United States as the government of Prime Minister Theresa

May prepares to leave the European Union, a divorce that will shape the country's standing in the world.Trump invited May to visit him as soon as possible during their first telephone call since his election victory, the British prime minister's office has said. Aides for May have said as yet there is no date for the trip.The Sunday Times said the British government hopes that an official state visit will be its "secret weapon" for cementing ties after Trump met leading Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage earlier this month - the first British politician to do so.The newspaper also said the president-elect told May during their phone call last week that his late Scottish mother was a "big fan" of the Queen and asked the prime minister to pass on his best wishes to her.

Top of the DocumentEU:161121:(24-NOV-16):Make Europe Great AgainGerman Foreign Policy 21-Nov-16Foreign policy experts are calling for the EU's concerted effort in opposition to a future USA governed by Donald Trump. According to the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a unified European stance is necessary to increase "leverage" over Washington. If the US President-elect ignores Europe's interests, Europe should consider going its own way in global policies, writes a German author in the leading US foreign policy periodical. It may be necessary "to consider whether to develop a European nuclear umbrella." These demands began to be heard after liberal Western media and members of the foreign policy establishment had declared Merkel the new "leader of the free world," and characterized outgoing US President Barack Obama's visit to Germany as "passing the baton" to Berlin. The Federal Republic of Germany is setting out to take on "America's status as torchbearer of liberal democracy." "It is befitting for Merkel to speak in the name of what we have been calling the West, for the past seven decades," according to the business press. Journalists describe the predominant attitude in Berlin already as being "the guardians of the international post-war order.""Leader of the Free World"Already in the morning of November 9, when Donald Trump's election victory was announced, the Head Editor of "Zeit Magazine," Christoph Amend, twittered Chancellor Angela Merkel's revaluation to "Leader of the Free World." By November 11, the publicist Timothy Garton Ash expressed his agreement with this assessment in the British Guardian, noting that this designation is usually reserved for the president of the United States, but now it belongs to the German Chancellor.[1] On November 12, the New York Times ran the headline, "Angela Merkel May Be the Liberal West's Last Defender."[2] The revaluation of the German chancellor is usually based on the fact that already November 9, Merkel had conditionally offered Trump a continuation of cooperation - only on the basis of "common values." This statement was provoked astonishment around the world.[3] Foreign policy circles note that it is customary for

Washington to place its cooperation with Latin American countries on the "conditions," that "values" be respected. So far, however, no head of the German government has dared to put conditions on its cooperation with Washington. The German Chancellor is now openly defying the USA, according to these foreign policy circles.Passing the BatonMerkel's willingness to enter confrontation with Trump is being widely praised among the liberal establishment on both shores of the Atlantic; while outgoing US President Barack Obama's visit to Berlin is now being interpreted as a "passing of the baton" to the new "leader of the liberal West." "There are "other liberal leaders in Europe," says Daniel Hamilton, executive director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, but Merkel is "the most prominent."[4] London's Financial Times alleges that Germany sees itself as "the guardian of the postwar international order" so disdained by Mr. Trump. The German capital has also showed a "resolve" to refuse to pay fealty to the future president, if necessary. "It falls to Ms Merkel to speak for what during the past seven decades we have known as the west," the journal writes.[5] The Guardian notes that, Germany may struggle to assume "America's status as the torchbearer for liberal democracy."[6]Global PlayerGermany's promotion - verbally at the moment - to become the "liberal West's" leading power, comes at a delicate moment for Berlin. The clout of EU's armed forces is not yet sufficient to seek global leadership - particularly following the imminent British withdrawal. In addition, the EU has been riddled with serious crises, with no solutions in sight. Berlin is trying to consolidate the European Union with large-scale military projects, thereby laying the groundwork for a more aggressive global policy. Politicians in Brussels are already speaking in terms of a "Superpower Europe." (german-foreign-policy.com reported.[7]) Berlin is pleading for a leading role in the West, while calling on the EU to



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finally close ranks and on the USA not to stand in Germany's way. Merkel is "absolutely decided, willing and ready to help strengthen the international liberal order," according to Norbert Roettgen, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag. However, "this is only possible, if we cooperate in Europe and if the transatlantic alliance supports us." The West must be "reinvented." Even though "the chancellor" is "a cornerstone of the Western political concept by acting as a global player," however, "US participation and support" are necessary.[8]Own WayGerman-European think-tanks have already begun to give their advice in the struggle for leadership. In his article for the main US foreign policy magazine "Foreign Affairs," the Director of Berlin's Global Public Policy Institute, Thorsten Benner, wrote that in addition to the normal government contacts, Berlin should deepen its ties with Republicans in the U.S. Congress, who, to a certain degree, can control Trump's foreign policy.[9] If Trump is determined to undo key multilateral agreements, Europe can signal that it is prepared to go its own way. To "protect the West's reputation," one must expose "abuses of liberal democratic principles, including those committed by the United States." If Trump proves serious about abandoning U.S. defense guarantees, "European states may be compelled to rethink their nuclear postures." "Berlin will need to consider whether to develop a European nuclear umbrella based on French and British capabilities." The article does not expound on whether French nuclear arms will be sufficient once Britain

withdraws, or if other countries, which do not yet have nuclear weapons, would have to contribute.LeverageHowever, there is a consensus that Germany has to "ensure a unified European stance toward the United States."[10] This is necessary "to increase leverage over the US," according to a short analyses published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).[11] Even the EU's "most Trump-like leaders will find it harder to defend their national interests if they try to go it alone," the analysis continues. "To survive in Trump's world, they should try to make Europe great again."For more on this subject see: An Essential Part of the West and Superpower Europe.[Footnotes to articles in German removed] [1] Timothy Garton Ash: Populists are out to divide us. They must be stopped. www.theguardian.com 11.11.2016. [2] Alison Smale, Steven Erlanger: As Obama Exits World Stage, Angela Merkel May Be the Liberal West's Last Defender. www.nytimes.com 12.11.2016. [3] See An Essential Part of the West. [4] Arne Delfs: Europe's reluctant leader inherits the world in age of Trump. www.chicagotribune.com 15.11.2016. [5] Philip Stevens: Now Angela Merkel wears the west's mantle. www.ft.com 17.11.2016. [6] Philip Oltermann: Germany daunted by great expectations as Obama passes baton to Merkel. www.theguardian.com 17.11.2016. [7] See Superpower Europe. [9], [10] Thorsten Benner: Germany Can Protect the Liberal Order. www.foreignaffairs.com 16.11.2016. [11] Mark Leonard: Europe, Alone in Trump's World. ww.ecfr.eu 09.11.2016.

Top of the DocumentCR-RU:161121:(24-NOV-16):Orthodoxy and Russia inseparable - PutinTASS 21-Nov-16Orthodoxy has been playing a major role in Russia’s life throughout the entire history of Russia, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that Orthodoxy and Russia are inseparable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the film Patriarch shown on the Rossiya-1 television channel on Sunday to mark the 70th birth anniversary of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

"Orthodoxy and Russia are inseparable. And throughout our entire history, Orthodoxy has been playing a major role in the life of our state and our nation," the president said."Our moral values rest on Christian values, so in this sense it [Orthodoxy - TASS] is a major part of Russia’s soul," Putin said.

Top of the DocumentEGR-ECY:161122:(24-NOV-16):Cyprus leaders fail to agree territory dealEUObserver 22-Nov-16Talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders ended without an agreement on Monday evening (21 November), casting doubt over the island's reunification process.Cyprus president Nicos Anastasiades and the leader of the Turkish occupied part of the island Mustafa Akinci were trying to agree on the map of a future federal Cyprus.But after a two-day meeting in Mont Pelerin, Switzerland, backed by UN Cyprus envoy Espen Barth Eide, the two leaders failed to agree on criteria to draw the map.“Despite their best efforts, they have not been able to achieve the necessary further convergences on criteria for territorial adjustment that would have paved the way for the last phase of the talks,” the UN said in a statement.“The two sides have decided to return to Cyprus and reflect on the way forward,” it added, suggesting that the peace process may have reached a dead end.

Anastasiades and Akinci started talks earlier this year with the aim of reaching a settlement before the end of the year.They have met several times a month since the end of summer, including during a five-day session in early November, to escape the local pressure, and have so far managed to keep a momentum despite difficulties.But talks have now reached crucial issues like how much territory will be under the authority of the Creek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, how many Greeks will be allowed to go back to the Turkish part, and how much coastline each entity will have.The Turkish Cypriot side has proposed to keep 29.2 percent of the island's territory, while the Greek Cypriots have proposed 28 percent, with discussions blocking over some towns and villages along the future limit.



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The northern part of the island, occupied by Turkey since 1974, currently represents some 36 percent of the territory.In a Turkish-language tweet reported by Cypriot media, Akinci’s office accused the Greek Cypriot side of "maximalist" positions.An agreement on the map of the future federal Cyprus would have paved the way for an international conference to close a settlement deal with Cyprus's guarantors - the UK, Greece and Turkey.The three countries are the guarantors of the island's sovereignty since it became independent in 1960.Cyprus, supported by Greece, wants to scrap that status while the Turkish Cypriot side insists to keep Turkey as a

protecting power. Turkey used its guarantor status to invade the island and keep 40,000 troops in the northern part.Turkey's position towards the peace process has so far been a big unknown, especially since last July's failed coup has hardened president Erdogan's power and led to a massive purge in the Turkish army.Cypriot media also reported that Greek, Turkish and Cypriot authorities had many phone calls during the talks in Switzerland. And on Monday, Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras proposed to meet Recep Tayyip Erdogan to talk about the guarantee system and unblock the blocking points in the negotiations.No new meeting is set at the moment. UN envoy Eide said he would “bring these developments to the attention" of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon.

Top of the DocumentIS-MJO:161122:(24-NOV-16):Regional Cooperation Ministry: Israeli, Jordanians and Palestinians to Work Together to Save the Dead Sea(Communicated by the [Israeli] Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister's Media Adviser) 22-Nov-16A dedication ceremony was held this morning (Tuesday, 22 November 2016), at the Masada National Park Visitor's Center, for Dead Sea Research Institute, in which Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian Authority scientists will work together to study the Dead Sea in order to find ways to rehabilitate it and the region around it (on both shores). The institute was established under the aegis of the International Cooperation Ministry, which invested NIS 4 million in it. Additional partners in the establishment of the institute are the Tamar Regional Council, Tel Aviv University, the JNF and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.Deputy Regional Cooperation Minister Ayoob Kara said that the institute would coordinate the work of four separate research institutes in Israel and Jordan that are working on the area from the Arava to the Jordan Valley and are carrying out advanced studies for the benefit of the local population and neighboring peoples. He added, "This place serves as a symbol of the deep desire of the Israeli people for cooperation with our neighbors in joint research, progress and development in order to improve life in general and our common life in particular. The Dead Sea, the preservation of which we are currently fighting for, is an historic source for heritage, tourism and raw materials used by the entire world in technological, agricultural and medical developments.

Under my leadership, the Regional Cooperation Ministry is advancing many projects to raise awareness of the Dead Sea with our neighbors, especially the canal between the seas which, in a few years, will raise the level of the Dead Sea by millions of cubic meters of water and supply freshwater to the peoples of the region. Taking a historical and cultural view, I will work together with the various regional councils to rename the section of Highway #90 between Jericho and Eilat, which was known in ancient times as a conduit for the spice trade, after the Queen of Sheba, as a sign of cooperation between us and our neighbors."The institute will coordinate the research that is currently being done on the Dead Sea, boost interest and define a list of priorities. It will also serve to increase the study and teaching of various disciplines associated with the Dead Sea, assist in carrying out studies in the area and be a regional center for researchers and students.Studies carried out by the institute will concentrate on issues such as: Climate and environmental medicine and health; Dead Sea studies (flora and fauna, environment, geology, archaeology and heritage); natural resource, environmental and community management and regional-international cooperation, as well as bio- and nano-technology.

Top of the DocumentEGE:161121:(24-NOV-16):Angela Merkel will run for a fourth term as chancellor of GermanyEconomist 21-Nov-16Some see her as leader of the global liberal order. She does not “I TAKE a long time, and my decisions come late,” Angela Merkel said on November 20th, as she explained why she was only now confirming what most Germans had long assumed: that she would run for a fourth term as German chancellor in next autumn’s election for the Bundestag. Considered a shoo-in until the summer of 2015, she lost the support of many conservatives last autumn when she opened Germany’s borders to the refugees then streaming into Europe. Crucially, she also fell out with an important domestic ally, Horst Seehofer, the premier of Bavaria, who demands a fixed upper limit to asylum-seekers. But with the refugee crisis waning and her popularity rising again, Mrs

Merkel in the end decided that she had no choice but to run again. She lacks an obvious successor in her conservative bloc, and she may be the only one able to protect her 11-year legacy of centrist politics during a time of populist insurgencies.The election this month of Donald Trump as America’s next president may have tipped the balance in her decision. Suddenly, America’s future role as leader of the liberal post-war order is in doubt. Other Western powers are distracted—Britain by its decision to exit the European Union and France by the threat that Marine Le Pen, a right-wing Eurosceptic, could win the presidency next year. Mrs Merkel appears to be the last remaining world leader of stature to defend the West’s liberal values against the likes of Russia’s Vladimir



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Putin or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As though to confirm these hopes of Mrs Merkel, Barack Obama, while visiting Berlin for the last time as America’s president this month, said that if he had a German vote, he would cast it for her.The chancellor, however, is doing her best to dampen perceptions of her as potential world-saviour. At her press conference to announce her candidacy, she called such notions “grotesque and almost absurd”. The word in Berlin is that she views exaggerated expectations of her as detrimental to her campaign next year. Germany’s populist right-wing party, the Alternative for Germany, which is polling at 13%, is still smaller than its counterparts elsewhere in Europe. But a mantle as defender of cosmopolitan globalism would make her even more of a “lightning rod and provocation” for the populists, says one insider.Mrs Merkel’s challenges are therefore just as much domestic as international. This month, she suffered a tactical defeat against her junior partners in government, who will also be her arch-rivals in the coming campaign, the Social Democrats. Mrs Merkel had tried to find somebody from her own party, the Christian Democrats, to take Germany’s presidency in February, when the incumbent Joachim Gauck retires. This post is largely ceremonial but freighted with symbolism. Instead, Sigmar Gabriel, the leader of the Social

Democrats, pushed his party’s candidate, the current foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. To avoid an open fight between the parties, Mrs Merkel gritted her teeth and agreed.Mr Steinmeier’s move, and Mrs Merkel’s renewed candidacy, now increase the pressure on the Social Democrats to declare their intentions. By default, Mr Gabriel, as party boss, should become the candidate for chancellor. But his support in the party is unstable, and many Social Democrats think that the more outspoken president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, would do better against Mrs Merkel. Mr Schulz is also rumoured as the most likely successor to Mr Steinmeier as foreign minister. But the Social Democrats have to decide their strategy soon or risk being consumed by infighting.As controversial as Mrs Merkel has become in the refugee crisis, her chances to win a fourth term remain excellent. In the latest poll, her support has risen to 55%, up from 42% in August. More importantly, all recent polls suggest that the only plausible coalition against her—a combination of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the ex-communist The Left—will not win a majority. The odds are that Mrs Merkel will indeed stay in office through 2021, thus beating both Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl to become the longest-serving German chancellor.

Top of the DocumentRU-EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):These maps show how Russia has Europe spookedWashington Post 23-Oct-16

The Kremlin has brushed off Western concerns about its deployment of cutting-edge missile systems in its Kaliningrad enclave, saying that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was the one disrupting the strategic balance with its plans to put antimissile defenses on Russia's borders. But the Russian arsenal on the Baltic, some of which has been tested in Syria, is potentially a game-changer.Which weapons has Russia moved to Kaliningrad? Bastion land-based coastal-defense missile launchers: In October, Russia beefed up its anti-shipping defenses in with these launchers. Since then, it has used them as an offensive weapons against rebel positions in Syria. According to IHS Jane's 360, the supersonic missiles fired from the Bastion have a range approaching 200 miles. In a conflict, they could be used against NATO ships trying to reach the Baltic states.S-400 land-based air-defense missiles: Russia has already installed these state-of-the-art missile systems to protect its air base in Syria. The S-400 can simultaneously track and strike a number of aerial targets at once at ranges of up to 250 miles. In Kaliningrad, S-400s would be capable of targeting NATO aircraft and missiles over most of the Baltic region.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-air-defense-raises-stakes-of-us-confrontation-in-syria/2016/10/17/85c89220-948c-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-air-defense-raises-stakes-of-us-confrontation-in-syria/2016/10/17/85c89220-948c-11e6-bb29-bf2701dbe0a3_story.html

http://www.janes.com/article/65517/russia-reveals-bastion-p-deployment-land-attack-role-in-syria

http://www.janes.com/article/65517/russia-reveals-bastion-p-deployment-land-attack-role-in-syria

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russian-warplanes-from-mediterranean-carrier-join-syria-attacks/2016/11/15/fe0056d2-ab26-11e6-977a-1030f822fc35_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/nato-criticizes-new-russian-missiles-near-poland-lithuania/2016/11/22/a25733a4-b0b8-11e6-bc2d-19b3d759cfe7_story.html



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Kalibr nuclear-capable ship-based cruise missiles: In October, Russia sent two missile frigates to Kaliningrad equipped with launchers that can fire these missiles more than 900 miles. A Russian missile frigate based off Syria has launched Kalibr missiles at rebel forces.

Iskander-M mobile nuclear-capable land-based ballistic missile system: The Iskander-M is a mobile short-range ballistic missile system with an official range of just more than 300 miles. That complies with the limits set by the landmark 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by the United States and the Soviet Union. Iskander is extremely mobile and hard to detect and has superior accuracy.That sounds bad. What could be worse?

Longer-range, nuclear-capable land-based ballistic missiles: The United States accuses Russia of developing land-based ballistic missiles with a range much greater than allowed by the INF treaty — some military estimates suggest that Russia has tested a missile that could reach major European capitals. The whole point of the INF treaty was to eliminate the threat of rapid nuclear escalation posed by hidden launchers carrying devastating weapons a short flight time. But Moscow denies the allegation and says that it is the United States that is breaking the treaty with illegal intermediate missiles of its own.

Top of the DocumentIS-UK:161123:(24-NOV-16):British warship docks in Israel amid rising tensions in MediterraneanAssociated Press 23-Nov-16A British warship on Tuesday conducted a joint exercise with the Israeli navy before docking in the port of Haifa for a visit that comes at a time of heightened tensions in the eastern Mediterranean.Both countries described the visit by the HMS Bulwark as routine and a reflection of deepening security ties between the two nations. It is the first British warship to dock in Haifa since 2009.But its arrival comes weeks after Russia’s deployment of its aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to the region, off the coast of Syria. Russia has backed the Syrian government in its civil war, and the Russian ship has been used as a base for airstrikes on rebel targets.“The eastern Mediterranean is a pretty dangerous place right now, but that’s we are paid to do,” said Capt. James Parkin,

the ship’s commander. “Of course we are in a very high level of preparedness.”David Quarrey, Britain’s ambassador to Israel, said the ship has been deployed to the region for several months and was stopping in Haifa for a quick break before heading home.“There are many shared challenges that the UK and Israel face, and unfortunately many of them come from the region,” he said.An Israeli navy official, speaking anonymously under military guidelines, said Israel has seen an increase in visits by allies over the past two years.“It gives us opportunities to cooperate and train with navies that we usually don’t have the opportunity to train with,” he said. “The area of the east Mediterranean has become very

https://russiandefpolicy.blog/2016/11/20/iskanders-reach/

http://www.state.gov/t/avc/trty/102360.htm

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/introducing-the-iskander-the-russian-missile-nato-fears-15653

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/introducing-the-iskander-the-russian-missile-nato-fears-15653



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/26/russia-reinforces-baltic-fleet-with-ships-armed-with-long-range/



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crowded in light of the vast presence of the Russians and the situation in Syria. And Israel presents a safe port for them.”While Western countries have grown alarmed by Russia’s increased presence in the region, Israel has had a delicate relationship with Moscow. Israel is bitter enemies with both Syria and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, which is fighting alongside Syrian forces. But Israel has maintained good communications with the Russians to avoid any clashes between the countries’ air forces in the skies over Syria.

Israel is believed to have carried out a number of airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Syria.Charles Heyman, a former British military officer who edits “The Armed Forces of the United Kingdom” handbook, said the Bulwark’s visit was a “political signal” — reflecting close military and diplomatic ties with Israel.But he said he did not think the message was aimed at the Russians. “The Russians have known about this deployment for a long time,” he said.

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RU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Russian naval aviation to get almost 2 dozen new jets & helicopters by year’s end – Navy chiefRussia Today 23-Nov-16The Russian Navy will be bolstered by six additional Su-30SM fighter jets, two Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft, as well as 10 helicopters of various modifications by the end of the year, according to Commander-in-Chief Admiral Vladimir Korolev.“Naval aviation has already received several pieces of the latest military equipment and weaponry as part of an arming process. By the end of the year it will also be equipped with six additional Su-30SM fighter jets, two Il-38 aircraft, as well as 10 helicopters of various modifications,” the Russian Navy commander announced on Tuesday.An expanded meeting of the Navy’s Military Council took place in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, and was attended by the North, Pacific, Black and Caspian Sea flotilla commanders. The commander of the Western Military District, Colonel Andrey Kartapolov, was also present.The production of the Su-30SM is carried out at the Irkutsk aircraft factory. According to a contract signed with the Ministry of Defense, the Air Force should receive 88 fighters, while 28 will go to the Navy. At the same time the Ilyushin Aviation Complex is to supply the Defense Ministry with a total of 20 modernized anti-submarine aircraft Il-38N by 2020, according to the contract.The Su-30SM is a fourth generation, twin-engine super-maneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation.

It is suitable for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions. It combines the functions of fighters, bombers and assault aircraft, and is equipped with a phased array radar and controlled vector thrust engines.It was previously reported that Russia’s flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, currently engaged in a large-scale military operation against jihadists in Homs and Idlib provinces, is to undergo repairs in 2018 after it returns from the Syrian coast in the eastern Mediterranean.The ship carries Su-33 fighter jets along with Ka-27 and Ka-27S helicopters for anti-submarine warfare.Unlike other aircraft carriers, the Admiral Kuznetsov also serves as a missile cruiser, as it is equipped with Kinzhal (Dagger) missiles that it can use to protect itself from incoming aerial attacks as well as from enemy warships.

Top of the DocumentWORLD:161123:(24-NOV-16):You may be higher up the global wealth pyramid than you thinkEconomist 23-Nov-16A new analysis of how the world’s wealth is distributedIF YOU had only $2,220 [£1,764] to your name (adding together your bank deposits, financial investments and property holdings, and subtracting your debts) you might not think yourself terribly fortunate. But you would be wealthier than half the world’s population, according to this year’s Global Wealth Report by the Crédit Suisse Research Institute. If you had $71,560 [£57,358] or more, you would be in the top tenth. If you were lucky enough to own over $744,400 [£596,664] you could count yourself a member of the global 1% that voters everywhere are rebelling against.Unlike many studies of prosperity and inequality, this one counts household assets rather than income. The data are patchy, particularly at the bottom and apex of the pyramid. But with some assumptions, the institute calculates that the world’s households owned property and net financial assets worth almost $256trn in mid-2016. That is about 3.4 times

the world’s annual GDP. If this wealth were divided equally it would come to $52,819 [£42,336] per adult. But in reality the top tenth own 89% of it.That lucky tenth now includes over 44m Chinese, about 4.4% of the country’s adult population. A far greater number (almost half of China’s adults) cluster in the next three deciles down. Closer to the bottom of the pyramid, there is a similar bulge of Indians in the second and third deciles (with wealth between $30 and $603). Below them, the bottom tenth is a peculiar mix. It is populated by poor countries, where many people have nothing, and rich ones, where people can own very much less than that. It includes a surprising number of Americans (over 21m), whose debts outweigh their assets. But most Americans are much better off. Over 40% belong to the top tenth of the global wealth distribution (and over 18m belong to the global 1%). Some of those railing against the global elite probably do not know they belong to it.

Top of the DocumentMAR-MSY-RU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Putin Seeking ‘Economic Share’ from Syria’s WarAsharq Al-Awsat 23-Nov-16 [Arab, UK based. Don.]Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin discussed on Tuesday economic and commercial cooperation in

Damascus within the framework of the Russian-Syrian



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commission on trade and economic, scientific and technical cooperation.Rogozin, who co-chairs the Russian-Syrian commission, met with head of Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad, with whom he discussed his country’s economic assistance to Syria.Political analysts noted that the delegation’s visit was an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to forge economic deals with Assad in the wake of the ongoing war.Analysts added that Damascus would give priority to Russian companies in reconstruction projects – a privilege that Russia did not enjoy during times of peace.The Russian deputy premier said that an agreement on creating a “green customs corridor” for agricultural products has been signed between Moscow and Damascus.“The Syrian side has many requests on how to support life of the state and the citizens who were deprived of traditional means of earning money,” Rogozin said in an interview with TASS and Channel One.“Syria used to be a country that sold oil and grain and was a successful state. Now it has neither oil nor gain nor many other products to meet the demands of the population,” he said. “Therefore, our commission on trade and economic relations is a tool of support and we consider any possibility in Syria to back them,” Rogozin added.The Russian deputy premier is leading a representative delegation consisting of heads of major Russian private

industrial companies. Rogozin refused to name these companies, saying that they could be included in the new sanctions list.Political analysts said that Russia was attempting to have an “unlimited” role in the Middle Eastern country’s economy, similar to its current military role in the ongoing war.Rogozin stressed in this regard that major projects in the fields of energy and communication were discussed with Assad.“Today we agreed on all these projects in details, and we will do everything what will be possible in these very difficult conditions,” Rogozin said.On a different note, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov lashed out at U.N. Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura, accusing him of “sabotaging” peace between the Syrian government and the opposition factions.During a televised interview, Lavrov said De Mistura was attempting to intervene in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254.“The United Nations in the form of its special representative, Staffan de Mistura, has been sabotaging the resolution for more than six months,” Lavrov said.“It seems there is no other way except for the patriotic opposition and the government to take the initiative into their own hands and organize Syrian dialogue. There seems to be no alternative”, he added.

Top of the DocumentIS-MPA:161123:(24-NOV-16):Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Remarks to the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic ConferenceCommunicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser 23-Nov-16Following are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks this morning (Wednesday, 23 November 2016), at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Jerusalem, to the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference."Good morning. I'm going to dispel a longstanding myth about me and I think you should brace yourselves. If you read some of the, well the other papers in this country you might come out with the impression that I'm a gloomy guy, that I'm pessimistic, that I'm a fear monger. So I'm glad you're sitting down because what I'm about to tell you will startle you: I am supremely optimistic. In fact, I've never been more hopeful. I'm hopeful about Israel, I'm hopeful about our region, I'm hopeful about peace. I'm even hopeful about the UN, can you imagine that?Now, some of you may be disconcerted so let me explain: Israel is in the midst of a historic revolution in its place among the nations. That revolution is born about by a fundamental change of global economics. The world economies changing, you just saw an indication of it from a very enterprising company here in Jerusalem. It's changing rapidly. Ten years ago, the ten leading companies in the world were five energy companies, one IT – Microsoft.A mere ten years later in the fastest change in the history of the world, the picture is reverse: five IT companies in the top ten, only one energy company left on the list. Israel is right in the nexus of big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence. That affects everything. Nothing remains un-technologized, nothing, nothing. Everything is being technologized. There's no more hi-tech, middle-tech, low-tech. Technology seeps everywhere into every field possible.

Not only automotive, in cyber, in agriculture, in energy, in the internet of things, in the things in the internet of things which we make. Everything is changing. And we're right in the center of it. And the future belongs to those who innovate. We are the innovation nation.So we have opportunities. First of all, economic opportunities that are vast; technological opportunities that are vast; security capabilities that are vast. That produces for us security, prosperity, opportunity.And that changes fundamentally the way that we engage with other nations and the way they engage with us. It changes dramatically our position among the nations but it also creates enormous opportunities within the nation.I opened the school year – first time in Israel's history that an Israeli Prime Minister went to an Arab village. I went to the village of Tamra in the Galilee. And I met there a little girl. I think she was about ten years old. And she said, this little Arab Israeli girl, she said: "Prime Minister, I want to be a doctor." Beautiful ten-year-old girl, so full of promise. And I said to her: "I want you to be a doctor. I want you to know that this is your country too. I want you to study Hebrew". And simultaneously, I told her that we're beginning a pilot program to make Jewish children from the fifth grade on learn Arabic.I'm hopeful about this country. This girl is going to enjoy the NIS 13 billion that our government just passed for a multi-year program to improve the lives of its Israeli Arab citizens. I want all of them, I want that little girl to be part of a world-class economy, a world-class society, a country that is



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leading, is right at the cutting edge of the great revolution that is taking place in our world. And that Israel is taking a prominent place in changing the future.She represents, this little girl, what our region can be, and I believe eventually will be. Now, ISIS will have you believe otherwise. They enslave little girls, they do horrible things to them if they leave them alive at all. Iran will have you believe otherwise. That regime, what it does to young women you saw on the sidewalk. They killed that young woman, chocking in her blood, because she wanted a recount on a stolen election.But this girl, this little girl here, is the antidote to hate. And she's going to receive a world-class education, she will join a world-class economy, she is surrounded by people of different religions and ethnicities but they'll all blend into this rising tide.I believe that this is the true picture of Israel. It's not as we say "the nice faces of Israel". It's the real face of Israel.Yesterday I went with a senior television correspondent from the United States to Holon to see "Save a Child's Heart". Did you ever see this? Thousands of little kids brought from Tanzania, from Zanzibar, from Iraq, Yazidis from Mosul, from the Middle East, from Romania, they receive heart operations to save their hearts otherwise they will die. And you see these little children, these beautiful little children receiving help from Israeli doctors, Israeli doctors training their doctors. It's a new world. This is Israel. The countries of the world are coming to Israel in ways that never happened before.And this is a microcosm of what our troubled region could be. So my philosophy is simple: everyone deserves hope; everyone deserves a chance for peace. And just imagine a future where Muslims and Jews, Israelis and Arabs work together, cooperate together through dialogue and discussion and that future is closer than you think.How do I know?First of all, because our relations with the Arab world are rapidly changing. More and more countries in our region and more and more people in this region don't see Israel as an enemy but as an ally, I would say an indispensable ally in our common battle against radical Islam.You even see this reflected in the blogosphere. Not necessarily in formal government statements but we're starting to see in blogs, in the Arab internet, in addition to the traditional [unclear: massing??] of slander against Israel which is now in its seventh decade, you see something else. You see sparks of change. You see people saying: "Well, maybe we should reevaluate our attitude to the Jewish people. Maybe we should reevaluate our attitude to the Jewish state."I was in New York when I gave a speech and I went down after that to the restaurant in the hotel where I was staying. And people were very excited from around the world and from the United States. They were very supportive of Israel. But two people grabbed me and they said: "Prime Minister, we love Israel. We love Israel". I said: "Where are you from"? They said: "Saudi Arabia. We love Israel".This is a change. It's a tremendous change. And I believe that people, especially young people understand that if the Middle East is to change, if it's to undergo fundamental

reforms, if they want energy, if they want health, if they want professions and skills, then Israel is a fountainhead of innovation that can help their lives.And we want to help their lives. Israel can help improve and lengthen the lives of people around the world. So our hope is that cooperation and dialogue with everyone will produce mutual prosperity. And this is why the world is coming to Israel.Thirsty people are coming to Israel because if you want to improve your water usage, you come to Israel. Israel is a world leader in recycling of water. People that are hungry are coming to Israel because if you want to improve you agricultural yield or the yield of your cows you come to Israel. Israel is the number one…you know the story about the cow? You don't know the story about the cow? I'll repeat it for the 100th time but this is it. No more cows. Okay?So which cow in the world produces more milk per cow? No, it's not a Dutch cow, it's not a French cow, it's not even an American cow. It's an Israeli cow. Every "moo" is computerized. So, if you're in China or you're in India or you're in Vietnam or you're in Russia or you're in Africa and you say: "How do we get more milk to give to our people"? Israel.If you're in Africa, and you have to go eight hours a day to get a gallon of water because there's no available water and an Israeli young team comes in, young technologists, women and men, and they say: well, here's water. They don't tap the rock like Moses. You know what they do? They tap the air. They get water from the air. That's truly amazing. And that African woman doesn't have to travel eight hours.And if you want treatment of public health you come to Israel. In all these areas, these fundamental areas, there is a tremendous change, tremendous change that is taking place. And Israel is changing the lives of people, bettering the lives of people, lengthening the lives of people and also protecting the lives of people. Why? Because the [unclear: firmament??] of militant Islam and militant Islamic terrorists sending sparks to every continent, to every country. Everybody needs protection.And Israel has amassed the capability to fight terrorism as never before and as few others can. In some areas, no one can match our capabilities, certainly no one exceeds them. And because of that, countries are coming to Israel, because they want to be safe. And they want to partake of our intelligence capabilities, of our other experiences and so they come for safety.So the change that we are experiencing today is based on three things, three things. I call them TTP. The first T is terror. That is, anti-terror. And all countries need it and Israel is helping foil terrorist attacks around the world with its capabilities. The second T is technology for everything, everything, every single area. Some of it involves security like cyber. Israel is a country of eight million people so it's one-tenth of one percent of the world's population. This year we'll end with roughly 20% of the world's global private cyber security investment. That means, in addition to what, if you take out what governments do in cyber security and everything else that is done, private global cyber security investments in Israel are 20% of the world's total investment. That means we're punching 200 times above our weight.



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I said five years ago that Israel will be among the five global cyber powers. We're definitely there. I don’t think we're number five, I don’t think we’re number four either. We can start now arguing where we fit but this something that all countries need. They need technology. They need to protect the internet of things which is growing into the trillions of devices. And everything has to be protected: your cars, your planes, your refrigerators, everything has to be protected. It's an endless market.I was in Kiryat Gat the other day in the extraordinary plant, six-foot wall fields of Intel, the largest of its kind that Intel has in the world. And Israeli technology is producing the things for the internet of things, little [unclear]. And then also the big data – to process the things from the internet of things. That's in Israel too.A rapid revolution. If you want technology for water, for cyber, for solar energy, for public health, Israel has the biggest…You know the three things that are happening in Israel that are huge? Cyber is huge, huge. There are about 600 startups right now. There were almost none a few years ago. Automotive industry is huge, you saw Mobileye. I hope they have the smarts not to sell up like Waze, you know. They haven't. I mean Waze is a great product but to sell it for a billion dollars to Google? Can you imagine? Brilliant people, but Mobileye I think has great potential.But between Mobileye and Waze are many, many others. And the head of the General Motors Division that is dealing with automotive technology came here and he said: "This is where we're going to have a car industry." We had a car industry by the way. When I was a young soldier in the IDF, a young officer, Matan Vilnai and I used to drive back from our unit to weekends in Jerusalem with a car. It was called a Susita. It was made of fiberglass. And one day I leaned on it and my elbow went right through the fiberglass and these fibers hit my elbow, you know? That didn't go very far. The plant shut down. But we now have a car industry for driverless cars, for artificial intelligence, for integration with the cloud. That's a car industry.And the car industry will change because 95% of the time the car is sitting in your garage doing nothing and you're paying for nothing. That will change. There will be interchangeable cars and there will be safe driverless cars and that is being produced in Israel. So now we have a car industry with 400 startups.And here's the biggest change that is coming, the biggest change that is coming: We have the largest database, the most comprehensive database covering over 95% of our population of their health records. And this allows, the integration of these databases together allows us to create preventive medicine on a scale never encountered in history, and using also telemedicine to obviate a lot of routine treatments. This can lengthen our lives. It can be preventive – you can know in advance when somebody is going to have a problem and you tell them. This is growing at a fundamental pace and we have now several hundreds of these companies as well.I give you these three examples because they are exploding everywhere and the whole world says: "Well, where are these innovations coming from"? And they say: "Israel". So that covers that little second T. First T – fighting terror; second T – technology which means everything. Here's the

third P. The P that I'm talking about is Peace. Peace. Because as a result of the first T and the second T, countries are coming to us at an unbelievable pace, unbelievable pace.I mean, just in the last ten days, you know, I met the senior economic body of China that came here, the NDRC; Prime Minister Medvedev of Russia who came here. Our President Ruvi Rivlin is in India and Mr. Modi just twitted that he's coming here next year. Our trade with India is growing at about 30% a year at least, bursting through the seams. Prime Minister Abe sent me an emissary the other week; Vietnam came here; Poland came here; I'm going to Kazakhstan and to Azerbaijan, two Muslim countries, one Shiite, one Sunni. Then I'm going to Singapore, their Prime Minister came here for the first time since our independence and I'm going there, following to Australia. I'm going to Fiji. You know I'm going to Fiji? Wouldn't you want to go to Fiji? I'm going to Fiji because the Prime Minister of Fiji said: "I have 15 countries, 15 countries that vote in the UN". He said: "We have a vote like China, Russia, and India. We'll all come to greet you". So I'm going to Fiji.I went to Africa. Met there seven leaders of African states. In a few months I'll be going to West Africa to meet another 15. And all these countries are also coming to Israel. Argentina shifted its policy; Brazil told me they want to shift their policies; Mexico; Paraguay; Colombia with whom we have [unclear]. Everybody is coming to Israel. Why are they coming to Israel? TT and P.You see every one of these countries, after we finish talking business, after we finish talking about security, and after we talk about economics and technology, they say: "Can we help with the Palestinians"? And I say: "Yeah. You can help. There's one thing you have to do – it's the Acid test. Invite me and Abu Mazen to a meeting right now in your capital. Right now. I'm willing to come. I'll change my schedule. I'm willing to come to see him". They get very excited. You know, they start passing notes to each other. They say: "We're at the point of a breakthrough. The Prime Minister of Israel is willing to meet President Abbas". So immediately they pass the message to Ramallah and what do you think is the response? "Not now. Can't". Conditions, preconditions.By the time we finish this round with so many, with hundreds of world leaders, Prime Ministers, Presidents, Foreign Ministers, everybody gets the message. Israel is ready for peace. Israel is not the obstacle to peace. Israel wants to move ahead with peace and who gets that message best? The Arab states. Even the European…no I can't say that.This is simple: TTP: Technology, anti-Terror, Peace. They get it. So the countries of the world are coming to Israel. Israel is building a great future here for our children, for all of Israel's citizens: Jews, Arabs alike. I believe that we have tremendous opportunities to advance new relationships in the region and beyond and I think we'll reverse the equation that we'll get a breakthrough with the Palestinians and from there to the Arab world. More and more, I think that it'll probably work the other way around or with bootstrapping from these two paths. But I am hopeful, I'm hopeful as never before.So if I had to summarize this morning I will tell you that we stand in the future of hope and I'll say also that for all of you who are represented here or representing here other countries: we not only are open for business, we invite you to



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come and do more business with us, not only for our sake but also for yours and for the sake of our common future.

Thank you very much. "

Top of the DocumentCV-CR:161123:(24-NOV-16):Vatican cardinal meets with Russian patriarchCatholic World News 23-Nov-16Cardinal Kurt Koch, the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, traveled to Moscow on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Patriarch Kirill and met with him on November 22.Patriarch Kirill, who leads the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches, expressed his gratitude for recent developments in relations with the Holy See, particularly his meeting in February with Pope Francis in Havana, the signing of the joint declaration there, and recent actions to assist persecuted Christians.Turning to the geopolitical sphere, the patriarch said that “the actions of the existing coalitions still lack proper coordination, necessary for combating terrorism successfully.”

“I am convinced that only joint coordinated actions aimed at achieving specific goals can really help defeat terrorism,” he added.For his part, Cardinal Koch said: I wish to convey to Your Holiness, my beloved brother in Christ, the assurance of my personal best wishes and fervent prayers on the occasion of your seventieth birthday. I thank the Lord for the abundant blessings that he has bestowed upon you in your life and in your ministry as Pastor of the Russian Orthodox Church. I am especially grateful for your personal contribution to the rapprochement between our Churches and I recall with great emotion our historic meeting in Havana.

Top of the DocumentIS-IN:161124:(24-NOV-16):After 25 years, Israeli-Indian relations appear to be coming of ageAust/Israel Jewish Affairs Council .24-Nov-16After nearly a quarter century of diplomatic ties, Israeli-Indian relations have come of age.The growing closeness between the two countries was nowhere more evident than during Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to the subcontinent last week, where he and his delegation of business leaders and academics were warmly welcomed. Discussions between Rivlin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi further emphasised the strengthening bond between the nations, punctuated by the two men embracing one another at their joint media conference.Some of the highlights of their discussions included: Modi’s stating that India supports Israel “every place where international agencies take decisions against you that you see as absurd” – He has backed this with action somewhat, changing India’s long-held anti-Israel voting patterns at the United Nations to abstaining, though as Souptik Mukherjee argues, India’s abstention at the recent UNESCO vote denying Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and Western Wall in Jerusalem could be interpreted as consent; Modi’s assurance that despite its own good relations with Iran, the Islamic Republic’s threats to destroy Israel “shall not come to pass”; Modi vowing to expand defence and security ties with Israel; The two leaders agreeing to expand partnerships in manufacturing and production; Modi inviting Israeli investment in the Indian hi-tech sector; and Israel’s assurance that it will support India’s United Nations Security Council (UNSC) bid.As noted by Rivlin when speaking to reporters in New Delhi, perhaps as significant as the content of the discussions themselves “is the very public way that India is displaying its strong relationship with Israel”.The shared history of the two nations goes back in fact to before either was sovereign. During the First World War,

Indian troops were instrumental in liberating Haifa, now a major Israeli city. But although India and Israel became independent nations within a year of each other in 1947 and 1948 respectively, it was not until 1992, under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, that the two countries established full diplomatic ties.In 2000, Deputy Indian Prime Minister LK Advani and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh visited Israel, while Ariel Sharon became the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit India in 2003. However a year later, the election of the centre-left United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in India saw the fledgling ties moved behind closed doors.Narendra Modi’s election in 2014 promised an upgrade in the relationship. Whilst Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat for 13 years, the now Prime Minister played a major role in developing bilateral ties with the Jewish state. He attended an agricultural technology conference in Israel in 2006 and actively pursued Israeli technology and industry. Israel invested billions into Gujarat, through mutual development of solar and thermal power, pharmaceuticals, water recycling, water desalination plants and industrial research and development.That promise is now being realised with diplomatic activity warming up. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Modi at the United Nations General Assembly in 2014 and then-Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon visited India in February last year. Last October, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee visited Israel and addressed the Knesset. He also met former Prime Minister and President Shimon Peres and was full of praise for the late statesman upon his passing in late September. India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, made a high profile visit to Israel in early 2016 and Modi himself is expected to visit next year to mark the 25th anniversary of the relationship.It seems India’s media too is enamoured with Israel. One of India’s oldest national newspapers, The Pioneer, declared in its editorial on November 18 that the relationship is “vital for our key advancements in defence and technology” and that



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the two countries “are emerging from the closet to become natural allies”.It adds: "India does not need to be cautious about its growing nearness to Israel, just for fear of offending its Arab allies in the West Asia."In the Daily Mail on November 19, journalist Kanchan Gupta admired Rueven Rivlin’s “chutzpah” in making the pilgrimage to the Taj Mahal at Agra - noting that US President Barack Obama did not because of security concerns in this predominantly Muslim city – and wrote how the Israeli President’s visit “will no doubt serve to bring India closer to Israel”.Gutpa also noted how much Israel has brought to bilateral relations and urged India to do more, especially at the UN: "The two countries will celebrate the 25th year of diplomatic relations in 2017, a relationship that should have been forged in 1948, but was kept in abeyance because Nehru's foreign policy had no place for Israel... A lot has been achieved in this quarter century despite India being hesitant about walking the full distance. Israel, on the other hand, has given unquestioningly. We desperately needed ammunition during the Kargil conflict, Israel shipped the shells to us overnight. We needed air-surveillance platforms, Israel provided them to us. With Russia faltering as India's primary supplier of weaponry, Israel stepped into the gap. A lot more can be added to the list - from agricultural and water technology to high end satellite technology and sensors on borders to monitor movements. Yet, a distance has dogged the relationship. India has gracelessly and needlessly voted against Israel at international fora, even during the current BJP regime.

There's a slow shift happening with India abstaining from voting against Israel at UNESCO, but that needs to become the norm."It should be pointed out that India’s tilt towards Israel has not happened without the former employing the necessary sensitivities towards its relationship with the Palestinian Authority. Indeed, it was with late PA leader Yasser Arafat’s “blessing” that ties between Israel and India were forged in 1992. Modi assured PA President Mahmoud Abbas of India’s support for the Palestinian cause during a 2015 meeting and when Mukherjee visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories that same year, he began his trip in the PA-controlled areas before crossing back into Israel.The future of the Israel-India relationship looks bright. Modi’s expected visit next year to mark 25 years of ties will be a significant political milestone, but much is already happening at other levels between the two nations.India’s small Jewish community are a natural beneficiary of the blossoming relationship, with increased cultural and religious understanding with their Hindu neighbours. Around the same time as the Rivlin visit, an American Jewish Committee delegation participated in international interfaith dialogue in the city of Rishikesh, the latest in a program committed to enhancing Hindu-Jewish relations.More than ten percent of foreign exchange students in Israel hail from India, while agricultural cooperation continues to expand. As of 2014, India was Israel’s tenth-largest trade partner with US $5 billion in bilateral trade. Israel’s Ariel University is looking to set up a joint research fund to promote research projects with Indian researchers.This relationship now seems to be a key pillar of foreign policy for both Jerusalem and New Dehli - with substantial benefits to the populations of both nations.

Top of the DocumentEU-EGE:161124:(24-NOV-16):Martin Schulz to quit as EU parliament leaderEUObserver 24-Nov-16Martin Schulz will not seek another term as president of the European Parliament, and will try his chances in German politics instead."Next year I will present myself for the German Bundestag as the head of the list of the Social Democratic Party in Nord-Rhine Westphalia," Schulz told a news conference on Thursday (24 November) morning.During a brief statement, where he declined to take questions from journalists, Schulz said he had strived to strengthen the European project during his time as an MEP and would continue to do the same from Berlin."The world needs more than ever a strong, self-confident EU that stands up for and defends what previous generations have built," he said.It's not yet clear what role he could play in German politics.According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he has asked SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel to put his name forward for the position of chancellor.

The SPD recently decided to choose its candidate for the highest post in German politics only January.Gabriel could still decide to run himself. The mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, has also been named as a possible contender.Schulz is also his party's favourite to replace Frank-Walter Steinmeier as foreign minister, who has been nominated by Germany's ruling coalition to take over as the next president of Germany in FebruarySchulz had fought to stay on for a third term, despite having promised to hand over the post to the centre-right EPP group.But he was struggling to get enough support for his candidacy.European Commission's president Jean-Claude Juncker had thrown his weight behind Schulz, and even threatened to resign if his friend was forced out, according to Der Spiegel.On Monday, a commission spokesman didn't deny the statement but dismissed the idea that Juncker was planning to step down.

Top of the DocumentEEU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Opinion: Requiem for a European dreamEUObserver 23-Nov-16



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The founding document of European integration, the Treaty of Rome, is celebrating its 60th anniversary next year. Sadly, it may be its last one.Like many others in Central and Eastern Europe, I spent my formative years studying European politics and policies in the hope that my country, Hungary, would one day become an EU member. When this happened in 2004, an overwhelming sense of 'arrival' at the 'better' part of Europe took hold. Just like Francis Fukuyama many years earlier, we thought that history had ended, and liberal democracies had won the war of ideas.Little did we realise that the edifice constructed in the same year as his book was published may go tumbling down: half-baked solutions and hubris will end it.Europeans and EU institutions tend to see themselves as champions of values: human rights above commercial interests, high ethical standards that staff and politicians should respect, appreciating science above popular pressure. But few think these ideals are still upheld today. The EU has lost its narrative.Le Pen is not the problemDespite what most Eurocrats think, the EU’s grave-diggers are not the Orbans, Kaczinskys and Farages. It's a general disillusionment, including on the political left, as they, too, can hardly support the EU in its current form. British Labour's half-hearted Remain stance, Renzi's removal of the EU flag from his public appearances, the disappointment of Hungarians and Poles at the EU's impotence in tackling the corruption and dismantling of democracy in their countries has sapped support.The EU's reaction has done little to demonstrate their acknowledgement of a problem, let alone their willingness or ability to fix it. Critics have been labelled racists or forced into a binary category of pro- or anti-European, a disgraced president is running the European Commission, and citizens have been ignored when they have vetoed a new treaty, or approved Brexit, or pointed out the pathetic nature of the refugee relocation scheme.The real problem, however, is how shaky our European institutions are. While their popularity is even higher than that of the US Congress, their legitimacy is constantly

challenged. If a French or Dutch election can call into question the sheer existence of these vanguards of European integration, we should start to doubt how strong the foundation of our system really is.And the pressure is mounting. We don't need to have Marine le Pen elected for the euro to crumble. Italian banks, the European Commission's leniency about deficits, and the half-baked structure of the Eurozone are enough of a deadly mix to explode just 15 years after the bridge-decorated banknotes were introduced.A lesson from JobsIn 1997, Steve Jobs became Apple's CEO again. Being given the opportunity to revive an ailing company, the first thing he did was to clean up the clutter that accumulated since his dismissal: he cut out 70 percent of the products to focus on what Apple did best. It was painful but necessary: the alternative was bankruptcy.In the EU, we are facing a similar moment. We may need to go back to the pre-Maastricht situation where the single market was the European Communities' objective, as that is where the European consensus is today. Even pro-Brexiters were in favour of staying in the single market (though the free movement admittedly remains contentious). The eurozone, Schengen, Dublin rules, foreign policy are all increasingly divisive and have become untenable.Running ahead by creating an inner circle of European integration is unworkable. Institutional and political paralysis, also partly linked to the messy decision-making arrangements in the post-Maastricht years, prevents such ideas from gaining momentum.The same populist forces and lack of honest discussion that got Donald Trump elected are present and gaining traction in Europe. Dismissing them, as most American newspapers did, is a grave mistake. It will not only get populists elected, it can bring Europe to its knees. Unless we lo ok into the mirror, admit our hubris, and refocus European integration, the EU as we know it will soon be over.Andras Baneth is an EU expert and managing director of the Public Affairs Council's European office. He is also a member of EUobserver board. He is writing in his private capacity.

Top of the DocumentUKB-EU:161124:(24-NOV-16):Britain holds the aces in Brexit talksThe Spectator 24-Nov-16The euro crisis, Labour’s failure and Trump’s victory give Theresa May a winning handOn the morning after the European Union referendum, Britain looked like a country in crisis. The Prime Minister had resigned, Scotland’s first minister was talking about a second independence referendum and the FTSE was in free fall. In several EU capitals, there was an assumption that, when the Brexit talks began, Britain would be the new Greece: a country that could ill afford to reject any deal offered by the EU, no matter how humiliating. In the days following the vote, Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, declared that Britain had just ‘collapsed — politically, economically, monetarily and constitutionally’.Five months on, Britain is in a stronger position than Rutte and co. would have believed possible. Since the referendum, the British economy has grown faster than that of the

eurozone. The government is now led by a Prime Minister who is as secure in her job as any of her EU counterparts. Theresa May can walk into the Brexit negotiations knowing that she has several aces in her hand.She has a commanding 28-point lead over Jeremy Corbyn on the question of who would make the better Prime Minister. Her position within her own party is also strikingly strong. Tory MPs know they can’t have two unelected leaders in one parliament, and her Remainer critics lack support both in the parliamentary party and among members. She can be confident that when she goes to the country, her governing majority in Parliament will increase. How many other European leaders can say the same?The post-referendum recession that the Treasury forecast has failed to materialise. Instead, unemployment has dropped to an 11-year low, and at just under 5 per cent, it is half that of



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the eurozone. The pound has lost value, especially against the dollar, which will push inflation higher. But considering that the pound was too high for too long (last year the International Monetary Fund said it was 13 per cent overvalued) its fall is not entirely a bad thing. Currencies are not national virility symbols but economic shock-absorbers. Several European countries right now desperately need a more affordable currency, but are stuck inside the euro straitjacket.Immediately after the Brexit vote it seemed as if the result might have created new grounds for a Scottish divorce from England, as Nicola Sturgeon took to the airwaves to talk about a second independence referendum. But five months on there doesn’t appear to be any groundswell of support for this. Privately, the SNP used to say they wanted 60 per cent support for independence for several months before asking the country again. But support for independence is safely below 50 per cent, as it was before Brexit. The SNP has also blundered in its argument for a second referendum by saying that it wishes to stay in the European single market. Given that 64 per cent of Scottish exports go to the UK market and only 17 per cent to the EU, it is clear which union is more economically important. Going into the negotiations, May will not feel that her approach should be dictated by fear of what the SNP might say about it in a future independence referendum.[Alt-Text]The election of Donald Trump means that another card has fallen into the Prime Minister’s hand. First, his ambivalence about Nato has made Britain more important to Europe’s security than it has been for 60 years. Vladimir Putin clearly senses an opportunity. His plan to move nuclear-capable missiles to Russia’s western enclave, Kaliningrad, is a sign of how he intends to probe for weakness and exploit irresolution over the coming months.If Europe cannot rely absolutely on President Trump to defend eastern Europe from Russian aggression and subversion, then Britain and its military forces, intelligence services and nuclear deterrent become far more important. This should create a more mature and cooperative atmosphere for discussions. After all, Britain’s continuing security commitment to Europe is proof that this country is leaving the EU, not the continent itself.The second Trump effect is the keenness of those around him to cut a quick trade deal with the UK. His team views an Anglo-American agreement as a way of showing that they are not anti-trade per se — just against deals with low-wage economies that they believe cost American jobs. No one would think that a deal with Britain would lead to workers being undercut in Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania — three manufacturing-heavy states that swung from the Democrats to Trump. The incoming administration’s enthusiasm for a deal with the UK, in stark contrast to Barack Obama’s ‘back of the queue’ approach, makes it less easy to claim that Brexit will leave Britain isolated and alone.Another event that could reshape the negotiations is Italy’s constitutional reform referendum on 4 December. The vote is on a complex series of measures designed to change the balance of power between the different houses of the Italian parliament— but its significance for Brexit comes from the pledge by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to resign if these

changes are rejected (as was suggested by the last poll before a polling blackout began). A Renzi resignation would make markets look again at the state of Italy’s banks and their non-performing loans. This could push the eurozone crisis from its current chronic state to an acute one.Renzi’s departure would also be likely to lead to fresh Italian elections. Currently, the polls — for what they are worth — indicate that the country’s next prime minister will be from the Five Star movement, which is committed to a referendum on Italy’s euro membership. This would precipitate a far bigger crisis for the single currency than anything we have seen before. After all, the plot against (and downfall of) Silvio Berlusconi in 2011 came about because he mused about the possibility of Italy quitting the currency union.This all plays to Mrs May’s advantage because London is the de facto financial and banking capital of the eurozone. The more trouble the single currency gets into, the more dangerous it would be to erect barriers between the two. These could threaten the finances of some eurozone states by making it legally complicated for them to sell their sovereign debt on the London market. One of those intimately involved in preparing the UK’s negotiating strategy tells me that only the French appear oblivious to this. However, the UK does not want to publicly highlight so explosive an issue.It is often said that politics will trump economics in the Brexit negotiations. But the single currency’s stability is not just an economic issue — the euro is the ultimate expression of the European political project. So the financial services sector may get a significantly better Brexit deal than expected. None of this is to say that Brexit will be easy. The negotiations will be infuriatingly complex and it is hard to imagine the May government achieving much else until the exit talks are complete. There are also concerns in Whitehall that the government lacks the experts required for the task, given how legal and technically fraught even the preparatory work is. It is also imperative for May to persuade business that she will take radical steps to make the UK more globally competitive if no EU deal can be negotiated.Also, the other European leaders are fairly united in their negotiating position. They are determined to show that you can’t have all the benefits of union with none of the costs. Britain’s traditional EU allies are most likely to stress this in order to damp down their own domestic Eurosceptic movements. This is where Trump has not helped the UK’s cause. His election has made EU governments more fearful of a populist revolt. Indeed, if Marine Le Pen is thrashed in the second round of the French presidential elections it will, one suspects, make it easier for Theresa May to negotiate a good deal.Several European leaders are still feeling a bit raw about Brexit. Wolfgang Schäuble, the German finance minister, has told colleagues that he cried when he heard that Britain had voted to leave. If emotion were to triumph over cool economic logic — and no agreement is reached — it would hurt both sides. The intensity of feeling shows why British ministers must be extremely careful not to sound as if they are running down the whole EU project. Diplomacy and the national interest require that Britain conveys the message that it wishes the EU every success in future, regardless of how



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much ministers might privately think that the break-up of the euro would be a good thing.Senior British government figures expect two trade agreements between the UK and the EU. This marks an attempt to avoid a Wallonia-style problem where the whole agreement is held up by the objections of one parliament in Europe.The first deal would cover trade in goods — and because this is an EU competence it could be done at EU level. The second would cover services, and as that would be a ‘mixed agreement’, covering both EU and national competences, it

would go out for approval by national and regional parliaments. Obviously, this deal would be particularly vulnerable to political grandstanding. But given that services tend not to arouse the same level of protectionist anxiety as agriculture or manufacturing, the approach could work. After all, Wallonia doesn’t have a banking sector to protect.Britain has not yet served formal notice that it intends to quit the EU — so no one can say with any certainty how Brexit will go. Thanks largely to sheer luck, however, Theresa May has a better hand than she could have dared hope for when she took office. Now she must play her cards right to make Brexit a success.

Top of the DocumentIS-UK:161123:(24-NOV-16):Middle East minister: UK ‘very proud’ of role in establishing IsraelJewishNews 23-Nov-16Tobias Ellwood praised Britain’s role in creating the Jewish state ahead of the centenary of the Balfour Declaration next yearBritain’s Minister for the Middle East has said the country is “very proud” of the role it played in the establishment of a “Jewish homeland”.The comments, made by Tobias Ellwood MP, are a perceived shift from his statements earlier this year, in which he said he would not “celebrate” next year’s centenary of the 1917 Balfour Declaration.At a Conservative Friends of Israel event on Tuesday, Ellwood said: “Britain is very proud of our role, in the part we played, in establishing a Jewish homeland”.Asked about the government’s preparations to mark the date, at an event featuring 15 MPs and 50 diplomats, Ellwood said: “Number 10 is making those arrangements and I think that’s very, very important”.He also spoke about the security threats facing Israel, adding: “We shouldn’t forget what Israel is living and breathing every day.”

In parliament earlier this month, Ellwood addressed the centenary of the Balfour Declaration, when then foreign secretary Lord Balfour wrote to Lord Rothschild expressing the government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine.During a debate to mark the centenary, Ellwood said the UK would “neither celebrate nor apologise” for the Balfour Declaration, which “had its flaws,” but argued: “It is part of our history that some celebrate and some condemn… It did not create the State of Israel, but it was a stepping stone along the way.”He added: “We will not apologise. The UK is a diverse country in which the historical show of support for the world’s Jewish community means a great deal to many people. We continue to support the principle of a Jewish homeland and the modern state of Israel, just as we support the critical objective of a Palestinian homeland.”He also said next year marked 50 years of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, saying the situation was “unacceptable and unsustainable”.

Top of the DocumentARCH:161124:(24-NOV-16):World’s Oldest Harbor Discovered in the Red SeaMedia Line MidEast Daily News 24-Nov-16Archaeologists have discovered what they say are the remains of the world’s oldest harbor in the Red Sea off the Egyptian coast. The find dates back 4600 years to the reign of King Cheops, who according to the biggest collection of papyri (writings on papyrus) ever found, used the port to bring in materials used to build the renowned Great Pyramid of Giza. The discovery was made by archaeologists from the French Institute of Archaeology in Cairo and the Sorbonne

University. The find casts King Cheops in the role of trader and international businessman in addition to his existing reputation of being the builder of the Great Pyramids. The port showed a high level of organization and was apparently the epicenter of a brisk trade in ships as well as shipping. More than 800 pieces of papyri were discovered last summer – the oldest ever found in Egypt

Top of the DocumentIS-RU:161124:(24-NOV-16):PM Netanyahu Speaks with Russian President Vladimir PutinCommunicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser 24-Nov-16Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 24 November 2016), spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin who acceded to the former's request for assistance in extinguishing the fires and said that Russia

would immediately send two giant Beriev be-200 firefighting aircraft.Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked Russian President Putin for the response and the assistance.

Top of the DocumentUKB-EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Stay out of EU affairs, leading MEP tells British governmentThe Guardian 23-Nov-16Manfred Weber warns UK not to meddle in bloc’s post-Brexit business as he criticises Boris Johnson’s ‘unbelievable arrogance’

The British government has been given a blunt warning to stay out of the EU’s post-Brexit business by a senior leader in the European parliament, who lambasted Boris Johnson



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for his “unbelievable arrogance” and insisted Britain would have “no say any more” in the long-term future of Europe.Manfred Weber, the leader of the largest centre-right group in the European parliament, criticised the British foreign secretary for his support of Turkey’s EU membership, which has infuriated European politicians.The MEP spoke minutes after the European parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, said the UK may have only 14 months of proper negotiations to tie up its EU exit and pressed for talks to be completed by mid-2019.Johnson has irked many in Europe by offering to help Turkey join the EU despite Britain’s looming departure. After becoming foreign secretary he reverted to his support for Turkey’s EU hopes, after being accused of stoking prejudice during the referendum campaign by suggesting Turkish migrants would flood into the UK if Britain stayed in the EU.Weber, a longstanding opponent of Turkey joining the EU, described Johnson’s support for Ankara as “unbelievable” and “a purely arrogant provocation”.Saying he could not respect Johnson’s actions, Weber urged the UK to refrain from getting involved in decisions about the EU’s long-term future. “I ask the British government not to influence this discussion, which will go on over the next two, two-and-a-half years,” he said. “Please step back; it is a question of fairness and respect. When you want to leave a club, you have no say any more in the long-term future of this club.”The MEP also called on the UK not to block EU defence cooperation, although the 27 remaining members struggle to forge a consensus, even without Britain obstructing the way.Weber was speaking after meeting David Davis, the secretary of state for Brexit, who was on a whistlestop tour of Strasbourg. On Monday, Davis met the European commission’s Brexit pointman, Michel Barnier, in Brussels for a coffee, and on Tuesday he met Verhofstadt.The EU is refusing substantial talks until the government triggers the article 50 exit process; some European officials think the British do not have much to say. And Weber said he had not heard anything new from Davis about what Brexit really meant.Only 60% of EU legislation relates to the single market, Weber said, while the rest covers areas such as research, cooperation on crime and migration. “Brexit means leaving: you cannot stay for 90% of the legislation and only have a Brexit on migration, that is not possible,” he said.Davis had told MEPs he wanted the UK to remain in the single market, according to Weber.But both Verhofstadt and Weber made clear that the UK could not have unfettered access to the single market without accepting the EU’s core principles, including free movement of people.“I must stress again: Brexit means Brexit, that means leaving the European Union, that means cutting off relations ... and not cherry picking, not special relationships,” Weber said.

Downing Street has repeatedly refused to rule out staying in the single market. A spokesman for Theresa May said: “We are very clear that what we want is a trading relationship that allows UK companies to trade both with and within the single market and lets European businesses do the same.”Meanwhile, Verhofstadt said the window for negotiations was “14 or 15 months”, once political processes were taken into account, shaving months off the two-year timetable the UK government is counting on.Davis described his meeting with Verhofstadt as “great fun” and denied having compared the MEP to Satan. A jokey remark, where he said “get thee behind me, Satan”, had been aimed at the chairman of the foreign affairs select committee, he told the BBC.He described Verhofstadt as “a very nice man” who races British classic cars. Davis added: “We got on very well. It was a very useful constructive conversation.”If May sticks to her promise of triggering article 50 by the end of March 2017, the 27 governments of the EU can be expected to agree a mandate by late April or early May, paving the way for serious talks to begin. Verhofstadt sees negotiations winding up in late 2018 to allow the European parliament to complete its internal processes.MEPs are anxious to complete the UK’s exit before European parliament elections in mid-2019. Some governments, such as France, also see this as an unofficial deadline, but other member states are more relaxed on timing, so Verhofstadt’s timetable is highly provisional.Verhofstadt also said Brexit was not his only priority, as he urged the EU to pull together in the face of Donald Trump’s election. In a striking intervention, he grouped the US president-elect with two of the world’s most powerful authoritarian leaders, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.Instead of “the ring of friends around Europe”, Verhofstadt said, he saw people who want to “bash and destroy our values”. “What I see today is now Russia, Americans and Turks working together on European soil to destroy the European model,” he said.Elaborating on his theme, he said Erdoğan wanted to shut down European movements in Turkey and Putin “openly finance[d] extremists and populist parties everywhere in Europe”, while Trump’s right-hand man appeared to be trying to “influence elections” in France and Germany.The Belgian MEP was referring to incoming White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, executive chairman of the far-right Breitbart News, which recently revealed plans to launch sites in Germany and France. “What I see today is now Russia, Americans and Turks working together on European soil to destroy the European model,” Verhofstadt said.The European parliament has a very limited role in shaping EU foreign policy, so its representatives tend to be more outspoken than diplomats. Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium and lifelong federalist, urged the EU to “fight back” against “the ring of autocrats” by working together on defence and reforming the eurozone.

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EU:161123:(24-NOV-16):DAWN OF EU ARMY: MEPs APPROVE new £420million-a-year SUPER FORCE to defend EuropeThe Express 23-Oct-16THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) Army will be up and running in less than a year after MEPs today voted for the creation of a super force which can override NATO.The vote was not supported by everyone in the Strasbourg Parliament after it narrowly passed by 369 votes to 255, with 70 abstentions.And astonishingly it has been agreed that the EU should also be prepared to act autonomously in cases where NATO is not willing to take the lead.However the EU is celebrating this victory claiming the security situation in and around Europe has worsened significantly in recent years, due to challenges like terrorism, hybrid threats or cyber and energy insecurity.It says no country is able to tackle defence alone and “solidarity and resilience require the EU to stand and act together”.European politicians have now guaranteed at least £420m-a-year in funding to set up their new European wide army which will be a "rapid response" team.They suggest devoting an initial two per cent of the overall GDP to defence, establishing multinational forces and EU headquarters to plan and command crisis management operations, and enabling the EU to act where NATO is unwilling to do so.Rapporteur Urmas Paet who supported the plans told the debate: “Our Union is not equipped to face overwhelming defence challenges. For almost 30 years, most of its member states have been cutting their defence budgets, leading to smaller armed forces."Cooperation among member states is occasional and Europe continues to rely heavily on NATO capabilities and on the US solidarity.“The momentum to move towards a working European Defence Policy has come.”MEPs want the EU to respond faster and more robustly to real threats, which, they say, demand that Europe’s armed forces work together better. They say that duplication, overcapacity and barriers to defence procurement result currently in annual waste of €26.4 billion and they now want to pool resources meaning

they will be able to action a plan to access defence strategies in individual countries.MEPs call on member states to pursue joint purchases of defence resources, and to pool or share non-lethal material such as transport vehicles or aircraft.They suggested introducing a “European Defence Semester, whereby member states would consult each other’s planning and cycles and procurement plans” and advocate strengthening the European Defence Agency’s coordination role.The resolution also called upon the European Council to lead the creation of “common Union defence policy and to provide additional financial resources ensuring its implementation.”MEPs back the proposed EU investment in defence-related research projects “of at least £76m (90 million euro) during next three years”, suggesting that this should be followed up by a separate European Defence Research Programme with an annual budget of €500 million.The politicians believe that the EU and NATO should cooperate more, particularly in the east and the south, to countering hybrid and cyber threats, improve maritime security and develop defence capabilities.MEPs will also debate a separate resolution on the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) on Tuesday evening, and vote on it on Wednesday.The draft text suggests radically overhauling the CSDP and launching a training operation in Iraq to support member states involved in the coalition against Daesh.Mike Hookem said it was "Terrible news for democracy and sovereignty in the EU."Whilst our government is hamstrung by anti democratic MPs and the bloated House of Lords determined to railroad the referendum result the EU has pushed ahead with their dream of an EU military. "We cannot delay any longer or we risk being caught up in this federalist nightmare."Our service personnel take an oath to Her Majesty not the President of the EU but if we don't extract ourselves soon not only will we be paying for it but we could be caught up in it."

Top of the DocumentEU-TU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Growing Sentiment in EU to End Membership Talks with Erdogan’s TurkeyMedia Line MidEast Daily News 23-Oct-16Sentiment among European Union states to put an end to Turkey’s hopes of attaining membership in the alliance is growing as rapidly as President Erdogan’s post-coup purge and assault on civil rights. On Tuesday, the heads of the European Parliament’s two largest factions unequivocally called for an end to the ongoing negotiations for Turkish membership in the EU. Despite Erdogan’s long held and well known desire to see his country join the EU – he has been lobbying to join for the past eleven years — he was apparently willing to give it all up after surviving an attempted coup d’état when he called for a law to create a death penalty – a move that in itself would have ended

Turkey’s eligibility to join the EU. And beyond that, Erdogan has showed no inclination to ease the purge of his perceived enemies — incarcerating thousands while suspending more than 100,000 others from their military, academic, journalistic and judicial jobs. Gianni Pitella, the head of the socialist bloc, which is the second largest group within the EU Parliament, admonished that, “Our political message towards Turkey is that human rights, civil rights, democracy are non-negotiable if you want to be part of the EU.” For his part, Erdogan appears angered but unbent in response to the flood of criticism from the EU warning that he will turn to China and Russia to create a security alliance.

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UK-IN:161123:(24-NOV-16):UK, India tech firms call for Israel-style tech hubTimes of Israel 23-Nov-16‘Pioneering model’ located in British Embassy in Tel Aviv held up as example for advancing British-Indian partnershipsUmbrella organizations representing technology and software companies in India and the UK have called on UK Prime Minister Theresa May and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a joint tech hub in India inspired by the “pioneering model” of a hub set up by the British Embassy in Israel. “The relationship between the UK and Indian ICT sectors has seen a step change in recent years and our shared goal of being global centres for innovation make the UK and India natural partners in technology,” Julian David, CEO of techUK, and Rentala Chandrashekhar, the president of NASSCOM, said in a joint letter to May and Modi on November 4, ahead of her visit to India.“Our Governments’ commitment to emerging sectors such as FinTech, cyber security, the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities provides fertile ground for new joint initiatives between UK and Indian businesses. As such, techUK and NASSCOM encourage the UK Government to consider establishing a tech hub in India following the pioneering model of the British Embassy in Israel.”techUK represents more than 900 member companies that collectively employ approximately 700,000 members, about half of all tech jobs in the UK. The companies range from FTSE 100 firms to startups. NASSCOM is a nonprofit trade association of Indian IT companies with over 2,000 members, including 250 international firms.The UK Israel Tech Hub at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv aims to promote economic growth in both countries by partnering British companies with Israeli innovation. The goal is to create partnerships in which British companies help Israeli startups and technologies go global, and Israeli innovation gives British companies a global competitive edge. The hub is the first initiative of this kind at an embassy, and operates from the embassy’s Tel Aviv premises with representatives in London. Established in 2011 as an initiative of the governments of both countries, the hub has already helped facilitate over 80 UK-Israel partnerships in technology, worth over 60 million pounds.“We are thrilled they recognized our model as a benchmark they would like to have in India,” said Naomi Krieger Carmy, the director of the UK Israel Tech Hub at the British Embassy in a phone interview. “We are now involved in conversations within the government looking at how our model can be replicated with other countries.”

The idea of the UK Israel Hub is to help UK corporations solve tech challenges through contact with Israeli startups. In turn, this helps put the UK on the map for Israeli companies, highlighting opportunities in the country regarding Fintech, digital and other technologies. The connections are made via delegations, workshops and one-on-one meetings that “aim to build bridges,” said Krieger Carmy.The hub also operates on a government level, to help facilitate the business contacts but also find synergies in which the governments can collaborate with technologies, like in the cybersecurity field, online digital technologies and education, Krieger Carmy said.Last week Israeli cybersecurity startup BioCatch said that UK’s NatWest, part of the RBS Group, has successfully tried its technology with clients. RBS had no previous engagement with Israel, but over the past four to five years the banking group became exposed to Israeli technologies via the hub’s work, Krieger Carmy said. In another example of successful matching, the hub connected British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology to cooperate on drug research, she said.The commercial departments at embassies work mostly at promoting trade ties and investments between countries, both of which are very important for the economies of nations, Krieger Carmy said. But, “in the 21st century we need to be looking at collaborations between the innovative drivers” in order to “to create a win win situation” for both sides, leveraging entrepreneurs and technology to promote growth and jobs. These are issues the UK Israel Tech Hub deals with and what makes it so unique, Krieger Carmy said.The UK embassy in Estonia has set up a similar hub, modeled on the Israeli one, Krieger Carmy said, forecasting “many more” will be launched going forward.Brexit’s silver lining for IsraelKrieger Carmy said at the moment she does not see the British vote to leave the European Union having a “huge impact” on business.“There is uncertainty and attention to the matter at both the political and governmental level,” she said. But at a business level the UK is not seeing major change, she said. Things will be “more challenging if Brexit will mean visas and new taxation,” she said. “But the underlying drivers in the UK economy stay the same. Uncertainty is not good, but we hope to get clear answers soon.”Brexit could also hold a silver lining for Israel, as bilateral relationships outside Europe become more important, she said. “We could see renewed interest in Israel, perhaps.”

Top of the DocumentIS-TU:161124:(24-NOV-16):Turkey Offers to Send Large Firefighting PlaneCommunicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser 24-Nov-16Turkey contacted Israel and offered to send a large firefighting plane. Israel acceded to the request.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that he appreciates the offer and the assistance by the government of Turkey.

The following countries are sending planes: Greece, Italy, Croatia, Russia, Cyprus and Turkey.

Top of the DocumentIS-US:161124:(24-NOV-16):Weekly Commentary: Best to Level With TrumpDr. Aaron Lerner 24 November 2016



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Ever since the Israeli electorate rejected Oslo at the ballot box over 20 years ago Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's engaged in verbal and mental gymnastics to placate foreign leaders who adamantly insist that he pledge alliegance to the "two state solution".Its been confusing. but we might not have had a choice.With the election of Trump there is an opportunity to get out of the rut.I recommend we level with Trump#1. Fundamental problem with sovereign Palestinian state – not conditionalThere are all sorts of ostensibly well intentioned people with various schemes of arrangements and guarantees that they claim would make it possible to create a sovereign independent Palestinian state in our bedroom.But we must never forget this simple truth: the moment that that sovereign independent Palestinian state is actually formed in our bedroom, its sovereignty and independence is essentially unconditional.They can rip the arrangements and guarantees they signed to shreds and they will still be a sovereign independent Palestinian state.#2. Fundamental problem with almost sovereign Palestinian state - extraneous developments.There's countless scenarios that may lead to a large hyper autonomous Palestinian state that shares a border with Jordan becoming a sovereign independent state.#3. Where we CAN go

Prime Minister Sharon’s retreat from the Gaza Strip was indeed a colossal mistake. But it’s a fact. And its created an opportunity by defusing the “demographic bomb”. With the Gazans out of the equation we enjoy the unprecedented advantage that we can retain a substantial Jewish majority for the foreseeable future even if we choose to annex all of Judea and Samaria.Paradoxically, the more comprehensive our annexation the less the opposition we will ultimately face. After all, many of the Palestinian leaders themselves have said that we Israelis have to choose between allowing them to be citizens of our state or citizens of a Palestinians state. How would the Palestinians react to annexation? They might march in he streets – but they would celebrate in their homes.Stepwise program?- First round of annexation includes the Jordan Valley and Jericho to land lock whatever is left to potentially be a Palestinian state.- Work and travel access into Israel for all Palestinians not in annexed areas (with the exception of specific individuals denied access by the security authorities) .- Freight rail line from Ashdod Port to terminal at Erez Crossing (the railroad already has right of way for the tracks) to give a jump start for Gaza by slashing the costs of importing and exporting from the Strip (integrated with a terminal inside Israel to slash the costs of moving freight between the Gaza Strip and Judea & Samaria as well as Jordan).

Top of the DocumentIS-US:161121:(24-NOV-16):Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem: A Great Opportunity for the New PresidentBESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 378 21-Nov-16EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would be a good example of the kind of policy change that President-Elect Donald Trump has said is needed in Washington. More importantly, this action could mark a new US strategy for pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace: Telling the truth.The US State Department, which has always opposed moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, understands very well that any peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians will leave at least western Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and part of sovereign Israel. So why will the State Department nevertheless advise President-Elect Donald Trump not to fulfill his promise to move the embassy?Moving the embassy to Israel’s actual capital would provoke Arab anger at the US and lead to protests that might turn violent. The foreign policy establishment wishes to prevent this result and protect America’s status as an “honest broker.” It therefore continues to insist that because Jerusalem’s ultimate status can only be determined by agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, and that it would be wrong for the US to “prejudge” the outcome by acting on the truth that Israel’s capital is Jerusalem.This is a perfect example of the kind of politically-correct establishment pettifogging that Trump campaigned against. Moving the embassy to Jerusalem is a low-cost action that he could take as soon as he is inaugurated, and one of the easiest

and quickest changes in policy that he could implement. The new US consulate in Jerusalem was built with security features that would be needed for an embassy, so the move could be started almost immediately, without any prejudice to the Palestinian claim to eastern Jerusalem.The large new US consulate in Jerusalem's Talpiot neighbourhood was built with security features that would be needed for an embassy, so a move could be started almost immediately.The State Department’s insistence on the diplomatic fiction that none of Jerusalem is part of Israel helps preserve the Palestinian hope that, someday, Israel will be forced to give up its capital and will be destroyed as the independent, democratic Jewish state.That Palestinian hope is the main obstacle to peace. The Palestinians can only make peace when their community – and perhaps the Arab world of which it is a part – comes to understand that international pressure will never force Israel to acquiesce in its own destruction. One of the best ways the US can demonstrate that it will never consent to the Palestinian destruction of Israel is for Washington to stop ignoring blatant Palestinian lies that work against peace.There is another way that an American truth-telling strategy could encourage peace. Palestinian leadership now tells its people – and most of them believe – that compromise with Israel would be immoral because Israel is a colonial invader that stole Palestinian land by force. By that argument, Israel



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has no moral claim to any of the land, and any concession to it would be dishonorable.But Israel is descended from Jewish kingdoms that ruled parts of the land for centuries in ancient times. It too has a traditional base for moral claims to the territory (in addition to legal claims from the League of Nations mandate). If the Palestinians recognized this truth, they would see that compromise between the two groups, each of which has valid claims to the land, could be an honorable way to end the dispute and not a cowardly yielding to force.To undermine this moral basis for compromise with Israel, Palestinian leadership flatly denies any ancient Jewish connection to the land. They claim, for example, that there never was a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount from which Jesus could have chased the money-changers. Yet their own history belies this claim. In 1929, the Supreme Moslem Council in Jerusalem, in its guide to the Mount, wrote: “[The Temple Mount’s] identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute.”The US may not be able to induce the Palestinian Authority to stop inciting its constituents and teaching its children to hate Israel. But there are ways in which the US can expose and eventually defeat Palestinian lies that work against peace; ways that do not require getting agreement from anyone.

Exploring these new approaches would constitute a striking change in diplomatic direction. There are many examples of the West rejecting truth on behalf of the Palestinians and their Arab supporters. For example, some Western countries went along with the recent denial by UNESCO of any ancient Jewish connection to the land of Israel. The US politely ignores the Palestinian lie that there was never a Jewish temple on the Temple Mount.If the US consistently tells the truth about the ancient Jewish presence in Palestine, and publicly refuses to swallow the Palestinians’ false and anti-peace denials of history, the Palestinian leadership will not for long be able to keep the truth from their people, or at least from the large educated class.The US has followed a policy of avoiding truths that are painful or embarrassing to the Arabs for at least 50 years. It hasn’t worked. Maybe it is time to try the strategy of telling the truth. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, in accordance with the long-standing congressional position, would be a good way for President Trump to make a start on a truth-telling strategy – as well as to fulfill a campaign promise.Dr. Max Singer, a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, is co-founder of the Washington-based Hudson Institute.

Top of the DocumentIS-MPA:161116:(24-NOV-16):Israel’s Population Bomb is DisappearingCouncil on Foreign Relations 16-Nov-16Everyone knows that because Arab population growth rates in Israel and the West Bank far exceed Jewish ones, the percentage of the population that is not Jewish will rise steadily. The only problem with that statement is that it is not true.As The Times of Israel has just reported, The fertility rates of Jewish and Arab women were identical for the first time in Israeli history in 2015, according to figures released by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday….Jewish and Arab women had given birth to an average of 3.13 children as of last year….The explanation is a sharp drop in Arab Israeli birth rates while Jewish birth rates have been rising: “In 2000, the fertility among the country’s Arab population stood at 4.3 children per woman, while the fertility rate of Jewish women was 2.6. Since then the gap has narrowed as the Arab rate dropped off and the Jewish fertility rates steadily increased.”

This high fertility rate is not simply an artifact of Israel’s growing ultra-Orthodox or Haredi population; the non-Haredi fertility rate is 2.6. (This is, by the way, a far higher fertility rate than that of American Jews, which is 1.9; the replacement rate is 2.3.) The overall Israeli Jewish fertility rate of 3.13 also suggests that the population balance between Israel and the West Bank will not change: “Palestinian fertility on the West Bank has already fallen to the Israeli fertility rate of three children per woman, if we believe the Palestine Ministry of Health numbers rather than the highly suspect Central Bureau of Statistics data. In 1963, Israeli Arab women had eight or nine children; today they have three, about the same as Israeli Jews.”What are the political implications? Whatever they are, the debate must begin with facts rather than assumptions–including facts about population growth.

Top of the DocumentRU:161123:(24-NOV-16):Russia successfully tests missiles that fire from 'nuclear trains'The Independent 23-Nov-16Latest missile advancement comes as Kremlin deploys nuclear-capable missiles to Polish boarder Russia has successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles intended for its "nuclear trains" program. Tests on missiles for the Barguzin "railway-based combat rocket system" were carried out at the Plesetsk cosmodrome two weeks ago, the state-owned Interfax news agency reports."They were fully successful," a military source told the agency, "paving the way for further flight tests."

The mobile weapons platform, made up of several train carriages designed to conceal the launchers of six Yars or Yars-M thermonuclear ICBMs and their command units, are expected to enter service between 2018 and 2020.Lieutenant-General Sergai Karakayev, who commands Russia's strategic missile forces, said the Barguzin would be superior to the Soviet-era Molodets nuclear trains in accuracy and range.He expects them to be in service until 2040.The Soviet Union had 12 Molodets trains in total, each of which were equipped with three nuclear missiles. Known by



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the Nato designation Scalpel, they were disposed of between 2003 and 2005.Russia's latest advancement in its nuclear weapons technology comes as a senior MP announced the deployment of nuclear-capable missiles to the Kaliningrad exclave.Moscow will deploy S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles to the exclave, which borders Poland and Lithuania. The Kremlin has brushed off Western criticism of the deployment of state-of-the art missiles in the Baltic Sea region, describing it as an equivalent response to Nato's military build-up near its borders.On Monday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby warned the deployment of Iskander and S-400 missiles to Kaliningrad is "destabilising to European security" and urged Moscow to "refrain from words or deeds that are inconsistent with the goal of promoting security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region".

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that the Russian military needs to respond to what he described as Nato's aggressive moves."Russia is doing what is necessary to protect itself amid Nato's expansion toward its borders," Mr Peskov said."The alliance is a truly aggressive bloc, so Russia does what it has to do. It has every sovereign right to take necessary measures throughout the territory of the Russian Federation."FindTheData | GraphiqMoscow has also deployed new anti-ship missiles on Pacific islands controlled by Russia but also claimed by Japan.Bal and Bastion missile systems have been stationed on the islands, called the southern Kurils by Russia and the Northern Territories by Japan, the Boyevaya Vakhta (Combat Duty) newspaper of Russia's Pacific Fleet reports.The disagreement over the islands, seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II, has kept the two countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their wartime hostilities.

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