Washington, Israeli President Shimon Peres will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom when he visits the White House in Washington, D.C. later this spring, U.S. President Barack Obama told an audience on Sunday. Obama made the announcement at the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement, in Washington, D.C. He praised Peres, who has led Israel since becoming president in July 2007, as having fought for Israel's independence and for peace and security. "As a member of the Haganah and a member of the Knesset, as a Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs, as a Prime Minister and as President -- Shimon helped build the nation that thrives today: the Jewish state of Israel," Obama said as he announced the award. "But beyond these extraordinary achievements, he has also been a powerful moral voice that reminds us that right makes might -- not the other way around." Obama said Peres has lived to the story of the Jewish people, recalling the Israeli leader's remarks previously that 'slings, arrows and gas chambers can annihilate man, but cannot destroy human values, dignity, and freedom.' "He has ...
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Bangkok, Three Iranians suspected in a botched bomb plot targeting Israeli diplomats in Bangkok holidayed in the Thai resort of Pattaya just days before the blasts, an official said Friday. "The three suspects stayed in different hotels in Pattaya," an immigration officer in the coastal city who did not want to be named told AFP. Police have tracked down a Thai woman known as "Nancy" who escorted one of the men, Mohamad Khazaei, during his stay, he added. "The most important evidence we found are pictures in Nancy's mobile phone taken on the night of February 11 which prove that these suspects know each other," the officer said. Pattaya, about a two-hour drive southeast of Bangkok, has earned a reputation for its wild nightlife thanks to its thriving red light district. According to the Bangkok Post daily, the Thai woman was also in the suspect's hotel room "but didn't detect any irregularities except one time when he barred her from approaching a closet in the room." The English-language daily published a photograph that it said showed the three suspects relaxing in a hotel bar with two Thai female companions, under the headline: "Suspects partied in ...
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Bangkok, Thailand's Police chief says the Iranians who were arrested after accidentally exploding their rented home in Bangkok were plotting to attack Israeli diplomats. National Police Chief Prewpan Dhamapong told a Thai television station that ``the target of the operation was specific and aimed at Israeli diplomatic staff.'' His comments late Wednesday came shortly after Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Itzhak Shoham said the homemade "sticky" bombs found at the blast site were similar to devices used against Israeli Embassy targets in India and Georgia earlier this week. He called it a "network of terror." Two Iranian men were detained Tuesday in Bangkok after the explosion and a third was arrested Wednesday in ...
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Dharamshala, The devastating blast in the Israeli embassy car that rocked the country on Monday has brought the idyllic Dharamkot village near Mcleodganj under the police scanner. The reason: Dharamkot, popularly known as mini-Israel, is a top destination for Israeli tourists. Police sources here confirmed that after the news broke out about the blast in New Delhi, Kangra police chief issued advisories to the local police station and hoteliers in Mcleodganj. "There are not many Israelis these days but still we have issued instructions to the hoteliers that they should inform us about the Israelis staying in their hotels," said Diljeet Singh Thakur, SP Kangra.In addition, he said, vigil and patrolling had been increased in the areas where Israeli tourists generally stay. The Israelis used to visit the Dharamkot village in massive numbers prior to visa restriction.They would stay throughout the year in the village, in rented rooms of local houses under the home stay scheme. In the year 2010, about 20,000 Israelis visited Dharamkot. There are still wall writings in the Hebrew language on many buildings of the village. There is also a 'Chabad house' (Jewish community centre) ...
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New Delhi, The blast in an Israeli embassy car was not a failure on India's part but a reminder that people would have to be vigilant at all times, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said Tuesday, a day after the incident in the heart of the Indian capital. "By a single incident, we cannot generalise and say India has failed. Incident of this kind can happen in any part of the world," Krishna said. "This is a reminder, yet another one, that we should be vigilant... people will have to be vigilant, police will have to be vigilant," the minister told CNN-IBN news channel. He said India had friendly relations with all countries and would not give any "judgement" till a report from intelligence agencies. "As far as we are concerned, we have an excellent relationship with Israel... and we would certainly like to keep that up; at the same time we have good relations with others also," Krishna said. "The investigations are on. Until we get an assessment from the investigating agency, it will be extremely difficult for us to pinpoint who is responsible for this attack, so we will hold our judgement till we get a report," he said. If Israel has some information, it ...
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New Delhi, An Israeli embassy car exploded in national capital New Delhi seriously wounding four, including a woman diplomat, on Monday in a terror attack emphatically blamed on Iran by Israel. The attack occurred around 3 pm near the 7 Race Course Road residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when, officials said, a biker apparently followed the car and then stuck something magnetic on the vehicle causing the explosion. The Innova SUV car was charred after it exploded near a petrol pump. Tal Yeshova, the 42-year-old diplomat who reports said was going to take back her children from school, was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital. The driver Manoj Sharma was also injured. Two other occupants of another car sustained minor injuries. "It was a difficult day for us," Israeli embassy spokesperson David Goldfarb told IBNS. He said Iran was targeting Israel for the past few weeks and on Monday they succeeded in India. He, however, said Israel is confident that India would cooperate and do everything to bring the culprits to justice. "Iran is behind the attacks on Israeli embassies, it is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world," Israeli ...
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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL: Israeli workers on Wednesday launched a strike for outsourced employees which shut down government offices, banks, airports, ports, rail services and other sectors of the country's economy, local media reported. The strike was called by Histadrut, Israel's main labor union, after talks with the government failed to reach an agreement on the status of workers employed through labor contractors. The strike caused delays at Ben Gurion airport and affected banks, hospitals, government offices, trains, the stock exchange and more, the Haaretz newspaper reported. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz called the strike unnecessary, saying it would harm the country's economy if it continues. But Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini said that the length of the strike depends on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Shalom Simhon. Netanyahu has been kept updated on negotiations and is reportedly considering to intervene to end the crisis, Haaretz reported. The High Court of Justice rejected a petition against the strike on Tuesday, saying it did not see a reason to intervene. Talks between Steinitz and Eini failed on Tuesday after the ...
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Jerusalem, Israel on Monday approved the construction of the first rail link between its Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, offering a new Asia-Europe trade route to compete with the Suez Canal, a project in which India is also said to have evinced interest. The so called proposal for Red-Med train link was unanimously approved by the Israeli cabinet and its construction is likely to take about 5 years from the time of start at a cost of approximately USD 2.3 billion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiating the discussion on the subject more than a week ago, said that the project had "strategic, national and international importance." In an apparent reference to India and China, Netanyahu on Sunday told his ministers that in the "coming decade new powers will arise [with whom] Israel must create vital interests from a national strategy point-of-view." Netanyahu has stated that both the Asian giants have expressed a great deal of interest in the project. The premier on Sunday also asserted that Israel had an interest in creating an alternative route between Asia and Europe to the Suez Canal, and that this could serve as an "insurance policy". ...
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Tel Aviv, Iran has four tonnes of 20 percent enriched uranium, sufficient to prepare four crude nuclear bombs in a year, said Israeli Military's intelligence head Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi Thursday. "Iran is vigorously pursing military nuclear capabilities and today the intelligence community agrees with Israel on that," he said. "Iran has over four tonnes of enriched materials and nearly 100 kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium that's enough for four bombs. It [nuclear bomb] will be done… within one year," he added. Kochavi, speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv, also said that while Iran states its nuclear programme is peaceful, Israel has "conclusive evidence that they are after nuclear weapons." The Iranian nuclear program, which has begun enriching uranium to 20 percent from which it can be further enriched into fissile warhead material, stems from several motives, including regional hegemony and deterrence, he said. Iran has announced to have launched a nuclear enrichment program at a well-protected underground facility near the holy Shia city of Qom. On Jan 23, the EU voted to ban oil imports from Iran. The embargo is set to come into force in ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan's former president General Pervez Musharraf has advocated for establishing relations with Israel, saying it could help bring India and Pakistan closer to each other, Geo News reported. "Israel is a reality and we have to accept it," said Musharraf in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz, adding that Pakistan was an ideological state like Israel and having relations with it could help Pakistan. Musharraf said acceptance of Israel could also help in bringing Pakistan and India closer and stressed that Pakistan should hold diplomatic relations with Israel as it does with various other Muslim countries. Pakistanis were not anti-Jews but anti-Israel due to Palestine crises, the former Pakistan army chief said and added that his country would continue to support Palestinians' demand for an independent state. Musharraf, who has been living in self-imposed exile in London, is all set to return home Jan 25 or 27. He is wanted by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan over accusations that he failed to protect former prime minister Benazir Bhutto from being assassinated in December 2007. Having grabbed power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, ...
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Jerusalem, Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said that embattled Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is running out of time, and with demonstrations growing throughout the country he has just ‘a few weeks’ left before he is toppled’. “The Assad family has no more than a few weeks to remain in control in Syria,” Barak told the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. “Even if it is hard to clearly see the exact date when the regime will fall, the trend is clear,” he said. “With every day that passes, the regime is getting closer to the end of its rule, and its grip is loosening,” he added. According to The Daily Mail, Barak further said the collapse of the Assad regime would be ‘a severe blow to the radical axis’, putting more strain on Tehran in particular, but would inevitably lead to further instability in the region. An estimated 5,000 people have been killed since Assad first launched a bloody crackdown on anti-government protestors in March. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Arab League, which has sent international monitors into the country to determine if the government is complying with a peace plan, ...
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