https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-media:-ksa-allows-israeli-soldiers-to-fly-over-its-a

Israeli media: KSA allows Israeli soldiers to fly over its airspace

The Israeli newspaper "Israel Hayom" reported Wednesday that it "received internal assurances that the soldiers of the Israeli occupation forces will be allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia."

The newspaper pointed out that this indicates that flight times to the Far East and the Seychelles Islands will be shorter.

This comes in response to the newspaper's previous reports that the permanent service soldiers and other soldiers will not be allowed to fly over Saudi Arabia and Oman on their way to targets in the east.

Saudi Arabia opens airspace for all civil air carriers for overflying

The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced in mid-July that Saudi Arabia is opening its airspace for all civil air carriers for overflying.

CNN also cited sources familiar with the matter that Saudi Arabia was planning to permit flights to and from the occupied lands.

Riyadh’s decision was planned amid US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East, including to "Israel" and Saudi Arabia, the source told the media, calling the move a "small symbol of the budding relations" between the two nations.

GACA claims the decision comes as part of Riyadh's desire to fulfill its obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944, which stipulates non-discrimination between civil aircraft used in international air navigation, as well as to complement the country's "efforts aimed at consolidating the Kingdom's position as a global hub connecting three continents and to enhance international air connectivity."

The Israeli occupation was thankful to Saudi Arabia for its incremental step toward official normalization.

In this context, Israeli Transport Minister Merav Michaeli on Friday welcomed as an "important step" Saudi Arabia's decision to lift restrictions on all carriers using its airspace.

"Israeli flights will be allowed in Saudi Arabian airspace. This is an important step by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that will significantly shorten flight times and lower prices," Michaeli said in a statement.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-worried-of-nuclear-deal-with-benefits-to-iran

'Israel' worried of nuclear deal with benefits to Iran

Israeli PM Yair Lapid has affirmed "Israel's" opposition to the revival of the JCPOA agreement of 2015, otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal.

In a statement on Thursday by Lapid's administration and after a call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the Iran nuclear deal, the statement read: "The Prime Minister reiterated Israel’s opposition to a return to the nuclear agreement and the need for Europe to send a clear and unequivocal message that there will be no more concessions to Iran".

The statement concluded with "Europe must oppose Iran buying time in negotiations. The two agreed to meet soon, as a reflection of the close relations between their two countries."

Positive development in the nuclear talks

Military analyst at the Israeli Walla! website, Amir Bohbot, described the situation as "Iranians pulling the Americans out of their noses with expertise".

Political sources in "Israel" said “We are definitely seeing that Iran is nearing the agreement," the sources claimed, but added: "This process contradicts the fact that there is no real rapprochement in the positions of the two sides. There is tension between the two contradictory vectors, but the preparation process is creating momentum and more positive discussion in advance of a deal.”

Iran has already provided an official response on August 15 to the JCPOA's offer regarding its revival and mutual collaboration with the involved parties.

The European Commission has from its side announced that the EU is reviewing the final draft of the deal, adding that it would consult with the other participants. The US Foreign Ministry confirmed last Tuesday that it also received Iran's response to the EU's proposal on reviving the deal.

Two days prior, a meeting of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council brought together Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, Iran's top negotiator, Ali Baqeri Kani, and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani.

Shamkhani reiterated Tehran's policy of not linking the country's economy to the nuclear negotiations, pointing out that "regardless of whether an agreement is reached or not, which in all cases serves the interests of the Iranian nation, and also with the very good coordination that was done between different parts of the country to advance the negotiations, there was no retraction of any part of the red lines and there will not be any in the future."

Bagheri Kani further commented that the Iranian negotiating delegation focused on obtaining the necessary and reassuring guarantees that Iran will benefit economically from the nuclear agreement, alongside Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani who affirmed positive development in the nuclear talks.

Gantz: Iran's closing in on nuclear power is worrying "Israel"

Israeli security minister Benny Gantz disclosed to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the Iran nuclear deal, if an agreement is reached, should be a great one that doesn't leave any loopholes open.

“Iran is a global and regional problem and an Israeli challenge,” Gantz claimed, expressing his severe concern with Iran's pre-existing economic advantage and now with "their advancement in nuclear power" which he described as "worrisome" to the world and to "Israel".

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-media:-israel-sees-nuclear-deal-bad

Israeli media: "Israel" sees nuclear deal 'bad'

Israeli media quoted on Wednesday political sources as saying that "Iran is close to signing the nuclear deal with major powers."

The political sources stated that "Israel perceives the present deal as a bad one," and pointed out that it is "preparing for various scenarios."

The Israeli media stated that "the Israeli system is working to assess various directions and possible scenarios."

Political affairs correspondent for the Israeli Kan channel, Gili Cohen said that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will be discussing how to prepare "Israel" for the potential nuclear agreement with Iran, as "Israel" strongly contradicted returning to the nuclear agreement.

Iranians are leading the Americans by the nose

Amir Bohbot, a military affairs commentator for the Israeli Wallah website, said that "Israel will not sit in the audience amid the developments in the negotiations between Iran and the United States over the nuclear deal."

Bohbot added that a conflict might soon begin between the United States and "Israel" over the issue and even if they try to keep it behind the scenes, it will appear to the public.

According to Bohbot, "the Iranians are cleverly leading the Americans by the nose," which does not make the United States militarily reliable, he added.

Yesterday, the Yedioth Ahronoth website discussed Iran's nuclear negotiations with Western countries and the Iranian response to the European proposal, pointing to the fear inside "Israel" of returning to the nuclear agreement due to the concessions that Washington could make at the last minute to Tehran, or any US concession related to the "unresolved issues", as well as the fear that Washington would abandon its past commitments to "Israel".

This comes after Iran responded to the "final" text submitted by the European Union regarding the nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called on Washington to show flexibility to revive the 2015 agreement.

The US State Department Spokesperson, Ned Price, confirmed on Tuesday that the United States will continue to study Iran's comments on the European Union's "final" text regarding the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Ulyanov has earlier this month stated to Al Mayadeen reporters that he was "optimistic" about the course the nuclear talks are taking. He also assured that everything was "manageable, and Russia fully supports the need to close these issues as soon as possible.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/turkey-to-announce-new-ambassador-to-israel-days-after-gaza

Turkey to announce new ambassador to "Israel" days after war on Gaza

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that he will shortly name a new ambassador to "Israel".

Additionally, Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, made the announcement earlier on Wednesday that Turkey has chosen to reestablish diplomatic ties and designate an ambassador to "Israel".

"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held telephone talks with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid. During the talks, Turkish-Israeli relations and regional issues were discussed. President Erdogan expressed satisfaction with the development of Turkish-Israeli relations within the framework agreed during the visits of Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid to Turkey." Erdogan's office said in a statement.

"Referring to the decision to appoint a new ambassador, President Erdogan said he would take the necessary steps to appoint a new ambassador as soon as possible. President Erdogan expressed support for the development of cooperation and dialogue between Turkey and Israel based on mutual respect," the statement added.

On the same day, Lapid announced that his government will restore full diplomatic ties with Ankara.

"It was decided to once again upgrade the level of the relations between the two countries to that of full diplomatic ties and to return ambassadors and consuls general from the two countries," said a statement from Lapid's office.

The Israeli prime minister claimed that the decision is an "important asset for regional stability as well as very important economic news for Israeli citizens."

The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Israeli occupation launched a brutal aggression on Gaza which left at least 49 martyrs, including 16 children.

>> What was done secretly for decades is now done in the open.

>>17411315

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-fed-to-hike-interest-rates-pace-to-slow-down-at-some-poin

US Fed to hike interest rates, pace to slow down 'at some point'

The US Central Bank is still committed to raising interest rates further in order to bottle up surging inflation, though the Fed claimed that it would be slowing the pace of such hikes "at some point," the Treasury said Wednesday.

In the minutes of the July policy meeting, which produced a second massive increase of 0.75 percentage points, Fed officials said it would take some time to bring "unacceptably high" inflation back down near their goal of 2%.

There is a "risk" the Fed could go too far while trying to hold back demand and lower prices, central bankers underlined.

The Fed increased the benchmark borrowing rate four times this year, including two massive 0.75% in June and July after US annual inflation spiked to 9.1% mid-year.

The US central bank has already indicated that it had plans to hike interest rates on loans last month, but it is looking like the Fed is more likely to increase the aggressiveness of its policies put in place to combat inflation. That would drastically affect the national economy and increase the chances of recession.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 700 points below 30,000 for the first time in over a year in July, emphasizing how staggering is the US economy.

Members of the Fed's policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) noted the recent decline in energy prices and some signs that supply constraints have eased. However, they said falling oil prices "cannot be relied on" to lower overall inflation.

The rapid, aggressive moves by the central bank have started to have an impact, and the minutes said while officials expected the US economy to continue to expand in the second half of the year, "many expected that growth in economic activity would be at a below-trend pace."

Given the numerous risks the United States is facing, the country only has a meager chance of averting an economic slump, the IMF warned late last month.

US government data released at the end of June showed that price increases that had held steady in the past 12 months ended in May, while the rise in consumer spending slowed sharply.

Meanwhile, the Fed has been for the past few months aggressively hiking interest rates to try and lower rising prices, but its efforts did not materialize in May, with consumer prices hitting four-decade highs. Consumer prices in May rose 8.6% and soared over what economists thought was the peak in March.

Energy prices have risen 34.6% over the past year, the fastest since September 2005, food prices have increased 10.1%, and the cost of fuel oil increased by more than two-fold, soaring 106.7% - the largest increase in the history of the consumer price index. A gallon of gas across the US reached $5 nationwide for the first time in history, setting a new record for oil prices.

>>17411381

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/china-warns-israel-against-harming-relations-due-to-us-press

China warns "Israel" against harming relations due to US pressure

Israeli officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have revealed to Israeli media outlet Walla! News that last week, China warned "Israel" not to damage relations with Beijing as a result of US pressure.

According to the Israeli news outlet, China's message was conveyed last week by a top Chinese diplomat, Liu Jinchao, to the Israeli ambassador to China, Irit Ben-Abba. Jinchao leads the international relations department of the Chinese Communist Party, which is a minister-level position in the government.

"Senior officials at the Foreign Ministry said that this is the first time that Israel has received such a sharp and direct message from China on the issue of the Israel-US-China trilateral relations," the paper wrote.

"We don't want the relationship between Israel and the US to depend on Israel moving away from China," said Liu. "China and Israel share long-term interests and a positive future."

According to the officials, Liu stressed that "Israel" should not follow suit with Washington when it comes to criticizing China's human rights situation, particularly when it comes to US allegations that China has been waging genocide against the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.

Read more: US lawmakers form bipartisan Uyghur caucus

The Israeli officials noted that they do not know what is the reason behind the "unusually harsh Chinese message," speculating that the issue may be related to tensions between the US and China regarding Taiwan.

A senior Israeli official remarked that "Relations with China are stable and good, but they know that the US is our closest ally."

In June, "Israel" joined a group of Western states in the UN Human Rights Council to condemn China's policy against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Last June, due to increasing pressure from Washington, "Israel" joined the announcement of the group of member states of the UN Human Rights Council, which condemned the Chinese policy towards the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.

This wouldn't be the first time China threatens to downgrade ties with "Israel."

A diplomatic spat occurred in May over an article published in the Jerusalem Post that called China "authoritarian", suggesting that "Israel" should not have economic ties with an authoritarian country otherwise it will be jeopardizing its national security.

Following the publication of this article, The Jerusalem Post's Editor-in-Chief tweeted that he received a call from the Chinese embassy, asking him to take down the article, or Beijing will cut ties with the paper, and downgrade ties with "Israel", the reason ostensibly being giving the 'breakaway region' of Taiwan a voice that would lend it legitimacy amid the US' push to arm it with weapons to combat China.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/china-calls-on-us-to-halt-official-contact-with-taiwan

China calls on US to halt official contact with Taiwan

China is calling on the United States to sever any official contacts it has with Taiwan, including negotiations on official trade and economic agreements, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbing said on Thursday.

Wang underlined his country's readiness to take decisive measures in order to protect its sovereignty in light of rising tensions between Beijing on the one hand and Taipei and Washington on the other.

On Wednesday, the office of the US Trade Representative announced that the US and Taiwan agreed to begin trade negotiations in the fall as part of the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade first presented in early June.

According to US Deputy Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi, these talks will deepen the "trade and investment relationship, advance mutual trade priorities based on shared values, and promote innovation and inclusive economic growth" between the two parties.

"China always opposes other countries negotiating and signing any trade and economic agreements of a sovereign and official nature with Taiwan," Wang stressed.

"We demand that the US strictly comply with the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiques, stop any form of official contacts with Taiwan and refrain from negotiating and signing official agreements with Taipei," the diplomat said.

According to Wang, there is only one China in the world, of which Taiwan is an integral part, and Taipei's observance of the one-China principle is a precondition for its participation in any foreign economic cooperation.

Check out: China is a more preferable trade partner to Taiwan than the US

The US should not send erroneous signals to Taiwan's separatist forces under the pretext of developing trade, he stressed.

The situation around Taiwan escalated following Pelosi's recent visit to Taipei. China considers Taiwan part of its territory and opposes any direct official foreign contacts with the island.

Pelosi's visit led China to announce ending cooperation with the United States on a number of issues such as climate change, anti-drug efforts, and military talks.

The Chinese foreign ministry had announced that Beijing will impose sanctions on Pelosi and her close relatives in response to her provocative visit to Taiwan. China also imposed restrictions on the purchase of fruit and seafood from Taiwan, as well as stopping sand supplies to the island.

The Taiwanese and Chinese militaries, in the wake of the visit and soaring tensions, held military drills on a large scale. Taipei's military held on Thursday a round of live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait after China's People Liberation Army concluded its own in the South China Sea.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/china-to-send-troops-to-russia-for-joint-military-drills

China to send troops to Russia for joint military drills

Chinese troops will travel to Russia to participate in joint military exercises led by the host country and involving India, Belarus, Mongolia, and Tajikistan, in addition to other countries, according to the Chinese defense ministry.

China’s participation in the joint exercises was “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”, the ministry said.

Moscow revealed plans in July to hold the Vostok (east) 2022 exercises from August 30 to September 5. At the time, it was stated that some foreign forces would be present, but no names were given.

China's defense ministry affirmed that the exercises are part of a bilateral annual cooperation agreement with Russia.

"The aim is to deepen practical and friendly cooperation with the armies of participating countries, enhance the level of strategic collaboration among the participating parties, and strengthen the ability to respond to various security threats," the ministry said.

On his account, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price claimed that the US didn't "read anything into" the drills.

During a press conference, he added, "most of the participating countries also routinely participate in a wide array of military exercises and exchanges with the United States as well."

A look back

In August of last year, Russia and China conducted joint military exercises in north-central China which included over 10,000 troops. Sergei Shoigu, Russia's defense minister, hailed the Sibu/Cooperation-2021 drills in China's Ningxia and suggested they be expanded.

Russia and China conducted joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in October. After a few days, Russian and Chinese warships conducted their first joint patrols in the western Pacific.

Shortly before the war in Ukraine, Beijing and Moscow announced a "no limits" partnership, despite the US failed attempts to push China to join US-led sanctions against Russia right after the start of the war.

It is worth noting that the eastern military district of Russia includes a portion of Siberia and is headquartered in Khabarovsk, near the Chinese border.