Israel

Workers unload containers carrying the second shipment of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine from a courier aircraft transporting some 67,860 doses of the vaccine at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City on early February 17, 2021.(Luis ACOSTA / AFP) The Sputnik V doses were "being transferred from the Palestinian Authority (in the West Bank) to the Gaza Strip in accordance with the PA's request and the approval of the (Israeli) political echelon", said the Israeli military department responsible for civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories (COGAT). It added that "the vaccine shipment is now making its way to the Erez crossing" that connects Israel to the blockaded Gaza Strip, a enclave which is controlled by the Islamist group Hamas. Both the PA and Hamas, which have said the doses will be given to frontline healthcare workers, had condemned Israel for refusing to allow the shipment to enter Gaza on Monday. The PA called on the World Health Organization to "condemn Israel" for the obstruction and urged it "to hold (Israel) fully responsible for the dangers arising from preventing the entry of vaccines into the Gaza Strip." Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem had blasted Israel's blockage as a "violation of all international laws and humanitarian standards." COGAT said on Monday that a political decision was required before it could allow vaccines to enter Gaza, where Israel has fought three wars against Hamas, which took control of the enclave in 2007. The PA is expecting some two million doses ordered from various manufacturers, in addition to vaccines from the UN-backed Covax programme, set up to help less wealthy nations procure vaccines. The PA has said it will share its procurement with Hamas. AFP …

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The Hanoitimes - Israeli ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar finds working in Vietnam as a privilege. From the startup nation’s target to the battle against Covid-19, the country is on its right track, he told Hanoitimes. “Feel much at home here” Had you been here before  serving as an ambassador? How do you find living in Vietnam? I’m here for almost three years and a half which is significant time. It allows me to see the country evolves during this time. I have been here before as tourist with my wife years ago. We came for the Tet holiday in 2003 (17 years ago). It is a fantastic visit which gave us the flavor of Vietnam and making us always think that we would come back here one day. Israeli ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar And happily and gladly, we did it. I am working here as an ambassador since the summer of 2017. I think this is one of the most interesting as well as pleasant place for me to be a foreign diplomat. The country is so beautiful, the people are so welcoming and we feel very much at home here. Could you outline some cooperation targets between the two countries in the time ahead? Besides, Vietnam has developed fast and been moving fast forward becoming a more interesting place to work. I think the relationship between Israel and Vietnam is also running fast forward. We are very active here. There is a huge interest by Vietnamese side in Israel and vice versa, in developing business sales, in developing new fields of cooperation. We also cooperate in so many fields like agriculture, education, start-up and cyber security, innovation and of course, quality clever and so much more. I think it is very privileged for me to be here in this time. Vietnam as an influential or significant player in international arena Success in science-technology and startup is one of the most outstanding stories when we talk about Israel? How does Israel do that? Basically, our society  evolved …

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The Hanoitimes - Israel is Vietnam’s trusted partner in the Middle East, stated a Vietnamese central banker. Vietnam and Israel are stepping up negotiation for the Vietnam – Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA), which, once completed, would be a major boost for bilateral relations, according to Nguyen Thi Hong, vice governor of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). SBV's Vice Governor Nguyen Thi Hong (r) and Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar (l). Photo: SBV. Over the past years, the Vietnam – Israel relations have been growing strongly on various spheres, and Israel is Vietnam’s trusted partner in the Middle East, stated Mrs. Hong in a meeting with Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Nadav Eshcar on September 23. During this context, the efficient cooperation between commercial banks of the two countries has created favorable conditions for investment and trading activities among enterprises from Vietnam and Israel, Mrs. Hong asserted. In 2019, revenue from bilateral payment network between banks from two countries stood at US$197 million, or 17% of total trade turnover at US$1.15 billion. While fintech has become an inevitable trend around the world, Mrs. Hong expected the Israeli Embassy to serve as a bridge to further cooperation between Vietnam and Israel in fintech management. At the meeting, Israeli Ambassador Nadav Eshcar highly regarded the two countries’ economic cooperation, adding there remains huge potential in bilateral relations. Mr. Eshcar added Israel attached great importance to the cooperation with Vietnam since the latter is a gateway of the Middle East country to ASEAN’s economy, which has been reflected in strong growth in bilateral trade. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, trade revenue between the two countries stood at US$791 million in the first six months this year. …

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