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- Written by Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry Spokesman
In the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense and the media coverage of events in the south, Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein has ordered the opening of a special Ministry operations center.
The activity of the center, which is being established in coordination with the National Information Directorate, the Foreign Ministry and the IDF Spokesperson's Office, will focus on coordinating public diplomacy efforts by enlisting a reservoir of 25,000 activists who have been trained by the Ministry for public diplomacy and to transmit messages in Israel and around the world.
The center will, inter alia, turn to Diaspora communities and Jewish organizations around the world in order to both assist them and benefit from their assistance vis-à-vis public diplomacy activity in their languages and local environments. The Ministry thus intends to encourage and initiate a public diplomacy campaign in dozens of countries and over the internet complete with messages, photographs, video clips and additional materials in various languages.
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- Written by Josh Hantman, International Media Advisor
"We are here with the active air defense personnel operating the ‘Iron Dome’ battery protecting Be’er Sheva and the region.
First of all, we must thank them for their efforts in operating the battery; these are outstanding achievements. There is no army and no country in the world with technology like the ‘Iron Dome’ system, which assures real-time protection for the citizens against rockets with the potential to cause mass civilian casualties.
However, it is important to emphasize that the system does not provide 100 percent protection; there is no such thing as a perfect system, and the “Iron Dome” does not exempt civilians from their duty to act with self-discipline when following instructions from the Home Front Command.
Our hearts - of course - go out to the families of those who were murdered in Kiryat Malachi today. We will do our best to ensure that all of the citizens of the South are protected at all times; whether it be in the shelters or the stairwells, and that they closely follow all of the orders emanating from the Home Front Command."
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- Written by Netherlands Embassy in Tel Aviv
On 12 November 2012, Dutch Architect Kamiel Klaasse was keynote speaker at Bezalel Academy’s ‘Ivory Tower Conference’ on architecture that took place on the 49th level of the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv. The goal of the conference was to generate a contextual discussion on high-rise building and density in a time of social and ecological crisis. As the Netherlands is a country with a growing lack of available land reserves that uses innovating architectural solutions to deal with its density, Dutch architect Kamiel Klaasse was invited to present some of his work as case-studies of such solutions.
Ambassador of the Netherlands to Israel, Mr. Caspar Veldkamp concluded the day with a speech: “I am very happy to see that the close cooperation between Israel and the Netherlands extends into the field of architecture. Both our countries are increasingly visible throughout the world with the work of our architects and designers. But it is also our trademark innovative solutions that make us stand out from the crowd. Kamiel Klaasse’s innovative architectural solutions and Bezalel’s commitment to redefining the architect’s field of knowledge and responsibilities in the constantly-changing global environment, prove this point yet again.”
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- Written by UK Embassy
Speaking today, the Foreign Secretary William Hague said:
"I am gravely concerned by the situation in Gaza and southern Israel and deeply regret the loss of civilian life on both sides. I call on all those involved to avoid any action which risks civilian casualties or escalates the crisis.
"Hamas bears principal responsibility for the current crisis. I utterly condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel by Hamas and other armed groups. This creates an intolerable situation for Israeli civilians in southern Israel, who have the right to live without fear of attack from Gaza. The rocket attacks also risk worsening the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, which is already precarious.
"Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza should cease attacks against Israel immediately. I call on those in the region with influence over Hamas to use that influence to bring about an end to the attacks.
"I also strongly urge Israel to do their utmost to reduce tension, avoid civilian casualties and increase the prospects for both sides to live in peace. It is imperative to avoid the risk of a spiral of violence. The escalation of the conflict would be in no one's interest, particularly at a time of instability in the region.
"These events underline once again the fragility of the situation and the urgent need for progress toward a two state solution which allows Israelis and Palestinians to live alongside each other in peace and security. Britain will do all it can to support such progress and an urgent resumptions of negotiations."
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- Written by U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Gaza Rocket Attacks
We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence. There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately. We support Israel’s right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties.
Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause. Attacking Israel on a near daily basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza or to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self determination.
