Secretary Hagel and Israeli Minister of Defense Moshe “Boogie” Yaalon agreed that the United States will make available to Israel new advanced military capabilities, including anti-radiation missiles and advanced radars for its fleet of fighter jets, KC-135 refueling aircraft, and most significantly, the V-22 Osprey, which the U.S. has not released to any other nation.

Secretary Hagel visited Yad Vashem and met with President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.”

Source:  US Embassy, Israel.

Read more about Secretary Hagel’s April 2013 trip to Israel.

Graphic: IDF Blog

Maryland governor praises Israel’s counter-terrorism. While visiting Israel, Gov. Martin O’Malley also looks for inspiration in the way Israel supports entrepreneurs and growing an Innovation Economy.

“Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut are back-to-back for a purpose. The celebrations of Independence Day are not empty or for their own sake. We celebrate with the acute awareness that without the incredible sacrifice of those we lost, there would be no State of Israel. Yom HaZikaron fills our Yom HaAtzmaut with meaning – it compels us to push ahead, to continue to build, and to never take our lives, our families, or our friends for granted.”

“As the sun sets, Israel’s normally bustling streets begin to empty. Israelis all over the country start heading to ceremonies for Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s memorial day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror.  At 8 p.m., the siren rings out. At that moment, Israelis stop what they are doing, wherever they are, and stand at attention — even if they are on the highway, they stop their cars and stand outside for 60 seconds.  That siren announces the beginning of a 24-hour period of mourning.”

Read From Grief to Joy in 48 Hours.

Learn more about Israel’s Memorial Day.

Iran heeds Israel’s warning of uranium ‘red line’

April 8, 2013

Excerpt:

Photo: United Nations (9/27/2012)

But the Israeli leader’s explicit setting of a “red line” for the Iranian nuclear program in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in September appears to have accomplished what neither negotiations nor sanctions have yielded: concrete Iranian action to limit its enrichment.

Mr. Netanyahu’s red line is only a partial and temporary check on the Iranian threat. The ongoing installation of a new generation of faster centrifuges could soon make it obsolete by providing a new means for Iran to quickly produce bomb-grade uranium. But the lesson here is twofold: The credible threat of military action has to be part of any strategy for preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon, and clear red lines can help create the “time and space for diplomacy” that President Obama seeks.

Read complete editorial here.

Photo: http://www.newyorkmets.com

FLUSHING, N.Y., April 9, 2013 – The New York Mets today announced the Israeli national soccer team will play the Honduran national team at Citi Field Sunday, June 2 at 5:30 p.m. This match will mark Israel’s first New York appearance in over 35 years.

Learn more here.

Better add bakeries to the list of attractions in Haifa, a city better known for its port, its high-tech center, its universities and its spectacular Baha’i Gardens.

There are more than 70 bake shops in Israel’s unofficial northern capital, as opposed to some 50 in Tel Aviv, though Haifa is smaller than Tel Aviv. And because of Haifa’s multicultural nature, the goodies are not in just one genre. There are Jewish, Muslim and Christian bakeries offering a wide variety of ethnic dessert cuisine and fresh breads.

Mouthwatering mousse cake, sweet cookies, glazed fruit pies, honey-nut drenched baklava — you’ll see it all in Haifa, and this video provides a tantalizing taste.”

Source:  Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)