Wednesday, 1 November 2017

Netanyahu allies Putin and Aliyev are visiting Iran. Here's the message they'll relay from Israel


On a face of it, any alleviation in tactful family between countries that are accessible to Israel and a Iranian regime would be deliberate bad news for Jerusalem. In this context, we might have approaching to hear grumblings about a scheduled revisit Wednesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Tehran. Putin will be in Iran to attend a trilateral limit along with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. But, intriguingly, Israeli officials have remained silent.


Putin and Aliyev have most in common. Both are post-Soviet strict leaders of nations abounding in oil and gas, though bad in democracy and giveaway speech. And underneath both of them, their dual countries have built increasingly tighten mercantile and confidence ties with Israel. Neither are approaching allies, though geopolitical dynamics have pushed both Russia and Azerbaijan closer to Israel.


 This Powerful Israel Lobby Could Soon Rival AIPAC’s Influence in Washington


or over a decade now, a Jewish state has enjoyed increasingly comfortable family with secular, Shi’a Azerbaijan. Israel imports a infancy of a oil from that nation and, according to Aliyev himself, has sole in new years some $5-billion-worth of arms to his army, including – unfamiliar sources contend – drones, radar systems and missiles.


Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a UN General Assembly, in September. His attempts to woo a West have foundered in a final dual years.

For most of this period, Azerbaijan has had moving family with a Iranian neighbor, though Israeli comprehension officials have still called a nation “a behind doorway for Israel to Iran.”



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However, as Aliyev’s attempts in a final dual years to benefit larger acceptance by a West have foundered – mostly due to reports of vital tellurian rights infringements and a termination of any giveaway democracy or media in his nation – he has grown closer both to a Kremlin and a Iranian regime. Their initial trilateral limit took place in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, in Aug 2016.


The warmer family do not, however, seem to have come during Israel’s expense, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu creation his possess revisit in Dec to Baku, where he sealed a array of mercantile team-work agreements.


For his part, Putin has worked given entrance to appetite in 2000 on improving Russia’s historically bad attribute with Israel. In a final dual years, given Russia deployed a troops army to Syria, in support of a unwell Assad regime, these ties have acquired a new urgency, with Putin holding a keys to Syria’s postwar fate.


Putin is meddlesome in gripping both a interests of Israel and Iran in check. Netanyahu has demanded that Tehran not be authorised to settle a permanent troops participation in Syria, and that any army constant to Iran, such as those of a proxies Hezbollah, not be authorised to work nearby a Golan border.


Sources tighten a Kremlin have pronounced in new months that Putin is not formulation to direct that Iran mislay a troops advisers or a Shi’a militias it controls from Syria, as they are among a categorical factors in ensuring a presence of a Assad regime in Damascus. However, a boss is meddlesome in preventing a vital Israeli involvement in Syria and is prepared to pledge that Syria will not turn a bottom for attacks on Israel.


Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu gestures, while walking with Israeli reflection Avigdor Lieberman, during a Yad Vashem Holocaust Center, in October.

Russian officials have emphasized a fact that a Kremlin has not blocked or cursed Israeli atmosphere strikes in Syria, and that coordination between a Israel Air Force and Russia’s troops member in Syria have been well-spoken and efficient.


The destiny of Syria was a categorical emanate on a bulletin dual weeks ago when Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu visited Israel for talks with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.


Despite a pretended alliance between Netanyahu and a Trump administration, a primary minister’s entreaties that a United States do some-more to quell Iran’s change in Syria, have elicited little, if any action. The conclusion, that can be seen in a augmenting magnitude of meetings and phone conversations with Putin, has been that Israel has small choice though to rest now on a crony in a Kremlin.


So what summary can Putin and maybe also Aliyev be approaching to send from Israel in their meetings on Thursday with a Iranian leadership?


While Iran has grand skeleton to build a possess airbase and seaport in Syria, and has extracted promises from Syrian President Bashar Assad for land on that to build them, Israeli comprehension analysts trust that a final preference has nonetheless to be done in Tehran. Building a bases will cost a Iranian economy – usually commencement to redeem from prolonged years of sanctions – changed billions.


Beneath a aspect in Tehran, meanwhile, there is a appetite onslaught over either this investment is worthwhile. President Hassan Rouhani is most reduction fervent than his rivals, a leaders of a Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, to spend this income on lost bases instead of on renewing Iran’s decayed domestic infrastructure. Israel’s process is to boost a vigour opposite base-building in Syria. After all, because spend all that money, when Israel might explosve them anyway.


The trilateral limit in Tehran will especially be about mercantile issues. Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan share a seashore (together with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) of a healthy gas-rich Caspian Sea. Iran in sold is concerned to serve feat these appetite cache and get entrance to Russia and to Azerbaijan’s modernized tube networks. Thus, on a sidelines of a summit, Putin or Aliyev might good pass on a summary that for a consequence of Iran’s mercantile future, it might be best for it to give adult on some of a Syrian ambitions.


Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Arab-Israelis-and-elite-IDF-unit-partner-to-promote-new-start-ups-468501

Dead Sea Industries signs deal to scrape salt and thus save Dead Sea hotels


Dead Sea Industries, a fully-owned auxiliary of Israel Chemicals, sealed an agreement to lift out a initial theatre of dredging a salt from one of a evaporation pools along a Dead Sea. 


The 1-billion-shekel deal, sealed with Holland Shallow Seas Dredging, is dictated to mislay salt buildup from a company’s fifth potash prolongation pool, and so say a H2O turn so that it does not crawl and inundate a foundations of adjacent hotels. 


As partial of a project, a executive will build a specialized 24-by-120-meter dredger for a pool. The dredger will be operated invariably by dozens of workers hired by a contractor, and is dictated to collect some 5.5 million cubic meters from a bottom of a pool each year. 


The plan is required since a potash prolongation routine during a site necessitates lifting a H2O turn in a pool by 20 centimeters a year. During a potash prolongation process, a H2O evaporates in a sun, vouchsafing 20 million tons of salt penetrate to a bottom of a pool each year. 


ICL betrothed Israel’s supervision that starting in 2017, a pool would not arise above a certain level. Under that agreement, ICL will account 80 percent of a project.



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Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Arab-Israelis-and-elite-IDF-unit-partner-to-promote-new-start-ups-468501

Hamas releases new footage of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in captivity


The Hamas troops wing published on Wednesday new footage of Israeli infantryman Gilad Shalit, who was hold serf in Gaza from Jun 2006 to Oct 2011.


The footage shows Shalit in a association of 4 masked Hamas men, in a same garments he was wearing on release. Another video shows him being handed a potion of H2O from one of his captors.




Hamas releases new footage of Gilad Shalit in captivity

In Jan final year, Hamas released a video that includes clips of Shalit smiling during a grill and seen eating, examination TV and reading letters from his family.


Shalit was abducted by Hamas in Jun 2006 and hold for over 5 years before being exchanged in Oct 2011 in lapse for a recover of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners hold by Israel.


Two Israeli adults are still being held in a Gaza Strip: 28-year-old Abera Mengistu from Ashkelon, who crossed over to a Strip in Sep 2014, and Hisham Abu-Sayid, from a city of Hura in a Negev desert, who walked into Gaza in Apr 2015.  



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The bodies of dual Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in 2014 during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, have also remained in Gaza.


Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Arab-Israelis-and-elite-IDF-unit-partner-to-promote-new-start-ups-468501

WATCH AGAIN: Battle of Beersheba centennial commemorations



A day of commemorative events on Tuesday will mark the centennial of the Battle of Beersheba, where Australian and New Zealand forces conquered the city in what has been called one of the last great cavalry battles in history.


That victory, on the first day of the Palestine campaign during World War I, paved the way for the defeat of the Ottomans and an end to their 400-year rule in the country.



The events in the southern Israeli city will be attended by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and New Zealand Governor General Dame Patricia Reddy.


Tuesday’s commemorations will begin at the British World War I cemetery in Beersheba, where Turnbull will participate in a solidarity ceremony and prayer. Other events include the dedication of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps memorial museum in the city, a cavalry parade and a memorial ceremony for New Zealand soldiers.





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Former tourism minister admits to corruption charges in plea bargain



Former tourism minister and Yisrael Beytenu MK Stas Meseznikov was indicted on Tuesday in the Tel Aviv magistrate’s court and agreed to a plea bargain in which he admitted to fraud and breach of trust.


Under the terms of the plea bargain, the State Attorney’s Office will request a 15-month prison sentence and a NIS 70,000 fine for his crimes.



According to the indictment, Meseznikov had a severe conflict of interests when he gave approximately NIS 1 million in financial support to the Eilat student festival in 2010 while at the same time recommending that an individual named Yuliah Roth, with whom he was in an intimate personal relationship, be employed by the festival.


Meseznikov failed to disclose his relationship with the individual to the Tourism Ministry, or that she had been employed by the festival organizers on his recommendation.


“Meseznikov exploited his senior public office and his elevated status in order to arrange a monetary income for Roth, thereby committing actions involving a breach of trust and harming the public,” said the indictment.


In August this year, ten other individuals connected to what has become known as the Yisrael Beytenu corruption scandal were indicted for various offenses, including former deputy minister Faina Kirschenbaum who was charged with bribery, fraud, breach of trust, money laundering and tax offenses.





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Bill mandating gov't funding for primary candidates advances



The Knesset’s Interior Committee has approved for a first reading a bill that would provide government funding for candidates in primary elections.


The bill, initiated by Likud MK David Amsalem and approved by the committee on Monday, was criticized by opposition members for also giving money to parties that don’t hold primaries and for appearing to favor incumbent candidates.



Amsalem’s bill would allow funding for primary candidates if three conditions are met: the party has at least 5,000 members; its party list is mostly democratically elected; and the primaries take place in the six-month period before a Knesset election.


The candidates would receive funding for all of their campaign expenses and not be allowed to also fundraise.


Separately, the bill would provide funding even for those parties that do not hold primaries – to the tune of NIS 50,000 for every mandate they received in the most recent national election.


According to Amsalem, the idea is to provide a level playing field among the candidates and free them up from the time-consuming and potentially compromising work of fund-raising.


Primary candidates who are already an MK, minister or deputy minister would receive a grant from the Treasury to fund their campaigns.


A candidate who is not already a public official would receive a loan that would have to be repaid if he or she was not then elected.


This would be given only to candidates in primary elections and not to those awarded reserved spots on party lists.


The bill also would curtail the amount candidates can spend during a primary election, which will be based on sliding scale relative to the number of eligible voters within the party.


Amsalem said the purpose of the law is to “sever the connection between interest groups and government… an MK will not be obligated to anyone, and if he is not an MK it is not our concern.”


Opposition MKs slammed the bill, calling it corrupt and saying it would provide more problems than solutions.


Zionist Union MK Yoel Hasson said Amsalem “snuck a gutter deal into the back door to ensure the support of the coalition parties…. this is a totally corrupt agreement.


If you were just looking to encourage democratization of parties and primary elections, I could support it, but you went to the dark side.”


A spokesman for Amsalem denied that the clause in the bill was designed to placate the haredi parties, which don’t hold primaries.


Yesh Atid MK Karin Elharar said if the goal of the bill was “equal opportunity, then what of the candidate who isn’t elected to office? If he has to return the money, what have we accomplished?” Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie said the legislation exemplified corruption and was a “waste of public funds – the entire bill is built on sin.”


She added that it would create an imbalance that would favor MKs over challengers “and is designed to save your own seats.”


Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.





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Israel has Egypt to thank for Hamas not retaliating over Gaza tunnel attack


The fact that Islamic Jihad and Hamas haven’t yet made good on their threats to respond to the deaths of eight of their militants, including senior field commanders, after Israel blew up the tunnel they were digging into Israeli territory suggests the militant groups have already passed the stage of gut reaction to the loss of their own men.


The attack on the tunnel was the most serious loss they have suffered since the last war in Gaza ended more than three years ago.


But Israeli defense officials remain on alert, taking into account that the Palestinian organizations might be intending to attempt a more lethal attack, which requires more planning, in response to the tunnel’s destruction.


That’s why a high alert will be maintained along the Gaza border for at least another few days. The fact that Israeli famers living near Gaza were told to avoid going near the border fence indicates that the IDF is worried about the possibility of an attack there.


But Egypt is the main reason for Palestinian restraint at the moment. If the quiet continues, it will help show that Egypt, which has been shepherding a reconciliation agreement between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas, has been able to reign in the sides.



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Egypt’s top priority is implementation of the deal. And a key milestone in that implementation is expected to happen Wednesday, when the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza is slated to reopen, with hundreds of Palestinian  Authority policemen stationed there.


Hamas also has an interest in implementing this agreement, even though at this stage, the reconciliation will apparently be of limited scope. Hamas has promised Gaza’s people, who are crying out for some improvement in their living conditions, that improvement will happen and Rafah’s reopening is expected to provide a critical measure of relief.


Even Islamic Jihad isn’t indifferent to the Egypt-Hamas agenda and the distress of Gaza’s population. So it seems unlikely that they would want to be accused of foiling a chance for some relief at last for the people of Gaza.


The fact that there hasn’t yet been a violent response may also be due to a certain embarrassment on the Palestinian side. If the bodies of the tunnel diggers who are still missing are found underground on the Israeli side of the border, this will prove that the Palestinians violated both Israeli sovereignty and the cease-fire concluded in summer 2014 through Egyptian mediation.


But keep in mind Islamic Jihad commanders have acted capriciously and unexpectedly in the past. In March 2014, for example, internal power struggles within the organization resulted in Katyusha rockets being fired at Ashdod. So there’s no guarantee that things will remain quiet this time either.



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Auto-tech giant Delphi set to open office in Israel


International vehicle technology powerhouse Delphi is opening its first offices in Israel, making it the latest in a list of car manufacturers to set up shop in the country. The move is yet another sign that Israel is on its way to becoming a hothouse for smart transportation technology, even though the country was never a significant player in the traditional transport industry.


Delphi is following in the footsteps of Daimler-Mercedes, which launched a research and development center in the country, along with a massive investment and the mapping company Here.


While Israel was never a significant player in the transport field until now, the industry’s transition to developing automated vehicles that run on on high-tech systems has given Israel an in. Beyond systems for viewing the road and artificial intelligence, automated vehicles need fast data processing and transfer, data storage and protection from cyberattacks.


“We want to get closer to the Israeli market,” said Eran Sandhaus, Delphi VP of software and services, and the most senior Israeli at the company. “From what we’ve seen, there are some 500 companies operating in the field of transport and mobility in Israel, most of them very young — and that interests us. Generally we don’t invest in very young companies, but we want to be exposed to them and work with them.”


Delphi has been particularly active in Israel over the past half year. In April the company was part of a $60 million investment in Valens, which develops microchips for the fast transfer of data over simple cables. It also led a $25 million investment in Otonomo, which developed a platform enabling vehicle manufacturers to communicate with service providers and application developers. A month ago, it led another major investment, of $65 million in total, in the young startup Innoviz Technologies, which develops laser-based LiDAR sensors designed to enable the commercialization of autonomous vehicles.



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At this stage, Delphi’s new activity in Israel rests on the shoulders of one person, who was appointed to work with local partners including Mobileye, and to look for new opportunities in the local market. Delphi has also launched a partnership with smart mobility accelerator Drive.


“This is the beginning,” says Sandhaus. “I don’t want to make promises, but our idea is to increase our presence.”


Sandhaus insists that his being Israeli is not what fuelled Delphi’s interest in Israel. He says the company began investing in Valens and Otonomo before he was with firm. He notes though that as a fellow Israeli, the local entrepreneurs feel more comfortable with him.


“There is real action in the field of mobility here, beyond what’s proportionate to the size of the country,” he says.


Sandhaus came to Delphi within the past year, and worked most recently at Qualcomm. Delphi wanted him for his experience working with various technology trends over the years — initially data communications and routers, then the mobile industry, and most recently the Internet of things. Vehicle technology is undergoing similar transitions, he explained.


He is currently in Israel for a conference organized by the Prime Minister’s Office’s department for fuel alternatives and smart transportation, which is drawing some 2,500 participants.


Delphi was initially founded as a parts department within General Motors, and in 1999 spun off as a separate company for supplying vehicle parts and technology. The company nowadays employs some 170,000 people around the world, including 20,000 engineers and programmers.


Delphi makes and sells sensors, and integrates various technologies into vehicles, Sandhaus notes. The company’s role includes determining the placement of the computer within the vehicle and protecting it from motion-induced damage.


Delphi’s products are based on the technology of Intel and Mobileye, as opposed to Nvidia, currently considered the leader in artificial intelligence and automated driving. Sandhaus explains that while Nvidia is based on artificial intelligence, Delphi combines artificial intelligence with rule-based programming.


“We want to ensure that when you instruct the vehicle to do something, it does exactly what you defined. It’s what the regulators demand. It’s more challenging with artificial intelligence. Identical circumstances can lead to different outcomes ever time, and that problem hasn’t been solved yet,” he says.


One of Delphi’s major partnerships in Israel, with Mobileye, dates back 10 years, Sandhaus says. Mobileye develops the technology and Delphi packages it and adapts it for vehicles.


Automated driving is currently focused on two fields — public transport and private vehicles. Sandhaus notes the advantages in public transport — the routes are fixed, the vehicles generally stick to major thoroughfares, and they make a large number of trips along these routes, enabling plenty of data collection to better predict various scenarios.


What will be the impact of filling the roads with driverless vehicles?


“It’ll be better here. We’re working on a pilot with the Singaporean government and they have problems similar to those in Israel. It’s a small country boxed in by its borders, with a growing population, and they don’t want to increase the number of roads. Their conclusion was that they need to redesign their transport system.


“As part of our experiment we’re doing with automated cars — staffed by drivers for backup — we’re picking up people from their homes and dropping them off at the train station. It’s a revolution. When everything works with precise timing, traffic is diminished and parking spots become available.”


How will people be convinced to forgo private vehicles?


“I don’t need to convince anyone,” insists Sandhaus. “The younger generation doesn’t want private cars. San Francisco residents are happy with Uber and Pilot. Currently these services are relatively expensive, but most of that is due to the cost of the driver, so an automated car would make it cheaper — and then it would pay off outside of the cities as well. Maintaining a private car is expensive, and there’s no parking in city centers. If these services cost half what they do nowadays, you’d toss out your car keys.”



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Suspected Islamist arrested after knife attack near Tunis parliament



TUNIS – A suspected Islamist militant was arrested on Wednesday after wounding two policemen in a knife attack near the parliament building in Tunis, Tunisia’s interior ministry said.


The assailant was known to authorities and said after the attack that he considered the police to be “tyrants”, according to the statement.


One of the policemen was taken to hospital for treatment after being wounded in the neck, while the other was only lightly wounded, it said.


Large numbers of police were deployed to the Bardo square in the aftermath of the attack, a witness said. Blood could be seen on the ground in the square.


The square is opposite the parliament building and close to the Bardo museum, the site of an attack against foreign tourists that killed 21 people in March 2015.


Tunisia suffered two other major attacks that year, one against tourists at the beach resort of Sousse and the other against presidential guards in the capital.


Since then, security has been boosted at strategic sites while authorities have cracked down on militants, dismantling dozens of cells.





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Archaeologists discover rare remains of pregnant woman in King Solomon’s Mines



A consortium of archeologists and researchers from Tel Aviv University have discovered the 3,200-year-old remains of a pregnant Egyptian woman in Southern Israel’s Timna Valley, adjacent to an ancient Egyptian temple in an area once known as “King Solomon’s Mines.”


Situated in an arid climate with scarce natural resources to sustain life, few human corpses – and no previous female remains – have been unearthed near the copper mines, which were believed to have been exploited for 500 years between the 9th and 14th centuries BCE.



Noting that the last time human remains were uncovered in the Timna Valley was in 1964, archeologist Erez Ben Yosef, who has led the Tel Aviv University team excavating the site since 2012, said the finding is extremely unusual.


“It is very rare to find human remains in Timna, and it is the first time we found a woman,” Ben-Yosef told Haaretz.


“There are no water sources in Timna and it is very inhospitable, so no one ever settled there permanently,” he continued.


“Home was close to water sources, and people only came for brief expeditions during the winter to mine copper.”


Due to the unwelcoming climate, Ben-Yosef postulated that the few burial plots in the Timna Valley were vacant because “people would be buried there temporarily and their bones would be taken back home by a later expedition.”


Moreover, he said looters have been known to steal remains from the few tombs found in the area, most of which were reserved for ancient aristocracy.


Portions of the woman’s skeleton were initially discovered during the final days of last winter’s excavation season, resulting in a long delay before Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine physical anthropologists Israel Hershkovitz and Hila May could extricate and analyze the remains.


The dig resumed last summer, when it was determined that the upper half of the corpse was missing, while the lower part – including the remains of the fetus, believed to be in its first trimester – was intact.


May estimated that the woman was likely in her 20s when she died, although due to a lack of collagen in the bones necessary for radiocarbon dating, an accurate determination remains difficult.


The only clue that helped the researchers deduce any information about the woman’s identity were two well-preserved glass beads found in her tomb.


According to Deborah Sweeney, an Egyptologist at the university, the beads link the woman to the Egyptian goddess Hathor, known as the protector of miners, for whom the adjacent temple was built to ensure the miners’ safety and bounty.


Additionally, remains of musical instruments and a carving of a woman playing a sistrum – an ancient percussion instrument – were found.


That led Sweeney to theorize the pregnant woman likely traveled to the copper mines to serve as a singer or musician for Hathor – also known as the goddess of music, love, fertility and natural resources.


“Unfortunately, she must have died there for some reason, and was buried close to the temple so that Hathor would protect her,” Sweeney said.


“It’s actually quite sad,” she continued. “She was probably quite adventurous to go so far away from home, which was rare for women in Egypt. But she never came back.”





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No fiddling around



David Garrett is no ordinary classical musician. The 37-year-old violinist, better known as the “Beckham” of the classical world, took his Israeli mentor Itzhak Perlman’s sage advice – “be your own musical person” – to heart, and crafted unique performances that blend pop and rock hits with a mixture of ballads and classical material that pay homage to his well-regimented roots. Imagine Huberman meets Hendrix, Jascha Heifetz meets Michael Jackson, Stephane Grappelli meets Metallica.


Garrett received his first Stradivarius violin at the age of 11, courtesy of German president Richard von Weizsacker, after having performed for him. At the age of 13, as the youngest soloist ever, Garrett signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. In 1997, age 16, he played with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Zubin Mehta in Delhi and Mumbai in concerts marking the 50th anniversary of India’s Independence.



In 1999 he moved to New York to attend the Juilliard School, where he studied under Perlman, and graduated in 2004.


Garrett received international acclaim for his original songs and arrangements, many of which make up his most recent album Explosive, and as he sets out on his world tour, Garrett promises an unpredictable line-up that will keep every listener on his or her toes, whether in Santiago, Chile, his home country of Germany, or at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 6.


The Jerusalem Post asked the German crossover artist about his exceptional arrangements, explosive album and wonderful global adventures.


How old were you when you first picked up a violin?


I was very young, four or five years old. While I can’t really remember picking the violin up for the first time, it was certainly something intriguing and interesting to me.


What is it about the instrument’s sound that enchants you?


Well, I have a certain sound in my imagination, which translates to the violin in real life. And the connection between my brain and what’s possible with my instrument in reality is really very fascinating.


You’re known for your ability to compose and arrange pieces that tap into a wide range of styles, both classical and contemporary. What is your favorite popular song to ‘make your own’ and why?


Oh, that is impossible to answer because my musical tastes always depend on my mood at any given moment. So I might love a certain piece in the next two minutes, then 10 minutes later I would probably pick something else.


How do you first approach a song during the arranging process? First [and foremost], I try it out on the violin… with a very simple piano part underneath to see if the potential I thought it had was really there.


So you clearly cross musical genres, but have you ever incorporated other artistic mediums into your music for an added layer of ‘crossover’?


I like collaborating with dancers, which I’ve been doing on my tours for many years in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But I also pay very close attention to the inclusion of the video screens and the lights into the concept, so there’s always a connection between the music and the installations at our shows.


Can you speak to the origins of the album’s title, ‘Explosive’?


The titles of my albums are always very personal. When we worked on this one I felt there was so much creativity in my life at the time, that’s why I called it Explosive – it was like an emotional explosion.


You are quite the world traveler. Does it ever get tough living out of a suitcase for such extended periods?


Well, I just don’t know it any other way; it’s very normal for me to live out of the suitcase. I don’t miss anything really, everything I need I usually take with me.


You’ve studied under Israeli violinist and pedagogue Itzhak Perlman. What was the most valuable thing you learned under his tutelage?


To be your own musical person. I think I’ve learned that from every teacher I had – to find your own sound, your own fingerings, your own bowings. But at the same time, of course, to be respectful to what is written on the score.


I’ve snuck a peek at the set list and noticed that you transition from Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ to Tchaikovsky, and end the first set with Prince’s ‘Purple Rain.’ Are there any challenges in shifting so suddenly from one genre to another and back?


If there are challenges I don’t notice them because it’s ingrained in my system to be quick in musical changes.


On that note, what prompted you to choose Armin van Buuren’s ‘This is What it Feels Like’ as an opening song?


I feel that it is very symphonic and lifts up the spirit. And I always try to have a very positive and energetic start to a show.


What musicians will be accompanying you for this show? I’ll be touring with my core band: Franck Van der Heijden as the musical director, John Haywood on the piano, Jeff Lipstein on the drums, Jeff Allen on the bass, and Marcus Wolf on the guitar alongside Franck.


How would you prepare someone who has never seen or heard you perform before for your upcoming show? [My show] is like a great Disney movie: it relates to life, it relates to every generation, it’s high quality, and it’s accessible.


Do you play multiple violins or do you have one special one that you play every show?


I have two violins that I use very often: one is the Stradivarius, which I use for core classical material; the other is a French violin, which I use for crossover shows.


Have you ever broken a violin before, particularly one near and dear to your heart?


Not broken, but I once slipped and fell on my violin, which was very devastating for me at the time. You know, things can always happen. Usually you just become more careful afterwards.


If you could reincarnate one virtuoso to play a recital with who would it be and why?


Probably Rachmaninoff. He was an amazing pianist and a great composer.


To play beside him would be amazing.


And a current musician?


Bruno Mars is terrific, I’d definitely want to work with him.


I’m sure that’s a possibility in the future. What else is next for David Garrett?


I don’t know. I like to go with the flow. I just released a new album so I’m about to do a TV show right now and I have to do some makeup and hair for that. Apart from that, I’ll be starting my “Explosive – Live” world tour later this month and plan to stop by Tel Aviv for a great show.


David Garrett will be performing at the Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 6 at 9 p.m. Concert tickets can be purchased at www.viagogo.com.





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Poll: Most Israelis think the world is against them



More than half of Israelis (59%) think that international criticism of them stems from a basic hostility toward Israel, a poll commissioned by Mitvim: The Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policy and Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung, and provided exclusively to The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday has found.


The poll, conducted by Smith Research in advance of Mitvim’s first annual conference on Wednesday, indicates that only a third of Israelis (34%) think that international criticism is based on disagreements about Israel’s policies.



About half of Israelis (52%) think the world powers’ nuclear deal with Iran did not change the level of threat Tehran poses to Israel, while 28% think it increased the threat, and only 10% think it decreased it.


In addition, more Israelis (52%) think Russian President Vladimir Putin has a bigger influence on events in the Middle East than US President Donald Trump, while only 15% think that Trump has more influence and 21% feel that their influence is the same.


Israelis rate the US-Israel relationship at an average 6.88 out of 10, with 41% of them rating it as “good,” giving it a score of eight and up. The countries most important to Israel after the US, in descending order, are Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, France and Egypt. The public is split about evenly as to whether a weaker European Union (37%) or a stronger one (38%) is better for Israel.


The vast majority of Israelis (70%) think that regional cooperation between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries is possible, while 23% think it is not. Such cooperation would benefit Israel most in the areas of security and economics, they believe.


Nearly half (48%) think regional cooperation can be achieved without progress in the peace process with the Palestinians, while 39% think progress with the Palestinians is necessary. However, normalization with the Arab world is the single incentive Israelis view as most conducive to peace with the Palestinians (29%), followed about equally by security guarantees and weapons from the US (15%) and upgraded ties with the EU (14%). A package of all of the above was the choice of 57% of respondents.


Most Israelis (59%) said Arab citizens of Israel should play a greater role in advancing peace with the Palestinians, while 26% disagreed.


On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best score, Israelis rate the government’s handling of foreign policy at a mediocre 5.05. Only 19% rated it eight or higher. The public is even less satisfied with the Foreign Ministry, giving it a 4.81 average score, with only 13% giving it a “good” rating.


Israelis think their country’s foreign policy priorities should be to improve relations with Arab states (35%), advance the peace process with the Palestinians (31%), fight the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (24%) and counter the Iranian threat (20%).


Respondents were allowed to give two answers.


Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently holds the foreign affairs portfolio, but only 6% of respondents want him in that role. The preferred choice for full-time foreign minister is Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid (13%) followed by Zionist Union MK and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni (6%).


Asked whether Israel should take Diaspora Jews into account when formulating policy, 50% said yes, while 39% said no.


The poll was conducted in September among a representative sample of Israel’s adult population – 600 Jewish and Arab men and women – and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.





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Hamas cedes Gaza border crossings to Palestinian Authority control



GAZA – The Islamist group Hamas began handing full control of the Gaza Strip’s border crossings with Israel and Egypt to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, witnesses said, under an agreement brokered by Egypt to end a decade of internal schism.


Palestinian Authority employees moved into Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings on the Israeli border and Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border, as their Hamas counterparts packed up equipment and departed on trucks.



The handover follows the conclusion of a reconciliation deal in October between the two Palestinian rival factions.


The two factions agreed to hand over responsibility for the border crossings on November 1. The complete handover of administrative control of the Gaza Strip to a unity government is due to take place by December 1.


The deal brokered by Egypt bridges a bitter gulf between the Western-backed mainstream Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas, an Islamist movement designated as a terrorist group by Western countries.



Egypt helped mediate several previous attempts to reconcile the two movements and form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank, where Abbas and the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority are based.


Hamas and Fatah agreed in 2014 to form a national reconciliation government but the deal soon dissipated in mutual recriminations with Hamas continuing to dominate Gaza.


Since the ouster of Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, Cairo has seldom opened the Rafah crossing.


In August, for the first time in more than three months, Egypt opened the Rafah crossing to allow some 2,500 Gazans to partake in the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.


The Rafah crossing was last opened in early May, for Gazans to return home, while it was most recently opened for Gazans to leave the Strip in March.


The only other exit for Gazans to leave the southern enclave is through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing.


Adam Rasgon contributed to this article.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Rabbis for Human Rights: It is easier to ignite than dowse the flames


For ​at least 17 years, a man later fired by the “Rabbis for Human Rights” criss-crossed the planet, spreading the fa​​lse notion that it is illegal and even criminal for Jews to purchase land beyond the 1949 armistice lines.


In that context, UN declared this week that businesses in Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, the Jordan valley, Golan Heights and the Dead Sea are, indeed, criminal in nature.


​While current US government policy does not approve Israeli Jewish communities beyond the 1949 armistice lines, at no time has the US Government ever issued a statement that these Jewish communities are “illegal”.


The legal US policy dates to June 30, 1922, when both Houses of the US Congress endorsed the “Mandate for Palestine”, confirming the irrevocable right of Jews to settle in the area of Palestine – anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea”. That is the US law relating to Jewish settlement policies in all areas of the land of Israel, defined as Palestine under the British Mandate. and it has never been contradicted by any subsequent American law.


The time has come for Rabbis for Human Rights to distance itself from their former leader, and for RHR to state that it is perfectly legal for a Jew to purchase land anywhere in Israel, even if RHR does not agree with the idea of living everywhere in Israel.


The damage done to Israel at the UN by organizations which describe Jews who live beyond the green line as criminal in nature can be repaired.


Clerics of all denominations act under a moral code.


Now is the time for RHR to invoke that moral code.


They went too far. and they know it.


That is why RHR informed our agency that they fired their former director.



Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

A beacon of moderation and coexistence in Morocco



ESSAOUIRA – When Rabbi Haim Louk performed at the opening of the Andalusian Music Festival on Thursday, it was a coming home of sorts for the native Moroccan. Louk, whose booming voice has belted out classic Andalusian melodies for decades, was flanked by members of the Mohamed Larbi Temsamani Orchestra, which dedicates itself to preserving Sephardic culture.


When those two forces came together at the opening night of the 14th Annual Atlantic Andalusian Music Festival in Essaouira on Thursday night, they demonstrated how Muslims and Jews can live in harmony, both literally and figuratively.



As songs flowed seamlessly between Hebrew and Arabic in front of an eclectic array of attendees that mingled in the audience – women in various stages of modesty, men both with and without kippot – it seemed that in this sleepy coastal town coexistence is not just a lofty ideal, but a potential reality.


That message dovetailed with the AJC ACCESS/Mimouna Interfaith seminar, where Moroccan Muslims and Jews from all over the world gathered to foster dialogue between two peoples known more for being at odds than in concert with one another.


“This festival is something totally unusual,” said Andre Azoulay, a prominent senior adviser to Moroccan King Mohammad VI – who is also Jewish – at the opening of the seminar.


“I feel responsible to share with as many people as I can the fact that it is possible,” he said. “We are in a time where there is such a gap of ignorance and such regressive philosophy, that we need to send from this city a wake-up call.”


“We must close this gap of ignorance,” Azoulay said. “So we are here in this city to try to remind the Moroccan people and also to spread this message as largely as possible around the region and everywhere in the world.”


The call certainly did not fall on deaf ears in the seminar, where members of the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Program for young professionals had in-depth discussions with Mimouna, a non-profit organization of young Muslims dedicated to preserving Jewish life in the kingdom.


“Through AJC ACCESS we convene and empower young Jewish leaders around the world through our global network to shape conversations and have an impact on critical issues,” AJC ACCESS director Alexis Frankel said. “Morocco represented a vitally important opportunity for us to forge ties and build bridges with like-minded young leaders in the Arab world who embrace the values of dialogue and peace building.”


Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s international director of inter-religious affairs, said at the seminar: “People assume that religion is part of the problem, but the answer will never be to avoid religion. Religion needs to be part of the solution.”


“We mustn’t be Pollyannish,” he said. “Life hasn’t always been perfect between Muslims and Jews, but today it is more necessary than ever to hold up everything good that has transpired between us.”


While Morocco prides itself on the great strides King Mohammed VI made in recent years toward preserving Jewish life, such as a comprehensive restoration of Jewish cemeteries across the country, members of Mimouna realize there’s still a lot of work to be done within the rest of the Arab world.


Mimouna, which was founded 2007, is the brainchild El Mehdi Boudra and Laziza Dalil, young students at the time.


“The youth are misinformed, they are not hostile,” Dalil said. “There’s a void, and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict fills it. So we’re trying to fill that void with issues beyond the conflict.”


A discussion about the elephant in the room was unavoidable.


“Israel will only live in true security when Palestinians can flourish, and Palestinians will only achieve self-determination if Israel is secure,” Rosen said during an explanation of how the confusion about Judaism in the Arab world and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict intersect.


For Azoulay, the assassination of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was the death knell for the peace process, and he blames a failed leadership for stymieing that process.


“The failure and lack of leadership all around – but Israel is largely to blame,” the Jewish Moroccan royal adviser said.


“In Israel and in the Jewish world, they have to speak up. I need my rabbis to speak out, I need the NGOs to go to the streets peacefully,” he said. “The power of this message is limitless. Peace is in the hands of the people.”


For Mimouna member Youssef Safine, he is doing his part by taking the expression “speaking the same language” literally when it comes to interfaith dialogue.


“As a child I would observe a blind rabbi who would talk about the synagogue in Marrakech to visiting Jews,” Safine said. “I would escort him home when he was done, and along the way, he would speak to me in Hebrew and I would learn.


“Today, I made many Israeli friends and we talk in Hebrew. I hope to go to Israel and visit them, Be’Ezrat Hashem [with God’s help].”


But as the first day of the seminar came to a close and hungry attendees ate the chicken and lamb tagines served at the hotel, one Mimouna member was still in a contemplative mood from the afternoon’s discussion.


“I remember one day when I was a child, my grandfather who lived all his life in Sefrou, a city where once half of the citizens were Jewish, said, ‘all Jews love Israel,’” Meryem, who declined to have her last name published, recalled. “It was a statement that didn’t compute to my young ears. Jews are Moroccans – why would they love another country? So, ever since then I wanted to find out more about Israel and why it’s so important to the Jewish people, and I became fascinated,” she explained.


That sentiment of tapping into the soul and spirit of the Jewish people was so palpable among both Muslims and Jews in attendance that some were heard breaking out into an evocative rendition of Hatikva, Israel’s national anthem.


Although they may not know the meaning of every word, their delivery conveyed the spirit of a song that yearns and hopes for peace. It is a Hatikva that may not be a celebration of Zion, but rather a yearning for building lasting bridges – between two ancient peoples with a common history.


The writer was a guest of the American Jewish Committee.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Hapoel hits the road in search of first win



Just three games into the Eurocup regular season and Hapoel Jerusalem already finds itself in what is essentially a must-win situation.


Jerusalem visits Reggio Emilia on Wednesday knowing that a fourth straight defeat to start the campaign would leave it in serious danger of missing out on a place in the Top 16. Hapoel reached the semifinals last season and failing to even make it through the regular season would be regarded as a massive failure.



Hapoel has already taken one dramatic step in the hope of overcoming its early season woes with the release of top scorer Curtis Jerrells two weeks ago. The club decided to put its faith in the coach, Fotis Katsikaris, rather than its star guard, a decision that has become a rarity in the sports world over recent years.


Jerusalem prides itself in giving its coaches all the backing they need to succeed, something which proved itself last season when Simone Pianigiani overcame early struggles to lead the team to the BSL championship and Eurocup semifinals.


But Pianigiani’s troubles came mainly in the BSL where the season is ultimately decided in a Final Four tournament and not in the Eurocup where his team opened its campaign with three straight victories.


Even should Hapoel lose in Italy, it will still have its fate in its own hands, having six more regular season games to play and with four of the group’s six teams to advance to the next round.


However, it would leave itself with very little room for error and in a very difficult position, with three of its final four games to come on the road, including against Buducnost and Bayern Munich, who have already won in Jerusalem.


Reggio Emilia, led by Eurocup top scorer Amedeo Della Valle (22.3 points per game), has a 2-1 record in Group B, beating Galatasaray at home and Panevezys on the road. However, it is still without a win in local league action, falling to 0-5 after losing to Trento by 23 points on Sunday.


Jerusalem suffered its first BSL loss of the campaign on Sunday, falling to 3-1 following a dejecting 86-74 defeat at home to Maccabi Ashdod.


“We are looking forward to get away from the atmosphere at the end of our last game. It kind of hurt to have our fans boo us in such a way,” said Jerusalem forward Austin Daye, who leads the team with 19.0 points per game.


“But at the same time I’m trying to take that loss as a positive. It is kind of a wake up call for us to do the right things and make sure we are all responsible enough to be professionals and come out and play with the right intensity and mindset and take care of business on the road.”


Despite a far from ideal start to his tenure, Katsikaris remains optimistic.


“I know it is not easy when you lose and you have this record, but I believe a lot in my team and I think that with time and with games we are going to correct our mistakes and improve our weaknesses and I think we can be a winning team,” said Katsikaris ahead of the team’s flight to Italy on Tuesday.


“We are going to be ready for this game. We know the importance, of course, and I think this is the moment to start winning games.”




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Cruyff’s change in attitude shows that he is now a real Maccabi man



At times, Jordi Cruyff has seemed almost aloof.


He didn’t make much of an effort to disguise his disdain for the media when he held the occasional press conference and was apparently not too concerned he might come off as arrogant.



In his eyes, his only responsibility was doing the best job possible as Maccabi Tel Aviv’s sports director, and speaking to journalists was one of the least important parts of it.


Cruyff has never been one to show much emotion, but that is slowly beginning to change, finally giving a glimpse of the way he truly feels towards Maccabi over the past week.


The now 43-year-old probably planned on spending two or three years at Maccabi before moving on to bigger and better things. He surely never imagined that he would still be in Tel Aviv five years after arriving in the summer of 2012. He has, however, become part of the fabric of the illustrious club, and even though he has rarely spoken about it, clearly Maccabi is far more than just a stepping stone to him.


Cruyff revolutionized the club in his five years as sports director, and perhaps just as importantly, decided to make his first steps as a head coach with the yellow-and-blue.


It has been far from plain sailing so far. Maccabi came through four rounds of qualifiers to reach the Europa League group stage, but in three group games has picked up a single point and amassed a goal difference of 0-5.


Tel Aviv won only four of its first eight Premier League games, with a 2-1 loss to 10-man Hapoel Beersheba last week raising real concern whether the yellow-and-blue has what it takes to reclaim the championship after two years.


That left Cruyff having to answer serious questions regarding his future at the club, something which was unthinkable not that long ago.


“I will never be a problem for Maccabi Tel Aviv,” said Cruyff. “I love this club too much to be stubborn and to think only about myself. I’m very critical of myself and if I ever feel that it is me I will be the first one to admit this.”


Maybe it is the strains of being a head coach or the relief of having returned to winning ways on Sunday, but Cruyff was never more open regarding his feelings and connection with the club as he was after the 5-2 win over Hapoel Acre.


For the first time, Cruyff addressed the reports that connected him with a move to Spanish powerhouse Barcelona over the summer and spoke candidly about his relationship with club owner Mitch Goldhar and his right-hand man at Maccabi, Jack Angelides.


Cruyff gave an unequivocal answer when asked whether he was forced into becoming the team’s coach by Goldhar.


“Do you really think that somebody can force me to do a job I maybe don’t want to do? I don’t think I have any necessity from anybody in my life that I’m going to be forced to do something I don’t want to do,” said Cruyff. “You read the reports that I was linked to Barcelona last summer, [which was] officially said by the president of Barcelona. If we took this step, it is because we both wanted to do it and because we both believe it is the right step for myself and for the club.


“The only thing I can say is that we have always had a good relationship,” added Cruyff. “We have a good personal and professional relationship and without that I probably wouldn’t be here for six years.”


Cruyff also spoke for the first time of his sense of gratitude towards Goldhar and the club for their support during the final months of his father’s life. Jordi’s father, soccer legend Johan Cruyff, passed away at the age of 68 last March.


“The club have always been very supportive towards me. When I had my father’s situation that I felt very bad that I was not near him in those months because I had to work here. I have always had personal support from both Mitch and Jack and for me that is more important than any club, any work and any professional thing. They were there when I needed it as a person and that is something I don’t forget.”


The victory over Acre released a lot of pressure and Cruyff is confident the team will register a significant improvement once he has a full squad at his disposal. That is likely to happen following the international break that begins next week. Maccabi hosts Astana in the Europa League on Thursday and faces Hapoel Ra’anana in local league action on Sunday before having 17 days to rest and train.


“I think we are on the right track. We have four games in 12 days and we have done two in good style I think,” said Cruyff. “Now we have a must-win game on Thursday and another must-win game next Sunday. Then we have a very happy break. I don’t think I have ever been so happy to have a break because it will allow us to finally get the squad together. I think that from there on this team is only going to get better and grow.”


It may have taken more than five years and a change to a position in which he is obligated to speak to the media on a regular basis, but it seems that we are finally getting a look at the real Jordi Cruyff.


He still treats the media as a distraction, but recognizes that as a coach it is a significant part of his job. His recent openness should only help him as he aims to lift the team, giving Maccabi fans a valuable insight to his emotions towards their club.


Cruyff may not have arrived in Tel Aviv as a life-long supporter, but he is also far from being an indifferent foreigner. He has come to care about the yellow-and-blue as much as the team’s fans do and that is all anyone could ask for.

[email protected]




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Japan's Abe re-elected PM after big election win



TOKYO – Japan’s Shinzo Abe was re-elected prime minister on Wednesday after his ruling bloc’s big election win last month and days before US President Donald Trump’s visit, expected to be dominated by concerns over a volatile North Korea.


Abe, 63, took office in December 2012 promising to reboot the stale economy and bolster defence. His Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition retained its two-thirds “super majority” in parliament’s lower house in the October 22 election, re-energising his push to revise the post-war, pacifist constitution.


Abe was expected to reappoint current cabinet ministers and instruct them to compile an extra budget for the year to March 31, 2018 focusing on child care and boosting productivity.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Cargo ship disappears from radar in Black Sea near Istanbul



ISTANBUL – A cargo ship with around 10 crew on board has disappeared from radar in the Black Sea near the Asian side of Istanbul and search operations have begun, Turkey’s Dogan news agency reported on Wednesday.


A Turkish coast guard official told Reuters that the authority was looking into the report that the ship had gone missing off the coast at Sile.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Tashkent says it's examining reports that NY attacker was Uzbek national



TASHKENT – Uzbekistan is investigating media reports that the man who killed eight people in New York by mowing them down in a truck is a citizen of the Central Asian nation, an Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told reporters on Wednesday.


The official provided no other information.


A man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen in what authorities said was an act of terrorism.




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Syrian opposition rejects Russia-sponsored congress



AMMAN – The Syrian opposition to President Bashar Assad will reject a Russian-sponsored congress of Syrian groups, which amounts to a meeting of “the regime with the regime”, a prominent opposition official told Reuters on Wednesday.


The opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) was surprised it had been mentioned in a list of groups invited to the congress scheduled for November 18 in Sochi and would “issue a statement with other parties setting out the general position rejecting this conference”, said Mohammad Alloush, an HNC member.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

Saudi-led air strike kills 21 people in Yemen



DUBAI – An air strike by a Saudi-led military coalition killed 21 people in Yemen’s northern Saadah province on Wednesday, according to a Reuters witness at the scene.


The attack struck a market in the Sahar district of the vast territory on the border with the kingdom.




Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239

'Wish you weren’t here': Is Roger Waters a peace activist or an anti-Semite?


He’s written some of the greatest songs of all time, fronted one of the most influential and successful groups in the history of…


Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Trump-to-press-China-on-North-Korea-trade-on-Beijing-visit-508239