Israeli minister's gift gaffe leads to awkward standoff with Russians
When Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev visited Israel, Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel impulsively offered him the expensive drone he was admiring in an incident that amused but also concerned Israelis.
Two incidents reeking of corruption have left Israel outraged over the past week. The first revolves around the acquisition of three new Dolphin submarines from Germany. Since the purchase was initiated and rammed through by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it has come out that his personal attorney David Shimron, a member of the prime minister’s family, also represents the German shipbuilding firm in Israel.
The other issue is the investigation of a former senior member of the National Security Council who was reportedly on course to be appointed head of the council and national security adviser to the prime minister. This person, whose name is under a gag order for the moment, is suspected of accepting bribes and other benefits from a German businessman after vast reserves of natural gas were discovered off Israel’s coast and during the ensuing fight to develop them.
While all of this was happening, another, much smaller incident was also unfolding. While this last incident sounds quite droll, it is also somewhat worrying. What is known in Israel as the “drone incident” happened Nov. 10, during an important visit to the country by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
During the visit, Israel and Russia signed a deal worth billions of shekels in the fields of dairy production, water technology and food preservation. Described as “strategic” by top Israeli officials, one component of the deal has Israel supplying Russia with the technology, means and factories to develop the Russian dairy market.
