2021.09.07 國際新聞導讀-我預言塔利班與伊朗恐爆發衝突戰爭、以色列5782年猶太新年開始、以色列科學家研究扭轉身體衰老機制以抗COVID19、阿巴斯致電以國總統與國防部長祝新年快樂

蘇老師講解國際新聞、中東與中亞歷史、中國事務、太空知識的頻道。 Diplomat's daily news review and history research on Middle East and Central Asia, China Affairs and Space Exploration

2021.09.07 國際新聞導讀-我預言塔利班與伊朗恐爆發衝突戰爭、以色列5782年猶太新年開始、以色列科學家研究扭轉身體衰老機制以抗COVID19、阿巴斯致電以國總統與國防部長祝新年快樂

今天是9月7日，我預測塔利班很快會跟伊朗發生衝突或不愉快事件，到時候我們看看這個預言能否或何時實現

有幾個跡象，我已經觀察好一陣子了。

第一，遜尼跟什葉之爭是無法妥協的千年仇怨，之前塔利班與伊朗因為有美國共同敵人，所以可以放下仇怨一致對付美國。

第二，塔利班第一次執政時1998年8月7日伊朗駐馬札里沙里夫領事館被一股親塔利班恐怖團體侵入，不但殺了1名伊朗記者，還殺了8名伊朗外交官，伊朗與塔利班當時差點開戰，這個仇恨其實未解。

第三，9月4日伊朗總統Ebrahim Raisi居然公開聲稱塔利班應該要舉行全民投票讓人民決定政府型態，雖然伊朗自己選舉就是玩假的，但他這樣對塔利班講就是說你不夠格統治阿富汗，要是選舉肯定輸。

第四，9月6日伊朗強烈譴責塔利班不應該武力打下潘捷希爾山谷，這樣違反國際法與人道法，是反人道反人權的，雖然都是講表面話，但是我能夠感覺到伊朗對塔利班是持輕蔑與敵對態度的。

第五，針對阿富汗內部少數族裔，人口9％約300萬人的哈札拉族，向來是阿富汗其他族裔迫害的對象，但哈札拉族因為是阿富汗境內唯一信奉什葉派伊斯蘭的族群，所以受到伊朗的庇護。阿富汗的哈札拉人也是德黑蘭(Tehran)支持的「法特米揚師」(Fatemiyoun division)重要組成武力，這支部隊在敘利亞為伊朗進行代理人戰爭，打伊斯蘭國也打以色列。因此一旦哈札拉人受到遜尼派壓迫，萊希掌權下的伊朗應當不會坐視不管。

伊朗在干預敘利亞與伊拉克的反伊斯蘭國戰爭中，召募阿富汗哈札拉人加入由伊朗支持的「法特米揚師」（Fatemiyoun Division，由阿富汗人組成）及「宰納比揚軍團」（Zaynabiyoun Brigade，由巴基斯坦人組成），尤其伊朗有350萬阿富汗難民聚落，更是募兵的最佳來源。在敘利亞戰死的阿富汗人估計已達上萬人。

塔利班應該不會吞下這口氣，所以我認為塔利班第一個對外開刀對象應該是伊朗。塔利班打伊朗會得到來自波灣GCC國家，甚至是美國與以色列的一致支持，好處太多，不只卡達，連沙烏地、UAE、科威特都要給塔利班送錢了，這樣塔利班就可以解除國內缺錢窘境，又可以一舉打開對外關係與爭取國際承認，一舉多得。

緊張的土耳其與阿聯酋關係改善

上個月阿聯酋實際統治者與土耳其總統埃爾多安之間罕見的電話通話提供了另一個跡象，表明這兩個穆斯林國家之間的關係正在見證重大改善。

作者：穆罕默德·卡西姆/媒體熱線

2021 年 9 月 6 日 19:09

土耳其總統塔伊普·埃爾多安於 2020 年 12 月 14 日在土耳其安卡拉舉行內閣會議後的新聞發布會上發表講話

（圖片來源：總統新聞辦公室/通過路透社的講義）

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上個月底，阿聯酋實際統治者與土耳其總統雷傑普·塔伊普·埃爾多安（Recep Tayyip Erdogan）之間罕見的電話通話提供了另一個跡象，表明這兩個穆斯林國家之間的關係在經歷了多年的緊張之後正在取得重大改善。

在通話之前，阿聯酋國家安全顧問謝赫·塔赫努恩·本·扎耶德·阿勒納哈揚訪問了埃爾多安，這是阿聯酋官員多年來對土耳其的最高級別公開訪問。兩國在一些問題上存在分歧。

去年，時任阿聯酋外交部長的安瓦爾·加爾加什抨擊土耳其在該地區的政策，指責其乾涉海灣事務，譴責安卡拉對利比亞的“威脅行為”和“殖民主義妄想”。

與此同時，土耳其去年指責阿聯酋通過乾預也門和利比亞給中東帶來混亂。

安卡拉和阿布扎比發現自己處於該地區幾場衝突的另一端。安卡拉的政治分析家和研究員阿里貝克爾告訴媒體專線，兩國正在重組他們的政策。

本雅明·內塔尼亞胡總理在與伊朗的鬥爭中找到了盟友。在阿布扎比，王儲謝赫·穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒納哈揚（右）和在沙特阿拉伯，王儲穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼。（來源：MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/耶路撒冷郵報/路透社）

“顯然，他們在這裡優先考慮他們的利益。尤其是阿聯酋，正試圖減少其區域損失，並根據新規則找到一個可以發揮作用的地方。” 貝克爾認為，阿聯酋對土耳其的政策轉變“絕對是戰術性的”。

“然而，從土耳其的角度來看，安卡拉從未針對阿聯酋或將阿布扎比放在其外交政策議程的重要位置。相反，土耳其有興趣加強與所有參與者的經濟和外交關係，”他補充說。

在某些時候，兩國變成了死對頭，利用各自的媒體無情地攻擊對方的政策。

他們的競爭使他們在幾個問題上產生分歧，其中包括穆斯林兄弟會；利比亞的衝突，阿聯酋和土耳其在利比亞支持對立雙方；和突尼斯，僅舉幾例。

安卡拉一度指責阿布扎比支持它所謂的針對土耳其的恐怖組織。

2017 年，沙特阿拉伯對卡塔爾實施封鎖，阿聯酋在指責多哈支持穆斯林兄弟會並與伊朗過於親近後加入了卡塔爾。安卡拉公開支持多哈。

但觀察人士表示，隨著美國新政府和華盛頓退出該地區，對手現在正試圖重組他們的關係。

華盛頓阿拉伯海灣國家研究所高級常駐學者侯賽因·伊比什告訴媒體，他對兩國關係最近的發展並不感到驚訝。

“這次對話是自去年 12 月以來，我一直將所有試圖在地區投射其影響力的大國描述為中東地區整合、緊縮和機動時期的一部分，”他說。

伊比什認為，那些發現自己捲入了幾次地區衝突以試圖“擴大霸權”的政府並沒有完全實現他們的目標，並且“過度擴張和筋疲力盡”。

他說：“這些地區衝突要么基本上是一方獲勝，要么陷入僵局，要么已經超過了外部勢力收益遞減的臨界點。”

阿布扎比和安卡拉自然會“進行對話，因為所有地區大國現在都看到了通過外交、商業和軟實力可以實現的目標，”伊比什說。

Tense Turkey-UAE relations improve

A rare telephone call between the UAE de facto ruler and Turkish President Erdogan last month furnished yet another sign that ties between the two Muslim countries are witnessing a major improvement.

By MOHAMMAD AL-KASSIM/THE MEDIA LINE

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 19:09

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey, December 14, 2020

(photo credit: PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

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A rare telephone call between the UAE de facto ruler and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan late last month furnished yet another sign that ties between the two Muslim countries are witnessing a major improvement following years of strain.

The call was preceded by a visit to Erdogan by UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in the highest-level public visit by an Emirati official to Turkey in years. The two countries have been at odds on several issues.

Last year, then-Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash blasted Turkey’s policy in the region and accused it of meddling in Gulf affairs, deploring Ankara’s “threatening behavior” and “colonialist delusions” over Libya.

Meanwhile, Turkey last year accused the UAE of bringing chaos to the Middle East through its interventions in Yemen and Libya.

Ankara and Abu Dhabi found themselves at the opposite end of several conflicts in the region. Ali Bakeer, an Ankara-based political analyst and researcher, told The Media Line the two countries are reorganizing their policies.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finds allies in his fight against Iran. In Abu Dhabi, Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right) and in Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST/REUTERS)

“Obviously they are prioritizing their interests here. The UAE, in particular, is trying to cut its regional losses and find a place for it to play according to the new rules.” Bakeer thinks the UAE policy shift toward Turkey is “definitely tactical.”

“However, from the Turkish perspective, Ankara never targeted the UAE or put Abu Dhabi high on its foreign policy agenda. On the contrary, Turkey has an interest to strengthen economic and diplomatic relations with all players,” he added.

At some point the two nations became ardent enemies, using their media outlets to relentlessly attack each other’s policies.

Their rivalry put them at odds on several issues, among them the Muslim Brotherhood; the conflict in Libya, where the UAE and Turkey have backed opposing sides; and Tunisia, to name a few.

At one point Ankara accused Abu Dhabi of backing what it called terrorist organizations that target Turkey.

And in 2017, Saudi Arabia imposed a blockade on Qatar, where the UAE joined in after accusing Doha of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and being too close to Iran. Ankara publicly supported Doha.

But observers say with a new US administration and Washington pulling out of the region, adversaries are now trying to restructure their relations.

Hussein Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, told The Media Line that he isn’t surprised by the recent developments in relations between the two countries.

“This dialogue is all part of what, since last December, I’ve been describing as a period of consolidation, retrenchment and maneuver in the Middle East for all the powers that try to project their influence regionally,” he said.

Ibish argues that governments that found themselves involved in several regional conflicts in an attempt to “expand their hegemony” didn’t fully achieve their goals and “are overextended and exhausted.”

“These regional conflicts are all either essentially won by one side or another, stalemated, or have otherwise passed the point of diminishing returns for outside powers,” he said.

It’s natural that Abu Dhabi and Ankara would “engage in dialogue since all regional powers are now seeing what can be accomplished through diplomacy, commerce and soft power,” Ibish said.

為什麼我們今年應該擔心尼尼微：美國在伊拉克 - 意見

提示 - 這不是關於約拿和鯨魚。如果拜登總統選擇撤離伊拉克，兩個歷史悠久的民族——亞述基督徒和雅茲迪人——將不復存在。

作者：亞伯拉罕·庫珀/媒體熱線

2021 年 9 月 6 日 17:58

2021 年 2 月 6 日，哀悼者站在棺材旁邊，棺材旁邊放著雅茲迪少數民族的遺體，這些人在從萬人坑中挖掘出來後被伊斯蘭國激進分子殺害，將他們埋葬在伊拉克科霍。

（圖片來源：REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI）

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在美國從阿富汗撤出災難性的 9.0 級人為地震的背景下，兩位基督教領袖約翰尼·摩爾牧師和朱莉安娜·泰穆拉齊上週在西蒙·維森塔爾中心的主持下召開了一次新聞發布會。在 Yazda 組織國家主任 Jameel Chomer 的參與下，我們通過 Zoom 從伊拉克發布了一封緻美國總統的公開信，敦促他不要在伊拉克重蹈阿富汗人道主義災難的覆轍。

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由喬默和伊拉克基督教救濟委員會創始人兼主席泰穆拉齊簽署，部分內容如下：

“先生。總統，我們敦促您抵制從伊拉克撤出所有軍隊的壓力。最近的血腥歷史表明，如果沒有這樣的存在，亞述人和雅茲迪人在他們古老土地上的歷史就會結束。”

今天，據報導只剩下2500名美軍士兵留在伊拉克。但對於飽受摧殘的亞述基督徒和雅茲迪人這兩個和平共處的少數民族來說，美國的全面撤軍可能意味著尼尼微平原上兩個古老民族的滅亡。

2003年，大約在伊拉克入侵的時候，世界上有150萬亞述基督徒，他們是世界上最古老的基督教社區之一。今天，仍有150,000名亞述基督徒留在他們的家鄉。雅茲迪人的人數從 60 萬減少到 40 萬。

對兩者而言，最大的災難是世界上最殘暴的恐怖組織 ISIS 的崛起。ISIS 填補了美國留下的空白；一個充滿斬首、謀殺、掠奪和強奸的空虛。這一空白是在 2011 年時任總統奧巴馬決定從伊拉克撤出所有剩餘的 45,000 名美軍時造成的。

同年 11 月 29 日，時任副總統喬拜登在對伊拉克進行正式訪問期間宣布：“我們正在著手建立一種新的……作為主權夥伴的美國和伊拉克之間的全面關係。” 拜登是在會見時任總理馬利基和其他伊拉克官員後發表上述言論的。

顯然，ISIS 從未收到過這份備忘錄。

最重要的是，美國製造了一個真空，使恐怖組織能夠掠奪、掠奪、謀殺和強姦伊拉克。

除了在敘利亞造成的破壞和苦難之外，2014 年，ISIS 佔領了伊拉克的主要城市摩蘇爾，並佔領了尼尼微平原的城鎮和村莊。美聯社報導說：“成千上萬的基督徒發現自己再次逃離武裝分子的進攻，在伊拉克北部庫爾德地區避難或離開該國。在接下來的幾年裡，極端分子殺害了數以千計不同宗教的伊拉克平民。他們還摧毀了……敘利亞和伊拉克的修道院、清真寺、陵墓、神殿和教堂。”

“伊斯蘭國的主宰和將激進分子驅逐出境的長期戰爭在北部留下了被洗劫一空的房屋和燒焦或粉化的建築物。尼尼微平原的基督徒逃離了伊斯蘭國的襲擊，許多返回的人夢想在國外重新定居，”據美聯社報導。

2014 年 9 月 7 日，一名庫爾德自由鬥士戰鬥機在前線對抗伊斯蘭國的前線使用火箭榴彈 (RPG) 發射器佔據陣地。哈里發。在 o 的幫助下（來源：REUTERS/AHMED JADALLAH）

與此同時，ISIS 戰士於 2014 年 8 月襲擊了伊拉克的辛賈爾鎮——雅茲迪人的家園。超過 30,000 個雅茲迪家庭被困在辛賈爾山脈。一名雅茲迪議員報告說，有 500 名男子被殺，70 名兒童因口渴而死亡，婦女被賣為奴隸。那些人的可怕苦難才剛剛開始。

在那段時間裡，世界也驚恐地看著 ISIS 播放美國、英國和日本記者被斬首的消息。伊斯蘭國將從巴黎和尼日利亞發動致命的遠程恐怖襲擊。

最終，美國會將軍隊趕回伊拉克以平息伊斯蘭國。表面上的穩定最終回到了被摧毀的地區。

然而在 7 月 27 日，現任總統喬拜登宣布剩餘的象徵性美軍將再次“永遠”離開伊拉克。上帝保佑，如果發生這種情況，將我們的朋友 Jameel Chomer 從重生的 ISIS 的魔掌中拯救出來，需要的不僅僅是先知和鯨魚。我們為什麼要關心？賈米爾在伊拉克擔任美國軍隊的翻譯和文化顧問近六年，多年來一直拼命試圖讓他的家人去美國。聽起來有點熟？

我們只能祈禱拜登總統及其軍事和外交政策智囊團將在災難發生後重新考慮這一舉措，因為阿富汗人現在面臨著與塔利班中世紀伊斯蘭教不相符的所有信仰和教派。

如果拜登總統不取消這一舉動，兩個歷史悠久的民族——亞述基督徒和雅茲迪人——將不復存在。通往尼尼微平原的鑰匙肯定會被伊朗用一個令人垂涎已久的戰略獎勵——一條通往地中海的暢通無阻的路線和一條威脅另一個民族——以色列國——的存在的新的強大戰線——奪走。

Why we should be worried about Nineveh this year: US in Iraq - opinion

Hint - It's not about Jonah and the whale. If President Biden chooses to evacuate Iraq, two historic peoples – the Assyrian Christians and Yazidis – will be no more.

By ABRAHAM COOPER/ THE MEDIA LINE

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 17:58

Mourners stand next to the coffins with the remains of people from the Yazidi minority, who were killed by Islamic State militants, after they were exhumed from a mass grave, to bury them in Kojo, Iraq February 6, 2021.

(photo credit: REUTERS/THAIER AL-SUDANI)

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Against the backdrop of the 9.0-magnitude man-made earthquake that was the disastrous US pullout from Afghanistan, two Christian leaders, Pastor Johnnie Moore and Juliana Taimoorazy, convened a news conference last week under the auspices of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. With the participation of Jameel Chomer, country director of the Yazda organization, via Zoom from Iraq, we released an open letter to the president of the United States urging him not to repeat the Afghanistan humanitarian debacle in Iraq.

For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org

Signed by Chomer and Taimoorazy, founder and president of the Iraqi Christian Relief Council, it read in part:

“Mr. President, we urge you to resist pressure to withdraw all troops from Iraq. Recent blood-soaked history has shown that without such a presence, the history of Assyrians and Yazidis on their ancient lands would end.”

Today, there are only a reported 2,500 US soldiers left in Iraq. But for the battered and depleted Assyrian Christians and the Yazidis, two minorities who live side-by-side peacefully, a total pullout by the US could mean the demise of two ancient peoples in the Nineveh plains.

In 2003, about the time of the invasion of Iraq, there were 1.5 million Assyrian Christians, who are among the world’s oldest Christian communities, in the world. Today, there remain 150,000 Assyrian Christians in their homeland. The numbers of Yazidis shrank from 600,000 to 400,000.

The greatest disaster for both was the ascendancy of ISIS, the world’s most brutal terrorist groups. ISIS was able to fill a void left by the US; a void with beheadings, murders, pillaging and rapes. That void was created when, in 2011, then-President Obama decided to remove all 45,000 remaining US forces from Iraq.

On November 29 of that year, then-Vice President Joe Biden declared during an official visit to Iraq: “We are embarking on a new… and a comprehensive relationship between the United States and Iraq as sovereign partners.” Biden made the remarks after meeting with then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials.

Apparently, ISIS never got the memo.

The bottom line is that the US created a vacuum that enabled the terrorist group to plunder, pillage, murder and rape its way through Iraq.

Beyond the havoc and suffering it unleashed in Syria, in 2014, ISIS took the key Iraqi city of Mosul and seized towns and villages in the Nineveh plains. The Associated Press reported: “Thousands of Christians found themselves fleeing once again the militants’ advance, taking refuge in Iraq’s northern Kurdish region or leaving the country. Over the next few years, the extremists killed thousands of Iraqi civilians from a variety of religions. They also destroyed … monasteries, mosques, tombs, shrines and churches in Syria and Iraq.”

“The IS juggernaut and the long war to drive the militants out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings across the north. Christians in the Nineveh plains fled the IS onslaught and many of those who returned dream of resettling abroad,” according to the AP.

A Kurdish peshmerga fighter takes up position with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher at the front line against the Islamic State, in Khazir September 7, 2014. Islamic State launched a lightning advance through northern and central Iraq in June, declaring an Islamic caliphate. With the help o (credit: REUTERS/AHMED JADALLAH)

Meanwhile, ISIS fighters attacked the Iraqi town of Sinjar in August 2014 – home to the Yazidis. More than 30,000 Yazidi families are stranded in the Sinjar Mountains. A Yazidi lawmaker reported that 500 men have been killed, 70 children have died of thirst and women are being sold into slavery. The horrific suffering of that people was just beginning.

Throughout that period, the world also watched in horror as ISIS would broadcast the beheadings of American, British and Japanese journalists. ISIS would unleash deadly far-flung terrorist attacks from Paris and Nigeria.

Eventually, the US would rush back troops to Iraq to quell ISIS. And a semblance of stability eventually returned to the decimated areas.

Yet on July 27, Joe Biden, now president, announced the remaining symbolic US forces will be leaving Iraq again “for good.” If, G-d forbid, that happens, it will take more than a prophet and a whale to save our friend Jameel Chomer from the clutches of a rejuvenated ISIS. Why should we care? Jameel served as an interpreter and cultural advisor for the US army for almost six years in Iraq and has been desperately trying to get his family to the US for years. Sound familiar?

We can only pray that President Biden and his military and foreign policy brain trust will reconsider such a move in the wake of the disaster now facing Afghanis of all faiths and sects not aligned with the Taliban’s medieval brand of Islam.

If President Biden doesn’t cancel that move, two historic peoples – the Assyrian Christians and Yazidis – will be no more. And the keys to Nineveh plains will surely be scooped up by Iran with a long coveted strategic prize – an unfettered route to the Mediterranean Sea and a new powerful front to threaten the very existence of another people, the nation of Israel.

Albert Bourla：認識向以色列出售其 COVID-19 療法的希臘國王

第 4 名：阿爾伯特·布爾拉

作者：瑪雅·賈夫·霍夫曼

2021 年 9 月 6 日 11:10

儘管總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡 (Benjamin Netanyahu) 吹捧了他與輝瑞 (Pfizer) 首席執行官阿爾伯特·布爾 (Albert Bourla) 的密切關係（4 月 23 日），但 Levy 還是簽署了第一份 800 萬劑藥物的合同。

（照片來源：JOHN THYS/POOL VIA REUTERS）

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看到以色列食客在 l'chaim 中將他們的杯子粘在輝瑞 COVID-19 疫苗上的情況並不少見。他們知道，如果沒有該公司的靈丹妙藥，他們就不會在餐廳或酒吧外出，即使病例再次上升，也讓以色列保持開放。

輝瑞已將數十億劑疫苗運送給了美國和世界各地想要並負擔得起的人。該公司最近表示，預計今年該疫苗的銷售額將達到近 340 億美元。但以色列是第一個充分受益於該公司創新的國家。

輝瑞的掌舵人是一位來自希臘塞薩洛尼基的猶太人：阿爾伯特·布爾拉。

參見第 3 號：美國的 COVID 勇士

參見第 5 號：英特爾 Czar

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Bourla 曾表示，他選擇在以色列下賭注，是因為以色列人口少，數據收集系統複雜。

他在 8 月接受英國《金融時報》採訪時表示，希臘是一個選擇，但其電子病歷保存不完善。該公司也考慮過瑞典，但 Bourla 告訴英國《金融時報》，他擔心會惹惱其他歐盟國家。

“最明顯的事情是比比（內塔尼亞胡）在一切之上，他知道一切，”布爾拉說。“他給我打了 30 次電話，問：‘年輕人呢……你對南非的變種做了什麼？’ 我確信他是為他的人民做這件事，但我也確信他在想：'它可以在政治上幫助我。'”

1 月 10 日，本傑明·內塔尼亞胡總理和衛生部長尤利·埃德爾斯坦在本古里安機場會見了一批輝瑞-BioNTech COVID-19 疫苗。（來源：MOTTI MILLROD/REUTERS）

但即使內塔尼亞胡沒有贏得選舉，以色列在納夫塔利·貝內特接任新總理，布爾拉說內塔尼亞胡“做得很好”。

Moderna 之前就獲得了美國食品和藥物管理局的緊急使用授權？8 月 23 日，FDA 批准了其冠狀病毒疫苗。

事實證明，mRNA 疫苗是最有效且仍然安全的。其他的，如阿斯利康、強生或賽諾瓦有效，但證明效果較差——尤其是針對變體。

在輝瑞工作的人告訴耶路撒冷郵報，Bourla 獲得了大部分功勞。他要求輝瑞的科學家、製造同事和整個組織的員工在創紀錄的時間內開發和交付疫苗。他說：“如果不是我們，那又是誰？”

醫務人員在以色列拉馬特甘的 Sheba 醫療中心接種一瓶輝瑞疫苗（COVID-19）（圖片來源：REUTERS/AMIR COHEN/FILE PHOTO）

“原則是我們必須這樣做，”布爾拉在接受 CNBC 採訪時說。“如果我們在需要的時候無法找到解決方案，那麼我們將在世界各地面臨比損失 2 美元更嚴重的問題。

“所以，當我從那個方面看到它時，這是一個非常容易的調用，”他繼續道。“我們會全力以赴。如果我們因為未能提出解決方案而失敗，公司不會倒閉。會很痛，但不會下降。但另一方面，公司會被記住，因為我們做了正確的事情。”

Bourla 從未預料到疫苗會如此成功。他在與輝瑞的總法律顧問和兩名統計學家的 Zoom 會議上了解到了這一突破。

“我聽到了 95% 的聲音，我不相信，我以為我沒聽清楚，”布爾拉告訴英國《金融時報》。

“如果 mRNA 失敗了，我認為我們現在會處於非常非常困難的境地，”他說。“我們需要為更多人接種疫苗才能獲得相同的結果，在許多情況下要多 40% 到 50%。”

Bourla 已經在輝瑞工作了 25 年。他於 1993 年開始在公司的動物保健部門工作，在多個全球和高級職位上一路攀升。在 2019 年 1 月成為首席執行官之前，他曾擔任輝瑞首席運營官——距離冠狀病毒危機開始還不到一年。

公司發言人表示，他們的老闆鼓勵他們“採取大膽的舉措，幫助我們實現實現改變患者生活的突破性目標的目標。”

COVID-19 向輝瑞員工表明 Bourla 是正確的：該公司有能力實現這些突破。

Bourla 將他的成功部分歸功於在大屠殺倖存者中成長，他們不怕講述自己的故事。他的母親和父親險些躲過了納粹的迫害。

他父親的父母和他三個兄弟姐妹中的兩個是在那幾年死去的來自塞薩洛尼基的數以萬計的塞法迪猶太人之一。他的母親被監禁並差點被行刑隊殺害。

在大屠殺之前，大約有 55,000 名猶太人生活在希臘。大約 95% 被處決。

他告訴英國《金融時報》，他的母親會講述她瀕臨死亡的故事——“一個恐怖但幽默的故事。”

Bourla 並沒有過多談論他的家庭背景，但在《紐約時報》上發表的一次採訪中，他比平時分享了更多。他告訴《紐約時報》，他的母親會說她“曾經處境更糟，現在我有了你和你妹妹。生命是奇蹟。沒有什麼是不可能的。

“這就是她的精神，”他說。“她激勵我成為同樣的人。”

他在那次採訪中補充說：“我媽媽相信你可以做任何事情。總有辦法的。路可能一開始不明確，但總有辦法。為此，我欠她很多。她是我的榜樣。

“我從父親那裡得到的是確定可能出什麼問題。”

Albert Bourla: Meet the Greek king who sold Israel its COVID-19 cure

No. 4: Albert Bourla

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 11:10

THOUGH PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu has touted his close relationship with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (on April 23), Levy was the one to sign the first contract for eight million doses.

(photo credit: JOHN THYS/POOL VIA REUTERS)

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It is not uncommon to see Israeli diners cling their cups together in l’chaim to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. They know they would not be out at a restaurant or bar without the company’s elixir that, even as cases are once again rising, has allowed Israel to stay open.

Pfizer has shipped billions of doses of its vaccine to those who wanted and could afford it in the US and around the world. The company recently said it expects sales of the vaccine to hit almost $34 billion this year. But Israel was the first to fully benefit from the company’s innovation.

At Pfizer’s helm is a Jewish man from Thessaloniki, Greece: Albert Bourla.

See No. 3: America's COVID Warrior

See No. 5: Intel Czar

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Bourla has said that he chose to gamble on Israel because of its small population and its sophisticated data collection system.

Greece was an option, but its electronic medical record-keeping was not up to scratch, he said in August in an interview with the Financial Times. The company also considered Sweden, but Bourla told FT he was worried about upsetting other European Union countries.

“The biggest thing that became clear was Bibi [Netanyahu] was on top of everything, he knew everything,” Bourla said. “He called me 30 times, asking: ‘What about young people… What are you doing about the South African variant?’ I’m sure he was doing it for his people, but I’m also sure he was thinking: ‘It could help me politically.’”

PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein meet a shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines at Ben-Gurion Airport on January 10. (credit: MOTTI MILLROD/REUTERS)

But even as Netanyahu did not win the election and Israel received a new prime minister in Naftali Bennett, Bourla said that Netanyahu “did it very well.”

How did Pfizer become the first mRNA vaccine maker in the world, achieving Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration even before Moderna? On August 23, the FDA granted its coronavirus vaccine full approval.

The mRNA vaccines are proving to be the most effective and still safe. Others, such as AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Sinovac work, but are proving less effective – especially against variants.

Those who work at Pfizer told The Jerusalem Post that Bourla receives much of the credit. He challenged Pfizer scientists, manufacturing colleagues and employees across the organization to develop and deliver a vaccine in record time. He said, “if not us, then who?”

A vial of the Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen as medical staff are vaccinated at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel (credit: REUTERS/AMIR COHEN/FILE PHOTO)

“The principle was that we must do it,” Bourla said in an interview with CNBC. “If we wouldn’t be able to have a solution by the time that it was needed, then we will be facing way worse problems around the world than us losing $2b.

“So, when I saw it from that aspect, it was a very easy call,” he continued. “We will go all in. If we lose because we failed to produce a solution, the company will not go down. It will be painful, but will not go down. But on the other hand, the company will be remembered because we did the right thing.”

Bourla never expected for the vaccine to be as successful as it has become. He learned about the breakthrough in a Zoom meeting with Pfizer’s general counsel and two statisticians.

“I heard the 95%, which I didn’t believe, I thought I didn’t hear it well,” Bourla told FT.

“If mRNA had failed, I think we would have been in a very, very difficult spot right now,” he said. “We would need to vaccinate way more people to get the same result, in many cases 40% to 50% more.”

Bourla has been with Pfizer for 25 years. He started in the company’s Animal Health division in 1993, working his way up through several global and senior positions. He served as Pfizer COO before becoming CEO in January 2019 – less than one year before the coronavirus crisis began.

A company spokesperson said that their boss encourages them to “take bold moves that help us achieve our purpose of delivering breakthroughs that change patients’ lives.”

COVID-19 showed Pfizer staff that Bourla was correct: The company is capable of delivering these kinds of breakthroughs.

Bourla attributes some of his success to growing up among Holocaust survivors who were not afraid to tell their stories. His mother and his father narrowly escaped persecution by the Nazis.

His father’s parents and two of his three siblings were among the tens of thousands of Sephardic Jews from Thessaloniki who died during those years. His mother was imprisoned and nearly murdered by a firing squad.

Before the Holocaust, there were around 55,000 Jews living in Greece. Some 95% were executed.

He told FT that his mother would recount the story of her near-death – “a story of horror but given with humor.”

Bourla doesn’t talk too much about his family’s background, but in an interview published in The New York Times he shared more than usual. He told the Times that his mother would say that she was “in a worse position once, and now I have you and your sister. Life is miraculous. Nothing is impossible.

“That was the spirit of her,” he said. “And she inspired me to be the same.”

He added in that interview that “my mother believed you can do anything in life. That there’s always a way. The way may not be clear in the beginning, but there is always a way. I owe her a lot because of that. She is my role model.

“What I got from my dad was to identify what can go wrong.”

喬拜登總統祝猶太社區快樂猶太新年

拜登解釋說，需要做更多的工作來對抗 COVID-19，促進美國經濟，打擊反猶太主義並重申美國與以色列的關係。

通過耶路撒冷郵報STAFF

2021 年 9 月 6 日 11:05

美國總統喬·拜登 (Joe Biden) 一直在駕馭新一波民粹主義浪潮，這將成為未來十年西方世界競選活動的中心主題：貶低大型科技公司。

（照片來源：喬納森·恩斯特/路透社）

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美國總統喬拜登發表聲明，以紀念慶祝新年的猶太節日 Rosh Hashanah。

總統談到了至高聖日如何敦促人們反思過去的一年。

“現在是對靈魂進行清點，一個切什邦 hanefes並問我們自己和彼此超出我們個人信仰的問題的時候了：我想成為什麼樣的人？我們想成為一個什麼樣的國家鍛造？我們想要創造一個什麼樣的世界？” 拜登說。

總統提到，這個新年是“提醒我們改變生活並重新開始的無限能力。在正在進行的創造工作中與神和我們的人類同胞合作。通過同理心和善舉重建我們的社區和同情心。當我們沒有達到我們的價值觀時，尋求悔改或teshuva。”

猶太新年和贖罪日是猶太人民的支柱。（信用：大衛·霍利菲爾德/Unsplash）

拜登解釋說，需要做更多的工作來對抗COVID-19，促進美國經濟，打擊反猶太主義並重申美國與以色列的關係。

“願 5782 年成為健康、康復和進步的一年。願我們都被銘刻在生命冊上，”他寫道。

President Joe Biden wishes happy Rosh Hashanah to the Jewish community

Biden explained that more work needs to be done to combat COVID-19, boost the US economy, fight antisemitism and reaffirm American ties with Israel.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF

SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 11:05

US PRESIDENT Joe Biden has been riding a new wave of populism that will become the central theme in the next decade’s election campaigns across the Western world: disparaging big tech corporations.

(photo credit: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS)

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US President Joe Biden released a statement in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish holiday celebrating the New Year.

The president talked about how the High Holy Days urge people to reflect on the past year.

"It is a time to undertake an inventory of the soul, a cheshbon hanefesh, and to ask of ourselves and of each other questions that go beyond our own individual faiths: Who do I want to be? What type of nation do we want to forge? What type of world do we want to create?" said Biden.

The president mentioned that this New Year is "a reminder of our infinite capacity to transform our lives and begin anew. To partner with the Divine and our fellow human beings in the ongoing work of creation. To rebuild our communities through empathy, acts of kindness, and compassion. To seek repentance, or teshuva, when we have fallen short of our values."

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur act as an anchor for the Jewish people. (credit: David Holifield/Unsplash)

Biden explained that more work needs to be done to combat COVID-19, boost the US economy, fight antisemitism and reaffirm American ties with Israel.

"May the year 5782 be a year of health, healing, and progress. And may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life," he wrote.

"Shanah Tovah U’Metukah. May it be a sweet, healthy, and happy new year."

以色列科學家發現逆轉細胞衰老的方法

一組科學家發現了為什麼老年人更容易感染 COVID-19 並正在努力扭轉身體免疫系統的衰老過程

作者：瑪雅·賈夫·霍夫曼

2021 年 8 月 30 日 18:39

Doron Melamed 教授（右）和 Reem Dowery 博士

（照片來源：NITZAN ZOHAR/TECHNION 發言人辦公室）

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Technion-Israel Institute of Technology 的科學家們表示，他們已經找到了一種方法來恢復身體免疫系統的衰老過程。

Doron Melamed 教授和博士生 Reem Dowery 試圖了解為什麼老年人口更容易感染 COVID-19 的嚴重病例，以及為什麼這些疫苗在這一人群中似乎效果較差且消退得更快。

他們的工作結果本月發表在同行評審的在線醫學雜誌《血液》上。

秘密始於 B 細胞，也稱為 B 淋巴細胞。這些細胞會產生針對任何進入人體的病原體的抗體。它們在保護人們免受病毒和疾病侵害方面發揮著關鍵作用。

B 細胞在骨髓中產生，然後通過血液到達淋巴結和脾臟，在那裡等待病原體進入然後攻擊它們。

“當你年輕時，你有年輕的細胞，年輕的細胞具有非常多樣化的能力來識別進入你體內的任何[病原體]，”梅拉梅德告訴耶路撒冷郵報。

B 細胞壽命不長，但它們會不斷被從骨髓發送的新細胞補充，創造了梅拉梅德所說的“體內平衡”，在這種狀態下，骨髓和外部的 B 細胞總數保持不變。

然而，B細胞並不僅僅消失了。它們變成“記憶”B 細胞，這樣如果身體接觸到以前的病原體，個體就不會生病。那是因為免疫反應會快速而強大，並且會消除病原體，而個體通常不知道他或她已經接觸過病原體。

與 B 細胞不同，記憶細胞是長壽的。

“想像一下，你已經長大成人，然後長大成人，然後長大成人，”梅拉梅德說。“你在體內積累了許多記憶細胞。你一直暴露在病原體中，因此你製造了越來越多的記憶細胞。因為這些細胞壽命很長，沒有空間容納新的 B 細胞。”

當新的病原體（例如冠狀病毒）出現時會發生什麼？沒有年輕的 B 細胞可以識別它。

這就是老年人更容易感染嚴重 COVID-19 和許多其他疾病的原因之一。

如前所述，發生這種情況是因為身體需要體內平衡，這是 Melamed 實驗室十年前發現的。

但是今年，他們將這一發現又邁進了一步，並找到了一種覆蓋系統的機制。

“我們發現舊的 B 細胞（記憶細胞）產生的特定激素信號會抑制骨髓產生新的 B 細胞，”梅拉梅德說。“這是一個巨大的發現。這就像大海撈針。”

這也意味著，隨著時間的推移，可以發現特定的藥物或治療方法可以抑制信號通路中的一種激素，並使骨髓產生新的 B 細胞。

Melamed 研究小組（來源：NITZAN ZOHAR/TECHNION SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE）

當新的病原體（例如冠狀病毒）出現時會發生什麼？沒有年輕的 B 細胞可以識別它。

這就是老年人更容易感染嚴重 COVID-19 和許多其他疾病的原因之一。

如前所述，發生這種情況是因為身體需要體內平衡，這是 Melamed 實驗室十年前發現的。

但是今年，他們將這一發現又邁進了一步，並找到了一種覆蓋系統的機制。

“我們發現舊的 B 細胞（記憶細胞）產生的特定激素信號會抑制骨髓產生新的 B 細胞，”梅拉梅德說。“這是一個巨大的發現。這就像大海撈針。”

這也意味著，隨著時間的推移，可以發現特定的藥物或治療方法可以抑制信號通路中的一種激素，並使骨髓產生新的 B 細胞。

為了驗證他們的理論，Melamed 的實驗室與特拉維夫Sourasky 醫療中心和海法 Rambam 醫療保健園區的血液學和風濕病學部門合作。作為某些疾病（如狼瘡、淋巴瘤和多發性硬化症）治療的一部分，患者會經歷 B 細胞耗竭，這意味著大量記憶 B 細胞從他們的身體中移除。

檢查接受此手術的老年患者，該小組發現他們的免疫系統恢復了活力，他們的身體可以再次產生新的 B 細胞。

通過抑制信號通路中抑制新 B 細胞生成的激素之一，可以產生類似於 B 細胞耗竭的效果。

“現在我們明白，身體各部分之間、B 細胞的產生方式和控制因素之間存在某種對話，”梅拉梅德說。

在此期間，他建議醫生利用這些知識更好地保護老年人，例如製定一項僅針對成年人群的疫苗接種計劃，通過額外注射預防變異。

“即使每三四個月，也要一次又一次地給它們接種疫苗，以確保它們保持高抗體，”梅拉梅德說。

他還建議混合疫苗，例如將一劑輝瑞 mRNA 疫苗與幾個月後給予的阿斯利康加強劑相結合，“這可能會更好地刺激老年人的免疫系統。”

梅拉梅德說，與此同時，還需要進行臨床試驗來確定如何安全地抑制激素以找到更長期的解決方案，希望在下一次大流行之前。

Israeli scientists discover how to reverse cell aging

A team of scientists has found why elderly people are more susceptible to COVID-19 and are working to reverse the aging process of the body’s immune system

By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN

AUGUST 30, 2021 18:39

Professor Doron Melamed (right) and Dr. Reem Dowery

(photo credit: NITZAN ZOHAR/TECHNION SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)

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Scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology say they have found a way to rejuvenate the aging process of the body’s immune system.

Prof. Doron Melamed and doctoral student Reem Dowery sought to understand why the elderly population is more susceptible to severe cases of COVID-19 and why the vaccines seem to be less effective and wane faster among this population.

The results of their work were published this month in the peer-reviewed, online medical journal Blood.

The secret begins with B cells, also known as B lymphocytes. These are the cells that produce antibodies against any pathogen that enters the body. They play a key role in protecting people from viruses and diseases.

blood to lymph nodes and the spleen, where they wait for pathogens to enter and then attack them.

“When you are young, you have young cells, and young cells have a very diverse ability to recognize anything [pathogenic] that comes into your body,” Melamed told The Jerusalem Post.

B cells do not live long, but they are constantly being replenished by new ones sent from the bone marrow, creating what Melamed calls “homeostasis,” a state in which the total number of B cells in the bone marrow and outside remains constant.

However, B cells do not just disappear. They turn into “memory” B cells so that if the body is exposed to a previous pathogen, the individual will not get sick. That is because the immune response will be fast and robust, and it will eliminate the pathogen, often without the individual knowing he or she had been exposed to it.

Unlike B cells, memory cells are long-lived.

“Imagine you are growing into adulthood, and you become an adult and then an older person,” Melamed said. “You accumulate in your body many memory cells. You are exposed all the time to pathogens, and hence you make more and more memory cells. Because these are so long-lived, there is no room left for new B cells.”

What happens when a new pathogen, such as the coronavirus, comes along? There are no young B cells that can recognize it.

That is one of the reasons why older people are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 and many other diseases.

As noted, this happens because of the body’s need for homeostasis, something that Melamed’s lab discovered a decade ago.

BUT THIS year, they took the discovery another step and figured out a mechanism to override the system.

“We found specific hormonal signals produced by the old B cells, the memory cells, that inhibit the bone marrow from producing new B cells,” Melamed said. “This is a huge discovery. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.”

It also means that, over time, specific drugs or treatments can be found to inhibit one of the hormones in the signaling pathway and get the bone marrow to produce new B cells.

Melamed Research group (credit: NITZAN ZOHAR/TECHNION SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)

What happens when a new pathogen, such as the coronavirus, comes along? There are no young B cells that can recognize it.

That is one of the reasons why older people are more susceptible to severe COVID-19 and many other diseases.

As noted, this happens because of the body’s need for homeostasis, something that Melamed’s lab discovered a decade ago.

BUT THIS year, they took the discovery another step and figured out a mechanism to override the system.

“We found specific hormonal signals produced by the old B cells, the memory cells, that inhibit the bone marrow from producing new B cells,” Melamed said. “This is a huge discovery. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.”

It also means that, over time, specific drugs or treatments can be found to inhibit one of the hormones in the signaling pathway and get the bone marrow to produce new B cells.

To validate their theory, Melamed’s lab collaborated with the departments of hematology and rheumatology at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv and Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. As part of treatment for some medical conditions, such as lupus, lymphoma and multiple sclerosis, patients undergo B cell depletion, meaning a significant amount of memory B cells is removed from their bodies.

Examining older patients who underwent this procedure, the group found that their immune systems rejuvenated, and their bodies could produce new B cells again.

An effect similar to B cell depletion can be produced by inhibiting one of the hormones in the signaling pathway that suppresses the production of new B cells.

“Now we understand that there is some kind of conversation between compartments in the body, between how B cells are produced and what controls that,” Melamed said.

In the interim, he recommended that doctors use this knowledge to protect the elderly better, such as by instituting a vaccination program targeted just for the adult population that preempts variants with an additional shot.

“Even every three or four months, vaccinate them again and again to ensure they maintain high antibodies,” Melamed said.

He also suggested mixing vaccines, such as combining a shot of a Pfizer mRNA vaccine with an AstraZeneca booster given several months later, “which may generate better stimulation of the elderly immune system.”

At the same time, clinical trials would be needed to determine how to safely inhibit the hormones to find a longer-term solution, hopefully before the next pandemic, Melamed said.

阿巴斯和赫爾佐格表示希望在假期通話中加強合作

隨著耶路撒冷新政府擴大與拉馬拉的接觸，巴勒斯坦權力機構負責人還與甘茨交談，希望在來年加強聯繫

通過TOI人員今天，晚上 8:09

當時的反對黨領袖艾薩克·赫爾佐格在約旦河西岸城市拉馬拉會見了巴勒斯坦民族權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯。2013 年 12 月 1 日。（Issam Rimawi/Flash90/文件）

巴勒斯坦民族權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯週一罕見地與以色列總統艾薩克·赫爾佐格和國防部長本尼·甘茨通了電話，表示希望加強與以色列的合作。

阿巴斯打來電話，標誌著猶太新年的到來，正值一連串似乎旨在恢復拉馬拉和耶路撒冷之間緊張關係的活動之際。

赫爾佐格的一位發言人在一份聲明中說，阿巴斯和赫爾佐格“表示希望新的一年能帶來更多合作與對話，為兩國人民帶來希望”。

甘茨的辦公室說：“兩人討論了來年加強聯繫的必要性，並祝愿對方身體健康、經濟繁榮和安全穩定。”

巴勒斯坦權力機構官方新聞媒體 WAFA 發表的一份聲明說，阿巴斯“在電話中表達了希望在來年實現和平的願望”。

赫爾佐格、甘茨和政府中更溫和的部長似乎是阿巴斯在耶路撒冷的首選聯繫人，而不是總理納夫塔利·貝內特，後者沒有與巴勒斯坦權力機構主席交談。

在交換節日問候時，阿巴斯同樣更喜歡與赫爾佐格的前任魯文里夫林交談，而不是前總理本傑明內塔尼亞胡。

貝內特上週表示，他不會會見阿巴斯，因為後者決定將以色列以戰爭罪指控提交國際刑事法院。

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上個月，甘茨在拉馬拉會見了阿巴斯，這是十多年來以色列和巴勒斯坦官員首次進行高級別面對面會談。

2021 年 7 月 13 日，國防部長本尼·甘茨 (Benny Gantz) 出席在埃什科爾地區舉行的以色列退休人員會議。 (Flash90)

甘茨辦公室當時的一份聲明說，兩人在廣泛的會談中討論了與安全、外交、經濟和民政有關的問題。

會後，甘茨重申，以色列政府和巴勒斯坦權力機構均不希望在短期內達成任何形式的外交協議，但仍尋求在安全問題上進行合作。

以色列和巴勒斯坦權力機構歷來在西岸維持安全合作，雙方都認為這至關重要。然而，由於時任美國總統唐納德特朗普的一系列舉動似乎支持以色列的立場，去年與巴勒斯坦人的關係惡化，安全關係被降級。阿巴斯表示，他們將在美國總統喬拜登 1 月上任後復職。

星期一的電話是赫爾佐格最近從阿拉伯領導人那裡收到的第二個節日問候。埃及總統阿卜杜勒-法塔赫 el-Sissi 週日致電總統，祝賀他擔任新職務，並在猶太節日前向以色列國家致以祝福。

赫爾佐格的辦公室表示，兩人討論了“雙邊問題和鄰國共同關心的話題”，赫爾佐格感謝塞西“在維護該地區穩定與和平方面發揮的重要作用”。

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已排除與巴勒斯坦權力機構啟動外交進程的貝內特預計將於本月晚些時候訪問埃及，此前埃及間諜首領阿巴斯·卡邁勒在上個月訪問以色列期間收到了茜茜的邀請。

上週，茜茜公主在開羅主持了阿巴斯和約旦國王阿卜杜拉二世的會談，其中包括討論重啟垂死的中東和平進程的努力。

約旦國王阿卜杜拉二世（左）、埃及總統阿卜杜勒-法塔赫·塞西（中）和巴勒斯坦權力機構主席馬哈茂德·阿巴斯於 2021 年 9 月 2 日出席在開羅舉行的三邊峰會。（美聯社）

赫爾佐格上週在安曼會見了阿卜杜拉，這次訪問僅在周六晚上才透露。

赫爾佐格在訪問約旦後說：“該地區有一種渴望取得進步、渴望發言的感覺。” “我們目前正在紀念《亞伯拉罕協議》簽署一周年。這些協議創造了一個重要的區域基礎設施。它們是非常重要的協議，正在改變我們地區及其內部的對話……我認為讓每個人都參與對話對以色列國的戰略和外交利益非常重要。”

貝內特於 7 月在約旦秘密會見了阿卜杜拉，就在就任總理幾週後，這是三年多來兩國領導人之間的首次峰會。

約旦和以色列之間的緊張局勢在前總理本雅明·內塔尼亞胡 (Benjamin Netanyahu) 任職期間有所上升，但自本內特 6 月上任以來似乎有所改善，包括農業交易和重大水銷售。

Abbas, Herzog express hopes for upped cooperation in holiday call

PA chief also speaks to Gantz, looks for strengthening of ties in coming year as new government in Jerusalem broadens its contacts with Ramallah

By TOI STAFFToday, 8:09 pm

Then-opposition leader Isaac Herzog meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. on December 1, 2013. (Issam Rimawi/Flash90/File)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas expressed hopes for increased cooperation with Israel during rare phone calls with President Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday.

The calls from Abbas, marking the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, came amid a flurry of activity seemingly aimed at restoring frayed ties between Ramallah and Jerusalem.

Abbas and Herzog “expressed hope that the new year will bring with it more cooperation and dialogue that will bring hope for both peoples,” a spokesman for Herzog said in a statement.

Gantz’s office said “the two discussed the need to strengthen ties in the coming year and wished each other a year of health, economic prosperity and security stability.”

A statement carried by official PA news outlet WAFA said that Abbas “expressed during the phone calls hope to achieve peace in the coming year.”

Herzog, Gantz and more moderate ministers in the government appear to be Abbas’s preferred points of contact in Jerusalem over Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has not spoken with the PA president.

Abbas similarly preferred to speak with Herzog’s predecessor, Reuven Rivlin, over former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu when exchanging holiday greetings.

Bennett said last week that he would not meet Abbas, given the latter’s decision to bring Israel before the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes.

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Last month, Gantz met Abbas in Ramallah, in the first high-level face-to-face talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials in over a decade.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz attends a conference for retired Israelis in the Eshkol region, on July 13, 2021. (Flash90)

A statement from Gantz’s office at the time said that the two discussed issues related to security, diplomacy, economics, and civil affairs in wide-ranging talks.

Following the meeting, Gantz reiterated that neither Israel’s government nor the PA expect any sort of diplomatic agreement anytime soon, but are still looking to cooperate on security concerns.

Israel and the PA historically maintain security cooperation in the West Bank that both see as vital. However, security ties were downgraded last year as ties with the Palestinians soured amid a flurry of moves by then-United States president Donald Trump that appeared to favor the Israeli position. Abbas said that they would reinstated after US President Joe Biden took office in January.

Monday’s call was the second holiday greeting Herzog received from an Arab leader recently. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called the president on Sunday, congratulating him on his new role, as well as sending his blessings to the Israeli nation ahead of the Jewish high holidays.

Herzog’s office said that the pair discussed “bilateral issues and topics of joint concern between the neighboring countries,” and that Herzog thanked Sissi for “the important role he plays in maintaining stability and peace in the region.”

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Bennett, who has ruled out starting a diplomatic process with the PA, is expected to visit Egypt later this month, after receiving an invitation from Sissi during Egyptian spy chief Abbas Kamel’s trip to Israel last month.

Sissi hosted Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah II for talks in Cairo last week that included discussions on efforts to restart the moribund Mideast peace process.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II (left), Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi (center) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attend a trilateral summit in Cairo, on September 2, 2021. (AP)

Herzog met Abdullah last week in Amman, in a visit that was only revealed on Saturday evening.

“There is a sense in the region of a desire to make progress, a desire to speak,” Herzog said following his visit to Jordan. “We are currently marking one year since the signing of the Abraham Accords. These accords created an important regional infrastructure. They are highly important agreements, which are transforming our region and the dialogue within it… I think that it is very important for the State of Israel’s strategic and diplomatic interests to engage everyone in dialogue.”

Bennett secretly met with Abdullah in Jordan in July, just weeks after taking office as prime minister, in the first summit between the countries’ leaders in more than three years.

Tensions between Jordan and Israel had risen during former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure, but appear to have improved since Bennett took office in June, including agricultural deals and a major water sale.