Israeli FM Addresses Rapprochement with Europe to Confront Iran

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (Josep Borrell Twitter account)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (Josep Borrell Twitter account)
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Israeli FM Addresses Rapprochement with Europe to Confront Iran

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (Josep Borrell Twitter account)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell (Josep Borrell Twitter account)

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has said that Europe is finally coming to Israel's side on Iran.

Cohen held consultations with senior European officials in Brussels as part of Tel Aviv's efforts to push the EU to take a more assertive policy with Iran, according to the Times of Israel website.

Cohen said that he discussed with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, the importance of the EU designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.

Cohen said on his Twitter account that he discussed with Metsola ways to promote a determined fight against Iranian nuclear plans.

He said Europe "understands the danger of the Iranian reign of terror now more than ever," adding that economic and political sanctions should be expanded to include other entities.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel's top priority was preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and confronting Tehran's "proxies" in the region.

Meanwhile, 25 members of the Knesset withdrew their signatures from a letter recommending the Foreign Ministry supports the independence of "South Azerbaijan" in northwestern Iran.

Initially, a group of 32 lawmakers from parties supporting Netanyahu supported the demands of some Azeri parties opposing Iran to establish the "South Azerbaijan" state.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel tweeted that she had persuaded the deputies who signed the recommendation to retract the letter.

She said that she was informed of the so-called proposal to support the movement for autonomy, and the members of the Knesset were convinced to back down."

The minister asserted that fighting the regime of religious extremism is a common desire of many countries.

The recommendation angered the Iranian media, but the authorities did not comment.

It also prompted angry reactions among the nationalist parties in Iran, including supporters of the Shah's son, Reza Pahlavi, who visited Israel last month at the invitation of Gamliel.

In a tweet, Reza Pahlavi described the Israeli lawmakers' statement as a "verbal assault on Iran's territorial integrity," saying it was "unacceptable and a service to the interests of the anti-Iranian Islamic Republic regime."

He added that the letter was "in total conflict with the positions communicated to me by Israeli leaders and senior government officials during my recent meetings with them."



African Nations Seek to Connect 300 mln People to Power by 2030

Delegates attend the Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman
Delegates attend the Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman
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African Nations Seek to Connect 300 mln People to Power by 2030

Delegates attend the Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman
Delegates attend the Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania January 27, 2025. REUTERS/Emmanuel Herman

Several African nations committed on Monday to open up their electricity sectors to attract investors and light up homes of 300 million people currently lacking power in the next six years.

The continent has the highest number of people without access to electricity globally and is racing to connect homes to power by 2030 under a plan dubbed "Mission 300" launched by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in April.

The push aims to unlock at least $90 billion in capital from multilateral development banks, development agencies, finance institutions, private businesses and philanthropies, according to the Rockefeller Foundation, which is part of the initiative, Reuters reported.

"We want to expand and rehabilitate our electricity grids using the least cost possible," said Kevin Kariuki, vice president for infrastructure at the AfDB during an energy summit of African heads of state in Tanzania's commercial capital.

Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Tanzania were among a dozen countries that committed to reform their electricity utility companies, push renewable energy integration and raise national electricity connection targets.

Multilateral development banks and commercial banks represented at the summit will use the country's commitments to persuade their clients to invest in Africa's energy sectors, said World Bank President Ajay Banga.

Providing 300 million people with access to electricity, half of those currently without power on the continent, is a crucial building block for boosting Africa's development by creating new jobs, Banga said.

The World Bank expects to spend $30-40 billion on the plan, Banga said, while the AfDB will provide $10-15 billion, and the rest will come from private investors and other sources.

"The World Bank will pay countries as part of our support only when they make the (regulatory and policy) changes," Banga said.

Private capital has in the past blamed unfriendly regulations, red tape and currency risks for making investments in Africa's electricity sector hard.

Half of the targeted new connections will get electricity from existing national grids, the World Bank and the AfDB said, while the other half will be from renewable energy sources, including wind and solar mini-grids.