Bedouin millionaire arrested for passing information to Iran

Bedouin millionaire Yaakub Abu al-Qian has been indicted on charges of contacting a foreign agent and providing intelligence to an enemy country, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said Monday.

Qian was arrested June 10 on suspicion of having illegal contacts with a Lebanese-Iraqi operative and an Iranian intelligence agent. His arrest followed a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police.

A full gag order was placed on his case until last week, when Ynet and Haaretz asked the Ashkelon District Court to remove it. Qian had been barred from speaking to his attorneys for more than 20 days in custody, media outlets reported after the decision to scale back the gag order.

The 46-year-old construction magnate, who lives in the Bedouin town of Hura in the southern Negev, is suspected of “serious and grave security crimes that undermine the security of the state,” the court said at the time. He was asked to gather intelligence on senior Israeli figures, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, and on sites in Israel and throughout the world for potential attacks, Channel 12 reported.

Qian gave information to Iranian intelligence, including updates on what was happening in Israel, through Hyder

policy since Tzipi Livni did so more than a decade ago.

Lapid called for recalibrating relations between Israel and the EU. There could be a new start with a new government, he said.

Israel and the EU share common values, Lapid said, including “human rights, rights for the LGBT community, a commitment to the basic components of democracy – a free press, independent judiciary, a strong civil society and freedom of religion” – and “fighting together against climate change, international terrorism, racism and extremism.”

“I believe in the life force of liberal democracy,” he said. “In their economic force. In the force of their ideas to create a better world. Optimism is political power. I want to work together on that, on the chance for a better future.”

Lapid praised the Abraham Accords and expressed hope that after inaugurating the Israeli Embassy in the United Arab Emirates two weeks ago, in the coming weeks and months he will do the same in Morocco, Bahrain and Sudan.

“Something good is happening between us and the moderates in the Arab world,” he said. “I want to broaden the circle of peace to additional states.”

Israel would like that circle to include the Palestinians, Lapid said, expressing support for a two-state solution.

“Unfortunately, there is no possibility at the moment,” he said. “There is one thing we need to remember. If there will be a Palestinian state, it needs to be a peace-seeking democracy... You cannot ask us to build with our own hands another threat to our lives.”

We can ensure that steps taken now do not prevent peace in the future and will improve the Palestinians’ lives, Lapid said, adding that he is in favor of “everything humanitarian… everything that builds the Palestinian economy.”

Among Lapid’s goals for the visit were to push for the Israel-EU Association Council to reconvene. The Association Council is meant to ensure dialogue and improved ties between the parties. It has not met since 2012, with

some member states blocking it in protest over Operation Protective Edge in 2014, then settlements and other policies toward the Palestinians. Borrell has been in favor of restarting it for nearly a year.

Lapid also seeks to advance new Israel-EU partnerships, such as having Israel join the €1.46 billion Euro Creative Europe culture and arts program, EuroPol for policing and security and ensuring that negotiations over Horizon Europe, the scientific research program Israel has long participated in, go well.

Lapid met with Borrell oneon-one on Sunday, and they discussed EU-Israel bilateral ties. The Foreign Ministry’s statement on the meeting emphasized talks about economic ties.

“They discussed the importance of enhancing EU-Israel relations and considered how to address together existing challenges in order to achieve this common goal,” an EU statement said. They also spoke about “how the dialogue with the Palestinians can be moved forward.”

Lapid then met with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag and Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek.

Lapid met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of his meeting with the FAC and invited him to visit Israel.

Israel seeks to deepen its cooperation with NATO in intelligence, cybersecurity, missile defense and other areas, Lapid said. Israel and NATO share values and a view of broad challenges and threats, he told Stoltenberg. •