Every year some million people attend the Salute to Israel Parade, to watch colorful floats and marching bands paint the city blue and white.

Source: Jpost

New York City's annual Israeli Day Parade kicked off Sunday. Also known as the Salute to Israel Parade, the event is held each summer to celebrate the creation of the state of Israel.

The beginning of the parade is traditionally marked by the blowing of shofarot (rams horns). About a million spectators gather each year to watch some 100,000 participants paint the city blue and white with colorful floats and marching bands. According to parade organizers, it is the only Jewish event in New York that draws Jews from all religious sectors.

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King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II presents Israeli president with traditional garment, says Ghana backs Israel in wake of Burgas terror attack

Source: Ynetnews

President Shimon Peres hosted Ashanti King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at his official residence in Jerusalem on Sunday.

Tutu II, who is considered to be the strongest traditional ruler in Africa with 12 million subjects, is visiting Israel for the first time. He presented Peres with Ashanti Kente cloth, which is traditionally wrapped around the body. The president was also given a king's chair.

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WATCH: President Barack Obama present President Shimon Peres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civic award in the U.S..

Source: Haaretz

At 88, after 65 years in politics, it seems that the veteran statesman Shimon Peres won't be excited about yet another award bestowed upon him - but Wednesday night at the East room of the White House the Israeli President had a shy smile on his face, looking at the faces of the U.S. and Israeli officials that gathered around the tables decorated with tall white candles, to honor him - as if hardly believing Senya Persky from Wiszniewo shtetl, really got there.

“The United States is fortunate to have many allies and partners around the world. Of course, one of our strongest allies, and one of our closest friends, is the State of Israel," Obama said in his speech before he presented Peres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civic award in the U.S.. :"And no individual has done so much over so many years to build our alliance and bring our two nations closer as the leader we honor tonight—our friend, Shimon Peres.”

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Israel and the United Nations are cooperating on development, a central topic on the international agenda

Source: MFA

On 14 May 2012, Israel and the UN signed a special agreement - Memorandum of Understanding between Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MASHAV) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) - to increase cooperation in food security, water management, women empowerment and industrial development in developing countries. For Israel, this is an additional step in creating international partnerships in the area of development, demonstrating recognition and appreciation of Israel's abilities and contributions to the world.

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United Nations names David Scharia as legal coordinator for the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), making him the only Israeli to serve in top security position in UN Secretariat

Source: Ynetnews

The United Nations has appointed David Scharia as the legal coordinator for the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) – the Security Council anti-terror group – making him the only Israeli national serving in a senior security position within the UN Secretariat, Israeli and UN officials said Tuesday.

David Scharia will oversee a team of 12 international legal experts who advise the 15-nation Security Council on its counterterrorism efforts.

“I am very proud to welcome a very talented Israeli into the UN’s senior ranks,” said Ron Prosor, Israel’s UN ambassador. “One of my priorities is to bring many more bright minds from the Holy Land into the UN’s halls, where Israelis have long been underrepresented.”

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Israel's ambassador to the United Nations to serve as one of 21 vice presidents at global body

Source: Ynetnews

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor was elected to serve as one of the General Assembly's vice presidents.

Prosor, 53, who has been serving as Israel's envoy to the global body for the past year, will take office as one of the assembly's 21 vice presidents in September. He is the third Israeli diplomat to be elected for the position.

Prosor asserted that the election of an Israeli to the senior role could facilitate the promotion of other officials from the Jewish state to high-ranking roles at the UN.

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