Russian billionaire to found 'Jewish Al-Jazeera'

[Spiraling Leopard]

http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=215498

Alexander Mashevich says planned pro-Israel news channel will "represent Israel on an international level, with real information."


Russian “oligarch” and Jewish philanthropist Alexander Mashkevich announced on Wednesday his intention to found a Jewish version of Al-Jazeera.

"Every day and every hour people get negative information about Israel," Mashkevich said at the Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal conference in Washington D.C. "Therefore, the most important thing is to represent Israel on an international level, with real information."

Mashkevich plans to found an international, professional news station as a response to unreliable reports on Israel. He says the station will not be a source of propaganda, but will tell the truth.

"I think this idea should be implemented. I already spoke about it several years ago with Israeli government officials and with influential people in the Jewish world, and everyone agrees that such a channel is necessary," he said.

Mashkevich, a native of Kyrgyzstan who became a billionaire through investments in Kazakhstan during perestroika, admitted that founding such a channel would not be simple, because of its high costs, but said that he plans to officially present it in Israel in a few months.

There is a lot of interest in the news channel, the billionaire said, all that's missing is a name.

[The proud Jew]

Probably going to be a self hating channel

[muman613]

Probably going to be a self hating channel

Why do you think that? Why not give it a chance. It sounds like there is good intention to tell the truth about the situation in Israel. I have hope that they will be able to accomplish good...

[Zelhar]

His two business partners are muslims. He does his business in muslim countries. I don't trust him.

[muman613]

His two business partners are muslims. He does his business in muslim countries. I don't trust him.

That does sound grim... I wish Arutz Sheva would expand to an international source for news. At this time A7 is the only good source of news from Israel.

[The proud Jew]

Why do you think that? Why not give it a chance. It sounds like there is good intention to tell the truth about the situation in Israel. I have hope that they will be able to accomplish good...

My intuition was right this is going to be a self hating news channel because this man has 2 muslim business partners

[Zelhar]

A little bit more about Mashkevich:
2005 Forbes list of rich SOBs:

With his partners Patokh Chodiev and Alijan Ibragimov controls $5 billion (estimated sales) Eurasia Group, a Kazakhstan-based company with interests in aluminum, chromium, coal, construction and banking. Expanding into new markets including South Africa. Group has recently benefitted from booming Kazakh economy, rising commodity prices and soaring exports to China. A former university professor in Kirgizstan. Is also an Israeli citizen and a member of the World Jewish Congress.
http://www.forbes.com/static/bill2005/LIR9O0N.html?passListId=10=2005=Person=9O0N=Person

From his own privately owned Jewish congress, self titled "Euro-Asian Jewish Congress":

http://www.eajc.org/page173
Alexander Antonovich Machkevitch

Born on February 23rd, 1954, in Frunze city (Bishkek), Kyrgyzia.

In 1970 he graduated from the Kyrgyz State University, and received a candidate's degree in Pedagogy. He was the dean of the Kyrgyz Faculty of Pedagogics.

In Perestroika years he took up business. Currently he is the President of the Eurasian Industrial Association (Kazakhstan); Chairman of the Council of Directors of the Euroasian Bank (Kazakhstan); one of the leaders of “Kazakhstan Mineral Resources”.

Alexander Machkevitch financed the building of synagogues in Pavlodar (dedicated to the memory of his mother) and Almaty (Kazakhstan). Five more synagogues are being built in other cities of the Kazakhstan republic.

Alexander Machkevitch participated in financing the building of an Orthodox Christian church and a mosque in Pavlodar.

Alexander Machkevitch yearly buys 15-20 tons of matzoth in Israel for subsequent free distribution among the Jews of Kazakhstan. He also pays 20 stipends to Kazakhstan students, including Jews.

President of the Kazakhstan Jewish Congress, member of the Executive Committee of the European Jewish Congress, member of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress.


In 2002, during the constituent assembly of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress in Moscow (Russia), Alexander Machkevitch was elected to the post of EAJC President.

Last year he came into news because he allegedly participated and funded a sex party with under aged prostitutes on board a Turkish yacht:

ENRC billionaire was on 'sex yacht' seized by Turkey
One of the billionaires behind London-listed ENRC was on the yacht seized by Turkish authorities after allegations of a sex party and underage prostitution on board

By Richard Orange and Rowena Mason 6:00AM BST 13 Oct 2010

A spokesman for Alexander Mashkevich, who co-founded the FTSE 100 miner and still owns 14.6pc of the company, confirmed to The Daily Telegraph yesterday that the businessman was present on the boat but not one of those arrested.

"He was on board," said Roman Spektor, the Kazakhstani billionaire's spokesman.

"From our perspective he wasn't involved in any immoral or criminal actions. It's a real provocation. It's a real dirty lie in order to discredit him, because he's a well-known member of the worldwide Jewish community."

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Mashkevich, but the revelation is likely to be a further headache for ENRC, as the £12bn mining giant battles concerns over its corporate governance. Institutional investors last month questioned its judgement in buying mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo that had earlier been seized from a rival.

Mr Mashkevich, who is estimated to be worth £1.9bn, is one of three extremely powerful Kazakh businessmen known as the "Trio" who together control 44pc of ENRC.

Kahraman Sadikoglu, the owner of the 400ft Savarona yacht seized by authorities in late September, said Mr Mashkevich and other businessmen had flown into Turkey on a private jet for a party on the vessel. He said a number of girls arrived on a separate jet from Kazakhstan.

When the yacht was confiscated, eight women and two underage girls were taken for health checks in the Mediterranean city of Antalya. Ten people, including two women, were arrested. Tevfik Ari, a New York real estate mogul and friend of Donald Trump, was among those detained.

The yacht's owner charged $50,000 per day to rent the businessmen his vessel, which was formerly owned by Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, and often chartered by Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed.

Mr Sadikoglu said he did not know whether the girls on board were prostitutes but said they had been described as girlfriends and were the same ones who attended a party three weeks before. He denied that any of them were underage.

He said the party spent around $45,000 a day in wine, with the average bottle costing $1,500, adding that senior members of the Kazakh government also attended parties.Mr Sadikoglu said there were eight Brazilian dancers, three belly-dancers and six bodyguards but said it was not a "sex party".

He said "This is their private charter agreement. The name is 'private charter' - they can do whatever they like, they can do what they want."

Mr Mashkevich's spokesman said he would put out a formal statement once the Turkish authorities have finished their investigation

ENRC declined to comment.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

This sounds very, very evil!

[Dr. Dan]

Lets give then ratings by getting chaim on the channel.

[syyuge]

He might be a lumpen character.

[Masha]

His two business partners are muslims. He does his business in muslim countries. I don't trust him.

I say - let's give him a chance!

What kind of muslims? Muslims from Kyrgyzstan? That's a totally different story. They are not at all like Arabs, Iranians, Pakistani. These people are Asians and are a lot less violent. They are mostly cultural muslims who are westernized and drink vodka. I am not afraid of them. So I repeat: let's give him a chance.

This is something I've been praying for - a Jewish billionaire that comes through for Israel. I am going to be an optimist and say that it looks like my prayers have been answered.

[Zelhar]

I say - let's give him a chance!

What kind of muslims? Muslims from Kyrgyzstan? That's a totally different story. They are not at all like Arabs, Iranians, Pakistani. These people are Asians and are a lot less violent. They are mostly cultural muslims who are westernized and drink vodka. I am not afraid of them. So I repeat: let's give him a chance.

This is something I've been praying for - a Jewish billionaire that comes through for Israel. I am going to be an optimist and say that it looks like my prayers have been answered.

I have read once an interview with Mr Mashkevich. He said one of his partners was secular and the other a devout muslim. He said he and this devaut muslim have more in common because they are both "religious". I think both his partners are Kazakh.

Since the disintegration of the USSR, all of these "-stans" are undergoing Islmization. They build mosques and invite Arab muslim nazi sheiks to teach them Islam. At the moment the dictators of these republic are former soviet technocrats of the secular elite. There is no guarantee the next generation rulers would follow their secular indifference of Islam.