Nuclear deal with Iran closer than ever, French newspaper reports
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) As the March 24 deadline for a “political framework agreement” in nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers approaches, the French newspaper Le Figaro on Sunday quoted an American official as saying a nuclear deal is “closer than ever.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif met in Geneva on Sunday in another round of talks. Le Figaro referred to comments made by critics of U.S. President Barack Obama, who believe that Obama is keen on reaching a nuclear deal as part of a greater plan to strengthen American ties with the Islamic Republic and to re-establish the geo-strategic balance in the region.
“If, in Bushland, America had behaved like a sheriff, assembling a posse to go in search of monsters, in Obamaworld, America would disarm its rivals by ensnaring them in a web of cooperation,” wrote Michael Doran, a former deputy assistant defense secretary in the George W. Bush administration, for Mosaic Magazine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated at his cabinet meeting on Sunday that the emerging nuclear deal with Iran is “dangerous for Israel, dangerous for the region, and dangerous for the entire world.” He also noted the increased Iranian military activity on Israel’s borders.
“In addition to its fronts with Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the south, Iran is trying to open a third front in the Golan Heights, using the thousands of Hezbollah fighters in southern Syria who report directly to Iran,” Netanyahu said.
*
Holocaust-themed film ‘Ida’ wins Oscar, Israel’s ‘Aya’ falls short
(JNS.org) The Holocaust-themed film Ida won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film on Sunday night, while the Israeli film Aya failed to grab the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.
Set in Poland in 1962, Ida tells the story of a young woman who was orphaned during the Holocaust survivor and is considering taking vows as a Catholic nun, only to discover from her aunt that her parents were Jewish. The two women then travel to the Polish countryside to explore their family’s history. Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski, Ida is the first Polish film to win the foreign language Academy Award.
Aya, directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, centers on a random encounter between a Scandinavian music critic and an Israeli driver who picks him up from the airport. Their encounter soon evolves into a deeper relationship. The Phone Call, a British film, won the live action short Academy Award over Aya and three others nominees.
*
White House reportedly mulling ‘snub’ of AIPAC conference
(JNS.org) After already announcing that President Barack Obama will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his trip to Washington, DC in March, the White House is reportedly mulling a “snub” of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference.
On his trip, Netanyahu will speak to both Congress and AIPAC. The Obama administration has opposed the Congress speech on the grounds that House Speaker John Boehner did not consult the president in advance, while citing the close proximity of Israel’s March 17 election in its decision not to meet with Netanyahu.
The Associated Press reported Friday that Obama administration officials are considering options that include “a presidential interview with a prominent journalist known for coverage of the rift between Obama and Netanyahu, multiple Sunday show television appearances by senior national security aides, and a pointed snub of America’s leading pro-Israel lobby (AIPAC), which is holding its annual meeting while Netanyahu is in Washington.”
The White House is weighing sending a lower-ranking official to the AIPAC conference, such as Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken, according to The Associated Press. The move would fall in line with the recent trend on the Obama administration’s participation in the conference. Obama himself addressed AIPAC in 2011 and 2012, but in 2013 the highest-ranking U.S. official to speak was Vice President Joe Biden, and last year, it was Secretary of State John Kerry.
*
Nigeria: Israel ‘crucial’ in fight against Boko Haram terror group
(JNS.org) A Nigerian government official praised Israel for aiding his country’s fight against the Islamic terror group Boko Haram.
“Israel has been a crucial and loyal ally in our fight against Boko Haram,” Mike Omeri, the chief coordinating spokesman of Nigeria’s National Information Center, told the Jerusalem Post. “It is a sad reality that Israel has a great deal of experience confronting terrorism. Our Israeli partners have used that experience, and the unique expertise gained over years of fighting terror within its own borders, to assist us.”
Nigeria has forged closer ties with Israel in recent years. In 2013, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed an aviation deal to allow more Nigerian Christian pilgrims to visit the Jewish state. Israel, meanwhile, has provided assistance to Nigeria in the search for 300 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram last year.
On the diplomatic front, Nigeria recently voted to abstain on a Palestinian-initiated United Nations Security Council resolution that called for Israeli withdrawal from the disputed territories by 2017.
*
Israel divestment resolution narrowly approved at Northwestern University
(JNS.org) The student government at Northwestern University in the Chicago area narrowly passed a resolution to divest from companies that do business in Israel.
The Associated Student Government Senate passed the resolution in a 24-22 vote with three abstentions, the Daily Northwestern reported. The measure—which is a recommendation to Northwestern school officials and not a change in university policy—calls on the school to divest from Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Hewlett-Packard, G4S, Caterpillar, and Elbit Systems.
The vote at Northwestern comes on the heels of a similar vote by the Stanford University student senate, which on Feb. 17 approved an Israel divestment resolution that was defeated in a previous vote one week earlier.
*
New IAEA report: Iran stalls on compliance with nuclear probe
(JNS.org) A new report from the International Atomy Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations-affiliated nuclear watchdog, found that Iran is continuing to fail to fully cooperate with an investigation into the country’s nuclear activity.
“Iran has not provided any explanations that enable the agency to clarify the outstanding practical measures,” the IAEA said.
Last year, Iran agreed to provide the IAEA with information on three aspects of its nuclear program: alleged experiments with nuclear detonators, work on high-explosive charges used in nuclear blasts, and studies on the calculation of nuclear explosive yields.
“Iran insists on hiding this [nuclear program] from the international community at a time when the major powers are continuing to try and allow Iran to produce the core of such weapons, enriched uranium. These do not go together,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Iran and world powers have a June 30 deadline to reach a final nuclear deal.
*
Articles from JNS.org appear on San Diego Jewish World through the generosity of Dr. Bob and Mao Shillman