Netanyahu: Construction has ‘no bearing’ on peace deal
(JNS.org) Speaking behind closed doors at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if peace negotiations with the Palestinians were entered into, they were expected to “be long and tough, but that the alternative Israel faces is a binational state, which Israel does not want,” Israel Hayom reported.
During a separate Likud faction meeting on Monday, Netanyahu said, “The construction in Jerusalem will continue regardless of the negotiations with the Palestinians.” The prime minister was commenting on an Army Radio report quoting Israeli Housing Ministry sources as saying there was a de facto building moratorium in eastern Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria. Netanyahu told the Knesset members that construction in Judea and Samaria “has no bearing on the peace deal.”
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Cleveland’s Mandel foundation giving $25 million to Jerusalem art academy
(JNS.org) The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation of Cleveland is giving the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design of Jerusalem $25 million to fund the construction of the school’s new downtown campus, scheduled for completion in 2017.
The Mandel Foundation, established in 1953, prioritizes higher education, Jewish education, social leadership and urban renewal. Bezalel is Israel’s leading academy of arts and design.
Bezalel’s new 400,000-square-foot building is being designed by Sejima & Nishizawa and Associates, a Tokyo-based architectural firm, in collaboration with Israel’s Nir-Kutz Architects. “The gift represents our desire to support Bezalel, the city of Jerusalem and the advancement of art in Israel,” said Morton L. Mandel, chairman and CEO of the Mandel Foundation, according to the Cleveland Jewish News.
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Iran wants to build 30 bombs a year, Israeli minister says
(JNS.org) Israeli International Relations and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz warned that Iran is working non-stop on its nuclear technology to gain the capability to build as many as 30 nuclear bombs a year.
“The Iranians… have close to 200 kilos—190 kilos (418 pounds)—of 20 percent enriched uranium,” Steinitz told reporters from the Foreign Press Association on Monday, according to AFP. “Once they have 250 kilos, this is enough to make the final rush to 90 percent,” which is the level required to build a nuclear warhead, Steinitz said.
“It is a matter of weeks or maybe two months to jump from 20 percent to 90 percent with so many centrifuges,” he said, adding that the upcoming Iranian election will change nothing.
Steinitz said the Iranians wouldn’t spend so much money and “suffer $70 billion of losses” due to international sanctions in one year to merely show that they can “spin some centrifuges.”
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All of Israel is ‘occupied’ Palestinian land, Palestinian Authority official says
(JNS.org) All of Israel is “occupied” Palestinian land, senior Palestinian Authority official Jibril Rajoub recently said when asked about the FC Barcelona soccer team’s upcoming visit to Israel, Palestinian Media Watch reported.
FC Barcelona is hosting separate soccer clinics for children in Israel and in the West Bank on August 3 and 4. Asked by an interviewer on Qatar’s Al-Kass Sports Channel if the visit included “a visit to the occupied lands,” Rajoub—a member of the Fatah Central Committee, chairman of the Palestinian Football Association, and head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee—responded by mentioning an area including all of Israel.
“They are coming to the occupied lands. All of Palestine—from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea—it’s all occupied,” Rajoub said June 2.
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Anti-Morsi petition claims nearly 15 million signatures
(JNS.org) Organizers of a campaign seeking to “remove confidence” in Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi say they have nearly 15 million signatures for a petition to hold early presidential elections, the Egypt Independent reported.
The opposition campaign called Tamarod, which means “rebel” in Arabic, was launched in early May with the aim of collecting 15 million signatures to outnumber the votes gained by Morsi in last year’s presidential election.
Spokesperson Mahmoud Badr said the opposition is campaign “studying the possibility of confidentially submitting the forms to the Supreme Constitutional Court” before June 30.
“We are printing the forms on CDs to preserve them,” Badr said.
The group, which claims no political affiliation but has been generally supported by Egypt’s liberal opposition, the National Salvation Front, and also hopes to hold a series of rallies on June 30.
Since taking power last year, Morsi’s tenure as president has been marked by domestic unrest, a severe economic crisis, and political turmoil.
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EU and Israel ink ‘open skies’ agreement
(JNS.org) The European Union (EU) and Israel have formally signed their proposed “open skies” agreement, paving the way for more flights and cheaper prices between Israel and EU countries.
“Israel is a key partner for the EU and today’s agreement is very important for further strengthening the overall economic, trade and tourism relations between Israel and the EU. We expect to see more direct flights to and from Israel, lower prices, more jobs and economic benefits on both sides,” said Siim Kallas, European Commissioner for Transport said in a statement.
While the agreement is expected to reduce prices of travel between Israel and EU states by adding more direct flights and competition, the cost savings might make the Israeli carriers less competitive. Staffers from three Israeli airlines— El Al, Arkia, and Israir—held a strike in early April, briefly shutting down Ben-Gurion Airport.
The agreement is scheduled to go into effect gradually over the next five years, with seven weekly fights to European destinations to be added annually. The EU is Israel’s largest market for aviation, with more than 7.2 million passengers between the two areas in 2011, according to Ha’aretz.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org