Possible Iran nuclear program concession draws skepticism from Israeli officials
(JNS.org) Israeli officials reacted with skepticism to a report by the German newspaper Der Spiegel that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is considering dismantling the deep underground nuclear site of Fordo.
Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said Rouhani “is the father of the method of talking and enriching uranium at the same time,” Walla! News reported. Strategic Affairs, Intelligence and International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz told Army Radio on Tuesday that Rouhani’s proposal is “a small step” and “bears no meaning.”
“Most of the centrifuges are not there; without Fordo they might be able to produce six, not seven, nuclear bombs,” Steinitz said.
Iran, according to Der Spiegel, would allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect Fordo once the site’s centrifuges are dismantled. The Fordo facility, near the holy city of Qom, is buried deep inside a mountain to protect it against enemy strikes. In November 2012, the IAEA said Iran had established completed its work on the site with the construction of 2,784 centrifuges, 696 of which were enriching uranium.
Iran sanctions violated by ministers’ Facebook accounts, Israeli law center says
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center threatened on Monday to take legal action against Facebook unless it stops providing service to Iranian ministers, whose presence on the social network is a breach of the U.S. sanctions against the country.
Israeli media recently reported that 15 Iranian ministers opened Facebook accounts, despite the country being banned from the social network. Facebook is a California-based company and is thus subject to U.S. law. Current sanctions prevent any American company from providing services to Iranian government officials.
In a letter addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and legal counselor Colin Stretch, Shurat HaDin said that supporting Iran, which sides with recognized terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, constitutes a criminal act.
“We request that you immediately provide us written confirmation that Facebook, Inc. has permanently discontinued the provision of social media and associated services to the Government and State of Iran, including all Ministers of the State of Iran. Absent such confirmation, we will seek all available relief and remedies against Facebook, Inc. in all relevant jurisdictions,” the letter stated.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: Support for Israeli security part of national ethos
(JNS.org) German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced one week before her country’s upcoming federal elections that “Germany’s support for Israel’s security is part of our national ethos, our raison d’etre.”
Although Merkel acknowledged that she has often made critical comments about Israeli construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, she said, “It’s equally important to me that the two sides, both Israel and the Palestinians, work towards a durable peace settlement, that’s to say a viable two-state solution. And I will support every step taken by an Israeli Government to make such talks possible.”
Merkel made the comments in an interview with the Jewish Voice from Germany. She spoke highly of German-Israeli relations. “Some years ago we initiated German-Israeli intergovernmental consultations… Israel is still the only true democracy in the Middle East. We want to work together as closely as possible in all spheres and can be proud of our cooperation in culture, science or environmental protection,” Merkel said.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org