U.S. signing of Iran deal harms Israeli interests, most Israelis say in poll
(JNS.org) In a new Israel Hayom poll, 57.8 percent of Jewish Israeli respondents said they believe the U.S. harmed Israeli interests by signing the nuclear deal with Iran over the weekend. Only 20.6 percent said that the U.S. did not harm Israeli interests through the deal.
Under its interim agreement with the P5+1 powers, Iran agreed to halt uranium enrichment beyond 5 percent in exchange for $7 billion in sanctions relief.
IDF drill simulates Gaza incursion
(JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces’ Gaza Division launched a three-day military maneuver on Sunday during which troops simulated a ground incursion into the Gaza Strip. Defense officials stressed that the exercise, held in Ashkelon and the area to its east, was a routine drill.
A goal of the exercise was to explore commanders’ decision-making process and troops’ implementation of orders on the ground.
“The IDF possesses different abilities today, in terms of intelligence, precision fire and maneuverability,” a senior IDF officer said, Israel Hayom reported. “We are not frozen in our tracks, but neither is the other side. We have different abilities than we did during Operation Cast Lead (2008), including different command and control abilities.”
Jewish groups critical of sanctions relief deal due to Iran’s past behavior
(JNS.org) Jewish groups are anxious about the $7 billion in sanctions relief Iran is receiving in the deal it reached with the P5+1 powers in Geneva over the weekend, citing Iran’s past behavior.
“Iran must be judged by its actions, not its words and promises, because they are not worth the paper they are written on,” World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said in statement. “Nothing in the deceptive behavior of Iran and its leaders in recent years should make the world believe that they will honor this agreement.”
Anti-Defamation League leaders said, Iran’s “record of noncompliance makes us skeptical of providing sanctions relief before Iran has taken tangible steps to dismantle its nuclear program.”
“The diminution of sanctions—that were years in the making—which this deal permits will weaken the international community’s ability to impose serious economic consequences in the future. What is needed now is additional economic pressure to finally force the Iranians to verifiably abandon their nuclear weapons program,” stated B’nai B’rith International.
While a diplomatic solution “is unquestionably the preferred approach to resolving the Iranian nuclear issue,” Iran has for years exhibited “an indisputable posture of deceit and defiance towards the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and nations around the world, including, centrally, the P5+1,” said American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris.
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Nov. 28 declared ‘Thanksgivukkah’ by Boston mayor
(JNS.org) In light of the once-in-a-lifetime convergence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, Boston’s retiring Mayor Thomas Menino has declared Nov. 28 to be “Thanksgivukkah” in the city.
The proclamation notes the special “diversity of all its citizens” and the values embodied by both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, including “unity, hope and gratitude.”
Thanksgiving and Hanukkah last fell on the same day in the late 19th century and is not expected to converge again for more than 75,000 years, making this year’s overlap special for American Jews who are usually accustomed to sharing the holiday with Christmas.
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Archeologists discover oldest and largest wine cellar in Near East
(JNS.org) A team of archeologists unearthed what it describes as the “oldest and largest palatial wine cellar” ever discovered in the Near East.
The cellar was found in a ruined palace near the sprawling Canaanite city in northern Israel called Tel Kabri. The site itself dates back to around 1,700 BCE and is located near Israel’s modern-day winemaking region in the Galilee and Golan Heights.
“We found at least 40 large one-meter tall jugs that all hold at least 50 liters of wine, totaling 2,000 liters,” Dr. Andrew Koh of Brandeis University, one of the leading archeologists on the discovery, told JNS.org.
The team found that the jugs contained traces of tartaric acid and syringic acid, both common in wine. But they included several other ingredients.
“Not only did they have wine, they also had a craftsmanship to them. This is not just your normal wine; there is some degree of uniqueness to them,” Koh said.
Part of this uniqueness included wine fortified with honey, mint, cinnamon bar juniper berries, and even special cedar tree resins—possibly giving the wine some psychotropic properties. This is similar to medicinal wine found in ancient Egypt.
Secret talks between White House and Tehran date back to March 2013
(JNS.org) A series of five secret talks between the U.S. and Iran preceded the new deal reached in Geneva, a White House official revealed.
“When President [Hassan] Rouhani was elected and indicated a new direction, we decided to take that seriously and to test it,” an anonymous U.S. official said, Reuters reported.
Several top American officials, including Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor to Vice-President Joe Biden, were involved in secret talks with Iran as early as March 2013 in Muscat, Oman, while Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still Iran’s president. But most of these talks came after Rouhani was elected president.
These talks were warily approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iranian officials.
U.S. officials also briefed Israeli leaders on “substantive conversations on an individual basis” during these secret talks.
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Netanyahu set to meet with Pope Francis
(JNS.org) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Italy next Sunday for the annual meeting held between the Israeli and Italian governments, part of Israel’s effort to strengthen ties with European nations.
During the trip to Italy, Netanyahu will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Israel Hayom reported. It is expected that the prime minister will officially invite the pope to visit Israel. Netanyahu and Pope Francis will also discuss the Iran nuclear program and Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations.
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Israel finalizes deal to acquire V-22 Osprey planes from U.S.
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The deal for the Israel Defense Forces to acquire the American V-22 Osprey aircraft was finalized during Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s meeting with his American counterpart Chuck Hagel on Friday at a defense ministers’ conference in Halifax, Canada.
Israel is the first country to receive the V-22 Osprey from the U.S. The aircraft takes off and lands like a helicopter but can convert to fly like an airplane at high speeds and altitudes once it is airborne. Israel expects to use the Osprey for long-distance search and rescue operations, among other activities.
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Hamas says it wants to buy more electricity from Israel
(JNS.org) While Gaza faces a power shortage because of an Egyptian crackdown on its smuggling tunnels, Hamas is looking to Israel for power.
According to Oxfam, Gaza is facing a severe power crisis as a result of a shortage of fuel, with blackouts lasting from 12-16 hours. In an interview with Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, Imad al-Daelis, economic advisor to Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, said that an “agreement with the Israel Electric Company to supply additional power will help solve the crisis.”
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Preceding provided by JNS.org