Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls U.S. ‘Satan’ amid resumption of nuclear talks
(JNS.org) Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made anti-American comments before Thursday’s resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the European Union in Geneva.
“We had announced previously that on certain issues, if we feel it is expedient, we would negotiate with the Satan (the United States) to deter its evil,” Khamenei said, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
“The nuclear talks showed the enmity of America against Iran, Iranians, Islam and Muslims,” he said.
Iran and the P5+1 powers, including the U.S., last November reached an interim nuclear deal that gave the Islamic Republic what the U.S. said was $7 billion in sanctions relief in exchange for reduced uranium enrichment.
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Israeli museums to look for heirs of Nazi-looted art
(JNS.org) Representatives of Israeli museums and the Company for Location and Restitution of Holocaust Victims’ Assets decided Thursday to begin searching for the rightful owners of Nazi-looted art currently in the country’s museums and to return the works to them.
The meeting included, among others, representatives from the Culture Ministry, the Israel Museums Association, the Israel Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Museum of Art, Ein Harod, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial, and the Ghetto Fighters’ House museum, Israel Hayom reported.
“Thanks to the different processes undertaken by the Israel Museum, many art works have been returned to their owners since the year 2000,” read a statement from the Israel Museum.
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Poll: More than half of Israelis don’t trust Kerry as impartial negotiations broker
(JNS.org) More than half of the Israeli public does not trust U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to act as an impartial mediator between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, a new survey commissioned by Israel Hayom from the New Wave Research Institute found.
In the poll, 53.5 percent of respondents said they did not trust Kerry in that respect. Kerry is an unbiased mediator, said 19.8 percent of those polled, and 26.7 percent said they had no opinion on the matter.
Regarding the recent proposal, brought up as part of the negotiations on a framework peace deal, suggesting that Israel withdraw its security forces from the Jordan Valley, 69.8 percent of respondents oppose such a move, while only 14.3 percent support it.
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Missing Boston Jewish teen found safe
(JNS.org) Sixteen-year old Boston teenager Caleb Jacoby was was found safe Thursday night, Brookline police announced onTwitter. Jacoby was found in Times Square in New York City, Boston’s WCVB news station reported.
The Boston Jewish community had united around the search for Jacoby, who disappeared after 12:30 p.m. Monday, according to police in the Boston suburb of Brookline. Caleb is the son of prominent Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby.
Local Jewish organizations and community members had circulated fliers with Jacoby’s photograph and description, and searched local areas.
Samantha Mandeles, Senior Campus Coordinator for the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA), told JNS.org that Caleb, who interned with CAMERA in the summer of 2012, is an “extremely intelligent young man” who has a talent for writing like his father.
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Taglit-Birthright generates more than $825 million for Israeli economy
(JNS.org) The Taglit Birthright Israel program has contributed over $825 million to the Israeli economy over its fourteen year existence, according to a new study released by the global accounting firm Ernst & Young.
According to the report, the largest portion of the total was from “direct contributions such as travel, admissions and tour guides in Israel totaled $565 million.” Other indirect contributions came from local spending and other areas such as extensions and return trips, totaling $260 million.
“For years we have conducted research showing our program’s effectiveness in promoting Jewish continuity. With this study, we validate the important contribution we make to the Israeli economy,” Taglit-Birthright Chief Executive Office Gidi Mark said in a statement.
Founded in 2000 as a joint venture between the Israeli government, the Jewish Agency and American donors, Taglit Birthright has brought over 350,000 young Jews from 54 countries to Israel on 10-day tours.
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Israel not surprised by Iran’s newly installed centrifuge
(JNS.org) An anonymous Israeli official said that “it was clear from the outset that the Iranians would play games” in the wake of revelations that that negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers have reached a snag over a newly installed centrifuge.
“They did it in the past, and now they’re up to their old tricks again,” the Israeli official said.
According to the deal reached between Iran and the P5+1 powers in November, Iran promised to stop enriching uranium beyond 5 percent and dilute all existing stockpiles already enriched to 20 percent. The country cannot install any new centrifuges and must allow regular monitoring by international nuclear inspectors.
Officials say they want to implement the deal on January 20th. But negotiations due to take place in Geneva this week will include a discussion regarding a new advanced nuclear centrifuge Iran says it has installed. Centrifuges purify uranium for fuel in atomic power plants or potentially as weapons.
“Iran seeks maximum maneuvering room in interpreting the agreement, while the U.S. seeks to ensure that this interpretation does not go beyond its understanding of the agreement,” an anonymous diplomat told Reuters.
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Israeli legislator pushes for recognition of Christian nationality
(JNS.org) An Israeli legislator is pushing for the Israeli government to recognize Christians as a new nationality.
“My legislation will award separate representation and a separate frame of reference to the Christian public, distinguishing them from Muslim Arabs,” Levin told Maariv.
“This is an important, historic step that could introduce balance to the State of Israel, and connect us [Jews] with the Christians,” he added. “I make sure not to refer to them as Arabs, because they’re not Arabs.”
According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, there are roughly 161,000 Christians living in Israel. Nearly 80 percent of them are classified as Arab.
However, there has been a growing movement within the Israeli-Arab Christian community to separate themselves from the Arab community and align more closely with the Jewish state. Bishara Shylan, a merchant seaman from Nazareth, has been organizing a new Israeli Christian political party called B’nei Habrit. Meanwhile, Greek Orthodox Father Gabriel Nadaf has been outspoken in encouraging Christian participation in the Israeli army.
“Christians, who live here, need to donate and to contribute, not just in talk, but with action… We live here, and this country protects us, therefore we need to protect it,” Nadaf recently told JNS.org.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org