Israel’s Steinitz says Iran not compromising on 7 of 8 nuclear issues
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Iran is refusing to compromise on seven out of the eight key points in its nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 powers, Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said Thursday.
Steinitz said that if the two sides are indeed close to reaching a deal, it means the West will be conceding on a number of central issues. According to Steinitz, the eight key points on the agenda in the nuclear talks include the number of active centrifuges, reducing the uranium stockpile, dismantling infrastructure, research and development of advanced centrifuges, the Arak heavy-water reactor, the Fordow enrichment facility, ballistic missile development and militarization of the nuclear program, and the duration of the nuclear agreement.
So far, the Iranians have only agreed to make significant concessions on their uranium stockpile.
“Our approach is that we cannot live with a minimized [nuclear] threat, but only with the complete removal of the threat,” Steinitz said. “That is a fundamentally different approach [from that of the P5+1 powers in negotiations].”
“Secondly, the deal should be for several decades, not just 10 years,” he added. “As it stands, the emerging deal allows Iran a shorter breakthrough time to developing the bomb, within only a few years, and then it can quickly create many bombs.”
Steinitz recently met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano at the Munich Security Conference.
“I told [Amano] he must demand as a condition to any future agreement that the Iranians reveal their past nuclear experiments,” Steinitz said. “This demand must not disappear in light of the deal. Otherwise, you, as director of the [IAEA] will destroy your opportunity to get answers from them—which will also affect your ability in the future to monitor other countries, as they will ask for similar treatment.”
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Poll: Majority of Americans say Obama should meet with Netanyahu
(JNS.org) A strong majority of Americans believe that President Barack Obama should meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when the latter visits Washington, DC next month to address Congress and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.
According to a YouGov/Huffington Post survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, 58 percent believe that Obama should meet with Netanyahu. Forty-six percent believe that their members of Congress should attend the Netanyahu address, compared with 24 percent who said their elected representatives should not attend and 30 percent who were undecided.
The White House has opposed Netanyahu’s March 3 speech because it contends that House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) did not consult with Obama before inviting Netanyahu. The Obama administration also believes the speech will hurt the P5+1 powers’ chances of reaching a deal in their ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu has said he needs to give the speech because a bad nuclear deal with Iran will threaten Israel’s survival.
Obama is refusing to meet with Netanyahu during the prime minister’s trip due to the close proximity of the visit to Israel’s elections on March 17. Vice President Joe Biden and some Congressional Democrats are skipping Netanyahu’s speech.
The poll also found that 49 percent of Americans believe it was “inappropriate” for Boehner to invite Netanyahu without consulting the White House. Boehner, however, said he gave the White House a “heads-up that morning (Jan. 21)” about the invitation.
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36 bereaved girls treated to bat mitzvah celebration in Jerusalem
(JNS.org) The Jewish welfare organization Colel Chabad on Wednesday hosted a bat mitzvah celebration for 36 girls who have lost a parent. Most of the parents died from illness or terror attacks, and on bat mitzvah girl’s father was the first Israel Defense Forces casualty during last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas.
At the celebration, which took place at Colel Chabad’s Gutnick Hall in Jerusalem, the girls took professional photos and were treated (along with the families and friends) to catered meals, music, and dancing. The girls also each received a personalized birthday gift.
“Family milestones can be much more stressful and difficult, both financially and emotionally, without a parent,” said Rabbi Amram Blau, director of Colel Chabad’s bar and bat mitzvah program for bereaved youths, known as Chesed Menachem Mendel. “It’s heartwarming to see the joy on the faces of these young women and their families in reaching this momentous occasion.”
“The world gains strength from you young women,” said Rabbanit Yemima Mizrachi, a popular Torah scholar who spoke at the Jerusalem bat mitzvah event. “When we see your beautiful smiling faces, glowing from this special celebration, and we know all the hardships you have been through, we can’t help but feel that we must smile and be happy as well.”
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Israeli panel bars Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from upcoming Knesset elections
(JNS.org) Israel’s Central Elections Committee has banned Hanin Zoabi, an Arab member of Knesset from the Balad party, from running for a seat in the Israeli legislature’s upcoming elections on March 17.
The ban on Zoabi, who is the seventh-ranked candidate on the Israeli Arab political parties’ joint Knesset list, was approved in 27-6 vote. The panel’s decision must now be approved by the Israeli High Court. Last summer, the Knesset Ethics Committee decided to bar Zoabi from all Knesset plenum sessions and committee meetings for six months, following multiple complaints filed against her by fellow MKs over her anti-Israel statements. Zoabi said the Hamas perpetuators who kidnapped and murdered of Jewish teens are “not terrorists,” and she also compared Israeli soldiers to Islamic State terrorists during Operation Protective Edge.
Under Israeli law, the elections panel has the right to ban Knesset candidates if they reject Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or if they incite racism and armed conflict against Israel.
The panel also barred Baruch Marzel, who is fourth on the list for the new Yachad Party, which is led by former Shas leader Eli Yishai. Marzel was formerly affiliated with the banned Kach party of Jewish Defense League founder Rabbi Meir Kahane, and has since failed to garner enough votes to enter the Knesset.
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George W. Bush, Boehner, Romney to headline Jewish Republican conference
(JNS.org) Former president George W. Bush, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney are scheduled to headline a Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) gathering in late April.
The RJC conference will be held from April 24-26 in Las Vegas. Several expected Republican presidential candidates are also likely to speak at the conference, including former Texas governor Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Indiana Governor Mike Pence, while U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) will also address the conference, reported the Washington Examiner, which obtained an RJC email to supporters.
Currently, freshman U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) is the lone Jewish Republican in Congress, following last year’s defeat of former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Nevertheless, a recent poll conducted by Gallup found a steady increase of American Jews identifying as Republican and a decrease in support for Democrats.
According 4,116 Jewish adults polled in the survey—which was conducted from Jan. 2 to Dec. 30, 2014—29 percent of American Jews identified as Republican, up from 22 percent in 2008, while 61 percent of Jews aligned with Democrats, down from 71 percent seven years ago.
The RJC has also been leading an online petition to support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress next month, in response to complaints about the speech by Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration.
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