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1. ‘Netanyahu to Tell Obama: Attack Iran – Or Else’
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will deliver President Barack Obama an ultimatum that if the United States does not attack Iran soon, Israel will, the London Telegraph reported Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said last month that there is a "strong likelihood" of an Israel attack by June. If Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers an ultimatum, it would give the United States 2-3 months to act or face the reality of an Israeli attack that would almost certainly require the United States coming to its aid, if necessary.
Israeli officials have said that in several months, Iran will have buried so many of its nuclear facilities deep under concrete bunkers in mountains that an attack would not be effective.
The Israeli Prime Minister “has the upper hand,” claims the Telegraph's correspondent Adrian Blomfield.
“Exuding confidence, Mr. Netanyahu effectively brings with him an ultimatum, demanding that unless the president makes a firm pledge to use U.S. military force to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb, Israel may well take matters into its own hands within months,” wrote Blomfield.
He quoted analysts and sources as saying that the year-long Arab Spring rebellion in Syria, on which Iran is dependent to maintain the “axis of evil” with Lebanon, Hizbullah and Hamas, has weakened Iran as well as Damascus.
One other factor he did not mention is that President Obama is running for re-election. Failure to back Israel, if necessary, could torpedo his campaign. Moreover, Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention this week. President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres also will speak.
The president and the Prime Minister are likely to show a unified stance in public, when they meet this week, but Prime Minister Netanyahu will tell President Barack Obama in private discussions that Israel cannot wait much longer for a military strike to stop or at least delay Iran’s unsupervised nuclear program.
President Obama ruined his already dimming pro-Israel image last year, directly admonishing Prime Minister Netanyahu for continuing to build homes in what the president called "illegitimate” settlements. In return, the Prime Minister gave President Obama a lecture on the facts of life in the Arab-Israeli struggle.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently has said that if the Netanyahu government attacks Iran, Israel can defend itself against an Iranian counter-attack.
"It won't be easy," a former senior Defense Ministry official told the London newspaper. "Rockets will be fired at cities, including Tel Aviv, but at the same time the doomsday scenario that some have talked of is unlikely to happen. I don't think we will have all-out war."
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will deliver President Barack Obama an ultimatum that if the United States does not attack Iran soon, Israel will, the London Telegraph reported Sunday.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta said last month that there is a "strong likelihood" of an Israel attack by June. If Prime Minister Netanyahu delivers an ultimatum, it would give the United States 2-3 months to act or face the reality of an Israeli attack that would almost certainly require the United States coming to its aid, if necessary.
Israeli officials have said that in several months, Iran will have buried so many of its nuclear facilities deep under concrete bunkers in mountains that an attack would not be effective.
The Israeli Prime Minister “has the upper hand,” claims the Telegraph's correspondent Adrian Blomfield.
“Exuding confidence, Mr. Netanyahu effectively brings with him an ultimatum, demanding that unless the president makes a firm pledge to use U.S. military force to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb, Israel may well take matters into its own hands within months,” wrote Blomfield.
He quoted analysts and sources as saying that the year-long Arab Spring rebellion in Syria, on which Iran is dependent to maintain the “axis of evil” with Lebanon, Hizbullah and Hamas, has weakened Iran as well as Damascus.
One other factor he did not mention is that President Obama is running for re-election. Failure to back Israel, if necessary, could torpedo his campaign. Moreover, Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney will address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention this week. President Obama, Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres also will speak.
The president and the Prime Minister are likely to show a unified stance in public, when they meet this week, but Prime Minister Netanyahu will tell President Barack Obama in private discussions that Israel cannot wait much longer for a military strike to stop or at least delay Iran’s unsupervised nuclear program.
President Obama ruined his already dimming pro-Israel image last year, directly admonishing Prime Minister Netanyahu for continuing to build homes in what the president called "illegitimate” settlements. In return, the Prime Minister gave President Obama a lecture on the facts of life in the Arab-Israeli struggle.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently has said that if the Netanyahu government attacks Iran, Israel can defend itself against an Iranian counter-attack.
"It won't be easy," a former senior Defense Ministry official told the London newspaper. "Rockets will be fired at cities, including Tel Aviv, but at the same time the doomsday scenario that some have talked of is unlikely to happen. I don't think we will have all-out war."
Tags: Netanyahu ,Iran Nuclear threat ,Obama ,AIPAC
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Peres Leads AIPAC’s Powerhouse Lineup of Speakers -
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Lieberman Upstages AIPAC: Don’t Count on United States
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Israeli Embassy in Washington Prepares for Official Visits
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Will Israeli Leaders Ask Obama to Free Pollard?
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Peres to Thank Obama, U.S. in AIPAC Speech
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2. Lieberman Upstages AIPAC: Don’t Count on United States
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Plain-speaking Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Sunday that if the United States is too weak to be able to intervene to stop Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ”systematic murder of innocent civilians,” it can’t be counted on to come to Israel’s aid.
"If the international community is incapable of stopping the massacres in Syria, what is the value of its promises to protect the security of Israel?" he told Voice of Israel government radio Sunday as American and Israeli leaders prepare to address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington.
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are expected to outdo each other in trying to show who is the most pro-Israel. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres also will address the conference, with the Iranian nuclear threat the number one issue.
Lieberman, known for his no-nonsense and straight-talk manner, made it clear he is not interested on jumping on the “American-Israeli friendship” bandwagon.
He charged that the failure of the United States and the Western world to stop Assad’s slaughter of thousands of Syrian civilians "challenges all the promises of the international community that they are responsible for our security.
Openly questioning the view that Israel must act in coordination with the United States, particularly concerning a military strike on Iran’s unsupervised nuclear facilities, Lieberman emphasized that Israel is an “independent state.”
“Ultimately, the State of Israel will take the decisions that are most appropriate based on its evaluation of the situation,” he said.
Regardless of Lieberman's tough talk, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama are trying to show they are the best of friends, despite previous unfriendly meetings.
The United States and Israel “can be very frank with each other, very blunt with each other, very honest with each other,” President Obama told The Atlantic on Friday. “For the most part, when we have our differences, they are tactical and not strategic. “We have a common vision about where we want to go.”
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Plain-speaking Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Sunday that if the United States is too weak to be able to intervene to stop Syrian President Bashar Assad’s ”systematic murder of innocent civilians,” it can’t be counted on to come to Israel’s aid.
"If the international community is incapable of stopping the massacres in Syria, what is the value of its promises to protect the security of Israel?" he told Voice of Israel government radio Sunday as American and Israeli leaders prepare to address the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington.
President Barack Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are expected to outdo each other in trying to show who is the most pro-Israel. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres also will address the conference, with the Iranian nuclear threat the number one issue.
Lieberman, known for his no-nonsense and straight-talk manner, made it clear he is not interested on jumping on the “American-Israeli friendship” bandwagon.
He charged that the failure of the United States and the Western world to stop Assad’s slaughter of thousands of Syrian civilians "challenges all the promises of the international community that they are responsible for our security.
Openly questioning the view that Israel must act in coordination with the United States, particularly concerning a military strike on Iran’s unsupervised nuclear facilities, Lieberman emphasized that Israel is an “independent state.”
“Ultimately, the State of Israel will take the decisions that are most appropriate based on its evaluation of the situation,” he said.
Regardless of Lieberman's tough talk, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama are trying to show they are the best of friends, despite previous unfriendly meetings.
The United States and Israel “can be very frank with each other, very blunt with each other, very honest with each other,” President Obama told The Atlantic on Friday. “For the most part, when we have our differences, they are tactical and not strategic. “We have a common vision about where we want to go.”
Tags: Lieberman ,AIPAC ,United States
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Peres Leads AIPAC’s Powerhouse Lineup of Speakers
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Holocaust Denier and Cartoonist Working for 'Occupy AIPAC'
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‘Netanyahu to Tell Obama: Attack Iran – Or Else’
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Israeli Embassy in Washington Prepares for Official Visits
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Will Israeli Leaders Ask Obama to Free Pollard?
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Peres to Thank Obama, U.S. in AIPAC Speech
Comment on this story
3. Peres Leads AIPAC’s Powerhouse Lineup of Speakers
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
President Shimon Peres is to address American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EST) Sunday, one of two dozen U.S. and Israeli politicians and analysts to speak at the three-day event where the Iranian nuclear threat is the media’s number one issue.
The pro-Israel lobby is to present President Peres with a life achievement award and a documentary film on his life after he delivers the opening speech at the conference.
The conference is receiving the most-ever media attention as Iran’s unsupervised nuclear program proceeds on a collision course with Israel and the Western world.
The star-studded speaker’s list includes President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Republican presidential nominee hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
Congress members to address AIPAC are Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senator Carl Levin, Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman and GOP Senator Johnny Isakson.
Speakers from media include CNN Contributor Paul Begala, Fox News Contributor Liz Cheney, former Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz, Political Analyst for NBC News Mike Murphy, The Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, and Israel’s veteran Middle East commentator Ehud Yaari.
The conference is jam-packed with panels and discussions.
Subjects on the first day alone include:
- Alliances and Rifts in a Volatile Mideast;
- A Final Settlement: The Past and Future of Peace Agreements featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk;
- Evolution and Development of the U.S.-Israeli relationship: 1947-2012;
- Home-Grown Terror: Islamic Radicalism in America; Town Hall Meeting -The End of the Peace Process?
- The Land of Israel: A Historical and Archaeological Perspective; and
- The Middle East in 2012: A Regional Overview; Town Hall Meeting - Undivided Capital: Jerusalem and the Peace Process.
AIPAC also will hold panel discussions on A Strategic Asset: The U.S.- Israel Military Alliance; Brotherly Behavior: The Arab States and the Palestinians;
Civil Society:The State of Human Rights in the Arab World; East-West Divide: Where Is Turkey Headed?;
Hamas and Fatah: Is Reconciliation a Possibility?; Iranian Infighting: Inside the Islamic Republic; Israeli Democracy: News and Views on Israeli Politics’ Middle East Media: Covering a Region in Turmoil.
Other topics include Peace Prospects: The Future of Israeli-Palestinian Relations; State of Humanity: How Israel Is Helping a World in Need; Street Sense: Understanding Palestinian Public Opinion; and The Struggle to Secure Israel on Campus: 1956-2016.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
President Shimon Peres is to address American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at 5:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. EST) Sunday, one of two dozen U.S. and Israeli politicians and analysts to speak at the three-day event where the Iranian nuclear threat is the media’s number one issue.
The pro-Israel lobby is to present President Peres with a life achievement award and a documentary film on his life after he delivers the opening speech at the conference.
The conference is receiving the most-ever media attention as Iran’s unsupervised nuclear program proceeds on a collision course with Israel and the Western world.
The star-studded speaker’s list includes President Barack Obama, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Republican presidential nominee hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
Congress members to address AIPAC are Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Senator Carl Levin, Independent Senator Joseph Lieberman and GOP Senator Johnny Isakson.
Speakers from media include CNN Contributor Paul Begala, Fox News Contributor Liz Cheney, former Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz, Political Analyst for NBC News Mike Murphy, The Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, and Israel’s veteran Middle East commentator Ehud Yaari.
The conference is jam-packed with panels and discussions.
Subjects on the first day alone include:
- Alliances and Rifts in a Volatile Mideast;
- A Final Settlement: The Past and Future of Peace Agreements featuring former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk;
- Evolution and Development of the U.S.-Israeli relationship: 1947-2012;
- Home-Grown Terror: Islamic Radicalism in America; Town Hall Meeting -The End of the Peace Process?
- The Land of Israel: A Historical and Archaeological Perspective; and
- The Middle East in 2012: A Regional Overview; Town Hall Meeting - Undivided Capital: Jerusalem and the Peace Process.
AIPAC also will hold panel discussions on A Strategic Asset: The U.S.- Israel Military Alliance; Brotherly Behavior: The Arab States and the Palestinians;
Civil Society:The State of Human Rights in the Arab World; East-West Divide: Where Is Turkey Headed?;
Hamas and Fatah: Is Reconciliation a Possibility?; Iranian Infighting: Inside the Islamic Republic; Israeli Democracy: News and Views on Israeli Politics’ Middle East Media: Covering a Region in Turmoil.
Other topics include Peace Prospects: The Future of Israeli-Palestinian Relations; State of Humanity: How Israel Is Helping a World in Need; Street Sense: Understanding Palestinian Public Opinion; and The Struggle to Secure Israel on Campus: 1956-2016.
More on this topic
-
Holocaust Denier and Cartoonist Working for 'Occupy AIPAC'
-
‘Netanyahu to Tell Obama: Attack Iran – Or Else’
-
Lieberman Upstages AIPAC: Don’t Count on United States
-
Israeli Embassy in Washington Prepares for Official Visits
-
Will Israeli Leaders Ask Obama to Free Pollard?
-
Peres to Thank Obama, U.S. in AIPAC Speech
Comment on this story
4. Hershkowitz Lone Minister to Back ‘Magen David Adom' Bill
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Jewish Home party chairman Rabbi/Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz was the lone Cabinet minister Sunday morning to support a bill requiring the Star of David on Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulances in Yesha.
The bill, sponsored by National Union Knesset Member Uri Ariel, was submitted after MDA signed an agreement, exposed by Arutz Sheva late last year, which required it to remove the Jewish star from its ambulances in Judea and Samaria as a condition to its becoming a member of the International Red Cross. “Magen David” is the Hebrew term for the Star of David.
Opponents to the bill argued against the claim of discrimination. Officials of the Health, Justice and Foreign ministries expressed their opposition to the proposed law, which they said would damage MDA’s international standing.
Likud Minister Dan Meridor stated that the bill would “create a new problem instead of solving an existing one.”
He charged that requiring the Star of David on ambulances in Judea and Samaria is a back door to annex the area to Israel, which officially has been under military rule since the Six-Day War in 1967. Hershkowitz said, “When ambulances in Judea and Samaria have to take off the Star of David, this is clear discrimination. without any connection the medical services it renders.”
Likud Minister Benny Begin suggested that the proposal be shelved for a month to allow further study concerning any damage that might be incurred to Magen David Adom.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Jewish Home party chairman Rabbi/Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz was the lone Cabinet minister Sunday morning to support a bill requiring the Star of David on Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulances in Yesha.
The bill, sponsored by National Union Knesset Member Uri Ariel, was submitted after MDA signed an agreement, exposed by Arutz Sheva late last year, which required it to remove the Jewish star from its ambulances in Judea and Samaria as a condition to its becoming a member of the International Red Cross. “Magen David” is the Hebrew term for the Star of David.
Opponents to the bill argued against the claim of discrimination. Officials of the Health, Justice and Foreign ministries expressed their opposition to the proposed law, which they said would damage MDA’s international standing.
Likud Minister Dan Meridor stated that the bill would “create a new problem instead of solving an existing one.”
He charged that requiring the Star of David on ambulances in Judea and Samaria is a back door to annex the area to Israel, which officially has been under military rule since the Six-Day War in 1967. Hershkowitz said, “When ambulances in Judea and Samaria have to take off the Star of David, this is clear discrimination. without any connection the medical services it renders.”
Likud Minister Benny Begin suggested that the proposal be shelved for a month to allow further study concerning any damage that might be incurred to Magen David Adom.
Tags: Magen David Adom ,MDA ,Judea and Samaria
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Comment on this story
5. Abbas: Hamas Agrees to PA State Along '1967 Borders'
by Elad Benari
As he threatened to cancel previous agreements with Israel and continued to set preconditions for peace negotiations, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas claimed Saturday the Hamas terror group has agreed to accept a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders.
In an interview with the Al Jazeera television network, cited by Channel 10 News, Abbas said that the Ramallah-based PA government that controls Arab areas in Judea and Samaria, and Hamas, do not have any political differences. “We agreed that the negotiations with Israel will continue provided that Israel stops building settlements. There is also an agreement on non-violent demonstrations,” Abbas claimed.
Abbas recently reached a unity deal with Hamas, his longtime political rival. The unity deal called to have Abbas lead an interim unity government ahead of general elections. During subsequent talks in Cairo last, however, Hamas reneged on the previous agreement and outlined new terms.
During the interview with Al Jazeera, however, Abbas denied there were any issues with Hamas and proceeded to blame Israel for the stalled peace talks.
“The day the agreement was signed I said there would be a transitional autocratic government which will be led my own way,” he said. “The problem is with Israel. No matter how much we try to talk, Israel is always against. At first they said that cannot make peace only with Judea and Samaria, and then they asked me to choose between Hamas and Israel. It's all an excuse because they do not want peace.”
The interview concluded with Abbas being asked whether he was optimistic about the peace process, to which he responded by hinting that the PA would continue to seek statehood unilaterally.
“I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic,” he said. “How are we going to reach a solution using the data that we have? Many countries have recognized us so far. Most European countries recognize us and will upgrade our representation to an embassy level. There is no other way.”
Earlier on Saturday it was reported that Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh is set to deliver a letter in which the government of Israel and Palestinian Authority detail their conditions for peace talks to resume.
The Al-Arabiya network reported that the letter repeats the PA’s previous demands, which are seen by Israeli officials as an excuse to forestall talks. These include a demand that Israel accept the indefensible pre-1967 lines as a basis for future borders, release terrorists who were imprisoned before 1994, and halt settlement construction in the 'disputed territories.'
While these demands are ones the PA has made for a long time, there is a new demand this time around. The PA is now demanding that Israel "respect agreements" signed between the parties. "It does not make sense that only the Palestinians abide by these commitments," it claims.
The entity is also threatening to cancel all agreements signed after 2000 if Israel does not agree to their demands before peace talks.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
As he threatened to cancel previous agreements with Israel and continued to set preconditions for peace negotiations, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas claimed Saturday the Hamas terror group has agreed to accept a Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders.
In an interview with the Al Jazeera television network, cited by Channel 10 News, Abbas said that the Ramallah-based PA government that controls Arab areas in Judea and Samaria, and Hamas, do not have any political differences. “We agreed that the negotiations with Israel will continue provided that Israel stops building settlements. There is also an agreement on non-violent demonstrations,” Abbas claimed.
Abbas recently reached a unity deal with Hamas, his longtime political rival. The unity deal called to have Abbas lead an interim unity government ahead of general elections. During subsequent talks in Cairo last, however, Hamas reneged on the previous agreement and outlined new terms.
During the interview with Al Jazeera, however, Abbas denied there were any issues with Hamas and proceeded to blame Israel for the stalled peace talks.
“The day the agreement was signed I said there would be a transitional autocratic government which will be led my own way,” he said. “The problem is with Israel. No matter how much we try to talk, Israel is always against. At first they said that cannot make peace only with Judea and Samaria, and then they asked me to choose between Hamas and Israel. It's all an excuse because they do not want peace.”
The interview concluded with Abbas being asked whether he was optimistic about the peace process, to which he responded by hinting that the PA would continue to seek statehood unilaterally.
“I'm neither optimistic nor pessimistic,” he said. “How are we going to reach a solution using the data that we have? Many countries have recognized us so far. Most European countries recognize us and will upgrade our representation to an embassy level. There is no other way.”
Earlier on Saturday it was reported that Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh is set to deliver a letter in which the government of Israel and Palestinian Authority detail their conditions for peace talks to resume.
The Al-Arabiya network reported that the letter repeats the PA’s previous demands, which are seen by Israeli officials as an excuse to forestall talks. These include a demand that Israel accept the indefensible pre-1967 lines as a basis for future borders, release terrorists who were imprisoned before 1994, and halt settlement construction in the 'disputed territories.'
While these demands are ones the PA has made for a long time, there is a new demand this time around. The PA is now demanding that Israel "respect agreements" signed between the parties. "It does not make sense that only the Palestinians abide by these commitments," it claims.
The entity is also threatening to cancel all agreements signed after 2000 if Israel does not agree to their demands before peace talks.
Tags: Mahmoud Abbas ,Hamas ,1967 Lines ,Peace Process
More on this topic
Comment on this story
6. Iran: Khameini Trounces Ahmadinejad
by Gavriel Queenann
With an initial turnout of 65 percent in Iran's parliamentary election on Friday the political future of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks bleak.
Iran’s ultra-conservative Islamic clerical leadership is eager to restore the damage to its legitimacy, caused by the violent crackdown on dissent and claims of vote-rigging after Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who endorsed the 2009 result, has since turned sharply against Ahmadinejad.
Khameini, 72, and Ahmadinejad locked horns early last year in a contest of wills that observers say Iran's Supreme Leader, who has since called Ahmadinejad a religious 'deviant,' was destined to win.
Early results from Friday’s vote indicated the bombastic and divisive Ahmadinejad's supporters were losing ground in the 290-seat parliament.
His sister, Parvin Ahmadinejad, failed to win a seat in their hometown of Garmsar, the semi-official Mehr news agency said.
Elsewhere, Khamenei loyalists appeared to be doing well, but final results are expected on Saturday as the millions of ballots cast must be counted by hand.
The vote is expected to have little impact on Iran’s foreign or nuclear policies, in which Khamenei already has the final say, but could strengthen the Supreme Leader’s hand before a presidential vote next year.
Ahmadinejad, 56, cannot run for a third term and is facing a return to the relative obscurity he emerged from in 2003.
The outgoing parliament has summoned him to answer sharp charges next week about his handling of the economy in unprecedented hearings that will also delve into USD 2.4 billion in misdirected state funds.
But the vitriolic Ahmadinejad may try to turn the tables on his critics during the hearings in the hopes a dramatic public stand will shore up his position.
Global oil prices have spiked to 10-month highs on tensions between the West and Iran, OPEC’s second biggest crude producer.
Iran has been hard hit by Western sanctions over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activity that Israel, the United States, its Western allies, and Gulf Arab states say is dedicated to producing nuclear weapons.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington for the American Israel Political Action Committee conference, is slated to meet with US president Barack Obama to discuss Iran.
Netanyahu is expected to demand Obama commit to a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities should it "cross nuclear red lines" marking a bid for weaponization of its nuclear stockpile.
Officials in Tehran have repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state and referred to Israel as a "one bomb state."
Obama – who recently referred to US support for Israel as ‘sacrosanct’ – said Friday, “As president of the United States, I don’t bluff,” but simultaneously argued against a pre-emptive Israeli strike.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
With an initial turnout of 65 percent in Iran's parliamentary election on Friday the political future of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad looks bleak.
Iran’s ultra-conservative Islamic clerical leadership is eager to restore the damage to its legitimacy, caused by the violent crackdown on dissent and claims of vote-rigging after Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who endorsed the 2009 result, has since turned sharply against Ahmadinejad.
Khameini, 72, and Ahmadinejad locked horns early last year in a contest of wills that observers say Iran's Supreme Leader, who has since called Ahmadinejad a religious 'deviant,' was destined to win.
Early results from Friday’s vote indicated the bombastic and divisive Ahmadinejad's supporters were losing ground in the 290-seat parliament.
His sister, Parvin Ahmadinejad, failed to win a seat in their hometown of Garmsar, the semi-official Mehr news agency said.
Elsewhere, Khamenei loyalists appeared to be doing well, but final results are expected on Saturday as the millions of ballots cast must be counted by hand.
The vote is expected to have little impact on Iran’s foreign or nuclear policies, in which Khamenei already has the final say, but could strengthen the Supreme Leader’s hand before a presidential vote next year.
Ahmadinejad, 56, cannot run for a third term and is facing a return to the relative obscurity he emerged from in 2003.
The outgoing parliament has summoned him to answer sharp charges next week about his handling of the economy in unprecedented hearings that will also delve into USD 2.4 billion in misdirected state funds.
But the vitriolic Ahmadinejad may try to turn the tables on his critics during the hearings in the hopes a dramatic public stand will shore up his position.
Global oil prices have spiked to 10-month highs on tensions between the West and Iran, OPEC’s second biggest crude producer.
Iran has been hard hit by Western sanctions over its refusal to halt sensitive nuclear activity that Israel, the United States, its Western allies, and Gulf Arab states say is dedicated to producing nuclear weapons.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is in Washington for the American Israel Political Action Committee conference, is slated to meet with US president Barack Obama to discuss Iran.
Netanyahu is expected to demand Obama commit to a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities should it "cross nuclear red lines" marking a bid for weaponization of its nuclear stockpile.
Officials in Tehran have repeatedly called for the destruction of the Jewish state and referred to Israel as a "one bomb state."
Obama – who recently referred to US support for Israel as ‘sacrosanct’ – said Friday, “As president of the United States, I don’t bluff,” but simultaneously argued against a pre-emptive Israeli strike.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
7. Assad Threatens Israel With Missiles if Syria is Attacked
by Elad Benari
Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered the heads of his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria, a Jordanian news website reported on Saturday.
According to the site, Our Country’s News, Assad gave the order in a secret meeting with the heads of the Syrian army last Thursday, in light of his fear of a U.S. military strike in Syria.
The report said that Assad ordered that if any military action is started against Syria, the Syrian army should respond by firing missiles in Israel, with a particular emphasis on Israeli military airports.
The report added that an operations room has been opened in Damascus and that it is continuously manned by officers from Syria and Iran, as well as by Hizbullah terrorists, all of whom coordinate their military operations in the event of external military intervention in Syria.
A similar operations room has been opened in Tehran, said the report, and is manned by Iranian as well as by Hizbullah terrorists.
Hizbullah has also opened a similar operations room in Lebanon, said the Jordanian website, and Iran and Hizbullah have promised Syria to launch missiles at Israel from their territories as well.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently warned that sophisticated weapons could be transferred from Syria to Lebanon and to Hizbullah should Assad fall.
Major General Yair Golan, head of the Northern Command, has also warned that Assad’s fall will result in Hizbullah’s taking over his arsenal of advanced missiles.
“There is a very real danger that if Assad’s regime falls apart, his arsenal of advanced weapons, including ground-to-sea missiles and aerial defense systems, will fall into the hands of Hizbullah and other radical groups,” the senior general said in a recent interview.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Syrian President Bashar Assad has ordered the heads of his military to hit Israel with a barrage of missiles should there be any foreign intervention in Syria, a Jordanian news website reported on Saturday.
According to the site, Our Country’s News, Assad gave the order in a secret meeting with the heads of the Syrian army last Thursday, in light of his fear of a U.S. military strike in Syria.
The report said that Assad ordered that if any military action is started against Syria, the Syrian army should respond by firing missiles in Israel, with a particular emphasis on Israeli military airports.
The report added that an operations room has been opened in Damascus and that it is continuously manned by officers from Syria and Iran, as well as by Hizbullah terrorists, all of whom coordinate their military operations in the event of external military intervention in Syria.
A similar operations room has been opened in Tehran, said the report, and is manned by Iranian as well as by Hizbullah terrorists.
Hizbullah has also opened a similar operations room in Lebanon, said the Jordanian website, and Iran and Hizbullah have promised Syria to launch missiles at Israel from their territories as well.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak recently warned that sophisticated weapons could be transferred from Syria to Lebanon and to Hizbullah should Assad fall.
Major General Yair Golan, head of the Northern Command, has also warned that Assad’s fall will result in Hizbullah’s taking over his arsenal of advanced missiles.
“There is a very real danger that if Assad’s regime falls apart, his arsenal of advanced weapons, including ground-to-sea missiles and aerial defense systems, will fall into the hands of Hizbullah and other radical groups,” the senior general said in a recent interview.
Tags: Bashar Assad ,Syria Unrest ,Hizbullah ,Iran ,missiles
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8. Photos: Israel One Big Snowman
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to see the snow that fell as far south as the mountains over Eilat, but for a change Purim is expected to be rainless.
More than two meters of snow has piled up on the lower slopes of the Hermon, the highest amount in years, and three meters were measured on the upper slopes.
More than half a meter – 20 inches – fell in the northern Golan Heights, and several inches fell in the highest hills of Samaria, Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and Kiryat Arba-Hevron. Two inches fell as far south as the southern Hevron Hills, several miles north of Be’er Sheva and Arad, and snow also fell over the mountains overlooking Eilat.
Rain fell Sunday morning over the Jerusalem area but is expected to end by nightfall as Israel begins to dry out. Partly cloudy skies will prevail on Monday with rising temperatures, a trend that is forecast to continue through Thursday, when most of Israel celebrates Purim, and on Friday, when the holiday is celebrated in Jerusalem.
Photos: Flash 90
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to see the snow that fell as far south as the mountains over Eilat, but for a change Purim is expected to be rainless.
More than two meters of snow has piled up on the lower slopes of the Hermon, the highest amount in years, and three meters were measured on the upper slopes.
More than half a meter – 20 inches – fell in the northern Golan Heights, and several inches fell in the highest hills of Samaria, Jerusalem, Gush Etzion and Kiryat Arba-Hevron. Two inches fell as far south as the southern Hevron Hills, several miles north of Be’er Sheva and Arad, and snow also fell over the mountains overlooking Eilat.
Rain fell Sunday morning over the Jerusalem area but is expected to end by nightfall as Israel begins to dry out. Partly cloudy skies will prevail on Monday with rising temperatures, a trend that is forecast to continue through Thursday, when most of Israel celebrates Purim, and on Friday, when the holiday is celebrated in Jerusalem.
Photos: Flash 90
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