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1. Barkat: Tent-Sitters Can Stay Till Knesset Vote
by Chana Ya'ar
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told the occupants of the Ulpana Protest Tent across from the Prime Minister's Office late Monday night they will be able to stay for at least two more days -- at least until the Knesset votes on their issue.
Earlier in the evening, police had warned the protesters, who included some 30 hungers strikers -- that they would have to leave and close down the tent by midnight or be forcibly removed by police. Hundreds of additional activists were immediately recruited and began streaming to the site.
Jerusalem officials called for calm, Knesset members converged on the town of Beit El to discuss the matter, and by late in the evening, Barkat assured Danny Dayan, head of the Council of Judea and Samaria Communities (Yesha Council), that the protesters could remain.
The city extended the tent's license until at least Wednesday, when the Knesset plenum is to vote on the proposed Regulation Law that will determine the status of Beit El's Ulpana neighborhood.
Activists are demanding the government approve the measure, which would allow residents of the neighborhood to remain in their homes by mandating that any land ownership challenge must take place within four years of the start of construction on the land.
The five apartment buildings in the neighborhood are slated for destruction by July 1, leaving about two dozen families homeless – some of whom having been living in the neighborhood for 10 years. All were authorized by the government to move into their homes, which they argue were purchased in good faith.
A High Court order was handed down following a petition by the far-left Peace Now movement together with an Arab who claimed ownership of the land after his cousin of the same name had already sold it to the town of Beit El, many years ago.
Comment on this story
by Chana Ya'ar
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told the occupants of the Ulpana Protest Tent across from the Prime Minister's Office late Monday night they will be able to stay for at least two more days -- at least until the Knesset votes on their issue.
Earlier in the evening, police had warned the protesters, who included some 30 hungers strikers -- that they would have to leave and close down the tent by midnight or be forcibly removed by police. Hundreds of additional activists were immediately recruited and began streaming to the site.
Jerusalem officials called for calm, Knesset members converged on the town of Beit El to discuss the matter, and by late in the evening, Barkat assured Danny Dayan, head of the Council of Judea and Samaria Communities (Yesha Council), that the protesters could remain.
The city extended the tent's license until at least Wednesday, when the Knesset plenum is to vote on the proposed Regulation Law that will determine the status of Beit El's Ulpana neighborhood.
Activists are demanding the government approve the measure, which would allow residents of the neighborhood to remain in their homes by mandating that any land ownership challenge must take place within four years of the start of construction on the land.
The five apartment buildings in the neighborhood are slated for destruction by July 1, leaving about two dozen families homeless – some of whom having been living in the neighborhood for 10 years. All were authorized by the government to move into their homes, which they argue were purchased in good faith.
A High Court order was handed down following a petition by the far-left Peace Now movement together with an Arab who claimed ownership of the land after his cousin of the same name had already sold it to the town of Beit El, many years ago.
Tags: Ulpana Neighborhood ,Beit El ,Regulation Law
More on this topic
-
‘Ulpana Law is Judgment Day’ for Likud, Say Women in Green -
Hotovely: A Netanyahu Split from the Likud 'More than Likely'
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Jerusalem Police Threaten to Close Ulpana Protest Tent
-
Video: Ulpana Resident Speaks Out!
-
AG Expected to Back Netanyahu Plan for Givat Ulpana
-
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Orders Shas to Back 'Regulation Law'
Comment on this story
2. Hotovely: A Netanyahu Split from the Likud 'More than Likely'
by Elad Benari
MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said on Monday that the possibility that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will choose to leave the Likud and form a joint list with Shaul Mofaz, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other ministers such as Dan Meridor and Michael Eitan, “is more than likely”.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva, Hotovely said she believes that such a decision by Netanyahu, similar to what former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did when he split the Likud and formed Kadima, will ultimately lead him to where Kadima is today. While Kadima is the largest party in the Knesset at the present time, polls have indicated that it is headed for a downfall in the next elections.
Likud members have recently expressed concerns that Netanyahu is planning such a move, particularly in light of his opposing the proposed outpost regulation law, which many of the Likud’s Knesset members and ministers support.
“Anyone who wants to choose such a path will be judged by history,” said Hotovely. “Our job is to present leadership which tells the truth and is true to the Likud’s way. The possibility [that Netanyahu will split the Likud] is quite possible, but it has a price. The question is whether Netanyahu is thinking only about the next Knesset or whether he wants long-term leadership.”
Hotovely said that Netanyahu is directly responsible for the planned demolition in the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El, not Barak or any other officials in the justice system.
“I have enough appreciation for the Prime Minister to hold him responsible for the decision,” she said, adding, “This decision is destructive to the settlement enterprise. It's not a matter of five houses, but the opening of something very dangerous.”
Hotovely said the regulation law, which is scheduled to be brought to a vote in the Knesset on Wednesday, is the most moral law possible, because it compensates a landowner who can prove his ownership. At the same time, she said, the decision to expel the thirty families who live in the Ulpana neighborhood is the least moral decision that can be made.
She noted that social pressure affects the Likud ministers more than anything else and, as such, if the ministers from the Yisrael Beytenu and Shas parties announce that they intend to support the regulation law, it would encourage Likud ministers to the same.
“A minister should know whether he supports the law or not, regardless of pressure by Feiglin or someone else,” said Hotovely. “This is a moral issue.”
Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu pleaded with Likud faction members to back his plan and vote against the regulation law proposed by MK Yaakov Katz (National Union).
Netanyahu has proposed that the five buildings facing demolition be destroyed, but that fifty new structures be approved on adjacent state owned land.
Under the plan, the government would also pay to move the five buildings slated to be destroyed – which would cost the state an estimated NIS 14m.
Netanyahu's statements seem to indicate he intends to renege on a promise made to Katz, that he would not oppose the regulation law when it was brought to a vote, if Katz would hold off in submitting the bill for a fortnight.
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Monday approved Netanyahu's outline for the Ulpana neighborhood.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) said on Monday that the possibility that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will choose to leave the Likud and form a joint list with Shaul Mofaz, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and other ministers such as Dan Meridor and Michael Eitan, “is more than likely”.
Speaking with Arutz Sheva, Hotovely said she believes that such a decision by Netanyahu, similar to what former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did when he split the Likud and formed Kadima, will ultimately lead him to where Kadima is today. While Kadima is the largest party in the Knesset at the present time, polls have indicated that it is headed for a downfall in the next elections.
Likud members have recently expressed concerns that Netanyahu is planning such a move, particularly in light of his opposing the proposed outpost regulation law, which many of the Likud’s Knesset members and ministers support.
“Anyone who wants to choose such a path will be judged by history,” said Hotovely. “Our job is to present leadership which tells the truth and is true to the Likud’s way. The possibility [that Netanyahu will split the Likud] is quite possible, but it has a price. The question is whether Netanyahu is thinking only about the next Knesset or whether he wants long-term leadership.”
Hotovely said that Netanyahu is directly responsible for the planned demolition in the Ulpana neighborhood of Beit El, not Barak or any other officials in the justice system.
“I have enough appreciation for the Prime Minister to hold him responsible for the decision,” she said, adding, “This decision is destructive to the settlement enterprise. It's not a matter of five houses, but the opening of something very dangerous.”
Hotovely said the regulation law, which is scheduled to be brought to a vote in the Knesset on Wednesday, is the most moral law possible, because it compensates a landowner who can prove his ownership. At the same time, she said, the decision to expel the thirty families who live in the Ulpana neighborhood is the least moral decision that can be made.
She noted that social pressure affects the Likud ministers more than anything else and, as such, if the ministers from the Yisrael Beytenu and Shas parties announce that they intend to support the regulation law, it would encourage Likud ministers to the same.
“A minister should know whether he supports the law or not, regardless of pressure by Feiglin or someone else,” said Hotovely. “This is a moral issue.”
Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu pleaded with Likud faction members to back his plan and vote against the regulation law proposed by MK Yaakov Katz (National Union).
Netanyahu has proposed that the five buildings facing demolition be destroyed, but that fifty new structures be approved on adjacent state owned land.
Under the plan, the government would also pay to move the five buildings slated to be destroyed – which would cost the state an estimated NIS 14m.
Netanyahu's statements seem to indicate he intends to renege on a promise made to Katz, that he would not oppose the regulation law when it was brought to a vote, if Katz would hold off in submitting the bill for a fortnight.
Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Monday approved Netanyahu's outline for the Ulpana neighborhood.
More on this topic
-
‘Ulpana Law is Judgment Day’ for Likud, Say Women in Green
-
Barkat: Tent-Sitters Can Stay Till Knesset Vote
-
Jerusalem Police Threaten to Close Ulpana Protest Tent
-
Video: Ulpana Resident Speaks Out!
-
AG Expected to Back Netanyahu Plan for Givat Ulpana
-
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Orders Shas to Back 'Regulation Law'
Comment on this story
3. ‘Ulpana Law is Judgment Day’ for Likud, Say Women in Green
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “Regulation Bill” to legalize the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El is “Judgment Day” for the Likud, warn Women in Green nationalists.
The bill is scheduled to come to a vote Wednesday afternoon, and it is not yet clear if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will allow his party's Knesset members to vote as they wish or if he will impose discipline and demand they do not vote in favor of the proposed law.
He has argued that the law, which would circumvent a standing order from the High Court to destroy the five buildings involved, would ignite anger at Israel from the international community and cause long-term damage to the nationalist enterprise for a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria.
"If the law does not pass -- Givat HaUlpana, Givat Assaf, Amona and many other communities in Judea and Samaria will topple like dominoes. Thousands of Jews will be expelled, Women in Green said in a statement.
It declared that failure to pass the bill would be equivalent to “Disengagement Plan, Part 2” referring to the mass expulsions of more than 9,000 Jews from Gush Katif, northern Gaza and four northern Samaria communities in 2005.
“Bibi Netanyahu and the Likud ministers who will vote against the law or absent themselves from the vote must be punished, politically, once and for all,” said Women in Green director Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover.
“A statement must be made immediately, that if the Regulation Law is not passed on Wednesday, every true lover of the Land of Israel will leave the Likud party permanently. If the law fails to pass, this will prove once and for all that registering as a member of Likud was a terrible mistake that shattered the national political camp. The whole idea of ‘influencing from within’ will be proven as wrong. The national camp gave Bibi Netanyahu eight Knesset seats, yet he has no problem tearing down the communities in Judea and Samaria”.
They said a new party of united nationalists could win 18 seats in the next Knesset.
The affected Ulpana homes, where 30 families have been living for up to 12 years, was not an issue until Peace Now filed a court motion in recent years that said the houses were built on land owned by a Palestinian Authority Arab, who the petition said did not sell the land as claimed by the builder and residents. The petition does not apply to other Ulpana neighborhood homes.
The court accepted the complaint even though there has been no conclusive proof that the Arab owns the land. Possession of most of the land in Judea and Samaria was not registered in the days of Jordanian rule, and the Palestinian Authority has accepted Jordanian law that calls for the death penalty of any Arab who sells property to Jews.
As a result, many land transactions to Jews have been conducted through third parties, leaving open the possibility for lawsuits claiming that the sale was a forgery.
Matar and Katsover said they do not blame the court for the current crisis but instead point their fingers at Prime Minister Netanyahu. “If not for his weakness, he could have easily saved the communities,” they said.
The Prime Minister has proved himself to be a master politician in terms of holding together and even expanding his coalition, but he may have misjudged the intensity of the opposition to the proposed expulsion of the families from the Ulpana neighborhood.
It is located in Beit El, one of the largest Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, home to leaders of the nationalist movement and one of the most widely known names both to Israelis and to Jews in the Diaspora.
If Prime Minister Netanyahu thought the Ulpana neighborhood could be dismantled and the residents expelled without major opposition, he has been proven mistaken. Yisrael Beytenu MKs have said they will vote for the bill, although they may abstain or vote against it if Netanyahu issues an ultimatum. Shas has said its MKs will vote against the bill if there is an ultimatum. Both parties are coalition members.
A hunger strike is continuing Tuesday, another march to the Knesset is scheduled and special prayers are to be held in synagogues throughout the country. Rabbis have instructed that Chapters 20 and 140 from the Book of Psalms be recited after daily prayers. People also are encouraged to increase charity donations for the merit of the residents of the Ulpana neighborhood.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “Regulation Bill” to legalize the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El is “Judgment Day” for the Likud, warn Women in Green nationalists.
The bill is scheduled to come to a vote Wednesday afternoon, and it is not yet clear if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will allow his party's Knesset members to vote as they wish or if he will impose discipline and demand they do not vote in favor of the proposed law.
He has argued that the law, which would circumvent a standing order from the High Court to destroy the five buildings involved, would ignite anger at Israel from the international community and cause long-term damage to the nationalist enterprise for a Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria.
"If the law does not pass -- Givat HaUlpana, Givat Assaf, Amona and many other communities in Judea and Samaria will topple like dominoes. Thousands of Jews will be expelled, Women in Green said in a statement.
It declared that failure to pass the bill would be equivalent to “Disengagement Plan, Part 2” referring to the mass expulsions of more than 9,000 Jews from Gush Katif, northern Gaza and four northern Samaria communities in 2005.
“Bibi Netanyahu and the Likud ministers who will vote against the law or absent themselves from the vote must be punished, politically, once and for all,” said Women in Green director Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover.
“A statement must be made immediately, that if the Regulation Law is not passed on Wednesday, every true lover of the Land of Israel will leave the Likud party permanently. If the law fails to pass, this will prove once and for all that registering as a member of Likud was a terrible mistake that shattered the national political camp. The whole idea of ‘influencing from within’ will be proven as wrong. The national camp gave Bibi Netanyahu eight Knesset seats, yet he has no problem tearing down the communities in Judea and Samaria”.
They said a new party of united nationalists could win 18 seats in the next Knesset.
The affected Ulpana homes, where 30 families have been living for up to 12 years, was not an issue until Peace Now filed a court motion in recent years that said the houses were built on land owned by a Palestinian Authority Arab, who the petition said did not sell the land as claimed by the builder and residents. The petition does not apply to other Ulpana neighborhood homes.
The court accepted the complaint even though there has been no conclusive proof that the Arab owns the land. Possession of most of the land in Judea and Samaria was not registered in the days of Jordanian rule, and the Palestinian Authority has accepted Jordanian law that calls for the death penalty of any Arab who sells property to Jews.
As a result, many land transactions to Jews have been conducted through third parties, leaving open the possibility for lawsuits claiming that the sale was a forgery.
Matar and Katsover said they do not blame the court for the current crisis but instead point their fingers at Prime Minister Netanyahu. “If not for his weakness, he could have easily saved the communities,” they said.
The Prime Minister has proved himself to be a master politician in terms of holding together and even expanding his coalition, but he may have misjudged the intensity of the opposition to the proposed expulsion of the families from the Ulpana neighborhood.
It is located in Beit El, one of the largest Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, home to leaders of the nationalist movement and one of the most widely known names both to Israelis and to Jews in the Diaspora.
If Prime Minister Netanyahu thought the Ulpana neighborhood could be dismantled and the residents expelled without major opposition, he has been proven mistaken. Yisrael Beytenu MKs have said they will vote for the bill, although they may abstain or vote against it if Netanyahu issues an ultimatum. Shas has said its MKs will vote against the bill if there is an ultimatum. Both parties are coalition members.
A hunger strike is continuing Tuesday, another march to the Knesset is scheduled and special prayers are to be held in synagogues throughout the country. Rabbis have instructed that Chapters 20 and 140 from the Book of Psalms be recited after daily prayers. People also are encouraged to increase charity donations for the merit of the residents of the Ulpana neighborhood.
More on this topic
-
Hotovely: A Netanyahu Split from the Likud 'More than Likely'
-
Barkat: Tent-Sitters Can Stay Till Knesset Vote
-
Jerusalem Police Threaten to Close Ulpana Protest Tent
-
Video: Ulpana Resident Speaks Out!
-
AG Expected to Back Netanyahu Plan for Givat Ulpana
-
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Orders Shas to Back 'Regulation Law'
Comment on this story
4. Official: Shalit Deal Terrorists Increasing Terror Activity
by Elad Benari
A senior IDF official said on Monday that there has been an increase in attempts by terrorists who were released in the Shalit deal and sent to Gaza to promote terrorism in Judea and Samaria.
Speaking to Army Radio, the official said that the terrorists released in the deal and who are living in Judea and Samaria are under constant Israeli supervision, and that most of them did not return to terrorist activity.
“It is only the actions of our forces that ensure the security of Israeli citizens,” the official said, adding that the body which tries to encourage terrorism the most is Hamas.
“Along with the Palestinian Authority’s attempt at reconciliation with Hamas, we are detecting a loosening in the PA’s security forces actions against Hamas activists,” he said.
Several of the more than 1,000 terrorists Israel released last October in exchange for Gilad Shalit have been re-arrested after returning to terrorism.
One of the released terrorists, Omar Abu-Sneina, sent a memory card to relatives with detailed instructions on how to kidnap more soldiers. The memory card stated that a live kidnap victim should not be hidden in an isolated area.
Another Hamas terrorist, who participated in the bombing of Café Hillel in Jerusalem and was released in the Shalit deal, took part in an “apartheid week” propaganda tour in South Africa.
The terrorist, Abd al-Aziz Muhammad Moussa Amr, called during the tour for mass marches in Israel's borders in order to “liberate Jerusalem and Palestine.”
He also called for international pressure to aid in the release of his fellow terrorists from Israeli jails the release of terrorists in Israeli jails, whom he characterized as "political prisoners".
The Deputy head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Moti Yogev, recently said that terrorists have been encouraged to try to carry out attacks against Israelis because of the deal to free Gilad Shalit.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
A senior IDF official said on Monday that there has been an increase in attempts by terrorists who were released in the Shalit deal and sent to Gaza to promote terrorism in Judea and Samaria.
Speaking to Army Radio, the official said that the terrorists released in the deal and who are living in Judea and Samaria are under constant Israeli supervision, and that most of them did not return to terrorist activity.
“It is only the actions of our forces that ensure the security of Israeli citizens,” the official said, adding that the body which tries to encourage terrorism the most is Hamas.
“Along with the Palestinian Authority’s attempt at reconciliation with Hamas, we are detecting a loosening in the PA’s security forces actions against Hamas activists,” he said.
Several of the more than 1,000 terrorists Israel released last October in exchange for Gilad Shalit have been re-arrested after returning to terrorism.
One of the released terrorists, Omar Abu-Sneina, sent a memory card to relatives with detailed instructions on how to kidnap more soldiers. The memory card stated that a live kidnap victim should not be hidden in an isolated area.
Another Hamas terrorist, who participated in the bombing of Café Hillel in Jerusalem and was released in the Shalit deal, took part in an “apartheid week” propaganda tour in South Africa.
The terrorist, Abd al-Aziz Muhammad Moussa Amr, called during the tour for mass marches in Israel's borders in order to “liberate Jerusalem and Palestine.”
He also called for international pressure to aid in the release of his fellow terrorists from Israeli jails the release of terrorists in Israeli jails, whom he characterized as "political prisoners".
The Deputy head of the Binyamin Regional Council, Moti Yogev, recently said that terrorists have been encouraged to try to carry out attacks against Israelis because of the deal to free Gilad Shalit.
Tags: terrorism ,Shalit deal ,Hamas ,Yesha ,Gaza Region
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. ‘Flame’ Virus Designed to Steal Iranian-Russian Blueprints
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “Flame” virus whose existence was revealed last week is 20 times bigger than Stuxnet and was aimed at stealing Iranian-Russian blueprints, presumably of nuclear facilities.
“Stuxnet was really unique because of its size, and this [Flame] is about 20 times bigger than Stuxnet,” Symantec official Kevin Haley, quoted by CNN, said at a cyber conference in Washington.
The attack, widely believed to have originated with Israeli-American cooperation, exploited a hole in Microsoft software that allowed the malware to be hidden in a program that appeared to have been manufactured by the computer giant.
Kaspersky Lab, a Russian firm that produces anti-virus software, said that the massive cyber attack was designed to steal designs and files. "I woke up to this news and I couldn't believe it. I had to ask, 'Am I reading this right?'" Kaspersky official Roel Schouwenberg told the Times of India.
Iran was the main victim of the attack, with 185 infections. There were 95 attacks in Israel, possibly aimed at the Palestinian Authority in Gaza as well as Judea and Samaria, 32 in Sudan and 29 in Syria.
Security experts said they were both surprised and impressed by the approach that the attackers had used, which was to disguise Flame as a legitimate program built by Microsoft.
Computer analysts have almost unanimously agreed that an unidentified nation launched the Flame virus.
“Researchers said that technical evidence suggests it was built on behalf of the same nation or nations that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010,” the Indian newspaper reported.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The “Flame” virus whose existence was revealed last week is 20 times bigger than Stuxnet and was aimed at stealing Iranian-Russian blueprints, presumably of nuclear facilities.
“Stuxnet was really unique because of its size, and this [Flame] is about 20 times bigger than Stuxnet,” Symantec official Kevin Haley, quoted by CNN, said at a cyber conference in Washington.
The attack, widely believed to have originated with Israeli-American cooperation, exploited a hole in Microsoft software that allowed the malware to be hidden in a program that appeared to have been manufactured by the computer giant.
Kaspersky Lab, a Russian firm that produces anti-virus software, said that the massive cyber attack was designed to steal designs and files. "I woke up to this news and I couldn't believe it. I had to ask, 'Am I reading this right?'" Kaspersky official Roel Schouwenberg told the Times of India.
Iran was the main victim of the attack, with 185 infections. There were 95 attacks in Israel, possibly aimed at the Palestinian Authority in Gaza as well as Judea and Samaria, 32 in Sudan and 29 in Syria.
Security experts said they were both surprised and impressed by the approach that the attackers had used, which was to disguise Flame as a legitimate program built by Microsoft.
Computer analysts have almost unanimously agreed that an unidentified nation launched the Flame virus.
“Researchers said that technical evidence suggests it was built on behalf of the same nation or nations that commissioned the Stuxnet worm that attacked Iran's nuclear program in 2010,” the Indian newspaper reported.
Tags: computers ,Iran Nuclear threat ,Russia
More on this topic
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Russia Has World’s Largest Nuke Arsenal – 10,000 Warheads
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Report: Iran May be Building a Third Enrichment Plant
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Obama’s ‘Sanctions Czar’ in Israel, Says More Needs to be Done
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McCain: Obama Leaked Info on Stuxnet Attack to Win Votes
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Clinton: U.S. Must See 'Concrete Actions' by Iran
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Report: Obama Ordered the Stuxnet Attack on Iran
Comment on this story
6. Report: Iran May be Building a Third Enrichment Plant
by Elad Benari
Iran may be building a third gas centrifuge enrichment plant, according to a report on Monday by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).
The report, posted on ISIS’ website, notes that the question of whether Iran is building a third plant “has been on the minds of Iran watchers in governments around the world since former Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi claimed on August 16, 2010, that “studies for the location of 10 other uranium enrichment facilities” had ended, and that “the construction of one of these facilities will begin by the end of the (current Iranian) year (March 2011) or start of the next year.”
The report notes that Salehi’s successor, Fereydoun Abbassi-Davani, said in mid-2011 that construction on additional enrichment plants was delayed by two years.
Since March 2007, Iran has taken the position that it does not have to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if it begins construction of a nuclear facility, says ISIS, but the IAEA has said that Iran has a legal obligation to do so under its current safeguards agreement.
The IAEA states, according to the ISIS report, that Iran has a legal obligation to comply with modified Code 3.1 of the Subsidiary Arrangements General Part to Iran’s Safeguards Agreement. Modified Code 3.1 provides for the submission to the IAEA of design information for new facilities as soon as the decision to construct, or to authorize construction of, a new facility has been taken, whichever is the earlier.
The IAEA also noted in its May 2012 Iran safeguards report that “Iran remains the only State with significant nuclear activities in which the Agency is implementing a comprehensive safeguards agreement but which is not implementing the provisions of the modified Code 3.1.” In 2003, Iran accepted modified Code 3.1 but reneged unilaterally in March 2007, notes ISIS.
“Since then, the IAEA has called on Iran to comply with its legal obligations, which state that Iran cannot unilaterally abandon its safeguards obligations under modified Code 3.1,” the report says, adding that “In response to Salehi’s August 2010 announcement, the IAEA asked Iran in a letter dated August 19, 2010 to provide preliminary design information for this third centrifuge facility. In a letter a few days later, Iran did not provide the requested information and stated only that it would provide the Agency with the required information ‘in due time.’”
The concern, according to the ISIS report, is that “Iran has taken the position that it can delay telling the IAEA about the construction of a nuclear facility until six months before the introduction of nuclear material, based on its original, unmodified safeguards agreement. Thus, under Iran’s interpretation of its safeguards obligations, Iran can essentially finish construction of a gas centrifuge plant before notifying the IAEA of its existence.”
The report adds, “Iran’s decision to defy the IAEA only increases concern that its intentions are to build nuclear weapons. Iran may not in fact declare a plant’s existence six months before introducing nuclear material but instead hold it in reserve for use in a future breakout.”
Recent satellite images showed that Iran has razed two buildings near a suspected nuclear-trigger test site inside of its sprawling Parchin military complex.
The satellite images, taken on May 25 and published several days later by ISIS, confirm the destruction of two buildings IAEA inspectors have sought access to.
Two IAEA reports published since late 2011 charge that Iran has engaged in nuclear research of a military nature, and is enriching far more uranium to 20% than its claims of nuclear medicine research can justify.
Iran has systemically obstructed IAEA inspectors seeking access to its nuclear sites in contravention of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
Iran may be building a third gas centrifuge enrichment plant, according to a report on Monday by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).
The report, posted on ISIS’ website, notes that the question of whether Iran is building a third plant “has been on the minds of Iran watchers in governments around the world since former Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi claimed on August 16, 2010, that “studies for the location of 10 other uranium enrichment facilities” had ended, and that “the construction of one of these facilities will begin by the end of the (current Iranian) year (March 2011) or start of the next year.”
The report notes that Salehi’s successor, Fereydoun Abbassi-Davani, said in mid-2011 that construction on additional enrichment plants was delayed by two years.
Since March 2007, Iran has taken the position that it does not have to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if it begins construction of a nuclear facility, says ISIS, but the IAEA has said that Iran has a legal obligation to do so under its current safeguards agreement.
The IAEA states, according to the ISIS report, that Iran has a legal obligation to comply with modified Code 3.1 of the Subsidiary Arrangements General Part to Iran’s Safeguards Agreement. Modified Code 3.1 provides for the submission to the IAEA of design information for new facilities as soon as the decision to construct, or to authorize construction of, a new facility has been taken, whichever is the earlier.
The IAEA also noted in its May 2012 Iran safeguards report that “Iran remains the only State with significant nuclear activities in which the Agency is implementing a comprehensive safeguards agreement but which is not implementing the provisions of the modified Code 3.1.” In 2003, Iran accepted modified Code 3.1 but reneged unilaterally in March 2007, notes ISIS.
“Since then, the IAEA has called on Iran to comply with its legal obligations, which state that Iran cannot unilaterally abandon its safeguards obligations under modified Code 3.1,” the report says, adding that “In response to Salehi’s August 2010 announcement, the IAEA asked Iran in a letter dated August 19, 2010 to provide preliminary design information for this third centrifuge facility. In a letter a few days later, Iran did not provide the requested information and stated only that it would provide the Agency with the required information ‘in due time.’”
The concern, according to the ISIS report, is that “Iran has taken the position that it can delay telling the IAEA about the construction of a nuclear facility until six months before the introduction of nuclear material, based on its original, unmodified safeguards agreement. Thus, under Iran’s interpretation of its safeguards obligations, Iran can essentially finish construction of a gas centrifuge plant before notifying the IAEA of its existence.”
The report adds, “Iran’s decision to defy the IAEA only increases concern that its intentions are to build nuclear weapons. Iran may not in fact declare a plant’s existence six months before introducing nuclear material but instead hold it in reserve for use in a future breakout.”
Recent satellite images showed that Iran has razed two buildings near a suspected nuclear-trigger test site inside of its sprawling Parchin military complex.
The satellite images, taken on May 25 and published several days later by ISIS, confirm the destruction of two buildings IAEA inspectors have sought access to.
Two IAEA reports published since late 2011 charge that Iran has engaged in nuclear research of a military nature, and is enriching far more uranium to 20% than its claims of nuclear medicine research can justify.
Iran has systemically obstructed IAEA inspectors seeking access to its nuclear sites in contravention of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Tags: ISIS ,Iran ,Iran Nuclear threat ,IAEA
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7. Jewish Tourists Stoned in Jordan over 'Provocative Hats'
by Gil Ronen
Arabs in Kerak, Jordan, attacked Jewish tourists because they wore "provocative hats" and other items of clothing worn by religious Jews, according to Arab websites.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon, when a group of Jews visited the Jordanian tourist site, where a Crusader castle is located along with other attractions.
According to Al Jazeera, as translated by bloggers, "Salem Jeradat – who owns a grocery in the town – was surprised Sunday afternoon by a delegation of Jewish men and women who were wearing the clothing of religious Jews, which led him to throw his shoes at them."
"'Then the people of the town immediately approached the group, threw shoes and stones, and kicked them out of town,' Jeradat said. 'The people of Jordan do not accept the Jews entering their homeland, and the Araba Valley treaty between Jordan and the Zionist entity does not represent us.'"
Al Jazeera explained, "The idea is that those who occupy Palestine and desecrate holy places should not be allowed to roam freely in Jordan. Citizens of the town gathered in the evening in a grocery and committed themselves to prevent Jews from returning to their town."
Elder of Zion blog noted that another Jordanian website added that the Jewish tourists were wearing "provocative hats."
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by Gil Ronen
Arabs in Kerak, Jordan, attacked Jewish tourists because they wore "provocative hats" and other items of clothing worn by religious Jews, according to Arab websites.
The incident took place Sunday afternoon, when a group of Jews visited the Jordanian tourist site, where a Crusader castle is located along with other attractions.
According to Al Jazeera, as translated by bloggers, "Salem Jeradat – who owns a grocery in the town – was surprised Sunday afternoon by a delegation of Jewish men and women who were wearing the clothing of religious Jews, which led him to throw his shoes at them."
"'Then the people of the town immediately approached the group, threw shoes and stones, and kicked them out of town,' Jeradat said. 'The people of Jordan do not accept the Jews entering their homeland, and the Araba Valley treaty between Jordan and the Zionist entity does not represent us.'"
Al Jazeera explained, "The idea is that those who occupy Palestine and desecrate holy places should not be allowed to roam freely in Jordan. Citizens of the town gathered in the evening in a grocery and committed themselves to prevent Jews from returning to their town."
Elder of Zion blog noted that another Jordanian website added that the Jewish tourists were wearing "provocative hats."
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8. Bar-Kochba Era Treasure Hoard Discovered
by Gil Ronen
Archaeologists have discovered a treasure trove comprising about 140 gold and silver coins along with gold jewelry, probably hidden by a wealthy lady at a time of impending danger during the Bar Kokhba Revolt some 1880 years ago.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) presented the sumptuous find Tuesday and said it was recently exposed in a salvage excavation in the vicinity of Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel.
The rooms of a building dating to the Roman and Byzantine period were exposed during the course of the excavation. Archeologists discerned that a pit had been dug in the earth of the ancient building’s courtyard and then refilled. To the archaeologists' delightful surprise, a spectacular treasure trove of exquisite quality was discovered in the pit. It had been wrapped in a cloth fabric that had mostly deteriorated.
According to archaeologist Emil Aladjem, who directed the excavation on behalf of the IAA, “The magnificent hoard includes gold jewelry, among them an earring crafted by a jeweler in the shape of a flower and a ring with a precious stone on which there is a seal of a winged-goddess, two sticks of silver that were probably kohl sticks, as well as some 140 gold and silver coins."
"The coins that were discovered date to the reigns of the Roman emperors Nero, Nerva and Trajan, who ruled the Roman Empire from 54-117 CE. The coins are adorned with the images of the emperors and on their reverse are cultic portrayals of the emperor, symbols of the brotherhood of warriors and mythological gods such as Jupiter seated on a throne or Jupiter grasping a lightning bolt in his hand."
Sa'ar Ganor, District Archaeologist of Ashkelon and the Western Negev for the IAA, added that “the composition of the numismatic artifacts and their quality are consistent with treasure troves that were previously attributed to the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. During the uprising, between 132-135 CE, the Jews under Roman rule would re-strike coins of the emperor Trajan with symbols of the revolt."
"This hoard includes silver and gold coins of different denominations, most of which date to the reign of the emperor Trajan. This is probably an emergency cache that was concealed at the time of impending danger by a wealthy woman who wrapped her jewelry and money in a cloth and hid them deep in the ground prior to or during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. It is now clear that the owner of the hoard never returned to claim it."
The treasure trove was removed from the field and transferred for treatment to the laboratories of the Artifacts Treatment Department of the IAA in Jerusalem.
The excavation was funded by Y. S. Gat Ltd., the Economic Development Corporation for the Management of the Kiryat Gat Industrial Park.
Photos by Clara Amit and Sharon Gal, courtesy IAA.
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by Gil Ronen
Archaeologists have discovered a treasure trove comprising about 140 gold and silver coins along with gold jewelry, probably hidden by a wealthy lady at a time of impending danger during the Bar Kokhba Revolt some 1880 years ago.
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) presented the sumptuous find Tuesday and said it was recently exposed in a salvage excavation in the vicinity of Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel.
The rooms of a building dating to the Roman and Byzantine period were exposed during the course of the excavation. Archeologists discerned that a pit had been dug in the earth of the ancient building’s courtyard and then refilled. To the archaeologists' delightful surprise, a spectacular treasure trove of exquisite quality was discovered in the pit. It had been wrapped in a cloth fabric that had mostly deteriorated.
According to archaeologist Emil Aladjem, who directed the excavation on behalf of the IAA, “The magnificent hoard includes gold jewelry, among them an earring crafted by a jeweler in the shape of a flower and a ring with a precious stone on which there is a seal of a winged-goddess, two sticks of silver that were probably kohl sticks, as well as some 140 gold and silver coins."
"The coins that were discovered date to the reigns of the Roman emperors Nero, Nerva and Trajan, who ruled the Roman Empire from 54-117 CE. The coins are adorned with the images of the emperors and on their reverse are cultic portrayals of the emperor, symbols of the brotherhood of warriors and mythological gods such as Jupiter seated on a throne or Jupiter grasping a lightning bolt in his hand."
Sa'ar Ganor, District Archaeologist of Ashkelon and the Western Negev for the IAA, added that “the composition of the numismatic artifacts and their quality are consistent with treasure troves that were previously attributed to the time of the Bar Kokhba Revolt. During the uprising, between 132-135 CE, the Jews under Roman rule would re-strike coins of the emperor Trajan with symbols of the revolt."
"This hoard includes silver and gold coins of different denominations, most of which date to the reign of the emperor Trajan. This is probably an emergency cache that was concealed at the time of impending danger by a wealthy woman who wrapped her jewelry and money in a cloth and hid them deep in the ground prior to or during the Bar Kokhba Revolt. It is now clear that the owner of the hoard never returned to claim it."
The treasure trove was removed from the field and transferred for treatment to the laboratories of the Artifacts Treatment Department of the IAA in Jerusalem.
The excavation was funded by Y. S. Gat Ltd., the Economic Development Corporation for the Management of the Kiryat Gat Industrial Park.
Photos by Clara Amit and Sharon Gal, courtesy IAA.
Clara Amit, courtesy IAA
Sharon Gal, courtesy IAA
Clara Amit, courtesy IAA
Tags: archaeology ,Bar Kochba ,IAA ,Kiryat Gat
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