The Biden Administration announced on Thursday that it has agreed to meet with Tehran and the world powers that are part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), more commonly known as the Iran Deal.
“The United States would accept an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the P5+1 and Iran to discuss a diplomatic way forward on Iran’s nuclear program,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price stated.
Washington said it would withdraw a demand that the UN Security Council enforce “snapback sanctions” against Tehran, which former President Donald Trump had pushed for in the event of violations of the JCPOA. If Iran returns to compliance, Biden is also in favor of lifting sanctions already imposed by the Trump administration, after it pulled the US out of the deal in May 2018.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone with President Joe Biden for the first time since the latter took office four weeks ago. Among other things, the two leaders spoke about Iran’s nuclear program and related regional challenges.
Prior to the phone call, Netanyahu said during a TV interview that he vowed to oppose those who disagree with his hawkish stance towards the Islamic Republic. “Whoever supports our policies, I’m with him,” he said, adding: “And whoever endangers us, for example [on policies] regarding a nuclear Iran, which is an existential threat to us, so I oppose that, and I don’t care if it’s Democrats.”
Tensions between Jerusalem and Tehran have been escalating ever since Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated in November. In January, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned the Biden Administration against rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, adding that he had ordered the military to ramp up preparations for possible offensive action against the Islamic Republic.
Israel on Sunday began to roll back some of the major restrictions imposed as part of its third lockdown in late December to curb the spread of COVID-19, now allowing commercial activity to resume as well as reopening additional schools.
Street front shops, malls, markets, museums, and libraries are now open to all Israelis. But only those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the contagion will be able to enter gyms, sporting and culture events, hotels, and swimming pools.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged people to go and get inoculated amid increasing evidence that the vaccines are 98.9 percent effective at preventing death caused by the pandemic. Netanyahu said that Israel hoped to have 95 percent of people over the age of 50 vaccinated within two weeks.
Out of a population of approximately 9 million, over 4.2 million Israelis have received their first vaccine dose, and over 2.8 million have gotten both shots.
Meanwhile, Jerusalem and Ramallah agreed on Friday to have Israel vaccinate some 100,000 Palestinians who enter the Jewish state from the West Bank on a daily basis for work, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
On Wednesday, Israel allowed 1,000 of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines to be transferred to the Gaza Strip through the Erez border crossing. Russia donated 10,000 doses to the Palestinian Authority, and the PA requested that the IDF allow 1,000 of them to be sent to Hamas-ruled Gaza to inoculate health workers.
In other Russia-related news, Jerusalem reportedly paid more than $1 million to Moscow for the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine in exchange for the release of an Israeli held in Syria. After nearly a week of talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that the captive would be transferred into Russian custody and flown to Israel from Moscow.
The freed Israeli is reportedly back home and currently being questioned by Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials. Netanyahu’s announcement came several hours after two Syrian shepherds held by Israel had been released back to Syria.
Earlier this week, an unidentified Israeli woman from an ultra-Orthodox community crossed the border and was quickly detained by Syrian authorities, sparking a frantic round of diplomatic negotiations. Russia, which is closely allied with the Syrian regime, has regularly served as an intermediary between Jerusalem and Damascus, which do not maintain formal ties and technically remain in a state of war.
Palestinian textbooks disseminated by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) continue to reject peace and glorify violence against Israel, despite promises that the UN body would remove all hateful content from its schools by November, 2020.
Research by the Israeli non-governmental Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) published last Wednesday found that “a spelling exercise created by UNRWA condemns peace and normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states.” Another exercise purportedly describes “pieces of corpses being dispersed throughout city streets to teach grade-nine spelling.” Israel “is solely referred to as ‘the Enemy’ or ‘the Occupation’ and is erased from maps of the region,” according to IMPACT-se.
After a previous report by IMPACT-se UNRWA vowed to remove all hateful content from its textbooks by November, 2020, a sentiment echoed by countries that donate to the Palestinian refugee body.
“It does not appear that the organization is institutionally capable of fulfilling its basic duty of care to the children in its schools. Donor countries need to start asking much more pointed questions of UNRWA if they want to stop financing this ongoing hate-teaching,” IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff commented.
Equatorial Guinea will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, becoming the third country to move its embassy to Israel’s capital, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. Netanyahu announced the move after a phone call with the African country’s president.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu noted that Israel is continuing to deepen its cooperation with African countries and said that Israel is returning to Africa and Africa is returning to Israel in a big way,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Currently, only the United States and Guatemala maintain embassies in Jerusalem. Other countries, including Kosovo, Malawi, and Honduras, have announced plans to move their diplomatic missions to the Holy City.
During the phone call with Netanyahu, Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Mbasogo reportedly said that “all of Africa is welcoming Israel with open arms.” Thanks to its significant oil reserves, the former Spanish colony is the wealthiest country in Africa per capita.
- Signs That Iran Might Be Continuing Its Nuclear Weapons Program (Lt. Col. (res.) Dr. Raphael Ofek, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies)
- Rashida Tlaib Speaks at Kashmir Event Featuring Jihad Supporters (Abha Shankar, Algemeiner)
- Care for a Shot With Your Shot? Tel Aviv Sets up Vaccine Station at Local Bar (Simona Weinglass, Times of Israel)
- Where Arab-led Israeli Startups Find Mentors and Partners (Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel21C)
