Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi has warned the Biden Administration against rejoining the Iran nuclear deal, adding that he has ordered the military to ramp up preparations for possible offensive action against the Islamic Republic.
In an address at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Kochavi said a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name of the 2015 agreement, even with some improvements would be “an unacceptable threat and lead to nuclear proliferation across the region.”
This comes after Tehran’s foreign minister last week insisted that his country would not accept changes to the terms of the pact, which does not address Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional interventionism.
Relatedly, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashed Alzayani all expressed concern over Tehran’s nuclear program and destabilizing activities across the Middle East during the INSS’ annual international conference, that is being held virtually this year.
Ashkenazi stressed the importance of maintaining a credible military option, while Alzayani asserted that “a joint regional position on these issues will exert greater influence on the United States.”
One of the Iran deal’s “failures,” added Gargash, was the “absence of a regional voice therein.”
Former president Donald Trump in May 2018 withdrew the United States from the JCPOA, instead opting for a “maximum pressure” campaign consisting primarily of harsh economic sanctions.
President Joe Biden believes a two-state solution is the only way to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
Concurrently, acting US envoy to the United Nations Richard Mills told the Security Council that Washington would urge both sides “to avoid unilateral steps that make a two-state solution more difficult, such as annexation of territory, settlement activity, demolition, incitement to violence and providing compensation for individuals imprisoned for acts of terrorism.”
Mills added that Biden intends to restore aid to the Palestinians and take steps to re-open their diplomatic mission in Washington.
He qualified, however, that Washington steadfastly supports Jerusalem and would continue to push back against any anti-Israel bias at the UN and other international bodies. In addition, the Biden Administration will encourage additional countries to normalize ties with the Jewish state, while suggesting that this it was “not [a] substitute for Israeli-Palestinian peace,” Mills said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly attempting to arrange a visit to Israel by Morocco’s King Muhammed VI once the coronavirus lockdown has been lifted. The monarch, however, has apparently conditioned such an eventuality on his ability to visit Ramallah in order to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Earlier this week, the Israeli cabinet officially approved a normalization agreement with Morocco in a unanimous vote, ahead of which Netanyahu praised the “historic moment [of finalizing] four peace agreements with four Muslim and Arab states in four months.”
On Tuesday, Israel’s diplomatic mission to Morocco reopened in the capital of Rabat as Ambassador David Govrin arrived in the country.
A Palestinian Authority official from the ruling Fatah faction has announced that Mahmoud Abbas’ rival, Mohammad Dahlan, would be banned from running in prospective Palestinian presidential elections.
Fatah insists that only candidates without criminal records can run for president. A Palestinian court convicted Dahlan on corruption charges in 2016, although his supporters maintain that the trial was politically motivated.
Dahlan, a former high-ranking Fatah official who was exiled to the United Arab Emirates in 2011, is seen by some as a serious contender to replace Abbas.
Earlier this month, Abbas issued a decree ordering the first Palestinian elections in more than 15 years. There are currently three votes scheduled: parliamentary elections on May 22; presidential elections on July 31; and elections for the Palestinian National Committee — the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization — on August 31.
Amar’e Stoudemire, a former NBA star who converted to Orthodox Judaism and lived for years in Israel, recently landed a new job as an assistant player development coach for the Brooklyn Nets. But this will not prevent him from observing the Sabbath.
In a recent post to Instagram, Stoudemire told his followers that the Nets have agreed to give him time off from sundown on Friday through till sundown on Saturday:
Stoudemire left the US for Israel in 2016, following a 16-year career in the NBA, in order to play basketball for Hapoel Jerusalem, which he now co-owns. He went on to win championships with both Hapoel Jerusalem and arch-rival Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Amar’e became an Israeli citizen in March 2019.
- What Zarif’s Words Should Tell President Biden About Iran Deal (Saeed Ghasseminejad, The Hill)
- Arab Gulf Initiative to Promote Holocaust Awareness, Combat Antisemitism (Majid Al Sarrah and Mashael Alshemeri, Newsweek)
- The Palestinian Refugee Hoax (Mitchell Bard, Jewish News Syndicate)
- 2 North Americans to Join Israel’s Stibbe on 1st Private Flight to Space Station (Associated Press and Times of Israel)
- Together, Separately: TLV Marathon 2021 Lets Runners Join Virtually From Anywhere (Viva Sarah Press, NoCamels)
