In response to Mossad chief Yossi Cohen reportedly telling US President Joe Biden that it would be a mistake for the US to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without improving it, America’s commander in chief told Israel’s top spy that Washington is not close to returning to the nuclear deal with Tehran.
Jerusalem seeks to convince Washington to negotiate an improved deal to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons rather than re-enter the accord.
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration is said to be considering a near wholesale rollback of some of the most stringent Trump-era sanctions imposed on Iran in a bid to get Tehran to return to compliance with the nuclear accord.
As indirect talks continue in Vienna, American officials have refused to discuss which penalties are being considered for removal. But they have stressed that they are open to lifting non-nuclear sanctions, such as those tied to terrorism, missile development and human rights, in addition to those related to the nuclear program.
The rollback is expected to be forcefully opposed by Israel and Gulf states.
Late last week, Cohen, along with Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Gilad Erdan, also met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met in Washington.
Cohen’s Washington visit comes weeks after an attack on the Natanz nuclear site, which the Islamic Republic has blamed on the Jewish State.
The IDF continued its manhunt Monday morning after two Palestinian gunmen who shot and wounded three 19-year old seminary students at the Tapuah Junction in the Samaria region of the West Bank the day before.
Two of the victims were shot in the head and the chest and rendered unconscious. One was critically injured and another seriously injured, and both are still in the ICU, Beilinson Hospital reported. The third victim suffered only light injuries and was released from the hospital.
The Tapuah Junction shooting was the second attack of the day. On Sunday morning, a 60-year old Palestinian woman attempted to stab an Israeli soldier.
The attacks follow a renewed wave of Palestinian violence. Over the last few weeks, the Hamas terrorist group that rules the Gaza Strip has launched over 40 rockets at Israel. In addition, a series of clashes between Jewish and Arab residents in Jerusalem occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The unrest has now spread to the West Bank.
In response, the Israeli military has decided to reinforce its West Bank combat forces, the IDF’s spokesperson announced. “We will not allow terrorism to raise its head and we will strike our enemies with force,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Several Palestinian groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and PFLP, welcomed the ‘heroic’ shooting attack at Tapuah Junction: ‘The resistance will continue and the rifle is ready to defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.”
Following the tragedy at Mount Meron in which 45 people were killed and many more injured, blood donation sites were set up nationwide.
The Israeli public answered the call, with 2,208 donations having been collected. Donors included Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who gave blood at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
“Like many citizens of Israel, I have come to donate blood as an act of solidarity with the injured and with the terrible tragedy that occurred here. At critical times, our people come together and this is also what we are doing now,” Israel’s premier said.
The stampede, the deadliest civil disaster in Israel’s history, took place early Friday during the Lag B’Omer festival. The site is believed to be the burial place of second century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The annual springtime celebrations are marked by the lighting of large bonfires, singing and dancing.
Israel marked a national day of mourning on Sunday. Flags flew at half-staff in Israel and its diplomatic missions abroad, and sports and cultural events were canceled.
Israel’s Health Ministry said that only 13 new cases of the coronavirus were identified on Saturday, out of 9,236 tests carried out. This translates into a positivity rate of 0.1 percent, the lowest since the start of the pandemic last March.
According to the ministry, there are currently 102 Israelis hospitalized in serious condition with complications from COVID-19, including 62 on life support. This amounts to less than a tenth of the number at the peak of the disease’s spread.
The virus reproduction rate, or “R,” which measures how many people each virus carrier infects on average, has remained stable at around 0.8 for several weeks, showing that in spite of the Israeli economy’s reopening, the contagion is receding.
Israel, which has carried out one of the most efficient vaccination drives in the world, announced in mid-April the gradual reopening of its borders for tourist groups from May 23.
Some 5,054,606 Israelis, more than half of the population, have received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
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Recommended Reading
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The Ramifications of a US Return to the 2015 Nuclear Agreement (Prof. Efraim Inbar and Dr. Eran Lerman, Israel Hayom)
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Refuting the Allegation That Israeli Settlements Are a War Crime (Alan Baker, Jewish News Syndicate)
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Abu Mazen’s Epic Elections Blunder Is a Gift to Hamas (Kobi Michael, Times of Israel)
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Making Oxygen From Moon Sand, Israeli Startup Eyes Long-Term Life In Space (Shoshanna Solomon, NoCamels)
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This Shabbat-Observant Baseball Phenom Has His Eyes on a Major League Career. Can It Be Done? (Rob Charry, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
