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Israel has told the Biden Administration that it is opposed to any plan to reopen the US consulate-general that services the Palestinians in Jerusalem because the city is the undivided capital of the Jewish state, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told reporters on Saturday night.
“My position, which has been presented to the Americans by myself and by Foreign Minister Lapid, is that there is no place for an American consulate that serves the Palestinians in Jerusalem,” Bennett said, adding: “We have expressed our position [to the US] determinedly, quietly, without drama, and I hope it will be understood. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel alone.”
Lapid backed up Bennett, saying that “sovereignty in Jerusalem [belongs] to one country, the State of Israel,” and that “this is a principled stance of the State of Israel to the opening of a consulate in Jerusalem.” Israel’s top diplomat added that the US was welcome to open a consulate for the Palestinians in Ramallah.
Former President Donald Trump in 2019 closed the long-standing US consulate-general in Jerusalem that had acted as a de-facto embassy to the Palestinian Authority. The Biden Administration has promised the PA that it will reopen the embassy.
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The Iranian military on Sunday reportedly launched large-scale naval maneuvers in the Gulf of Oman, the northern part of the Indian Ocean, and in part of the Red Sea. The exercise comes as nuclear deal talks between the Islamic Republic and world powers are slated to resume on November 29.
The report cited Coordinating Deputy of the Iranian Army Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari as saying that the drill “will demonstrate Iran’s power at sea … warning the enemies that any act of aggression against Iran will draw a crushing response from the army.” The war games, codenamed Zolfaqar-1400, will reportedly include troops from infantry units, as well as the navy, and air force.
Under the 2005 nuclear accord, Iran was prohibited from enriching uranium above 3.67 percent. Enriched uranium that exceeds 90 percent can be used to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran now claims that its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilograms (463 pounds), the latest defiant move ahead of upcoming nuclear talks in Vienna.
Late last week, Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami said that regardless of how the talks proceed, the US will “no longer be able to defend Israel,” arguing that American policy toward Iran “has always been a failure.”
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Cypriot authorities filed charges on Friday against six suspects for allegedly planning to attack Israeli targets on the eastern Mediterranean island. Among those charged was Orkhan Asadov, a 38-year-old Azerbaijani national. He and three Pakistanis indicted in the case are accused of plotting to visit Cyprus to commit acts of terror. Asadov was allegedly found to have images on his phone relating to the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
All but one of the suspects allegedly planned to kill five Israelis who live in Cyprus.
One of the Pakistani suspects, who allegedly helped recruit the others, was accused of having links to an Iran-backed militia of Shiite Pakistanis fighting on behalf of the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. Both Iran and its proxy Hezbollah are closely aligned with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In October, an attempt to assassinate Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus was reportedly averted due to intelligence information obtained by the Cypriot police. The information, which came from Israeli sources, led to Asadov’s arrest. Cypriot police found the Azeri national with a gun, and silencer in his possession. Reports out of Cyprus said that Israeli entrepreneur Teddy Sagi was the target, but this was denied by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Israeli government said the attempted attack was linked to “Iranian terror.”
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European Parliament delegation members were given a special tour along Israel’s northern border to show how funds intended to be used as international aid meant for the Lebanese people are being diverted by Hezbollah to create a network of tunnels crossing from Lebanon to Israel.
Parliamentarians from various European countries entered a 60-foot-deep and half-mile-long tunnel. The tour was organized by The European Leadership Network (ELNET), which aims to strengthen relations between Israel and Europe.
“They see the German-made digging machine left inside the tunnel. They understand that it cost them 5 million euros. This is what the money is spent on trying new ways to terrorize Israel,” Shai Bazak, CEO of ELNET, said. Assita Kanko, the Belgian Member of the European Parliament, noted that the money of European taxpayers should not be given to “people who use it to hate others.”
The visit came as the European Union was seeking to assist Lebanon, which continues to struggle with a deep economic crisis.
Recommended Reading
- Anti-Israel Bias in One of America’s Biggest Newspapers Matters (Jonathan S. Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate)
- Israeli Bookstores Remove Sally Rooney’s Books Over Boycott (Ariella Marsden, Jerusalem Post)
- Israeli Company Can Check Heart Rate With Smartphone Camera (Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, Jerusalem Post)
- The Man Who Helps Jewish New York City Marathoners Run Through Their Morning Prayers (Julia Gergely, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- This Year’s World Series Was a Landmark for American Jews (Joshua Blustein, Algemeiner)
