US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that if Iran continues to ignore the limits set by the 2015 nuclear accord, the breakout time the Islamic Republic needs to build an atomic bomb could shorten significantly, posing significant security threats.
“Its program is galloping forward… The longer this goes on, the more the breakout time gets down… it’s now down, by public reports, to a few months at best. And if this continues, it will get down to a matter of weeks,” America’s top diplomat lamented.
Regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Blinken stated that “it remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do to come back into compliance.”
Asked about Iran’s imperialist agenda, Blinken responded: “There are multiple egregious activities that Iran is engaged in, including missile activity proliferation, support for proxy groups, terrorism, destabilizing actions — each and every one would be even worse if Iran had a nuclear weapon or was on the threshold of being able to have one. It would be able to act with even greater impunity.”
He also condemned Tehran for supporting the Hamas terrorist group during last month’s conflict with Israel. Blinken emphasized his support for the Jewish state’s right to defend itself, reaffirming Washington’s promise to Jerusalem to restock the Iron Dome missile defense system.
US President Joe Biden has said that he would rejoin the agreement if Iran returns to compliance. Washington says it plans to negotiate a “longer and stronger” subsequent deal once both sides have reentered the JCPOA.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh claimed that there is no proof that a Jewish Temple ever existed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
When asked about current tensions in Jerusalem, Shtayyeh said that the Jewish state’s capital city was at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Since 1967 and the occupation of the West Bank, Israel has carried out a series of excavations underneath Al-Aqsa Mosque which haven’t proved any connection whatsoever to the hall [Temple] or anything similar,” he said.
Shtayyeh spoke to Al Jazeera while on a visit to Qatar, and after a meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said that the two had discussed aid from Doha to Ramallah and ways to solidify the restored calm in the Gaza Strip.
With regards to reconciliation attempts in Cairo, Shtayyeh said that he hoped the rift between Fatah and Hamas would come to an end. “The Palestinians need to work together and not decide on a war or on peace separately,” he declared.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could end his 12 consecutive years in power in five days, as Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin announced that a vote would be held to swear in the new government during a special parliamentary session on Sunday, a day before the deadline set by law. Israel’s parliament on this day will also hold a vote for Yesh Atid MK Mickey Levy to replace Levin as Speaker.
Levin formally notified the parliament on Monday that Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid had succeeded in forming a new power-sharing government within the time allotted to him by President Reuven Rivlin, but the Knesset Speaker had not at that time set a date for the swearing-in that must take place by no later than June 14.
The new eight-party coalition that would oust Netanyahu’s current government is set to hold a razor-thin majority of 61 lawmakers out of the Knesset’s 120, meaning the defection of a single lawmaker could thwart it. The timing of the vote means that all coalition agreements must be formally handed to the Knesset and made public by this Friday.
The emerging government will first be headed by Yamina party chief Naftali Bennett, who will be replaced by Lapid as prime minister in August 2023.
Israeli scientists have developed a new technology that can conduct blood tests without drawing any blood. Rather than taking samples from patients, the device works by scanning the eye, which contains blood vessels that can be examined using light waves.
The implementation of this technology creates numerous benefits, as it makes blood tests less intrusive, addressing both people’s widespread fear of needles and the rising costs of lab work. Moreover, since the device can be used from home it will be much more convenient for patients.
This Israeli technological innovation will also aid in analyzing accurate oxygen saturation levels. In February, the American Food and Drug Administration found that the oximeters typically used to take oxygen saturation levels are not as accurate for people with darker skin pigmentation. However, analyzing oxygen saturation levels through the blood in the eye has proven to be much more accurate.
HonestReporting is pleased to inform you that it is organizing a remarkable mission to the Jewish state from October 5-12, 2021.
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Recommended Reading
- Is Egypt Planning to Retake Control of the Gaza Strip? (Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post)
- Al-Qaeda Calls on Muslims to Attack Jewish, US Interests Worldwide (Jewish News Syndicate)
- Operation Guardian of the Walls from the Turkish Perspective: Erdogan as the “Defender of Palestine”? (Gallia Lindenstrauss, Remi Daniel, Institute for National Security Studies)
- I Worked on the Abraham Accords. It’s Time to Free the Palestinians from Hamas—and Iran (Dr. Ali Al Nuaimi, Newsweek)
- Israel Hosts Annual OECD Global Forum on Digital Security (Matthew Youkilis, NoCamels)
