15 dec 2013
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the escalation of international pressure against Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program.
“As long as we don’t see actions instead of words, the international pressure should continue, and even more than that, it should be strengthened,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.
The remarks were Netanyahu’s first comments after the four-day expert-level nuclear talks between the representatives of Iran and six world powers in Vienna last week.
On Thursday, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions against a number of companies and individuals for “providing support for” Iran’s nuclear energy program.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the US action as “unconstructive and inappropriate” and reaffirmed Iran’s resolve to respond prudently to such measures, while seriously pursuing the nuclear negotiations with the six countries.
The new US sanctions came despite the nuclear deal inked between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24.
Following the conclusion of the interim agreement, Netanyahu described the nuclear deal as a “historic mistake.”
Israel, known as the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, has repeatedly accused Iran of pursing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program and threatened to take unilateral military action against the country.
“As long as we don’t see actions instead of words, the international pressure should continue, and even more than that, it should be strengthened,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.
The remarks were Netanyahu’s first comments after the four-day expert-level nuclear talks between the representatives of Iran and six world powers in Vienna last week.
On Thursday, the US Treasury Department announced new sanctions against a number of companies and individuals for “providing support for” Iran’s nuclear energy program.
On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the US action as “unconstructive and inappropriate” and reaffirmed Iran’s resolve to respond prudently to such measures, while seriously pursuing the nuclear negotiations with the six countries.
The new US sanctions came despite the nuclear deal inked between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24.
Following the conclusion of the interim agreement, Netanyahu described the nuclear deal as a “historic mistake.”
Israel, known as the sole possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, has repeatedly accused Iran of pursing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program and threatened to take unilateral military action against the country.
14 dec 2013
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Many US Senators kowtow to the Israeli regime when it comes to dealing with Iran, an analyst tells Press TV.
In an interview on Saturday, Patrick Basham, the founding director of the Democracy Institute in Washington, said that US Senators tend to cave in to pressure from Israel over Iran, specifically the recent nuclear deal signed between Tehran and six world powers. “There is no question that what US Senators hear from Israel about this deal and about relations with Iran, many but not all ... do take them very seriously and listen to them very carefully, so that the default position for many US Senators is to assume that the Israelis are probably correct ... and that what they hear from Tehran, the default position is to be suspicious and distrustful,” he said. |
He noted that the pro-Israeli lobby in the United States was “very powerful”, adding that US Senators are sympathetic to the influential group’s position.
“Its power, its influence is felt more greatly on some issues and less so on others but there are members of the US Senate who ... are particularly sympathetic ... to the Israeli lobby’s position, and in conjunction with that of course the Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu obviously takes a very hard-line issue when it comes to relations with Iran,” Basham added.
The administration of US President Barack Obama on Thursday issued new sanctions against more than a dozen companies and individuals for “providing support” for Tehran’s nuclear program.
The new US embargoes come despite the nuclear deal inked between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24 in a bid to set the stage for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program. The deal was sealed much to the dismay of the Israeli regime.
The US Treasury Department said it was freezing assets and banning transactions of entities that attempt to evade the sanctions against Iran.
Meanwhile, some US lawmakers are also pushing to impose new sanctions on Iran.
As part of the Geneva deal, it was agreed that no more sanctions would be imposed on Iran in six months.
“Its power, its influence is felt more greatly on some issues and less so on others but there are members of the US Senate who ... are particularly sympathetic ... to the Israeli lobby’s position, and in conjunction with that of course the Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu obviously takes a very hard-line issue when it comes to relations with Iran,” Basham added.
The administration of US President Barack Obama on Thursday issued new sanctions against more than a dozen companies and individuals for “providing support” for Tehran’s nuclear program.
The new US embargoes come despite the nuclear deal inked between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, China, France, Britain and the US - plus Germany in the Swiss city of Geneva on November 24 in a bid to set the stage for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program. The deal was sealed much to the dismay of the Israeli regime.
The US Treasury Department said it was freezing assets and banning transactions of entities that attempt to evade the sanctions against Iran.
Meanwhile, some US lawmakers are also pushing to impose new sanctions on Iran.
As part of the Geneva deal, it was agreed that no more sanctions would be imposed on Iran in six months.
13 dec 2013
Iranian negotiators halted nuclear talks with major powers to return to Tehran for consultations after Washington blacklisted a dozen companies and individuals for evading US sanctions, state media reported.
"The Iranian negotiators interrupted the talks with the P5+1 for consultations in Tehran," a negotiator told Iran's official IRNA news agency.
The negotiators had been discussing the implementation of a landmark interim accord agreed last month with the P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.
The decision to halt the talks in Vienna came hours after Washington blacklisted a dozen overseas companies and individuals for evading US sanctions on Iran.
The move prompted two top senators to bow to White House pleas not to introduce new sanctions in Congress.
But it risked angering Tehran after repeated warnings from Iranian officials in recent days that any additional punitive measures would be a violation of last month's agreement.
Under the interim deal reached in Geneva, Iran agreed to freeze parts of its suspect nuclear program for six months in return for some $7 billion in relief from Western sanctions as it negotiates a final, comprehensive accord to allay suspicions it is seeking a weapons capability.
The United States also agreed to refrain from slapping new sanctions on Iran, but senior administration officials argued that Thursday's measures were taken as part of the existing sanctions regime which had forced Tehran to the negotiating table.
"The Iranian negotiators interrupted the talks with the P5+1 for consultations in Tehran," a negotiator told Iran's official IRNA news agency.
The negotiators had been discussing the implementation of a landmark interim accord agreed last month with the P5+1 -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.
The decision to halt the talks in Vienna came hours after Washington blacklisted a dozen overseas companies and individuals for evading US sanctions on Iran.
The move prompted two top senators to bow to White House pleas not to introduce new sanctions in Congress.
But it risked angering Tehran after repeated warnings from Iranian officials in recent days that any additional punitive measures would be a violation of last month's agreement.
Under the interim deal reached in Geneva, Iran agreed to freeze parts of its suspect nuclear program for six months in return for some $7 billion in relief from Western sanctions as it negotiates a final, comprehensive accord to allay suspicions it is seeking a weapons capability.
The United States also agreed to refrain from slapping new sanctions on Iran, but senior administration officials argued that Thursday's measures were taken as part of the existing sanctions regime which had forced Tehran to the negotiating table.
10 dec 2013
Israel's defence minister on Monday accused Iran of using its embassies as terrorist bases and transferring guns and bombs through diplomatic pouches, without providing evidence for the claims.
The two regional foes are widely believed to be locked in a covert war over Iran's nuclear programme, with Tehran blaming Israel for the killing of its nuclear scientists and Israel accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of terror attacks in third countries.
"Wherever there are Iranian embassies, they also serve as bases for espionage and terrorism," Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement after meeting with visiting Guatemalan President Otto Perez.
"The Iranians use their diplomatic courier to transfer bombs and arms," he said, referring to pouches carried by diplomats that are not customarily subject to inspection.
"We know there are South American countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia where the Iranians maintain terror bases in their embassies and among the local Shiite Muslim population," Yaalon said.
Israel and Argentine authorities have long suspected Iranian involvement in the bombings of a Jewish centre and the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in the 1990s that killed scores of people, charges denied by Iran.
More recently, Israel blamed Iran and Hezbollah for the July 2012 suicide bombing of a bus packed with Israeli tourists in Bulgaria that killed six people and wounded 35 others. Bulgarian authorities also said Hezbollah was behind the attack.
Last week Hezbollah said a member of its secretive top leadership had been shot dead near Beirut and blamed Israel for the assassination. Israel denied responsibility.
Israel has long viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of Tehran's controversial nuclear programme, which Israel and Western nations suspect is aimed at covertly developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Iran insists its programme is entirely peaceful, and reached a landmark deal with world powers last month in which it will curb its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from crippling international sanctions.
Israel was strongly opposed to the deal, and has not ruled out using military force against Iran's nuclear programme.
The two regional foes are widely believed to be locked in a covert war over Iran's nuclear programme, with Tehran blaming Israel for the killing of its nuclear scientists and Israel accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of terror attacks in third countries.
"Wherever there are Iranian embassies, they also serve as bases for espionage and terrorism," Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement after meeting with visiting Guatemalan President Otto Perez.
"The Iranians use their diplomatic courier to transfer bombs and arms," he said, referring to pouches carried by diplomats that are not customarily subject to inspection.
"We know there are South American countries like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia where the Iranians maintain terror bases in their embassies and among the local Shiite Muslim population," Yaalon said.
Israel and Argentine authorities have long suspected Iranian involvement in the bombings of a Jewish centre and the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in the 1990s that killed scores of people, charges denied by Iran.
More recently, Israel blamed Iran and Hezbollah for the July 2012 suicide bombing of a bus packed with Israeli tourists in Bulgaria that killed six people and wounded 35 others. Bulgarian authorities also said Hezbollah was behind the attack.
Last week Hezbollah said a member of its secretive top leadership had been shot dead near Beirut and blamed Israel for the assassination. Israel denied responsibility.
Israel has long viewed Iran as its greatest threat because of Tehran's controversial nuclear programme, which Israel and Western nations suspect is aimed at covertly developing a nuclear weapons capability.
Iran insists its programme is entirely peaceful, and reached a landmark deal with world powers last month in which it will curb its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from crippling international sanctions.
Israel was strongly opposed to the deal, and has not ruled out using military force against Iran's nuclear programme.
The White House stated that U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, would be visiting Tel Aviv and Ramallah on Wednesday November 11 to hold separate talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Kerry would be talking about the “progress” of direct talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, and intends to hold talks with Netanyahu about the Iranian “nuclear file”.
Kerry just left the region four days ago following separate meetings with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and Abbas in Ramallah.
He asked both officials to allow more time for political talks, and extend them for several more months.
Kerry said he believes “direct talks are closer than ever to reaching a settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority”.
Israel insists on various conditions and demands, including ruling out any withdrawal from occupied Jerusalem, borders, and wants to maintain control over natural resources.
It also is ongoing with its illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, and refuses to recognize the internationally guaranteed Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees.
Kerry would be talking about the “progress” of direct talks between Tel Aviv and Ramallah, and intends to hold talks with Netanyahu about the Iranian “nuclear file”.
Kerry just left the region four days ago following separate meetings with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and Abbas in Ramallah.
He asked both officials to allow more time for political talks, and extend them for several more months.
Kerry said he believes “direct talks are closer than ever to reaching a settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority”.
Israel insists on various conditions and demands, including ruling out any withdrawal from occupied Jerusalem, borders, and wants to maintain control over natural resources.
It also is ongoing with its illegitimate settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, and refuses to recognize the internationally guaranteed Right of Return of the Palestinian refugees.
8 dec 2013
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Confidence building measures were discussed as the nuclear deal was reached between Iran and the P5+1 in Geneva last month. Iran opened up the Arak heavy water plant to IAEA inspectors on Sunday, just as Tehran agreed to do in the agreement in Geneva. And what about the other side of the coin? Will the west take confidence building steps or wil they continue with their rhetoric? And can this agreement be turned into a win-win situation for both sides? Is that even possible? Instead of lifting sanctrions, Washington is talking about increasing pressure and the EU has actually increased the sanctions on Iran, since the signing of that agreement. So what is exactly going on here? |
5 dec 2013
After landing in Tel Aviv, U.S. Secretary of state John Kerry held a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Their meeting mainly focused on security arrangements, and the “Iranian file”.
During a news conference following his meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Kerry said that a special security envoy is currently in the region to assess the security situation, and added that meetings are also taking place in the West Bank to “ensure Israel’s security”.
The American official claimed that progress is being made in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, and that the two parties are determined to continue direct bilateral talks.
He added that the United States would continue to work until ensuring the dismantling of what he called “the Iranian nuclear agenda”, and that Iran needs to implement the decisions of the Geneva Agreement.
“The United States will not ease sanctions on Tehran should it fail to implement the agreement”, Kerry said.
On his part, Netanyahu alleged that Israel is willing to reach what he called a “historic agreement with the Palestinians”, and that any agreement must include all security arrangements which ensure Israel’s security.
He added that Israel is not comfortable with the Geneva Agreement, and called for taking quick actions that ensures strict sanctions on Tehran.
Kerry will be heading to Ramallah for a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by another meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Despite denouncing Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied territories, Kerry did not ask Netanyahu to halt all actions that are leading to more obstacles to peace talks.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said that talks with Tel Aviv cannot continue while it continues to build and expand its illegitimate settlements, and while the Israeli army continues its invasions, arrests and its home and property demolition polices in the occupied West Bank and in occupied Jerusalem.
During a news conference following his meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Kerry said that a special security envoy is currently in the region to assess the security situation, and added that meetings are also taking place in the West Bank to “ensure Israel’s security”.
The American official claimed that progress is being made in Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, and that the two parties are determined to continue direct bilateral talks.
He added that the United States would continue to work until ensuring the dismantling of what he called “the Iranian nuclear agenda”, and that Iran needs to implement the decisions of the Geneva Agreement.
“The United States will not ease sanctions on Tehran should it fail to implement the agreement”, Kerry said.
On his part, Netanyahu alleged that Israel is willing to reach what he called a “historic agreement with the Palestinians”, and that any agreement must include all security arrangements which ensure Israel’s security.
He added that Israel is not comfortable with the Geneva Agreement, and called for taking quick actions that ensures strict sanctions on Tehran.
Kerry will be heading to Ramallah for a meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas, followed by another meeting with Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Despite denouncing Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied territories, Kerry did not ask Netanyahu to halt all actions that are leading to more obstacles to peace talks.
The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank said that talks with Tel Aviv cannot continue while it continues to build and expand its illegitimate settlements, and while the Israeli army continues its invasions, arrests and its home and property demolition polices in the occupied West Bank and in occupied Jerusalem.
25 nov 2013
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It's been hailed as a historic deal by most world nations yet Israel calls it a mistake. On this edition of the debate we ask why the only voices of dissent against the agreement between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany are coming from Israel and Saudi Arabia. |
21 nov 2013
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Tel Aviv needs other allies to be replaced with the United States. "The link between Israel and its main strategic partner the United States has weakened," Lieberman said on Wednesday, AFP reported.
Lieberman admitted that Washington itself has “too many challenges,” including its own “domestic economic problems.”
The Israeli foreign minister also suggested that the US is dependent upon money from some Arab countries.
Lieberman, however, failed to specify any alternative partner.
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama called on senators to give more time for diplomacy with Iran.
Israel began its lobbying efforts inside the US after it found out that talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers were coming close to an agreement in the Swiss city of Geneva.
During the last round of talks in Geneva on November 7-10, a first-step agreement was within reach but the position taken by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in favor of the Israel and a lack of commitment by US Secretary of State John Kerry spoiled the negotiations.
Lieberman admitted that Washington itself has “too many challenges,” including its own “domestic economic problems.”
The Israeli foreign minister also suggested that the US is dependent upon money from some Arab countries.
Lieberman, however, failed to specify any alternative partner.
On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama called on senators to give more time for diplomacy with Iran.
Israel began its lobbying efforts inside the US after it found out that talks between Iran and the world’s six major powers were coming close to an agreement in the Swiss city of Geneva.
During the last round of talks in Geneva on November 7-10, a first-step agreement was within reach but the position taken by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in favor of the Israel and a lack of commitment by US Secretary of State John Kerry spoiled the negotiations.
13 nov 2013
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says a deal with Iran over its nuclear energy program which he has repeatedly described as a bad deal could lead to war.
Netanyahu says continued economic pressure on Iran is the best alternative to the two other options: that's to say, a bad deal and war. He says Washington's offer to ease certain sanctions against Iran in line with the proposed nuclear deal could reduce the weight of sanctions against the country. Netanyahu's comments follow a new round of talks between the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and Iran in Geneva over this past weekend. No agreement was reached at the end of the talks. But Netanyahu strongly criticized a proposed deal with Tehran on several occasions. |
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A political analyst says France sought to “sabotage” a nuclear deal between Iran and the six major world powers in Geneva in an attempt to secure the interests of the US and the Israeli regime, Press TV reports.
Sarah Flounders, a co-director of the International Action Center, told Press TV on Tuesday that “France’s sabotage of any agreement with Iran may also serve certain predominant US interests” besides those of the Israeli regime. Last week, Iran and the six countries - the US, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany held closed-door talks on Tehran’s nuclear energy program in Geneva, Switzerland. The intensive discussions kicked off on November 7 and stretched into an unscheduled third day. |
The two sides managed to narrow their differences and were seemingly close to reaching an accord on Iran’s nuclear issue. However, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on November 9 that the Tel Aviv regime’s “concerns” must be taken into consideration in the course of the nuclear talks.
Flounders further described anti-Iran sanctions as “criminal,” “illegal” and “outrageous,” saying the United States and its “subservient” allies in the Middle East feel “threatened” by any possible nuclear agreement with Iran which is making progress in various areas.
“The idea of independent development of Iran, free of Western domination and control, is very threatening to US corporate power and to all the powers in the region that are subservient and dependent on US power” such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, added Flounders.
The analyst also stated that the Western dispute over Tehran's civilian nuclear energy program is a “fabricated issue” to “stop the development of Iran on many levels” and to “shut down the Iranian economy.”
Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany did not reach an agreement in the Geneva talks, but the two sides stressed that significant progress had been made and expressed optimism about the prospect of achieving a deal.
Flounders further described anti-Iran sanctions as “criminal,” “illegal” and “outrageous,” saying the United States and its “subservient” allies in the Middle East feel “threatened” by any possible nuclear agreement with Iran which is making progress in various areas.
“The idea of independent development of Iran, free of Western domination and control, is very threatening to US corporate power and to all the powers in the region that are subservient and dependent on US power” such as Israel and Saudi Arabia, added Flounders.
The analyst also stated that the Western dispute over Tehran's civilian nuclear energy program is a “fabricated issue” to “stop the development of Iran on many levels” and to “shut down the Iranian economy.”
Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany did not reach an agreement in the Geneva talks, but the two sides stressed that significant progress had been made and expressed optimism about the prospect of achieving a deal.
11 nov 2013
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Press TV's Newsroom Director Hamdi Reza Emadi and Investigative Journalist Lee Kaplan discuss the possible reasons behind the failure of nuclear talks between Iran and P5+1.
---- No deal was reached in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1. Though there are reports that the agreement was ready to be inked when Tel Aviv flexed its muscle. And one day after the intense negotiations, the US Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who heads the American delegation for the nuclear talks has headed to Tel Aviv to meet with Israeli leaders. Are the western countries involved in the nuclear talks sovereign nations or do they take their orders from Tel Aviv. And what does it all mean for the future of reaching a deal between the parties? If they have no sovereignty then why do they bother to talk to Iran? ---- Days before nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 resume in Geneva, it's still hard to say whether a deal is close at hand. US lawmakers are discussing new sanctions and American delegates in Israel say they want to assure Tel Aviv that its demands are met. Why does the US Congress seek to impose additional sanctions on Iran while Tehran has taken confidence-building measures to solve difference over its nuclear program? Is it trying to sabotage a possible deal and why? |
9 nov 2013
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25 oct 2013
Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni stressed the need to intensify Israeli efforts to achieve progress in negotiations with Palestinians in order to develop closer ties with Arab alliances. We must stop the Iranian threat and achieve a progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks at the same time, Livni said during the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference held on October 24, 2013 in Herzliya.
The continued Israeli-Palestinian conflict prevents Arab countries, threatened by Iran, from openly cooperating with Israel, Livni added, pointing out that these Arab countries expect an international intervention regarding the Iranian nuclear file.
Achieving progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks would weaken Iran's position in the world and contribute in forming an international force that includes Arab countries to address the Iranian nuclear threat, she said.
The continued Israeli-Palestinian conflict prevents Arab countries, threatened by Iran, from openly cooperating with Israel, Livni added, pointing out that these Arab countries expect an international intervention regarding the Iranian nuclear file.
Achieving progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks would weaken Iran's position in the world and contribute in forming an international force that includes Arab countries to address the Iranian nuclear threat, she said.
24 oct 2013
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The biggest donor to the US Republican party has said the United States should drop a nuclear bomb on Iran before beginning negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.
Gambling mogul Sheldon Adelson, who is a staunch supporter of the Israeli regime, made the comments at Yeshiva University in New York City on Tuesday. Adelson, who donated nearly $100 million to Republicans during the 2012 election cycle, said Washington should first drop a nuclear bomb on desert areas in Iran. “Then you say, ‘See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development,” he said. |
80-year-old Adelson also owns a Tel Aviv newspaper that frequently magnifies warnings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Iran would pose an existential threat to Israel.
His comments come amid intense lobbying efforts by Israelis and hawkish US lawmakers who are deeply concerned by the Iranian government’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the lengthy dispute with the West over Tehran’s nuclear energy program and Washington's recent diplomatic outreach to Iran.
Last week, The New York Times reported that a senior White House official has said Washington is planning to unfreeze Iran’s overseas assets in order to reciprocate Tehran’s confidence-building measures over its nuclear energy program.
In response to the Times’ report, a group of Republican senators released a statement saying, “The U.S. should not suspend new sanctions, nor consider releasing limited frozen assets, before Tehran suspends its nuclear enrichment activities.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) also sent a memo to US congressmen last week, claiming that Iran does not have the right to enrich uranium.
Iran is a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Iranian government has stressed that its people’s rights to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, must be respected.
His comments come amid intense lobbying efforts by Israelis and hawkish US lawmakers who are deeply concerned by the Iranian government’s diplomatic efforts to resolve the lengthy dispute with the West over Tehran’s nuclear energy program and Washington's recent diplomatic outreach to Iran.
Last week, The New York Times reported that a senior White House official has said Washington is planning to unfreeze Iran’s overseas assets in order to reciprocate Tehran’s confidence-building measures over its nuclear energy program.
In response to the Times’ report, a group of Republican senators released a statement saying, “The U.S. should not suspend new sanctions, nor consider releasing limited frozen assets, before Tehran suspends its nuclear enrichment activities.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) also sent a memo to US congressmen last week, claiming that Iran does not have the right to enrich uranium.
Iran is a committed signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Iranian government has stressed that its people’s rights to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, must be respected.
U.S Secretary of State, John Kerry, held on Wednesday [October 23, 2013] a seven-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in Rome, and urged him to advance peace talks with the Palestinians, especially on core issues. The two also discussed the “Iranian file”.
Kerry asked Netanyahu to demonstrate he is willing to work with President, Mahmoud Abbas, to reach a solution on core issues topped by borders, settlements, the Jordan Valley and border terminals with Jordan.
Israeli sources said those senior American and Israeli officials, including U.S Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Dan Shapiro, Israel’s new ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor, Yossi Cohen, and Netanyahu’s Envoy, Yitzhak Molho, attended the meeting.
The sources added that Netanyahu said that Israel will not “jeopardize its security”, and will not change its stances regarding security arrangements under any agreement with the Palestinians.
Commenting on the Iranian file, Netanyahu said that a partial agreement between world powers and Iran should never be enough, adding that Iran “should not be allowed to keep its nuclear power”.
Commenting on the issue, Kerry said that not reaching an agreement with Iran, is better that reaching a bad agreement”.
The two officials, and their aides, discussed what was described as “regional threats”, and the need to coordinate U.S. and Israeli positions, especially regarding Iran, and “regional stability”.
The meeting lasted for seven hours before Netanyahu and his envoys flew back to Tel Aviv.
Kerry asked Netanyahu to demonstrate he is willing to work with President, Mahmoud Abbas, to reach a solution on core issues topped by borders, settlements, the Jordan Valley and border terminals with Jordan.
Israeli sources said those senior American and Israeli officials, including U.S Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Dan Shapiro, Israel’s new ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor, Yossi Cohen, and Netanyahu’s Envoy, Yitzhak Molho, attended the meeting.
The sources added that Netanyahu said that Israel will not “jeopardize its security”, and will not change its stances regarding security arrangements under any agreement with the Palestinians.
Commenting on the Iranian file, Netanyahu said that a partial agreement between world powers and Iran should never be enough, adding that Iran “should not be allowed to keep its nuclear power”.
Commenting on the issue, Kerry said that not reaching an agreement with Iran, is better that reaching a bad agreement”.
The two officials, and their aides, discussed what was described as “regional threats”, and the need to coordinate U.S. and Israeli positions, especially regarding Iran, and “regional stability”.
The meeting lasted for seven hours before Netanyahu and his envoys flew back to Tel Aviv.
17 oct 2013
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks with his Swiss counterpart Didier Burkhalter during a meeting on the sideline of nuclear talks on October 16, 2013 in Geneva
The world's positive response to the latest nuclear talks with Iran drew bitter skepticism from Israel, which warned its Western allies Thursday they risked being duped into easing sanctions prematurely.
Energy Minister Silvan Shalom, a former foreign minister, went further, accusing the European Union and the United States of being more concerned with relaxing restrictions on Iranian oil exports to boost their own economies than with addressing an issue that Israel regards as a threat to its very existence.
Washington, which has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution, said Iranian negotiators had shown a greater level of "seriousness and substance" in this week's talks than ever before.
But Israel, which has mounted a massive lobbying campaign in the United States to keep up the economic and military pressure on its number one foe, insisted that Iran's intentions could be proved only by concrete steps to wind down its nuclear program, not by "sweet talk" from its new president.
"Iran will be judged by its actions and not by its presentations," a senior Israeli official said.
"Until significant steps are carried out on the ground which prove that Iran is breaking up its military nuclear program, the international community must continue to impose sanctions upon it," he added.
"The pressure of sanctions brought Iran to this point and must continue until Iran is stripped of its nuclear military program."
After the talks in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, Iranian officials touted a "breakthrough" in the decade-old negotiations on allaying international concerns over its nuclear ambitions.
They said they were hopeful of a "new phase in our relations" with the world, after they outlined a three-step plan, including spot checks on its nuclear facilities, to try to reach a comprehensive agreement "within a year."
Although there was no official response from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's army radio quoted a source close to him as taking a hard line.
"The Americans are the angels while the Iranians have given nothing," the source said.
"For the moment, the Iranians have given nothing and there is no reason for any enthusiasm," the source said.
Writing in Israel's Maariv newspaper, Iran specialist Emily Landau said she saw no policy changes of substance from President Hassan Rouhani, the moderate cleric who took office in August and on whom the West has pinned its hopes of a breakthrough.
"Except for the more relaxed tones and the demonstratively positive approach, there is nothing significant of substance this time that we didn't have in the previous rounds in 2012 and earlier this year," wrote Landau, an analyst at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies.
"As long as there is no indication that Iran has changed direction in its nuclear plans and has decided to give up its intent to develop a military nuclear capability, all of its proposals should be seen as tactical steps in the negotiations with the international community."
Israel's energy minister said the international community's drive to end Iran's long isolation on the nuclear issue was primarily motivated by a concern to reduce world oil prices, driven higher by the Western sanctions on Iran's exports.
"Diplomacy of 2013 is based, first and foremost, on the economy," Shalom told public radio.
"When there are tough sanctions on Iran and no one buys oil from Iran, of course prices go up," he charged.
"The world is currently going through a financial crisis and ... the Iran issue needs to be resolved to broaden supply and bring prices down. All the rest is just empty words."
Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has repeatedly threatened to take unilateral action if necessary to prevent any possibility of Iran developing the capability to build a bomb of its own.
Netanyahu renewed the threat before parliament on Tuesday in his latest salvo against the historic overtures between Tehran and Israel's US ally.
The world's positive response to the latest nuclear talks with Iran drew bitter skepticism from Israel, which warned its Western allies Thursday they risked being duped into easing sanctions prematurely.
Energy Minister Silvan Shalom, a former foreign minister, went further, accusing the European Union and the United States of being more concerned with relaxing restrictions on Iranian oil exports to boost their own economies than with addressing an issue that Israel regards as a threat to its very existence.
Washington, which has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution, said Iranian negotiators had shown a greater level of "seriousness and substance" in this week's talks than ever before.
But Israel, which has mounted a massive lobbying campaign in the United States to keep up the economic and military pressure on its number one foe, insisted that Iran's intentions could be proved only by concrete steps to wind down its nuclear program, not by "sweet talk" from its new president.
"Iran will be judged by its actions and not by its presentations," a senior Israeli official said.
"Until significant steps are carried out on the ground which prove that Iran is breaking up its military nuclear program, the international community must continue to impose sanctions upon it," he added.
"The pressure of sanctions brought Iran to this point and must continue until Iran is stripped of its nuclear military program."
After the talks in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday, Iranian officials touted a "breakthrough" in the decade-old negotiations on allaying international concerns over its nuclear ambitions.
They said they were hopeful of a "new phase in our relations" with the world, after they outlined a three-step plan, including spot checks on its nuclear facilities, to try to reach a comprehensive agreement "within a year."
Although there was no official response from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's army radio quoted a source close to him as taking a hard line.
"The Americans are the angels while the Iranians have given nothing," the source said.
"For the moment, the Iranians have given nothing and there is no reason for any enthusiasm," the source said.
Writing in Israel's Maariv newspaper, Iran specialist Emily Landau said she saw no policy changes of substance from President Hassan Rouhani, the moderate cleric who took office in August and on whom the West has pinned its hopes of a breakthrough.
"Except for the more relaxed tones and the demonstratively positive approach, there is nothing significant of substance this time that we didn't have in the previous rounds in 2012 and earlier this year," wrote Landau, an analyst at Israel's Institute for National Security Studies.
"As long as there is no indication that Iran has changed direction in its nuclear plans and has decided to give up its intent to develop a military nuclear capability, all of its proposals should be seen as tactical steps in the negotiations with the international community."
Israel's energy minister said the international community's drive to end Iran's long isolation on the nuclear issue was primarily motivated by a concern to reduce world oil prices, driven higher by the Western sanctions on Iran's exports.
"Diplomacy of 2013 is based, first and foremost, on the economy," Shalom told public radio.
"When there are tough sanctions on Iran and no one buys oil from Iran, of course prices go up," he charged.
"The world is currently going through a financial crisis and ... the Iran issue needs to be resolved to broaden supply and bring prices down. All the rest is just empty words."
Israel, which has the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, has repeatedly threatened to take unilateral action if necessary to prevent any possibility of Iran developing the capability to build a bomb of its own.
Netanyahu renewed the threat before parliament on Tuesday in his latest salvo against the historic overtures between Tehran and Israel's US ally.
Turkey deliberately blew the cover of an Israeli spy ring working inside Iran in early 2012 and dealt a significant blow to Israeli intelligence gathering, according to a report in the Washington Post on Thursday. There was no immediate comment from Israel or Turkey, but Israeli ministers have accused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of adopting an anti-Israeli stance in recent years to bolster his country's standing in the Muslim world.
Once-strong relations between Turkey and Israel hit the rocks in 2010 after Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists who were seeking to break Israel's long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius said Israel apparently used to run part of its Iranian spy network out of Turkey, giving Turkish secret services the opportunity to monitor their movements. The paper quoted U.S. officials as saying Israel believed that the Turks would never turn on the Jewish state after years of cooperation.
However, it said that in early 2012 Erdogan disclosed to Tehran the identities of 10 Iranians who had travelled to Turkey to meet Israeli spies.
In April 2012, Iran announced that it had broken up a large Israeli spy network and arrested 15 suspects. It was not clear if this was connected to the alleged Turkish leak.
Iran has long accused Israel of spying inside the Islamic Republic and of killing a string of Iranian nuclear scientists - the last in January 2012. Israel and the West accuse Iran of looking to build an atomic bomb. Tehran denies this.
FAILED RECONCILIATION
Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin declined to comment on the Washington Post report, but said relations with Turkey were "very complex".
"The Turks made a strategic decision ... to seek the leadership of our region, in the Middle East, and they chose the convenient anti-Israeli card in order to build up leadership," he told Israel Radio.
Energy Minister Silvan Shalom also declined to comment, but told Israel Radio that after unrest shook the Arab world in 2011, Erdogan had sought to win "legitimisation as the undisputed leader of the new revolution".
The United States tried to broker a reconciliation between its allies Turkey and Israel in March, persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologise for the 2010 killings.
However, Israeli officials said subsequent attempts to build bridges by agreeing on a deal to compensate families of those killed in the Israeli naval raid had floundered.
"The only thing that we have achieved since March is to show the Americans that Erdogan is not remotely interested in a reconciliation," said an Israeli diplomat, who declined to be named given the sensitivity surrounding the issue.
Shortly after the 2010 incident off the shores of Gaza, the then-Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak voiced concern that Turkey could share Israeli intelligence secrets with Iran.
"There are quite a few secrets of ours (entrusted to Turkey) and the thought that they could become open to the Iranians over the next several months ... is quite disturbing," Israel's Army Radio quoted him as saying in August 2010.
Once-strong relations between Turkey and Israel hit the rocks in 2010 after Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists who were seeking to break Israel's long-standing naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Washington Post columnist David Ignatius said Israel apparently used to run part of its Iranian spy network out of Turkey, giving Turkish secret services the opportunity to monitor their movements. The paper quoted U.S. officials as saying Israel believed that the Turks would never turn on the Jewish state after years of cooperation.
However, it said that in early 2012 Erdogan disclosed to Tehran the identities of 10 Iranians who had travelled to Turkey to meet Israeli spies.
In April 2012, Iran announced that it had broken up a large Israeli spy network and arrested 15 suspects. It was not clear if this was connected to the alleged Turkish leak.
Iran has long accused Israel of spying inside the Islamic Republic and of killing a string of Iranian nuclear scientists - the last in January 2012. Israel and the West accuse Iran of looking to build an atomic bomb. Tehran denies this.
FAILED RECONCILIATION
Deputy Israeli Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin declined to comment on the Washington Post report, but said relations with Turkey were "very complex".
"The Turks made a strategic decision ... to seek the leadership of our region, in the Middle East, and they chose the convenient anti-Israeli card in order to build up leadership," he told Israel Radio.
Energy Minister Silvan Shalom also declined to comment, but told Israel Radio that after unrest shook the Arab world in 2011, Erdogan had sought to win "legitimisation as the undisputed leader of the new revolution".
The United States tried to broker a reconciliation between its allies Turkey and Israel in March, persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to apologise for the 2010 killings.
However, Israeli officials said subsequent attempts to build bridges by agreeing on a deal to compensate families of those killed in the Israeli naval raid had floundered.
"The only thing that we have achieved since March is to show the Americans that Erdogan is not remotely interested in a reconciliation," said an Israeli diplomat, who declined to be named given the sensitivity surrounding the issue.
Shortly after the 2010 incident off the shores of Gaza, the then-Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak voiced concern that Turkey could share Israeli intelligence secrets with Iran.
"There are quite a few secrets of ours (entrusted to Turkey) and the thought that they could become open to the Iranians over the next several months ... is quite disturbing," Israel's Army Radio quoted him as saying in August 2010.
16 oct 2013
Iran showed a greater level of "serious and substance" in nuclear talks in Geneva between world powers and the Islamic Republic, the White House said Wednesday.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Iranian presentation at the talks was "useful" and showed a "level of seriousness and substance that we have not seen before."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Iranian presentation at the talks was "useful" and showed a "level of seriousness and substance that we have not seen before."
The West fears Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran vehemently denies
Israel kept up its alarmist rhetoric on talks between world powers and Iran Wednesday, with a cabinet minister comparing the situation to pre-war Europe and the appeasement of Nazi Germany.
"We view the nuclear talks in Geneva with hope and with concern. We see the worrying signs and we don't want Geneva 2013 to turn into Munich 1938," International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz said in remarks broadcast by Israel's army radio.
Steinitz was alluding to the 1938 Munich agreement under which Britain and France agreed to the annexation of large swathes of then Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany in a failed bid to avert war.
The remarks came as Iranian negotiators and counterparts from the European Union-chaired P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany -- met behind closed doors in Geneva to discuss Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
The Geneva talks, which began Tuesday, ended a six-month freeze in dialogue sparked by Iran's refusal to curb uranium enrichment in exchange for easing the punishing international sanctions that have battered its economy.
The P5+1 and Israel, Iran's archfoe, fear that Tehran's atomic program is a disguised effort to develop nuclear weapons capability, a claim it denies vehemently.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged world powers to avoid a partial deal with Tehran which could see a relaxing of sanctions, saying Israel reserved the right to carry out a unilateral military strike to prevent Iran getting the bomb.
"Pre-emptive strikes must not be ruled out," he told the Israeli Knesset (parliament).
"Such strikes are not necessarily called for in every case ... but there are situations in which thinking about the international response to such a step is not equal to the bloody price we would pay" for the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Netanyahu has repeatedly attacked Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani, who has made diplomatic overtures to the West, as a "wolf in sheep's clothing," saying he is no different from his belligerent, Holocaust-denying predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power.
Israel kept up its alarmist rhetoric on talks between world powers and Iran Wednesday, with a cabinet minister comparing the situation to pre-war Europe and the appeasement of Nazi Germany.
"We view the nuclear talks in Geneva with hope and with concern. We see the worrying signs and we don't want Geneva 2013 to turn into Munich 1938," International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz said in remarks broadcast by Israel's army radio.
Steinitz was alluding to the 1938 Munich agreement under which Britain and France agreed to the annexation of large swathes of then Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany in a failed bid to avert war.
The remarks came as Iranian negotiators and counterparts from the European Union-chaired P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus Germany -- met behind closed doors in Geneva to discuss Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
The Geneva talks, which began Tuesday, ended a six-month freeze in dialogue sparked by Iran's refusal to curb uranium enrichment in exchange for easing the punishing international sanctions that have battered its economy.
The P5+1 and Israel, Iran's archfoe, fear that Tehran's atomic program is a disguised effort to develop nuclear weapons capability, a claim it denies vehemently.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday urged world powers to avoid a partial deal with Tehran which could see a relaxing of sanctions, saying Israel reserved the right to carry out a unilateral military strike to prevent Iran getting the bomb.
"Pre-emptive strikes must not be ruled out," he told the Israeli Knesset (parliament).
"Such strikes are not necessarily called for in every case ... but there are situations in which thinking about the international response to such a step is not equal to the bloody price we would pay" for the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Netanyahu has repeatedly attacked Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani, who has made diplomatic overtures to the West, as a "wolf in sheep's clothing," saying he is no different from his belligerent, Holocaust-denying predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Israel is the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power.
15 oct 2013
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech during the opening of the Knesset's (Israel's parliament) winter session, in Jerusalem, on October 14, 2013
Israel on Tuesday urged the world to avoid a partial deal with Iran which could see a relaxing of sanctions, just hours before a new round of nuclear talks.
Following a meeting late on Monday, the security cabinet warned the international community against any "partial agreement that would fail to bring about the full dismantling of the Iranian military nuclear program...(which) could lead to the collapse of the sanctions regime."
Iran is due to begin two days of closed-door negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday with the so-called P5+1 countries -- the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a media blitz in recent days, warning against concessions to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Rouhani's conciliatory tone has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the decade-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
The security cabinet statement called on world powers to be wary of Iran at negotiations.
"Iran believes it can get by with cosmetic concessions that would not significantly impede its path to developing nuclear weapons, concessions that could be reversed in weeks," the statement said.
"In exchange, Iran demands an easing of the sanctions, which have taken years to put in place."
But the security cabinet said the P5+1 should "reject Iran’s attempts to reach a deal that would leave it with the capability to develop nuclear weapons."
An Israeli official told AFP that the seven-member ministerial committee had met on Monday night but released the statement the following morning to coincide with the talks.
Israel, it said, did not oppose Iran having a peaceful nuclear energy program -- one which would not require uranium enrichment or plutonium production, it said.
"Iran claims that it supposedly has the 'right to enrich.' But a country that regularly deceives the international community, that violates UN Security Council resolutions ... has no such right," it said.
The Geneva talks are aimed at reaching accord over Iran's nuclear program, which Israel and the West say is aimed at developing an atomic bomb and Tehran says is for peaceful purposes only.
The Islamic republic has been slapped with several rounds of sanctions because of its nuclear program.
Israel wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Israel has refused to rule out military strikes against Iran, with Netanyahu telling the UN General Assembly this month that the Jewish state would act unilaterally if necessary.
Israel on Tuesday urged the world to avoid a partial deal with Iran which could see a relaxing of sanctions, just hours before a new round of nuclear talks.
Following a meeting late on Monday, the security cabinet warned the international community against any "partial agreement that would fail to bring about the full dismantling of the Iranian military nuclear program...(which) could lead to the collapse of the sanctions regime."
Iran is due to begin two days of closed-door negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday with the so-called P5+1 countries -- the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a media blitz in recent days, warning against concessions to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Rouhani's conciliatory tone has raised hopes of a breakthrough in the decade-long dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
The security cabinet statement called on world powers to be wary of Iran at negotiations.
"Iran believes it can get by with cosmetic concessions that would not significantly impede its path to developing nuclear weapons, concessions that could be reversed in weeks," the statement said.
"In exchange, Iran demands an easing of the sanctions, which have taken years to put in place."
But the security cabinet said the P5+1 should "reject Iran’s attempts to reach a deal that would leave it with the capability to develop nuclear weapons."
An Israeli official told AFP that the seven-member ministerial committee had met on Monday night but released the statement the following morning to coincide with the talks.
Israel, it said, did not oppose Iran having a peaceful nuclear energy program -- one which would not require uranium enrichment or plutonium production, it said.
"Iran claims that it supposedly has the 'right to enrich.' But a country that regularly deceives the international community, that violates UN Security Council resolutions ... has no such right," it said.
The Geneva talks are aimed at reaching accord over Iran's nuclear program, which Israel and the West say is aimed at developing an atomic bomb and Tehran says is for peaceful purposes only.
The Islamic republic has been slapped with several rounds of sanctions because of its nuclear program.
Israel wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Israel has refused to rule out military strikes against Iran, with Netanyahu telling the UN General Assembly this month that the Jewish state would act unilaterally if necessary.