Tag: Israel

Biden backs Gaza ceasefire for first time in call with Netanyahu

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President Biden expressed support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in a call on Thursday evening with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said in a statement.

Why it matters: This is the first time since the beginning of the crisis last Monday that Biden or anyone in his administration has publicly backed a ceasefire. It will increase pressure on Israel to seek an end to the conflict, which Netanyahu has insisted will continue until Hamas’ ability to attack Israel is further degraded.

Between the lines: An Israeli official said the Biden administration hadn’t given Israel a deadline for reaching a ceasefire but had been stressing on Monday that it was reaching the end of its ability to hold back international pressure on Israel over the Gaza operation. Continue reading.

Assassination in Iran Could Limit Biden’s Options. Was That the Goal?

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The killing of Iran’s top nuclear scientist is likely to impede the country’s military ambitions. Its real purpose may have been to prevent the president-elect from resuming diplomacy with Tehran.

WASHINGTON — The assassination of the scientist who led Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon for the past two decades threatens to cripple President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s effort to revive the Iran nuclear deal before he can even begin his diplomacy with Tehran.

And that may well have been a main goal of the operation.

Intelligence officials say there is little doubt that Israel was behind the killing — it had all the hallmarks of a precisely timed operation by Mossad, the country’s spy agency. And the Israelis have done nothing to dispel that view. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long identified Iran as an existential threat, and named the assassinated scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, as national enemy No. 1, capable of building a weapon that could threaten a country of eight million in a single blast. Continue reading.

Prominent Iranian nuclear scientist killed in ambush attack, bringing threats of revenge

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ISTANBUL — One of Iran’s most prominent and well-guarded nuclear scientists was killed Friday in a daytime ambush on a rural road outside Tehran, an attack Iran’s foreign minister blamed on Israel and that sharply raised regional tensions in the closing weeks of the Trump administration.

The scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was seen as a driving force behind Tehran’s disbanded effort to build a nuclear weapon nearly two decades ago. His role in Iran’s current programs — reactors and uranium enrichment — was less direct and analysts said the killing would likely have a limited impact on Tehran’s nuclear capabilities.

It also underscored one of the many challenges ahead for the Biden administration as it looks to reset U.S. policies toward Iran after President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign. Continue reading.

Pence urged Israel not to target U.S. with coronavirus quarantine: “Go global”

Axios logoVice President Mike Pence personally asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to target Israel’s newly announced coronavirus quarantine at only visitors from the U.S., but to “go global,” senior Israeli officials tell me.

Why it matters: On Monday, Netanyahu announced a new policy of self-quarantine for a period of 14 days for anyone who enters Israel regardless of their country of origin — thus implementing Pence’s request, made during a call on Sunday. Israeli officials say Pence’s request significantly influenced Netanyahu’s decision.

Behind the scenes: Pence stressed to Netanyahu that he understands Israel’s concerns about a coronavirus outbreak, but said the Trump administration would not look favorably on a policy that only affected the U.S. and several European countries, like Italy. Continue reading.

Live updates: Israel requires two-week quarantine for international arrivals; N.Y.-N.J. Port Authority head tests positive

Washington Post logoA new oil price war sparked by the coronavirus sent shock waves through financial markets, with stocks tumbling around the world as more countries implemented measures to contain the outbreak and the United States’ tally of known infections passed 500.

In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said on Monday that the head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Rick Cotton, tested positive for the virus and was being placed on quarantine.

In Israel, the government announced that anyone entering the country from abroad will be quarantined for 14 days. Continue reading.

How Trump’s Mideast peace plan could actually matter

Few Middle East analysts expect an Israeli-Palestinian deal anytime soon. But the Trump plan could have long-lasting consequences.

President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace proposal may be dead on arrival, as critics like to say. But the plan could also have the long-term effect of seriously circumscribing — at a minimum — future U.S. attempts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The proposal unveiled Tuesday, which was overseen by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, is heavily sided toward Israel. Although it does not rule out a future Palestinian state as some feared, it lays out tough conditions for Palestinians to meet before being granted statehood. And the vision for the state’s borders is highly unlikely to be accepted by the Palestinians.

Standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the president said Tuesday that the plan, titled “Peace to Prosperity,” was a “win-win” path for both sides. But he also warned that his proposal “could be the last opportunity” for the Palestinians to achieve their goals after more than 70 years of conflict. Continue reading.

Speaker Hortman participating in Israel Study Tour in December

House DFL logoSAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman will be traveling with a bipartisan group of legislators to Israel and the West Bank December 2nd-13th. The study tour for legislators and community leaders is organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council, but participants — like Speaker Hortman and her husband — pay the expenses themselves.

“I’m really looking forward to going to Israel with this bipartisan delegation,” said Speaker Hortman. “This region holds special significance to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. As a Catholic, I’m especially looking forward to seeing sites central to my faith. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the complex political and security issues facing Israel and the region.”

Speaker Hortman will be joined by Reps. Elkins, Kiel, and Theis; and Sens. Bigham, Franzen, and Kiffmeyer, among other participants on the trip.

After arriving in Israel, participants will visit the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, and the Israel Museum, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They will explore environmental challenges related to the River Jordan, and tour East Jerusalem with a Palestinian-American journalist. Participants will also visit a number of Christian and Jewish holy sites, and Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum.

Later, attendees will visit the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters and Moshav Netiv HaAsara, a community that borders Gaza. Participants will stand on the banks of the Jordan River, learn more about Israel’s security situation on its border with Syria in the Golan Heights, visit the ancient port city of Akko, and receive a guided tour describing Israel’s strategic challenges along the Lebanese border. Participants will also visit Medtronic Israel and Minneapolis’ partner community, Rehovot, and St. Paul’s partner community in the Sovev Kineret region.

Trump plays to evangelical base with hard-line support for Israel

The Hill logoPresident Trump’s recent push to win over Jewish voters faces an uphill battle, but his hard-line support for Israel may be aimed at a different audience altogether: evangelical Christians.

Trump last month embraced the moniker “King of Israel” after a conservative conspiracy theorist argued that he is “the greatest president for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world.”

But instead of galvanizing the support of American Jewish voters, Trump’s self-designation as a champion of Jewish causes — including charges that those who don’t support him are being “disloyal” to Israel — prompted backlash from the same Jewish Democrats he’s seeking to attract to the GOP tent in 2020.

View the complete September 1 article by Mike Lillis on The Hill website here.

Trump crosses new line with Omar, Tlaib, Israel move

The Hill logoHe has sided with foreign autocrats over his own intelligence community; backed foreign dictators over his own military commanders; and supported foreign despots over his own allies abroad.

But President Trump broke new ground on Thursday when he urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deny two Muslim congresswomen entrance to the country for a fact-finding visit, accusing them of harboring hatred toward “Israel & all Jewish people.”

The move reverberated across Washington, as pro-Israel groups condemned the president for threatening U.S.-Israel relations; foreign policy experts chimed in with warnings of frayed diplomatic ties; and stunned Democrats issued waves of statements denouncing Trump for pressuring a foreign government to deny his American political opponents rights of free passage.

View the complete August 15 article by Mike Lillis, Scott Wong and Morgan Chalfant on The Hill website here.

Minnesota DFL Statement on the Israeli Government Denying Entry to Reps. Omar and Tlaib

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota DFL, released the following statement regarding the decision of the Israeli government to ban Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering the country:

“I am incredibly disappointed that Israel’s democratic government would deny entry to two United States Congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Their trip to Israel would have been a fantastic learning opportunity for everyone involved, and would have helped forge and deepen the bonds of mutual understanding between our two nations.

“I am also saddened, though not surprised, to see President Donald Trump encouraging this divisive and unproductive action from Israel’s government. It used to be the case that presidents from both parties would work to bridge our divides and bring Americans together. Time and time again, Donald Trump has worked to shatter this proud tradition by exacerbating our divisions and building walls that separate us from one another.

“Now more than ever, it is crucial that we not close ourselves off when confronted with differences of opinion and perspective. That’s why I am calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli government to reverse this misguided decision, and I ask elected officials and leaders from the Minnesota DFL and Minnesota Republican Party to join me in this.”