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26 AUGUST 2021
Gantz spells out terms Bennett makes first White House trip for ceasefire BY ADAM MOSES Israel will only agree a long-term ceasefire agreement with Hamas with the return of Israelis held in captivity in Gaza. Defense Minister Benny Gantz outlined Israel’s terms to foreign diplomats regarding security yesterday in a special briefing. Successive Prime Ministers have stated a prerequisite to a deal is dependent on the return of Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed held captive by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 respectively, and IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul killed in the Operation Protective Edge 2014 conflict. Hamas must provide proof of life as part of any prisoner swap negotiations. There are reports Israel has provided a list of Hamas prisoners they will release in exchange for MIAs. “The conditions for a long-term arrangement with Hamas are the return of the boys to their homes, and a commitment to total calm in the south of the country,” Gantz said. Gantz was speaking as tensions mount on the Gaza border with incendiary balloon attacks and border riots. An Israeli Border Police officer was also critically injured.
Israel has made it clear they will act swiftly to violence. Gantz also spoke about Iran, noting Israel would act alone if necessary to stop the Islamic Republic acquiring nuclear weapons. “Iran is two months away from accumulating the material needed for a nuclear bomb,” he explained. “We do not know whether the regime is ready to reach a (nuclear) agreement and return to the negotiating table, but the world must prepare ‘Plan B’ and halt its progress right now.” Gantz further accused Iran of launching a deadly drone strike on The Mercer Street oil tanker last month. Israel, Britain and the US blamed Iran for the attack on an Israeli-operated tanker in international waters off Oman. A British and Rumanian crew member died in the incident believed to be by UAV-style drones. Gantz named Saeed Ara Jani, head of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ UAV Command, as behind the strike. “Our assessment is that the UAV employed in the Mercer Street attack was launched from Iranian territory and approved by Iranian leadership,” Gantz noted, adding that the “attack on the entire world”.
FIRST NIGHT SELICHOT PLEASE JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF PRAYER AND INSPIRATION IN CENTRAL LONDON
Motzei Shabbat 28 th August 2021 10:30pm 10:45pm 12:15am
Introduction by RABBI D EPSTEIN Address by RABBI S Y BIXENSPANNER Service Commences Service Concludes
בס״ד
BY DAVID SAFFER Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is set to discuss halting Iran’s nuclear program with US President Joe Biden today in his first official trip to the White House. After landing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland yesterday, he met government officials and Jewish leaders including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and AIPAC CEO Howard Kohr. Speaking before his departure, Bennett told reporters talks would also focus on Israel’s qualitative military edge in the Middle East, technology, security, climate change and the coronavirus pandemic. “We will confront many fronts, chiefly, the Iranian front and especially the step up in the Iranian nuclear program over the last two or three years,” he noted. Bennett described Biden as a “true friend of the State of Israel” and was bringing a “new spirit of cooperation from Jerusalem” to Israel-US relations. Bennett is expected to call on Biden to end talks with Iran on refreshing the JCPOA deal, which former President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018. It is anticipated Bennett will call for new sanctions on Iran and more countries to act against the Iranian regime. Global concerns over Afghanistan could well also be on the agenda. Biden has been heavily criticised after refusing to extend his August 31st deadline for withdrawing American troops. Biden has voiced concerns over an increased risk of attacks by Isis suicide bombers, noting, “The sooner we finish, the better.” Republicans accuse Biden of a “colossal failure” of leadership. G7 allies and world leaders fear thousands of people will be left behind. The Taliban has begun blocking access to Kabul airport. Tensions were strained with Biden following his inauguration with former Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu viewed as backing the Republican party. Bennett has sought to “reset” relations with the White House. “Right now, the biggest transaction taking place between the two countries is a refresh and a reset of bilateral relations,” Scott
Lasensky, former President Barack Obama’s senior policy advisor on Israel, reportedly told AFP. Foreign Minister Yair Lapid started the process in talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken following the transfer of power to a new Israeli coalition. “In the past few years mistakes were made. Israel’s bipartisan standing was hurt. We will fix those mistakes together,” Lapid said. But Iran will be top of the agenda especially with its nuclear program. “I will tell President Biden that it is time to stop the Iranians, not to give them a lifeline in the form of re-entering into an expired nuclear deal,” Bennett told reporters on Sunday. Or Rabinowitz, a US-Israel relations expert at the Hebrew University, backs the viewpoint. “We will present an orderly plan that we have formulated in the past two months to curb the Iranians,” he noted. But there is scepticism about what can be achieved during the high-profile visit. “The Biden administration understands this is a shaky coalition,” said Shira Efron, of Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies. Efron doubts Biden will push Bennett to restart peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Biden’s vow to reopen a consulate general in Jerusalem responsible for U.S.-Palestinian affairs is also expected to be discussed. Trump closed the mission in 2019 after he moved the US embassy to Jerusalem. Eugene Kontorovich advised the Trump administration on Israel. Bennett is “ideologically and fundamentally committed to the integrity of Jerusalem”, he noted. Speaking last week about the whistle-stop trip, Bennett noted the timing was at a critical point regarding Iran. “Tehran is increasing its Uranium enrichment and has substantially shortened the time needed to accumulate material for a nuclear bomb,” he said. “We’ve inherited a complex situation.” “Iran is behaving aggressively in the region and my message to Biden is that it must be stopped.” Bennett added. “We will present a plan that we have spent months constructing to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions and their belligerence in the region.”
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