As Tehran Deal Appears Imminent, Israeli Politicians Cast Blame

TEL AVIV — Israeli politicians are blaming each other for failing to stop President Biden’s appeasement of Iran, as a new, unsigned deal would seal the Islamic Republic’s status as a state on the threshold of possessing nuclear arms.A top opposition leader, Yair Lapid, is accusing the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu of a failure to sway Mr. Biden. The deal, which is reportedly in the final stages of implementation, would “pause” further Iranian enrichment of uranium at 60 percent purity, but leave intact much of Iran’s current stockpiles that are enriched to that level. That level of purity can quickly be converted to 90 percent, which is considered a weapon’s grade.Washington contends the agreements are no more than a series of diplomatic “understandings,” including, initially, the release of convicted Iranian terrorists in return for Americans wrongfully held hostage in Iranian jails. In what could be a down payment, a Hezbollah financier, Mohamad Youssef Hammoud, who was sentenced to life in prison, was released this week after being incarcerated 23 years, Al-Arabiya reports. Hammoud was convicted of running a cigarette-smuggling ring in America and Canada to fund the Lebanon-based, Iranian-backed terror group. The Department of State denies that there is any deal with Iran, saying. though, that Washington wants to reduce tensions and curb Iran’s nuclear program, as well as for Tehran to cease support for regional proxy groups and halt aid to Russia’s war on Ukraine. “We continue to use diplomatic engagements to pursue all of these goals,” the department’s spokesman, Matt Miller, told Reuters. “Call it whatever you want, whether a temporary deal, an interim deal, or a mutual understanding. Both sides want to prevent further escalation,” an Iranian official told the agency. Initially, the agreement would entail an exchange of prisoners and a release of Iranian funds that were frozen in several countries as part of American-imposed sanctions. “Despite attempts to call it by other names, the agreement set to be signed between Iran and the U.S. is a nuclear treaty,” and is a “colossal failure of this government,” Mr. Lapid wrote on Twitter Friday. “This is precisely the agreement that the previous government managed to prevent during its tenure.” Mr. Lapid is “the last person to preach,” Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party responded, according to the Israeli public broadcaster Kann. The former premier, the statement alleged, supported the 2015 nuclear deal. He also signed a deal that transferred Mediterranean-based oil fields to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon.Mr. Lapid, though, blamed his successor for failing to have influence over Washington due to a proposed Knesset attempt to reform Israel’s judiciary. Mr. Netanyahu “should announce that the judiciary coup is canceled, fly to Washington and do everything so that the agreement is not signed,” Mr. Lapid wrote, adding that “as in the past, the opposition will help in that.”Several Israeli sources tell the Sun that before opposition politicians overtook the large, weekly demonstrations against the proposed judiciary overhaul, anger over the legislation started with a small group of active fighter pilots in the Israel Defense Force. The pilots were concerned about being arrested abroad as Washington signaled it would end the policy of shielding Israel in international courts. Washington has long leaned on venues like the Hague-based International Criminal Court to forgo trials against Israelis for alleged war crimes. It has argued that the country’s judicial system is independent and strong, and therefore has the capacity to try such crimes, if they exist. America and Israel are non-ICC members, and both say the court has no jurisdiction over their citizens. Yet, the Biden administration is convinced that the current proposed Knesset legislation to revamp the judicial system would diminish the Israeli courts’ independence. Sources say it has therefore signaled to Jerusalem that it could remove its opposition to trials involving Israelis in international venues.Without American backing, members of the IDF and some Israeli officials fear they would be exposed to arrest warrants issued by global venues, as well as countries such as Britain that have universal jurisdiction. The Likud statement said that for years Mr. Netanyahu led an international opposition to ineffective Iran diplomacy, and that he remains opposed to any deal. Additionally, it said, Israel has the capacity to stop Iran from becoming a full-fledged nuclear state regardless of any deal. Mr. Biden, nevertheless, seems intent on presenting a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran on the eve of the 2024 presidential election. Israeli politicians, reflecting a widely held public mood, are unified in opposition to such diplomacy. Their debate is over who in Jerusalem is responsible for a deal — even though the onus is on Washington.

As Tehran Deal Appears Imminent, Israeli Politicians Cast Blame

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