A deal at any price?
The Tower cites a Wall Street Journal report that indicates that Western negotiators are so desperate for a deal with Iran that they are offering
more significant sanctions relief for a deal that would not stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has been pushing for a quick lifting of all Western
and United Nations Security Council sanctions, according to Western
diplomats. They have said some of Iran’s demands about the pace of
easing economic pressure are unrealistic.
However the diplomat said Iran would get “substantial” economic relief early on if they complete a deal.
“In return for the implementation by Iran of verifiable
nuclear-related actions which address our key concerns … we are ready to
offer a substantial relief of economic and financial sanctions at an
early stage,” the person said.
The Journal has also confirmed earlier reports that the West offered to let Iran 'unplug' its centrifuges rather than destroying them, a step that could be reversed in a matter of days.
The Tower adds:
While sanctions are cited as the impetus that forced Iran to negotiate, a report this July showed that the relaxing of sanctions over the course of the interim deal had eroded the West’s leverage with Iran in negotiations.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Catherine Ashton, centrifuges, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, P 5+1, toothless sanctions
Europe gets around to it
European foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has
finally gotten around to condemning the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers last Thursday night.
"Such acts can only undermine international efforts to encourage a
resumption of peace negotiations. We are following developments closely
and remain in constant contact with our Israeli and Palestinian
counterparts," the European Union said in a statement.
The French embassy in Israel also released a statement of condemnation on Tuesday calling the act "cowardly" and "unacceptable."
The
EU urged Israeli and Palestinian security services to operate in close
cooperation to ensure the swift release of Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach
and Naphtali Fraenkel.
So glad she found the time. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, European anti-Semitism, Palestinian terrorism
Maybe they didn't notice?
Here in Jerusalem, a lot of people are wondering why
the European Union has not yet condemned the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas terrorists.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s failure to quickly condemn
the kidnappings of Naphtali Fraenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach has
“not gone unnoticed,” diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said on Monday.
The officials said that while the US, Canada, Great Britain, Spain,
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the International
Committee of the Red Cross all condemned the kidnappings by Sunday, as
of Monday afternoon there was no statement from Ashton or her office.
An official at the EU delegation in Tel Aviv told The Jerusalem Post that strong reaction was expected later on Monday.
Nevertheless, the length of time it took Brussels to issue a statement left Israeli officials wondering.
“Maybe they didn’t know about it,” one diplomatic official said
caustically, contrasting the time it took the EU to condemn the
kidnappings with the rapidity in which they regularly condemn
announcements of Israeli construction beyond the Green Line. A source in
the Prime Minister’s Office said that they, too, were taking note of
who was condemning the kidnappings.
The EU has applauded the recent Hamas-Fatah unity moves, saying it was
an important step toward intra-Palestinian reconciliation necessary for
there to be a two-state solution.
Rafi Schutz, the foreign ministry's deputy director-general for western
Europe raised the issue in a meeting he had with EU ambassador Lars
Faaborg-Andersen on Monday. The ambassador began to explain that it took
time for the EU to release the statement because it was the weekend,
while Schutz pointed out that during the same weekend the EU released a
statement against Israel relating to Palestinian prisoners.
I'm not surprised Europe hasn't condemned the kidnappings. They're still the same anti-Semites they have been for centuries. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, European anti-Semitism, European Union, Palestinian terrorism
Too good not to share: Separated at birth
If you don't click
here, you will really be missing something (Hat Tip:
Jack W).
Heh.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, humor, John Kerry
Her Ugliness spits in Israel's face
Housing Minister Uri Ariel has slammed European Foreign Policy chief Catherine Ashton after Her Ugliness chose Holocaust Memorial Day - which commemorates the European slaughter of Jews 70 years ago - to
endorse the Hamas-Fatah unity deal.
“On the eve of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Memorial Day, she spit
in the face of those who fight against terror around the world," he
accused. "European support for the deal will encourage Hamas terror, and
will ensure that Europe loses it moral authority as a party that can
help solve the conflict.
In a statement, Ashton said that even if Hamas was considered to be a
terror group by the EU itself, negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority must continue. “Negotiations are the best way
forward,” she said. “The extensive efforts deployed in recent months
must not go to waste. The EU calls on all sides to exercise maximum
restraint and to avoid any action which may further undermine peace
efforts and the viability of a two-state solution. The fact that
President Abbas will remain fully in charge of the negotiation process
and have a mandate to negotiate in the name of all Palestinians provides
further assurance that the peace negotiations can and must proceed,"
she added.
An ugly statement by an ugly woman representing some of the most despicable 'world leaders' on the planet. But perhaps Shas MK Eli Yishai summed it up best:
“Europe's positive reaction to this deal is insulting and upsetting, but
expected. Just like 70 years ago, Europe closes its eyes to the dangers
that face Jews. Times have changed, but European hypocrisy hasn't,” he
added.
Indeed.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, European hypocrisy, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Holocaust Memorial Day
The serpent bares her tongue
Joshuapundit writes a devastating letter to Catherine Ashton.
Read the whole thing.
Labels: British obsession with Israel, Catherine Ashton, European obsession with Israel, John Kerry
Her ugliness strikes again
The world's ugliest diplomat made one of her
ugliest statements ever on Friday night after the Sabbath started.
Ashton said she has "followed with concern" developments in the areas,
including the Defense Ministry's authorization to expand Jewish
property holdings in Hebron, the IDF's claim as state land of 100
hectares in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, and reported
Israeli demolitions of Palestinian property in Area C and east
Jerusalem.
She also condemned Israel's alleged demolition of EU-funded housing structures outside of Ma'aleh Adumim in the E1 area, a highly contentious area in the West Bank east of Jerusalem.
In
a statement, Ashton blasted such steps as "not conducive to the climate
of trust and cooperation needed for the current peace negotiations to
succeed."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
slammed Ashton in a post on his Facebook page.
Liberman criticized the top EU diplomat for calling on Israel to reverse
recent decisions made in regard to the West Bank and east Jerusalem,
insinuating that she should concentrate on what he indicated were a
multitude of more pressing issues.
He denounced the timing of Ashton's statement at a time when he said
"there are many other instances around the globe of charged
confrontations and conflicts that claim human life," citing the crisis
in Ukraine, the Syrian civil war and violence in Iraq.
Liberman on
Facebook sarcastically charged that "it was lucky that the European
Union knows how to diagnose critical problems in the world and take care
of them quickly and decisively."
Arutz Sheva
adds:
Ashton made no reference to Palestinian Authority moves which caused
negotiations to collapse, including its repeated refusal to recognize
Israel as the Jewish people's nation-state, and the decision to unilaterally apply for membership in 15 international agencies.
...
An Israeli official, who requested anonymity, slammed Ashton's
comment, and pinned the blame for the faltering peace talks on the
Palestinians.
"It is not surprising that once more Mrs Ashton is ignoring
Palestinian responsibility in the crisis facing the discussions," the
official said. "Although the Palestinians clearly and crudely violated
the agreements by unilaterally addressing the United Nations, Mrs Ashton
did not see the need to react to that."
...
"As always when the Palestinians
must make decisions, they refuse to do so in the knowledge that the
international community will ignore it, and this is what happened," the
Israeli official said.
I'd love to know who that 'Israeli official' was.... Those are the kind of comments we need to make regularly.
Labels: Avigdor Lieberman, Catherine Ashton, Middle East peace process, Palestinians
Iranian Official: Ashton an Old Lady, Ban Ki-moon a Puppet; Westerners Are Animals
Hassan Rahimpour Azghadi, a member of the Iranian Supreme Council for Cultural Revolution, tells us how he really feels about westerners.
Let's go to the videotape.
But 'peace' is at hand.
Labels: Ban Ki-Moon, Catherine Ashton, Iran, Iranian nuclear threat
So whom did you dress up as this year for Purim?
It's all over. Purim is done. Whom did you dress up as this year for Purim? Here's how some 'world leaders' dressed.
Heh (Hat Tip:
Jack W).
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, Bashar al-Assad, Catherine Ashton, Hassan Rohani, John Kerry, Vladimir Putin
It's come to this: This is how Catherine Ashton observed International Women's Day
Now don't get me wrong. I'm an Orthodox Jew, and Mrs. Carl covers her hair (not with a hijab) and wears sleeves below the elbow and skirts below the knee all the time. But Mrs. Carl does that because she chooses to and because that's how we choose to live our lives. Ashton clearly does not choose to walk around in a hijab. Only in Iran.
As to Ashton's statement, it really is vacuous. It sounds like she just wants an agreement - any agreement. And given that she seems quite unsure that there will ever be one, you have to wonder again why the sanctions were eased at all.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, Iranian nuclear threat, women
Iran denies IAEA access to Parchin
What a great deal US Secretary of State John FN Kerry and EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton cut with Iran. Totally brilliant. Iran is not obligated to give inspectors from the IAEA access to the Parchin military base where Iran was developing nuclear weapons. And of course,
they're not going to give them access either.
Iran announced on Sunday it has not granted the U.N. atomic watchdog
access to the Parchin military site, where the agency suspects
experiments relating to nuclear weapons development may have occurred.
Iran
cited that the visit would not fall under seven steps the Islamic
Repubilc and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had agreed
on.
“Visiting Parchin is not included in the seven steps,”
Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy organization,
told the ISNA news agency, referring to elements of an agreement
reached Sunday.
The Islamic Republic agreed on seven “practical
steps” with the IAEA in talks seeking further safeguards to enhance
transparency on Tehran’s nuclear drive, an Iranian nuclear official
said.
The steps are meant to be implemented by May 15, Iran’s envoy to the Vienna-based body, Reza Najafi, told the ISNA news agency.
Sunday’s
statement comes nine days before Tehran and world powers, building on a
landmark interim deal that took effect last month, start talks on a
long-term accord on Iran’s nuclear aspirations.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Catherine Ashton, IAEA, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, P 5+1
Israel 'endangering' possibility that Jerusalem will be the capital of the 'Palestinian' reichlet
Lady Ugliness, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, has called on Israel to '
take back' plans to build in the Jewish Jerusalem neighborhoods of Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Zev and Har Homa, claiming that such construction endangers the possibility of Jerusalem being the capital of 'Palestine.'
"These plans endanger the chances of turning Jerusalem into the capital
of two countries," claimed Ashton, referencing the US plan to establish
an Arab capital in Jerusalem. "I call on the government of Israel to weigh this step again, and take back its decision."
The Obama administration had already condemned the plans on Wednesday.
Ashton's disapproval over the idea of Jewish homes being built echoes condemnation from the US State Department
on Wednesday. Spokesperson Jen Psaki said "we oppose any unilateral
actions by either party that attempt to prejudge final status issues,
including the status of Jerusalem."
Israel did not agree to a building freeze anywhere in the run-up to the current 'talks.'
JPost adds:
Ashton, increasingly criticized by government officials for swiftly
condemning every building announcement beyond the 1967 lines but not
protesting similarly Palestinian incitement or violence, issued a
statement saying she was “deeply concerned” by the announcement.
“These
plans could put at risk the prospects of Jerusalem becoming the capital
of two states and, in particular, the territorial contiguity between
east Jerusalem and the southern West Bank,” she said.
“The EU and
the international community have repeatedly warned that any unilateral
action prejudging the final status of Jerusalem threatens the current
peace negotiations and, as a consequence, the two-state solution,” she
added. “Any such developments must be avoided at all costs.”
Despite
Ashton’s adoption of the Palestinian position that Jerusalem will be
the capital of a future Palestinian state, Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu has said repeatedly that he is opposed to dividing the
capital.
As I noted in an earlier post,
we have made ourselves susceptible to this kind of international pressure. This will continue until the Prime Minister's backbone is located.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, East Jerusalem, Har Homa, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Middle East peace process, Pisgat Zev
And we have another delay!
Before the Iran nuclear talks for a permanent agreement even start, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has decided that five months is not enough time to reach a permanent agreement, and is calling to
extend the talks.
Comprehensive negotiations between world powers and Iran over its nuclear program officially begin in Vienna on February 18, at which point diplomats will have just over five months to reach an accord ending the longstanding impasse once and for all.
That
cutoff was agreed upon, and is self-imposed, by the parties directly
involved in the talks. Yet given the stakes of failure, Catherine
Ashton, the European Union's chief diplomat, is already discussing an
extension of that deadline.
"Everyone will say to you, and rightly so, this is extremely difficult," Ashton told The Wall Street Journal
at a strategic conference in Munich on Sunday. "We have no guarantees
in this and we will take the time that is necessary to get this to be
the right agreement."
Speaking on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the negotiations, US officials have told The Jerusalem Post they too fear the talks will require more time than has been officially acknowledged.
Anyone want to bet that Iran has nuclear weapons before the talks reach a conclusion?
Whatever else happens, Iran is confident that there won't be any more sanctions regardless of how long the talks drag out. Here's Iranian foreign minister
Javad Zarif.
"With good will we can reach an agreement within six month," he said in a
speech to the German Council on Foreign Relations. "I don't fear a
decision in the US Congress ... The US president has promised to veto
it."
And of course, the US President always keeps his promises... well, at least to Iran.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Catherine Ashton, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, P 5+1
Ashton forgets to mention Jews on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The
graphic explains it all, but here's Catherine Ashton's
statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Today the international community remembers the victims of the Holocaust,” the EU’s top diplomat said.
“We honor every one of those brutally murdered in the darkest period of
European history. We also want to pay a special tribute to all those
who acted with courage and sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens
against persecution.”
“On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must keep alive the memory of this
tragedy. It is an occasion to remind us all of the need to continue
fighting prejudice and racism in our own time. We must remain vigilant
against the dangers of hate speech and redouble our commitment to
prevent any form of intolerance. The respect of human rights and
diversity lies at the heart of what the European Union stands for.”
Astounding. And this woman wants a role in 'peace making' in the Middle East? She should be shown the door.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, European anti-Semitism, Holocaust Remembrance Day
Israeli reporters barred from Christmas services in Bethlehem
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton joined '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen at Christmas mass in Bethlehem, but most
Israeli reporters were barred from attending (I know one who snuck into the city).
On Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority,
which controls the historic Biblical town of Bethlehem, barred Israeli
journalists from covering Christmas festivities. Palestinian journalists
asked for the Israeli journalists to be expelled from Manger Square;
the Israeli journalists thrown out of Bethlehem include reporters from
Ha’aretz, i-24 News, Channel One and Arutz Sheva.
This move follows a long campaign from Palestinian journalists to stop
Israeli reporters from entering Palestinian-controlled territories in
the West Bank at all. Israeli reporters have even been beaten by
Palestinians in attempting to cover events in the West Bank. The purpose
of such exclusivity: “isolating the Israeli media, which is
contributing to misinformation and relaying a false and harmful image of
the Palestinian reality.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas released a message
this week in which he stated that Jesus was “a Palestinian messenger
who would become a guiding light for millions around the world.” He
added, “As we Palestinians strive for our freedom two millennia later,
we do our best to follow his example.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor shot back that Abbas
“should have read the Gospel before uttering such offensive nonsense.”
Jesus, of course, was a Jew living in Talmudic-era Israel.
We wouldn't want the truth about the 'Palestinian Authority' to be too widely publicized, would we?
Labels: Abu Mazen, Bethlehem, Catherine Ashton, Christmas, freedom of the press, Palestinian Authority
NSFW: Which picture sickens you more?
I now present you with two pictures from Geneva early this morning. Which one sickens you more? Vote in the comments:
Here's the second one:
Don't forget to vote for the one that sickens you more in the comments.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, John Kerry, Mohammad Javad Zarif
'Narrow gaps' between Iran and the P 5+1?
In a sign that a deal with Iran may once again be approaching,
western foreign ministers have joined the P 5+1 talks in Geneva
Only "narrow" gaps separate Iran and P5+1 world powers from reaching
agreement on Iran's nuclear program, British Foreign Secretary William
Hague said Saturday.
Hague was among the foreign ministers who joined the talks Saturday
after hints a final agreement could be reached. The US State Department
announced Friday that "after consulting with EU High Representative
Ashton and the negotiating team on the ground, Secretary Kerry will
travel to Geneva later today with the goal of continuing to help narrow
the differences and move closer to an agreement."
Hague said that any deal must be "truly worthwhile," the BBC
reported. "There are narrow but important gaps," he said, "and it's
very important that any agreement is thorough, detailed and it's an
agreement in which the whole world can have confidence."
European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton is leading the
talks, which are being conducted by the United States, Russia, France,
China and Germany, vis-à-vis Iran.
The talks began Wednesday and were scheduled to end Friday.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Catherine Ashton, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, Laurent Fabius, Mohammad Javad Zarif, P 5+1, William Hague
Obama on the verge of creating a nuclear Iran
President Hussein Obama is on the verge of creating a nuclear Iran. All he has to do is to get Congress and Israel to stand down as this '
interim deal' proposed by the
United States Obama administration goes through.
Western diplomats and US officials have refused to disclose any details of a
“first step agreement”. But a Senate aide, citing briefings from the White
House, the State Department and sources in Geneva, said he understood that
it would include four key points.
Iran would stop enriching uranium to the 20 per cent level that is close
to weapons-grade – and turn its existing stockpile of this material into
harmless oxide.
Iran would continue enrichment to the 3.5 per cent purity needed for
nuclear power stations – but agree to limit the number of centrifuges being
used for this purpose. There would, however, be no requirement to remove or
disable any other centrifuges.
Iran would agree not to activate its plutonium reactor at Arak, which
could provide another route to a nuclear weapons -capability, during the
six-month period. Iran may, however, continue working on the facility.
Iran would agree not to use its more advanced IR-2 centrifuges, which can
enrich uranium between three and five times faster than the older model.
In return, American would ease economic sanctions, possibly by releasing some
Iranian foreign exchange reserves currently held in frozen accounts. In
addition, some restrictions affecting Iran’s petrochemical, motor and
precious metals industries could be relaxed.
However, a senior administration official made clear that only “reversible”
sanctions would be eased - and they could be re-imposed if Iran were to
break any deal.
Israel Radio's 5:00 am newscast described this potential deal as a disaster.
Congress feels the same way. And they're not the only ones....
David Albright, the director of the Institute for Science and International
Security, a think tank which monitors Iran’s nuclear ambitions, cautioned
against an agreement that would not genuinely freeze the programme.
If Iran stopped enrichment to 20 per cent purity and converted its existing
stockpile, this would be “nowhere near enough” he said. Any interim
agreement would be also undermined if Iran was still able to manufacture
centrifuges, including the old IR-1s and the more advanced IR-2Ms.
If so, Iran could then “emerge if the deal fell apart with several thousands
IR-1s and IR-2Ms to be deployed rapidly in Natanz, and possibly even a third
centrifuge plant,” said Mr Albright. “I think it is quite reasonable to ask
Iran to stop centrifuge manufacturing, but I’m not sure the US is going to
go there.”
Obama's biggest 'accomplishment' in office is about to become a nuclear Iran.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Catherine Ashton, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, John Kerry, P 5+1, United States Senate
'Palestinians' seethe: Kerry asks EU to delay 'settlement guidelines'
In light of the ongoing 'negotiations' between Israel and the 'Palestinians,' US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked the European Union to delay the 'settlement guidelines' that would force Israel to exclude Judea and Samaria residents from all European projects. The 'Palestinians' are
seething.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked EU
foreign ministers who met in Vilnius, Lithuania to delay any action on the
matter given that direct talks were renewed between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority at the end of July.
At a briefing with reporters prior to the
meeting, a senior state department official said, “The secretary’s message to
the EU foreign ministers will be very clear, that now that the parties are in
negotiations and both leaders took difficult and painful – politically painful
decisions in order to get into these direct negotiations – that it’s important
for those parties who have an interest in a successful outcome that they be
supportive of this effort and that they find a way to embrace the negotiators
and encourage them to move forward, rather than, as it were metaphorically, bang
them over the head.”
When asked about Kerry’s request at a press
conference after the meeting, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said, “I
want to reiterate the issue of the guidelines, that this is putting down on
paper what is currently the EU’s position.” She added, “We will be sending a
team to Israel on Monday... to make sure that in the implementation, we are
doing so sensitively.
...
PLO executive committee member Dr. Hanan
Ashrawi expressed concern over Kerry’s request to the EU.
“The
announcement of the EU guidelines was a very positive step which played a
significant role in the decision to resume negotiations. By refusing to extend
grants and awards beyond the Green Line, these guidelines reinforce the 1967
border and play a constructive role in reaffirming the two-state solution,
something which can only help the cause of peace.
“Reports of US lobbying the EU
on behalf of Israel are extremely discouraging and cast serious doubts on the US
mediation role,” Ashrawi added. “Once again the US is using the negotiations
process to grant Israel immunity and to buy it more time to create facts on the
ground, thereby rendering the so-called ‘peace process’ a self-defeating
exercise.”
How does one 'sensitively' put a knife to a patient without anesthesia?
I agree that the 'so-called peace process' is a 'self-defeating exercise,' but that's because in the last 20 years the 'Palestinians' have never made a single concession.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Catherine Ashton, European anti-Semitism, European Union, Hanan Ashrawi, John Kerry, Middle East peace process, PLO
Israeli officials: Talks just giving Iran more time
In what may be an attempt to lay the final groundwork for a strike on Iran, 'Israeli officials' are claiming that the P 5+1 talks are accomplishing nothing except to
give Iran more time.
[EU Foreign Policy chief Catherine] Ashton phoned new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on
Saturday, just after he was inaugurated in his post, to congratulate him
on his appointment. According to a statement put out by her
spokesperson, Ashton “underlined her continued determination and
commitment to seek a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.”
Ashton
said that the world powers known as the P5+1 – the US, Russia, China,
Germany, France and Britain – were “ready to work with the new Iranian
negotiating team as soon as they were appointed.”
According to the statement, Ashton “confirmed the need for substantial talks that will lead to concrete results swiftly.”
The statement said the two also discussed regional issues and “agreed to meet soon.”
And Israel's reaction....
The only thing talks between Iran and the world’s powers have
achieved until now is buy Tehran more time, Israeli officials said
Sunday, following EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton’s comment
that the P5+1 group is eager to restart the talks.
“We are
skeptical in the extreme,” one official said of a new round of talks. He
said there was no hope the talks would help “unless the Iranians feel
the pressure is being upgraded.”
Patience is justifiably running out.
Labels: Catherine Ashton, Iranian nuclear threat, Israeli attack on Iran, P 5+1
