Kerry and Biden Ask for Room to Reach a Nuclear Deal With Iran

By JONATHAN WEISMAN and MICHAEL GORDON, NY TIMES— Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. pressed senators on Wednesday to give the Obama administration some breathing room to reach an accord with Iran to freeze its nuclear programs, warning that a new round of sanctions could mean war instead of…

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Senators unmoved by Kerry’s plea to delay further Iran sanctions

By ISRAEL HAYOM— Top U.S. government officials on Wednesday continued to try to soften congressional opposition to the emerging interim deal between world powers and Iran, but ran into great skepticism on Capitol Hill. Both Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry met with Senate officials on Wednesday in an effort to…

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Iran Recognizes and is Exploiting America’s Weakness

By RYAN JONES, ISRAEL TODAY— As Israel lobbies Western powers against making a poor nuclear deal with Iran, Jerusalem is directly laying blame for the situation on America, revealed Israeli officials over the weekend. “This is no way to run a negotiation,” Israeli officials told Channel 2 News, charging that the Americans “are giving up…

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Amb. Alan Baker letter to Secretary John Kerry

To: The Hon. James Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State — From: Former Israeli Amb. to Canada, Alan Backer– November 8, 2013— After listening to you declare repeatedly over the past weeks that “Israel’s settlements are illegitimate”, I respectfully wish to state, unequivocally, that you are mistaken and ill advised, both in law and in fact.…

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Israeli protesters condemn Kerry’s remarks over 3rd intifada at US Consulate

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD, JPOST— Dozens of protesters gathered to condemn US Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday at Jerusalem’s US Consulate for remarks he made Thursday about the prospect of a third intifada due to Israeli intransigence, which they said resulted in the Friday firebombing of a car in Judea. The protest was scheduled…

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‘US capitulated’ on Iran deal, Jerusalem says

By ISRAEL HAYOM— Talks on curbing Iran’s nuclear program ended with no deal early Sunday, but Israeli-American relations appear to be headed toward stormy waters after a pair of testy public exchanges between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The deal with Iran ultimately fell through on Saturday after France…

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Kerry: US considers Israeli settlements to be ‘illegitimate’

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, JPOST— US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Israel on Wednesday to limit settlement building, an issue that is weighing on Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Friction over the talks has risen this past week on the back of Israeli plans, announced in tandem with its release of 26 Palestinian prisoners, for some…

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Threats as Arab MKs Disrupt Temple Mount Session

By GIL RONEN, ARUTZ 7— A Knesset debate on the implementation of equal Jewish prayer rights at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount degenerated into a shouting match Monday, as Arab Knesset Members used threatening words and aggressive body language to disrupt the meeting. Chairwoman of the Committee of Interior, MK Miri Regev (Likud), appeared largely helpless in…

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Palestinians: We Do Not Trust The Americans

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, GATESTONE— “We want the Americans to be involved in the peace process. But the U.S. should focus its pressure on the Israelis and not on us. We want the Americans to force Israel to accept the two-state solution and dismantle all the illegal settlements.” — Senior aide to Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud…

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Behind the scenes of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks

By ELIOR LEVY, YNET— US Secretary of State John Kerry is arriving in Israel on Tuesday as tensions surrounding peace talks reach boiling point. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently told Fatah officials that there has been no progress in the negotiations and warned talks could break down. He pointed a finger at Israel for linking…

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