Fresh Updates from RAC

This post is part of a weekly feature on RACblog. Check in at the end of the week for a roundup of stories in which the RAC has been featured!

This week we learned of attacks on U.S. Embassies in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, London and Yemen, and have mourned the deaths of Ambassador to Libya, J. Chris Stevens, along with three of his colleagues.

Rabbi Saperstein spoke powerfully condemning violence and stood strongly against the dissemination of videos that are intended “to provoke, to offend, and to evoke outrage.” He expressed his support for those “who seek to build bridges over longstanding divides” at a press conference on Wednesday morning, alongside Imam Mohamed Magid, the director of the Islamic Society of North America, Ali Suleiman Aujali, the Libyan ambassador to the U.S., The Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, President of Interfaith Alliance and Haris Tarin, the director of the Washington office of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

Rabbi Saperstein’s words were echoed by news stories in papers across the world including Ha’aretz, Voices of America, JTA, the LA Times and even the Saudi Gazette.

Addressing a packed crowd of policy enthusiasts at the Brookings Institute on Tuesday, Lt. General Daniel Holoutz, Former Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, spoke about Israeli security and threats posed by a potentially nuclear Iran. Click here to watch the full press conference.

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Nuclear negotiations with Iran are “dead in the water,” experts say. The demise of talks comes during the same week that Iran has unveiled plans for a new air defense site and the announcement of its new short-range missile with a range of 180 miles and upgraded hardware. This also comes within days of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s plan to announce a new report, which will indicate that Iran is more and more focused on increasing its enriched uranium to 20% (the “magic number” that nuclear experts claim will allow Iranian nuclear scientists to develop a bomb).

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Low-level diplomatic talks between world powers and Iran have failed, according to Israeli officials. Sunday on Israel Radio, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon suggested that, if all world powers involved in the talks would collectively declare failure, “it will be clear that all options are on the table.” This comment, referring directly to the threat of a preemptive attack on the Iranian nuclear program, has amplified the rumors that Prime Minister Netanyahu has all but made the final decision to attack Iran unilaterally in the coming months.

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If any of you have ever made a hotel reservation online, you know how important the rating system can be. If you are going someplace new and you have no first-hand recommendations to help you, seeing how many stars other guests have given a hotel is often all you have to inform your decision. The Orthodox Rabbinate here in Israel is trying to help people pick hotels with their own rating system, but this system is not based on price and customer service. Instead, it uses intolerance as its benchmark.

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Although the American press has taken a break from counting down the hours until a potential nuclear Iran, such a threat remains a top priority for both the Netanyahu and Obama administrations. The trigger points for an attack by either of these two parties may differ, but leaders of both countries have insisted that “no options are off the table” and that a policy of containment is neither viable nor acceptable.

Ehud Barak, Netanyahu’s Minister of Defense, spoke last week at the Aspen Ideas Festival about the differences in Netanyahu’s and Obama’s policies toward a nuclear Iran (he was interviewed by Tom Friedman of the New York Times, whose recent op-ed on what the Egyptian elections mean for Israel is worth a read). In his interview with Friedman, Barak noted similarities such as, “We all say that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable,” and he insisted that both parties believe that negotiations and sanctions should be dramatically accelerated and should be prioritized over any military action. However, he was quick to point out that the consequences of a successful Iranian nuclear weapons program would rest squarely on the shoulders of Israelis. Therefore, he concluded, “We cannot afford delegating this decision even in the hands of our most trusted and trustworthy allies, which is you,” meaning the U.S.

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It’s official: Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, is the new president of Egypt. His victory comes after 16 months of protests and strict military rule, the disqualification of many contested yet popular candidates, and the disbandment of Egypt’s lower parliament by the Armed Forces. President Morsi is the first Islamist elected as the head of an Arab state and Egypt’s first president from outside the military.  Read more…

The Egyptian elections, stemming from public uprisings that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign 16 months ago, have resulted in a run-off between two ideologically and politically conservative candidates: a representative from the Muslim Brotherhood and a veteran of the Mubarak administration. Mohamed Morsi represents the Brotherhood, while Ahmed Shafik represents “establishment” Egypt, as he served as President Mubarak’s prime minister.

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