Newspaper Reports Israeli Nuclear Official Met Secretly with Iranian

The Israeli daily Ha’aretz is reporting that an official of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission met secretly with an Iranian atomic energy official in Cairo in September. According to the report, representatives of both Arab and western countries participated in the meetings, which featured a discussion of making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone.  The secrecy, which was agreed to in order to encourage a candid discussion and which was maintained since the end of September, was broken when an Australian official leaked word of the meeting to an Australian newspaper. Israel has confirmed that the meeting took place: the first meeting between Israeli and Iranian officials since the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979.

Iranian Nuclear Deal Takes Form

Iran has apparently come to terms with representatives of western nations and Russia for an agreement that will slow down but not halt the Iranian nuclear development program. If the deal is ratified, the bulk of Iran’s stockpiled uranium will be shipped to Russia where it will be enriched to a level compatible with peaceful uses of nuclear power. The west believes that would remove enough nuclear fuel from the country to cripple Iran’s attempts to create nuclear weapons for about one year. That year would be the window of opportunity for U.S. President Barack Obama to succeed diplomatically in preventing Iran from making atomic weapons. Early word from Israel shows a variety of opinions among government officials. While some see the move as the first tangible sign of a modicum of success in the diplomatic realm, others caution that if the details known so far are correct, there is nothing to prevent the Iranian march toward nuclear weaponry from continuing clandestinely. All Israeli officials have been ordered not to respond to any inquiries concerning the Iranian nuclear program or the proposed deal.

Movement on Afghanistan’s Political Front

Afghanistan’s political front appears to be improving. First, President Hamid Karzai bowed to international pressure and agreed to hold a run-off election. Now, media is rife with speculation that Karzai’s opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, is willing to serve in a unity government. It appears unlikely that the decision to do so will remove the need for the run-off altogether, but it signals an easing of the way to forming a working government following the second round of balloting. Gridlock has crippled the government since the first round of voting on August 20. The United States has an interest in the outcome because the political situation has made President Obama’s decision on whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan more difficult. Many are accusing Obama of procrastinating. The U.S. has denied exerting pressure on Karzai and Abdullah to form a unity government, and Karzai denies that he has been under any international pressure.  

Qassam Hits Israel; Air Force Strikes at Tunnels

A Palestinian Qassam rocket landed in the western Negev region of Israel on Wednesday, striking an open area near the industrial zone of a cooperative community. The blast caused no injuries or damage. Israeli war planes struck a building the Israelis say is used to store weapons in the Gaza Strip and bombed smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip with Egypt in an apparent response to the Qassam.

Sudanese Man Subdued Aboard Cairo Flight; Sought to Fly to Israel

A Sudanese man used the knife from his airline meal to try to hijack an EgyptAir flight from Istanbul to Cairo on Wednesday. Although few details have been made public, airline officials said the would-be hijacker told the crew to fly to Jerusalem. He was quickly subdued by on-board security personnel and the plane landed in Cairo as scheduled.

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