Iran Nuclear Talks Can’t Get Past Timing for Sanction Relief
Negotiations for a final deal between Iran and the western powers got underway in Vienna on Wednesday but it soon became apparent that the differences in understanding that became evident soon after the framework agreement was reached on April 2nd are deep and potentially insurmountable. Key to the dispute is Iranian insistence that sanctions must be removed upon the signing of an agreement while American officials continue to insist that the deal was for a gradual lifting of the sanctions on a merit basis. Under terms of a deal struck between President Obama and Congress, lawmakers could nix the deal if the final version contains the Iranian version. US Secretary of State John Kerry, and his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, spoke by phone Wednesday night and will meet in New York on Monday.
Palestinian Student Election at West Bank University Shows Islamist Strength
Seen as a barometer of Palestinian political thought and public opinion, the 9,000 students at the West Bank’s Birzeit University handed a strong victory to Hamas over Fatah as it elected its student government. The Hamas-affiliated list won 26 seats while the Fatah-affiliated list took only 19. Another Islamist party, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, took an additional five seats that will presumably align with the Hamas list. The results came as a surprise to many because Birzeit is traditionally a stronghold for Fatah. In comparison, the current student government has 23 Fatah seats and 20 Hamas seats.
Would-be Terrorist Shoots Himself in Leg before Attack in France
A gunman planning a terror attack France accidentally shot himself in the leg on Sunday, alerting police to his plans when he called an ambulance. The plans of the 24-year old Algerian were revealed by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls who told France Inter radio that the threat of terror has “never been so significant.” Valls said at least five terrorist attacks have been thwarted since the January attacks on the offices of a satirical magazine and Jewish supermarket that left 20 dead.
Saudis Resume Strikes on Yemen Despite Announcement that they’re “Over”
Less than two days after Saudi Arabia announced that its campaign of air strikes against targets in Yemen was “over,” bombing resumed. Reports from Yemen indicate the Saudi bombers struck at Houthi positions in areas near the capital of Sana’a and in the cities of Taiz and Yarim. Fierce ground skirmishes were reported near the southern port city of Aden between the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthis and forces loyal to President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who remains in exile in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During a visit to Washington, former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri told American officials including Secretary of State Kerry that he would like to see the Saudi campaign turn its bombs on Syria in order to topple President Bashar Al-Assad.