Biden and Bennett met in the White House in late August, but are not believed to have spoken since. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Bennett in early December, Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Blinken in DC two weeks ago and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid met with Blinken in DC in October.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan landed in Israel earlier today and is expected to meet Bennett this week, and President Isaac Herzog later tonight.

Source: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/biden-reportedly-hasnt-taken-bennetts-calls-in-several-weeks/

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During an event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Robert Malley said that the US has made clear to Iran’s representatives that “we are prepared to remove all of the sanctions that were imposed by the Trump administration that were inconsistent with the [nuclear] deal, and therefore we could get back to the business that we should have been on.”

“That’s where we are today, and I think that’s the choice that Iran faces,” Malley said. “Are they prepared to go back to that or do they want to choose a different path?”

Despite the White House’s overtures, Malley added, “the Iranians have refused to have direct communication with us, direct contact with us, so everything has been done through intermediaries.”

“It’s not a particularly constructive [format], it’s one that lends itself to delays, it’s one that lends itself to misunderstandings, and all of that has happened.”

Then-President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the nuclear deal in May 2018. Representatives of the other five nations who signed the pact — China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom — have taken part in six rounds of face-to-face meetings in the Austrian capital this year, with the US participating indirectly.

Iran has hinted it’s ready for more talks, but has not committed to a date. Meanwhile, it has blown through limits on its nuclear activities that had been set by the deal.

Last month, a US-based think tank reported that Tehran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for an atomic bomb within a month.

“Every day that goes by, we’re getting a piece of Iran’s answer,” Malley said Wednesday. “Every day where they [the Iranians] are not coming back to the table, every day where they’re making statements about how little was achieved in Vienna, which is what the current team is saying, is telling us that this is a team that may not, in fact, be prepared to come back into what we would consider … full mutual return to compliance.”

“And so, of course, we have to prepare for a world, which we’re doing now in consultation with our partners from the region … where Iran doesn’t have constraints on its nuclear program and we have to consider options for dealing with that, which is what we’re doing even as we hope that we can get back to the deal,” he went on. “That is by far our preference. But as I said, Iran is giving us its answer by what it’s doing and not doing every day and we need to take that into account.”

Malley said he would be traveling soon to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to discuss the matter with leaders there.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Wednesday that they have opened discussions on “other options” for action should the US rejoin the nuclear deal and Iran reject an offer to come back into compliance with it.

“Time is running short,” Blinken said at a joint event with Lapid and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn’t change course, and these consultations with our allies and partners are part of it.”

Blinken did not elaborate on what those “other options” were, but noted ominously that “it takes two to engage in diplomacy, and we have not seen from Iran a willingness to do that at this point.”

“There are moments when nations must use force to protect the world from evil,” Lapid chimed in. “If a terror regime is going to acquire a nuclear weapon we must act. We must make clear that the civilized world won’t allow it. If the Iranians don’t believe the world is serious about stopping them, they will race to the bomb.”

Lapid had met Tuesday with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to convey Israel’s concerns about the US rejoining the nuclear deal and restoring sanctions relief.

With Post wire

Source: https://nypost.com/2021/10/13/biden-special-envoy-warns-us-must-prepare-for-fully-nuclear-iran/

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Gantz is expected to request a $1 billion budget for replenishing the Iron Dome following Operation Guardian of the Walls.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was slated Wednesday to travel to the United States for a meeting with top U.S. security officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

Gantz’s trip comes on the heels of statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel would continue working to thwart Iran’s nuclear program, even at the cost of tensions with the United States.

During a farewell speech on Monday evening for departing Mossad head Yossi Cohen, Netanyahu said that while Israel respects the U.S.’s attempts to stop Iran’s nuclear development through diplomacy, the Jewish State would use any means necessary to protect Israel’s security.

“If we have to choose, [and] I hope it does not happen, between friction with our great friend the United States and the elimination of the existential threat – the elimination of the existential threat prevails.”

On his Twitter account, Gantz appeared to contradict Netanyahu’s approach. “The U.S. has been and will continue to be Israel’s most important ally, protecting Israel’s security and its qualitative edge in the region,” he wrote.

“The Biden Administration is a true friend of Israel, and Israel doesn’t have nor will it ever have a greater partner than the United States,” he added.

“Even if differences arise, they will be resolved through direct dialogue, behind closed doors, not through provocative statements that serve to harm Israeli sec May’surity.”

During Gantz’s trip to the U.S., he is expected to submit a request for $1 billion to replenish the Iron Dome, as many of its missiles were deployed during the 11-day clash between Israel and Hamas-based terror groups.

Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-NC), who is a longtime Israel advocate, said he believed the request would be granted.

“Iron Dome performed incredibly well, saving thousands of Israeli lives and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives,” Graham said. “I would imagine that the administration would say yes to this request and it will sail through Congress.”

Source: https://worldisraelnews.com/gantz-heads-to-washington-for-security-talks-1-billion-request-for-iron-dome

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• Alexei Navalny: What you need to know
• The women fighting for Navalny against corruption

Human rights campaigners say the jail where Alexei Navalny is being held is known for its especially harsh conditions – Reuters

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On Sunday, a number of countries joined the international protest against Navalny’s treatment inside the Russian jail in the town of Pokrov, about 100 km (62 miles) east of Moscow.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN there would be “consequences if Mr. Navalny dies” and Russia would be “held accountable by the international community”, while President Joe Biden said his medical treatment was “totally unfair and totally inappropriate”.

The US is already embroiled in a diplomatic row with Russia over the near-fatal poisoning of Navalny last year, with the chemical warfare agent Novichock.

The Kremlin denies Navalny’s claims that President Vladimir Putin ordered the attack. But US intelligence officials concluded that the Moscow government was behind the poisoning, prompting the Biden administration to impose sanctions on senior Russian officials.

Now Moscow is imposing its own measures in retaliation.

Jake Sullivan@jakejsullivan

Mr. Navalny should be immediately released, and the perpetrators of the outrageous attack on his life must be held accountable. The Kremlin’s attacks on Mr. Navalny are not just a violation of human rights, but an affront to the Russian people who want their voices heard.

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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter

EU leaders are expected to discuss the situation on Monday, and Josep Borrell, the bloc’s top diplomat, said the EU was “deeply concerned” and called for prison authorities to grant access to Navalny’s medical team immediately.

The UK’s Foreign Office said in a statement: “Mr. Navalny must be given immediate access to independent medical care. We reiterate our call for his immediate release from his politically-motivated imprisonment.”

Navalny’s 20-year-old daughter, Daria Navalnaya, who is currently studying in California, wrote “allow a doctor to see my dad” on Twitter.

Navalny’s wife Yulia said he had lost 9kg (19 lbs) since starting his hunger strike, according to AP.

Josep Borrell Fontelles@JosepBorrellF

Deeply concerned by Alexei @navalny’s deteriorating health. Russian authorities must grant him immediate access to medical professionals he trusts. We hold them to account for ensuring his safety & health. EU continues to call for Mr. Navalny’s immediate & unconditional release.

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EU Council Press@EUCouncilPress

Declaration of @JosepBorrellF on behalf of the EU on the deteriorating health of Alexei #Navalny. The EU is deeply concerned and calls on the Russian authorities to grant him immediate access to medical professionals he trusts.

https://europa.eu/!Bq78XP

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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter

Navalny’s supporters in Russia are organizing a nationwide protest on Wednesday, saying “there are circumstances in which you need to act quickly, otherwise the irreparable will happen”.

On Friday, four doctors wrote to prison officials to request permission to see Navalny urgently, saying his potassium had reached “critical levels”.

Dr. Alexander Polupan, who treated Navalny after he was poisoned with Novichock last year, said his blood test results were an “absolute indication” that he needed urgent medical care or he would “die within the next [few] days”.

On Sunday, his personal physician, Anastasia Vasilyeva, who has previously been arrested for protesting outside Navalny’s jail, tweeted that she and the three doctors had “stood for two hours and begged” to be let into the jail, but they were refused entry.

Also joining the call for action are more than 70 well-known writers, artists, and academics, who have signed a letter calling on President Putin to ensure Navalny receives adequate medical care.

The letter was published in The Economist and France’s Le Monde newspaper and included the signatures of Hollywood actors Jude Law, Ralph Fiennes, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Harry Potter author JK Rowling and director Ken Burns.

In an interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr recorded on Friday but aired on Sunday, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, said that Navalny was not in danger.

“Of course he will not be allowed to die in prison, but I can say that Mr. Navalny behaves like a hooligan absolutely in trying to violate every rule that has been established,” he said, adding that the activist was attempting “to attract attention”.

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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56794744

[Disclaimer]

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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The United States, South Korea, and Japan agreed in high-level security talks on Friday (April 2) to work together to keep up pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

In a joint statement after a day of talks, new US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Kitamura, and South Korea’s national security adviser Suh Hoon reaffirmed their commitment to address the issue “through concerted trilateral cooperation towards denuclearisation”.

The three countries also agreed on the need for full implementation by the international community of UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea, “preventing proliferation, and cooperating to strengthen deterrence and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula”, the statement said.

The national security advisers also discussed the value of working together to address other challenges such as Covid-19, climate change, and promoting an immediate return to democracy in Myanmar, the statement said.

The talks held at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, were the most senior-level meeting between the three allies since Mr. Biden took power on Jan 20 and came against a backdrop of rising tensions after North Korean missile launches last week.

Mr. Biden, whose administration is finalizing a review of North Korea policy, said last week the United States remained open to diplomacy with North Korea despite its ballistic missile tests, but warned there would be responses if North Korea escalates matters.

Source:  https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/us-japan-south-korea-agree-to-keep-up-pressure-on-north-korea

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration’s early efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are getting a chilly early response from Tehran. Though few expected a breakthrough in the first month of the new administration, Iran’s tough line suggests a difficult road ahead.

Having made several significant overtures to Iran in its first weeks in office, the administration’s outreach has been all but shunned by the Iranians. They had already rejected Biden’s opening gambit: a U.S. return to the deal from which President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018 if Iran resumes full compliance with its obligations under the accord.

Iran is shaping up to be a major test of the Biden administration’s overall approach to foreign policy, which the president has said will realign itself with the kind of multilateral diplomacy that Trump shunned. Although there are other hot-button issues — Russia, China, and North Korea among them — Iran has a particular significance for Biden’s top national security aides. They include Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and special envoy for Iran Rob Malley, all of whom were intimately involved in crafting the 2015 deal under President Barack Obama and may have personal stakes in salvaging it.

Biden took office pledging to reverse Trump’s pullout from the deal, which gave it billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Just last week, Biden delivered in at least three ways: agreeing to return to multinational talks with Iran about reviving the deal, rescinding Trump’s determination that all U.N. sanctions on Iran must be restored, and easing onerous travel restrictions on Iranian diplomats posted to the United Nations.

Yet, Iran has held firm to demands that it will not respond to anything less than a full lifting of the sanctions Trump reimposed. Over the weekend, Iran made good on a threat to suspend adherence to a U.N. agreement allowing intrusive inspections of its declared nuclear sites. Although it stopped short of ordering the removal of international inspectors, Iran reduced cooperation with them and vowed to revisit the step in three months if sanctions aren’t removed.

The Iranians’ hard-nosed stance has left the administration at the cusp of a difficult choice: move ahead with sanctions relief before Iran resumes full compliance and risk losing the leverage it has or doubles down on demands for full compliance first and risk Tehran walking away from the deal completely.

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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan insisted Tuesday that America’s borders “are not open” as the White House moved to try to head off a growing migrant surge that threatens to undermine President Biden’s immigration plans.

In a statement issued in English and Spanish, Mr. Sullivan and Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall tried to tamp down on expectations of a more lenient posture for both illegal immigrants and future legal migrants eager to come.

Their warning came even as they announced they would allow entry of tens of thousands of migrants who have been mired in Mexico, blocked from entering by the Trump team.

“We caution people seeking to immigrate to the United States that our borders are not open and that this is just the first phase in the administration’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process,” the advisers said.

Homeland Security is preparing to admit some 25,000 migrants who were blocked from entry under the Migrant Protection Protocols, better known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. MPP helped solve the last border surge in 2019, sapping the incentive for illegal immigrants to come by making them wait in Mexico while their cases proceeded in U.S. immigration courts, denying them a foothold here.

But the program was criticized by immigrant-rights advocates who said it left some legitimate asylum-seekers vulnerable in Mexico. Bowing to those concerns, the Biden team has said it is scrapping the MPP and will process those people still stuck in the program for entry over the ensuing weeks.

Mr. Sullivan said the new administration’s leniency only applies to people with active MPP cases.

Source: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2021/feb/16/biden-national-security-adviser-our-borders-are-no/

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His Tuesday comments echo those made by two of his top foreign policy advisers in an interview with Spanish wire service EFE on Monday hitting the brakes on rolling back Trump’s restrictive asylum policies. Susan Rice, Biden’s incoming domestic policy adviser, and Jake Sullivan, his pick for national security adviser, as well as Biden himself, warned that moving too quickly could create a new crisis at the border.

President-elect Joe Biden pauses as he leaves to listen to a reporter’s shouted question at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec 22, 2020. Carolyn Kaster, AP

Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware Wednesday, Biden said he’s already started discussing the issues with the Mexican president and “our friends in Latin America” and that “the timeline is to do it so that we in fact make it better not worse.”

“The last thing we need is to say we’re going to stop immediately, the access to asylum, the way it’s being run now, and then end up with 2 million people on our border,” Biden said.

He noted that more funding is needed for more asylum judges to process claims, and promised that while he will work to loosen Trump’s asylum restrictions, “it’s going to take probably the next six months to put that in place.”

His comments come as interceptions along the border have increased in recent months. According to data from Customs and Border Patrol, detentions in October increased by 30 percent from September and remained at that rate in November. Some experts predict the surge could increase in the early months of Biden’s presidency, as a response to the damage wrought by the two hurricanes that have pummeled Central America and the economic fallout from the pandemic, as well as expectations of a more humane approach to immigration from the Biden Administration.

Sullivan and Rice both said in their interview with EFE that Biden will take executive action where possible to address issues with the immigration system, and emphasized plans to provide humanitarian aid and help bolster Latin American economies to try to address the root cause of the influx of immigrants to the U.S.

Biden “will work to promptly undo” Trump’s deals with Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador that let the U.S. transfer asylum seekers to those countries, and will “follow through” on his commitment to end a Trump-era program that returns undocumented border crossers to Mexico to await their legal proceedings, Sullivan said. On his campaign website, Biden promised to end the agreement with Mexico, known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, within the first 100 days of his presidency.

But Sullivan emphasized that many of those reforms will take time.

He cautioned that “increasing processing capacity and changing policy at the border will take time,” and warned those considering fleeing for the U.S. to wait, predicting it will take “months” for the Biden Administration to fully implement their plans with respect to Latin America.

“Given the pandemic and the large number of migrants already waiting in northern Mexico, now is not the time to undertake the dangerous trip to the United States,” he said. It will take months until we are able to fully implement our plans.”

Rice said that “processing capacity at the border is not like a light that you can just switch on and off.”

“Our priority is to reopen asylum processing at the border consistent with the capacity to do so safely and to protect public health, especially in the context of COVID-19. This effort will begin immediately but it will take months to develop the capacity that we will need to reopen fully,” she said.

But Michelle Heisler, medical director of Physicians for Human Rights, expressed concerns about the pace of change during a conference call with reporters Tuesday and said there should be no “public-health rationale” to maintain extraordinary powers to immediately expel people from the United States without an opportunity to seek asylum.

Rice was noncommittal about when Biden would withdraw that authority, which Trump introduced in March on grounds that it would contain the coronavirus even though reporting by The Associated Press and others has found that government scientists saw no evidence for it.

Still, other pro-immigrant advocates said Tuesday that while they understood it would take time to untangle some of Trump’s changes at the border, they underscored a sense of urgency. They hailed Biden’s emphasis on working with Mexico and Central America on joint solutions.

“The Biden administration’s work to end cruelty must start immediately,” said Linda Rivas, executive director and managing attorney of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, Texas. “Human rights and dignity must take center stage.”

Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said it was a “matter of life and death,” with many asylum-seekers waiting in extremely violent Mexican border cities for their cases to be heard in the United States.

She said in a conference call with reporters that she was concerned about how many asylum-seekers will be allowed in by Biden “but we are here, ready, determined that the process works for all those that are impacted.”

AP writer Elliot Spagat contributed to reporting.

Source: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2020/12/22/biden-reversing-trump-immigration-policies-will-take-months/115208690/

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