Aipac briefing

Obama, McCain Vow to Toughen Sanctions on Iran

IAEA Suspects Russian Scientist of Helping Iran Build Nukes

Israel to Allow 700 Additional PA Troops into Hebron

United States Condemns Syrian Intervention in Lebanon

IDF, PA Thwart Palestinian Terror Plots in West Bank

Iranian Boy to be Treated for Cancer in Israel


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Obama, McCain Vow to Toughen Sanctions on Iran
U.S. presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain both said in their debate last week that if elected, they would work to toughen sanctions on Iran in order to stop it from building a nuclear bomb. A nuclear-armed Iran would "create the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists," Obama said. "If we can prevent them from importing the gasoline they need and the refined petroleum products, that starts changing their cost benefits analysis, that starts putting the squeeze on them." Sen. McCain warned of a potential nuclear arms race in the Middle East: "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons all the other countries will acquire them too," McCain said. He added: "We can never allow a second Holocaust to take place." Click here to learn about the importance of sanctions against Iran.

IAEA Suspects Russian Scientist of Helping Iran Build Nukes
International nuclear inspectors are investigating whether a Russian scientist helped Iran conduct complex experiments on how to detonate a nuclear weapon, The New York Times reported. It is the first time that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has suggested that Iran may have received help from a foreign weapons scientist in developing nuclear arms. According to European and American officials, inspectors at the nuclear agency are seeking information from the scientist, who they believe acted on his own as an adviser on sophisticated experiments described in a lengthy document obtained by the agency. Tehran has stonewalled repeated IAEA requests to provide information needed to explain alleged military involvement in the country's nuclear program.

Israel to Allow 700 Additional PA Troops into Hebron
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is expected to deploy a battalion of security forces to the West Bank city of Hebron in the coming days, in an effort to combat Hamas' efforts to seize the city, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported. The armed battalion is the second unit of the Palestinian security forces to undergo American training in Jordan. According to PA security officials, the move will be coordinated with Israel, and the 700 troops will handle security operations among the city's Palestinian population. Despite the risks involved, Israel has also allowed the shipment of rifles, bullets and other defensive weapons to the PA, and has removed checkpoints and released Palestinian prisoners. The United States and its allies expect PA President Mahmoud Abbas to demonstrate his commitment to peace with Israel by undertaking "sustained, targeted, and effective operations" against terrorists in the West Bank, as called for in Phase I of the Road Map.

United States Condemns Syrian Intervention in Lebanon
The United States condemned Syria's ongoing arms buildup and warned Damascus that it must not interfere in Lebanese affairs, Reuters reported. "We've seen reports about continued Syrian military activity along the Lebanese-Syrian border," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood. "And...we in the international community a week ago made very clear that any intervention...by Syrian troops into Lebanon would be unacceptable." Designated by the State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism, Syria continues to back the terrorist groups Hamas and Hizballah and is suspected of carrying out the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and other anti-Syrian Lebanese officials and journalists.

IDF, PA Thwart Palestinian Terror Plots in West Bank
The Israel Defense Forces prevented a terrorist attack Monday after a Palestinian was found smuggling three improvised explosive devices during a search at the Harawa checkpoint near the West Bank town of Nablus, The Jerusalem Post reported. A military bomb squad was called to the scene where they successfully detonated the three devices. The Hawara checkpoint has seen an increase in terrorist activity during the last month. In September, a dozen similar explosive devices uncovered, and a number of attempted stabbings by Palestinians against Israeli soldiers have also been reported. The incident followed reports that Palestinian Authority security forces recently uncovered a Hamas-run bomb factory in the West Bank city of Hebron.


Iranian Boy to be Treated for Cancer in Israel
A 12-year-old Iranian boy suffering from brain cancer has been sent to Israel for emergency surgery after treatments in both Turkey and Iran were unsuccessful, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported. Despite Iran's nearly 30-year refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist, the Jewish state's Interior Minister, Meir Sheetrit, gave the child special permission to enter the country. "We are the light upon the nations, and when a child's life is at stake, religion and origin play no part," Sheetrit said. "If we can help, we are more than willing to do so." The child's physician in Turkey said Israel provided the best technical and medical expertise in the region to properly treat the boy's dire condition.