Aipac update

www.aipac.org April 16, 2009
France: Iran Must Freeze Enrichment During Talks

U.S., Israel to Test Missile Defense Systems

Ahmadinejad: Iran Building More Advanced Rockets

Egypt Arrests Hizballah Fighters Smuggling Arms to Gaza

Israeli Find Could Cure Deafness



take action!
Affect Israel's future and promote U.S. interests in the Middle East by urging your members of Congress to support critical legislation.

Click here to learn about these important initiatives and to email your elected representatives.

Learn more
Click here for AIPAC analysis of issues affecting the U.S.-Israel alliance.


France: Iran Must Freeze Enrichment During TalksThe French Foreign Ministry stated Wednesday that Iran must suspend its efforts to enrich uranium—a key step toward building a nuclear bomb—during any talks with the international community over its illicit atomic program, Agence France Presse reported. Romain Nadal, a spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, said Paris stood by the proposal made to Iran in 2007, which said the international community would not seek additional U.N. sanctions if Iran would halt all nuclear activity beyond its civilian site in Bushehr. Iran rejected that offer and has continued to advance its uranium enrichment efforts. Secretary of State Clinton said the United States would work with allies "to make it clear that Iran cannot continue to pursue nuclear weapons. We will stand behind the sanctions that have already been implemented, and we will look for new ways to extend collective action vis-à-vis Iran's nuclear program."
U.S., Israel to Test Missile Defense SystemsThe United States and Israel plan to hold an unprecedented joint test later this year of three key ballistic missile defense systems, The Jerusalem Post reported. Israeli defense officials said the exercise, which will include the jointly developed Arrow 2 missile defense system, aimed to create the necessary infrastructure that would allow the Israeli and American missile defense systems to work together in case of an attack. Last week, the Israel Air Force held its 17th test of the Arrow 2 interceptor, shooting down a missile mimicking an Iranian Shihab ballistic missile. The upcoming exercise, called Juniper Cobra, will be the fifth in a series of tests between the United States and Israel.
Ahmadinejad: Iran Building More Advanced RocketsIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that his country is building new rockets capable of carrying heavier satellites than the one it previously launched in February, Agence France Presse reported. World powers think the previous rocket "was our final rocket," Ahmadinejad said, "but we are working on rockets which can go up to 700 kilometers [440 miles] and above and carry heavier satellites." The previous missile launch marked a dangerous development in the Islamic Republic's efforts to build a nuclear weapon and the means to deliver it and was an important step toward eventually building a missile that could reach the United States. Click here to learn more about the Iranian threat.
Egypt Arrests Hizballah Fighters Smuggling Arms to Gaza
Egyptian officials last week detained nearly 50 Egyptian, Palestinian and Lebanese men linked to Hizballah, accusing them of planning attacks in Egypt and smuggling arms to Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Reuters reported. After Hassan Nasrallah admitted to the smuggling charges, Egyptian state-run media slammed the Hizballah leader for his close ties to Iran. "I say to you what every Egyptian knows, that you are an Iranian party," said one front-page editorial. "Are there instructions from Iran to drag Egypt into a conflict?" Egyptian police also arrested a man seeking to smuggle $2 million to Hamas through the Sinai. In recent weeks, Iran has redoubled its efforts to provide Hamas terrorists with weapons and financial support.
Israeli Find Could Cure DeafnessAn Israeli discovery on the function of tiny molecules in the inner ears of mice could lead to a cure for human deafness caused by aging, disease, drugs, noise or genetic disease, The Jerusalem Post reported. The research, carried out over three years, was led by world-renowned geneticist Professor Karen Avraham of Tel Aviv University. "The internal ears of mice and humans are very similar," Avraham said. The study examined molecules that are vital to the growth of sensory hair cells inside the ear. Typical healthy babies are born with 15,000 of these hair cells in each ear that allow them to hear. Later in life, these cells die off in a process called apoptosis. With new insight into the molecules involved in apoptosis, researchers hope to devise strategies to prevent it. Click here to learn more about the Israeli study.