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www.aipac.org May 20, 2009
Obama: Talks Cannot Be Excuse for Iranian Inaction
76 Senators Urge Obama to Adhere to Peace Principles
Iran Test-Fires New Long-Range Missile
Obama to Newsweek: I Understand Israeli Fear of Iran
House Approves $555 Million in Security Aid for Israel
Israeli Teen Aims to Transform Car Industry

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Obama: Talks Cannot Be Excuse for Iranian Inaction
President Barack Obama welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Monday, telling the Israeli leader that he expected to know by the end of the year whether Iran was making "a good-faith effort to resolve differences" in talks aimed at ending its nuclear program, The New York Times reported. "We're not going to have talks forever," Obama said. "We're not going to create a situation in which the talks become an excuse for inaction while Iran proceeds with developing" a nuclear weapon. The president added that the United States is "not foreclosing a range of steps, including much stronger international sanctions, in assuring that Iran understands that we are serious." U.S. and European officials have privately said that if Iran fails to begin serious talks by September or October, the administration and its allies will shift direction and seek to impose tough sanctions on Iran.
76 Senators Urge Obama to Adhere to Peace Principles
Seventy-six members of the Senate on Tuesday sent a letter to President Obama supporting U.S. efforts to help Israel achieve peace with all its neighbors and urging the president to adhere to the principles that have successfully led to peace treaties between Israel and both Egypt and Jordan. These key principles include supporting direct, bilateral negotiations between the parties, remaining both a trusted mediator between the parties and a devoted friend to Israel, and insisting on an absolute Palestinian commitment to end incitement and violence against Israel. The senators also urged the president to promote a greater role for the Arab states in promoting peace efforts. The letter was spearheaded by Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Arlen Specter (D-PA) and John Thune (R-SD). Members of the House are circulating a similar letter, which has 224 signatories as of Wednesday afternoon.
Iran Test-Fires New Long-Range Missile
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran had test-fired an upgraded surface-to-surface missile with a range of about 1,200 miles, far enough to strike Israel, parts of Europe and U.S. bases in the Middle East, The New York Times reported. "The Sejil-2 missile, which has an advanced technology, was launched today," Ahmadinejad said. "It landed exactly on target." Secretary of Defense Robert Gates later confirmed that the Iranian missile test was successful. Last November, Iran said it test-fired a missile called the Sejil, a forerunner to the Sejil-2, also with a range of 1,200 miles—almost as far as another Iranian missile called Shahab-3. At the time, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the missile "can be produced and stored in mass and is easy to prepare launching and immediately remove the launcher from the scene."
Obama to Newsweek: I Understand Israeli Fear of Iran
In advance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington, President Barack Obama said that he understands the Israeli fear of a nuclear-armed Iran. "I understand very clearly that Israel considers Iran an existential threat, and given some of the statements that have been made by President Ahmadinejad, you can understand why," Obama said in an interview with Newsweek. "So their calculation of costs and benefits are going to be more acute. They're right there in range and I don't think it's my place to determine for the Israelis what their security needs are." Obama added that he is "not naïve about the difficulties" of engagement with Iran, saying such a policy will strengthen the U.S. position in mobilizing the international community if Tehran continues on its current path.
House Approves $555 Million in Security Aid for Israel
The House last week approved $555 million in security aid to Israel as part of an emergency supplemental spending bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and other key national security efforts. The aid will fund a portion of President Obama's request of $2.775 billion in security assistance for Israel in fiscal year 2010 as called for by the 2007 U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding. The remaining $2.22 billion of the request is expected to be funded in the fiscal year 2010 foreign aid bill. The supplemental bill also includes $556 million in economic support and $106 million in security assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The bill contains conditions stating that no U.S. aid can be provided to a Hamas-Fatah unity government unless all ministers in that government have accepted—publicly and in writing—the three Quartet conditions: recognizing Israel, renouncing terrorism and accepting previous agreements.
Israeli Teen Aims to Transform Car Industry
An Israeli teenager has developed a small device that can reduce a car's gasoline consumption by up to 40 percent, boost the power of the car and reduce air pollution, Israel 21c reported. The teen, Zion Badash, has car manufacturers lining up to buy his invention. The device changes, for a fraction of a second, the way air behaves when going into the combustion chamber. This change allows the engine to use air more efficiently, saving fuel and giving more thrust at the same time. What Badash's alloy is made from remains a secret, but road tests on emissions show that it certainly does work. It can be fitted to new cars, or old ones, diesel, hybrid, buses—basically any combustion engine, even power plants. Click here to learn more about the invention.