FEATURED JOBS
Comments (0)Israel’s deputy foreign minister, Danny Ayalon, said Israel has “deep respect” for the people of Iran.
In a Farsi-language broadcast on Kol Israel Persian radio, Ayalon said the regime, not the people of Iran, is the problem. During Monday’s broadcast, people in Iran called in to the station to ask Ayalon questions, according to Ayalon’s office.
“The Iranian regime spreads instability, supports terror, and oppresses its own people. It is impossible to accept atomic weapons in the hands of such a regime,” Ayalon said. “The Iranian reactor constitutes a tremendous danger to the stability of the entire region and to world peace in general because, besides nuclear armaments, Iran is also developing a missile system that threatens countries beyond the Middle East, such as Europe. Nuclear weapons in Iran’s hands will enable it to threaten all the Arab governments with its present means,” he added.
Ayalon also criticized the Iranian government’s civil rights abuses.
Israeli Embassy Won’t Assist Netanyahu Visit
Workers at Israel’s Embassy in Washington have been instructed not to assist the prime minister during his visit for the opening of direct peace talks.
The Foreign Ministry’s workers’ committee sent a telegram with instructions to the embassy on Tuesday, Haaretz reported. The instructions are part of labor sanctions by Israel’s Foreign Ministry union, which it imposed as part of a fight for increased salaries. Under the directions, the workers will not assist in the early September visit’s administrative aspects, including hotel reservations, transportation, press briefings and coordination with U.S. officials, according to Haaretz.
Israel’s ambassador to the Untied States, Michael Oren, reportedly will not cooperate with the directive, a senior ministry source told Haaretz.
Netanyahu’s previous visit to Washington was also disrupted by the sanctions; defense ministry delegation members handled the logistics. The union has also instructed workers to stop handling correspondence with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which is expected to affect Israeli companies.
Rare Coin Discovered in Israel
A 2,200-year-old coin discovered near Israel’s border with Lebanon is the heaviest gold coin ever found in Israel.
The coin was discovered in late June at the Tel Kedesh archeological dig site near the border with Lebanon by a team of American archeologists, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced last week. The archeologists were from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota.
At one ounce, the coin weighs six times more than previous coins found from the same era. It bears the name and image of the wife of Ptolemy II, Arsinoe II Philadelphus.
“This extraordinary coin was apparently not in popular or commercial use, but had a symbolic function,” said Donald Ariel, head of the Coin Department of the Israel Antiquities Authority.
A cult was established in honor of the queen, who was the sister of the king. The coin was minted 80 years after her death.
Ariel said the image on the coin also could be that of Cleopatra I, who married Ptolemy V.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it was involved in the assassination.