Iran nuclear weapons quest will persist; hope of change at UNESCO

Unhindered by Trump, Iran's nuclear weapons quest will persist, experts say

By Ariel Ben Solomon/INS.org

Iran is unlikely to halt its drive towards nuclear weapons following President Donald Trump's refusal to recertify the Islamic Republic's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, experts say. "Iran just keeps threatening to do what it's already been doing—continuing its path to nuclear weapons," said Emily Landau, director of the Arms Control and Regional Security Program at Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies. "The most it changes is the pace of progress and that's precisely the problem with the [nuclear deal]: it doesn't stop Iran."

The hope of change at UNESCO lies with new French Jewish leader

By Sean Savage/JNS.org

The election of the first Jewish director-general of the United Nations cultural body UNESCO, French politician Audrey Azoulay, is raising hope that with her background and political experience, she could return the organization to its original mission. UNESCO in recent weeks has seen announcements from the U.S. and Israel of their plans to withdraw from the agency over its anti-Israel bias. Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, director of the American Jewish Committee's European offices, said Azoulay "is generally regarded as a true professional and expert in the field of culture and was a very respected government minister."

Israeli government cultivates natural allies at its first-ever Christian media summit

By Alex Traiman/JNS.org

Recognizing it is easier to influence those who are prone to be natural supporters of the Jewish state than it is to sway journalists who cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a perceived anti-Israel bias, the Israeli government this week offered a first-of-its-kind Christian media summit. Brian Schrauger, a Christian journalist for the USA Radio Network, said Israel "is doing something very, very smart. It's catering to a group of journalists that don't often get attention, and it's educating them. And these are by-and-large friendly journalists that generally support Israel."

Israeli program fills the gap for aspiring high-tech entrepreneurs

By Eliana Rudee/JNS.org

As a part of the new Big Idea gap year program in Israel’s de facto cyber capital of Be’er Sheva, tech-savvy young adults can learn from the Jewish state’s “start-up nation” culture. Yael Shahar, director of the program, says she hopes participants will return home with a stronger Jewish identity and “become ambassadors for Israel on their college campuses and in their communities.” The program’s participants hail from the U.S., Colombia and South Africa.