Prepared for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs | |||
DAILY ALERT |
Friday, December 21, 2018 | ||
In-Depth Issues:
Iran's Nuclear Archive Confirms Gchine Uranium Mine and Yellowcake Production Plant Never Stopped Operating - David Albright, Olli Heinonen, Frank Pabian
and Andrea Stricker (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)
Iran's nuclear archive, captured by Israel, contains documentary evidence showing Iran's deceptions in its declarations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about its past military nuclear activities. One case of deception involves the Gchine uranium mine and yellowcake production plant in southern Iran near Bandar Abbas. Gchine represented key nuclear source material toward Iran's production of highly enriched uranium (HEU) for nuclear weapons. The new documents show that Gchine was originally part of Iran's covert nuclear fuel cycle aimed at the production of nuclear weapons and directly contradict Iran's multiple declarations to the IAEA. See also Anatomy of Iran's Deception and How Iran Benefited (Institute for Science and International Security)
Half of American Troops to Be Pulled from Afghanistan - Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Mujib Mashal (New York Times)
The Trump administration has ordered the military to start withdrawing 7,000 troops from Afghanistan in the coming months, two defense officials said Thursday. Besides the current contingent of 14,000 American troops, there are also 8,000 NATO and allied troops deployed in Afghanistan, tasked with training and advising the Afghan forces. More than 2,400 Americans have died in Afghanistan since 2001, and this year 13 were killed in combat.
The Palestinian Authority Maintains Security Cooperation with Israel to Quell the Terrorism It Encourages - Hillel Frisch (Jerusalem Post)
The Palestinian Authority, which encourages "martyrdom" on behalf of the Palestinian cause, maintains a level of security cooperation with Israel that is almost unprecedented to quell the very terrorism it encourages. The PA pursues Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists and disrupts and destroys their organizations. Intelligence flows freely between senior Israeli IDF officers and their Palestinian counterparts in Abbas' security services. Israelis who mistakenly find themselves in PA-controlled areas and are then attacked are often rescued by PA security forces. The writer is a professor of political and Middle East studies at Bar-Ilan University and a senior research associate at its BESA Center.
Palestinian Authority Calls Visit to Israel by Arab Journalists a "Crime" and a "Sin" - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
The Palestinian Authority on Thursday called for punishing seven Arab journalists who visited Israel this week. The journalists work in France and Belgium, and some hail from Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria and Morocco. The PA Ministry of Information said that it "rejects all forms of media normalization with the Israeli occupation, which is considered an unacceptable crime" and a "political and national sin."
Israeli Company Creates Blood Test for Lung Cancer - the Number One Killer - Benjamin Kerstein (Algemeiner)
Israeli company Savicell has developed a successful blood test for lung cancer, allowing the disease to be detected and treated in its earliest stages, thus boosting the chances of recovery. Dr. Shafrira Shai, development and production manager at Savicell, said: "This gives us exact information on the condition of the person, if he's in a pre-cancerous condition, the beginning stages of cancer, or other possibilities." Eyal Davidovitch, vice president of operations, said: "Statistics indicate that if you discover lung cancer in an early stage, the chances of recovery wander on average between 50-80%. If you identify it at a late stage, we're talking about 4%....Lung cancer is the number one killer." Current methods for detecting lung cancer tend to be cumbersome and time consuming, and are usually employed only after severe symptoms develop. With the new test, however, "you come to the doctor for a test and identify cancer," said Davidovitch. "It's simply a life-saver."
Israel Offers Training in Advanced Radiotherapy to Tanzanian Cancer Care Professionals - Diana Rubin (International Atomic Energy Agency)
Tanzanian cancer specialists have completed advanced radiotherapy training at leading Israeli cancer centers this month. The International Atomic Energy Agency facilitated training for two radiation oncologists and two radiation therapists from the Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Dar es Salaam at Assuta and Sheba Medical Centers in Israel.
Israeli AI Healthcare Platform Raises $25 Million (Globes)
Israeli AI-powered free primary healthcare platform startup K Health has raised $25 million in a financing round. The K Health platform simulates the diagnosis process. Users answer several dozen questions about their background and their symptoms. Checking against 2 billion historical health cases over the past 20 years, K Health compares users to those with similar symptoms and medical histories before providing a diagnosis.
Israeli-German Mini-Satellite System May Improve Weather Forecasting (Xinhua-China)
A system of ten Israeli-German mini-satellites will be launched in the coming years to improve weather forecasting, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology said Monday. The new system will provide data on the internal composition and external structure of clouds that are not well measured by current satellite technologies. The CloudCT project won a $15.9 million grant from the European Research Council - the first time Israeli scientists received such a grant.
Germany Extends Lease of IAI Heron Drones until 2020 (Globes)
Germany has extended the operation of its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron 1 drones until 2020. The German Air Force has been using the Heron 1 in Afghanistan since 2010 and in Mali since 2016. The Heron 1 is used for detection of IEDs from the air, convoy and patrol unit escort, route exploration and supervision, as well as object and camp protection. "In Afghanistan and Mali, the services model has proven its performance capability by reaching a system availability of more than 98%," said Ralf Hastedt of Airbus DS Airborne Solutions GmbH, which acts as the contractor for the German government.
Israeli Student Wins Global Business Simulation Challenge (Israel21c)
Meir Cohen, an MBA candidate at Bar-Ilan University's Graduate School of Business Administration, has become the first Israeli ever to win first place in the Capsim Challenge, a competition that challenges contestants to run a multi-million dollar simulated company. Some 200 teams competed against a computer simulating five competing companies. In the finals, Cohen competed against other teams for seven consecutive hours, simulating eight years of management. Search the Recent History of Israel and the Middle East Send the Daily Alert to a Friend If you are viewing the email version of the Daily Alert and want to share it with friends, please click Forward in your email program and enter their address. |
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Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
U.S. Withdraws Troops from Syria Other Issues Anti-Semitism Weekend Features Observations: The Palestinian Authority Is about to Lead the World Group of Developing Nations - Eitan Fischberger (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
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