RSS
Despite a Terrible War, Israel Had a Record-Breaking Olympics
Paris 2024 Olympics – Sailing – Men’s Windsurfing Final – Marseille Marina, Marseille, France – August 03, 2024. Tom Reuveni of Israel celebrates after winning gold. Photo: Reuters/Andrew Boyers
The Paris Olympics are over, and Israel has triumphed.
In the most difficult circumstances imaginable, the Israeli athletes responded with their best ever Olympics, winning seven medals — one gold, five silver, and one bronze.
By contrast, India, which has over one billion people, only won six medals. Israel is a country of less than 10 million.
The medals came in sailing, judo, and gymnastics, proving once again that they are Israel’s most successful Olympic sports. All but two of the 20 medals Israel has ever won have come in these three sports.
Israel had a very slow start, but that all changed on Day Six. Peter Paltchik got the ball rolling when he won bronze in judo, and was very lucky to do so. With just seconds remaining in his contest and him ahead, he tried to avoid an attack from his opponent and was adjudged to receive a third shido, which would result in a disqualification. He pleaded with the referees to rescind it, and thankfully they did.
Following that, Inbar Lanir participated in Israel’s first Olympic Judo final in 32 years. But Israel made it to another judo final the very next day, when Raz Hershko advanced to the gold medal contest. Unfortunately, both were outplayed in their finals, but this shouldn’t take anything away from their incredible achievements.
On Day Seven, Israel won three medals in a single day.
Sharon Kantor became Israel’s first-ever female sailing medalist, when she won silver in windsurfing. Moments later, windsurfer Tom Reuveny won gold in the same event that his coach, Gal Fridman, won 20 years earlier in Athens. This was the first time Israel won gold medals at consecutive games.
Then Artem Dolgopyat became Israel’s most successful Olympian ever, when he won silver in gymnastics on the floor routine to go with the gold he won in Tokyo last time.
With the Olympics winding down, Israel won a seventh medal when the female rhythmic gymnastic group won silver in the all-around competition.
Archers Roy Dror and Mikaella Moshe both got knocked out in the first round. In the team event, they just missed out making the knockout rounds. Considering that Tokyo was the first Olympics Israel sent an archer to, the country is clearly making progress in this sport.
The artistic swimmers Shelly Bobritsky and Ariel Nassee finished 11th, which was Israel’s best ever result in the sport.
In the marathon, Lonah Chemtai Salpeter came ninth in the women’s, while Maru Teferi came in 26th, which was our best men’s finisher.
In his fourth Olympics, Misha Zilberman finished on a high in badminton. winning his final match. At the velodrome, Mikhail Yakovlev made the round of 16 in the sprint and the quarter finals in the keirin.
In the equestrian, Israel sent a jumping team for the second straight Olympics, where it made history by qualifying for the 10-team final for the first time.
Yuval Freilich was Israel’s first Olympic fencer since 2008. One loss in fencing means total elimination from the contest, and he lost a tough first round match by a score of 15-13.
In its first appearance since 1976, the men’s soccer team had a challenging tournament, finishing last in its group.
Artistic gymnast Lihie Raz finished 31st in the all-around event, and just missed out on making it to the final. In rhythmic gymnastics, Daria Atamanov qualified for the final where she finished fifth.
Anat Lelior qualified for the Round of 16 in surfing, which was a fantastic achievement.
Israel sent a record 18 swimmers to Paris, and made one final in the 4x200m men’s freestyle relay.
In taekwondo, Avishag Semberg entered with high hopes, but was eliminated in the first round, while in the triathlon, Shachar Sagiv finished 37th.
If these were regular times, these Olympics would be judged as a phenomenal success. Given the circumstances, it’s just remarkable if not incredible. Not only was stress high from the war, but Israeli and Jewish athletes were under serious threat from terror groups and antisemites. Luckily, no such incidents occurred.
Israeli athletes have set a high bar for the Los Angeles games, but it’s very likely they could set new records in the United States.
David Wiseman is the co-founder of Follow Team Israel, a page that shares the stories of Israeli sports to the world. You can find it on Facebook and Instagram. He is also the head of online reputation management at Buzzdealer.
The post Despite a Terrible War, Israel Had a Record-Breaking Olympics first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Iran Says ‘Extremely Cautious’ on Success of Nuclear Talks with US
US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate Steve Witkoff gives a speech at the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena on the inauguration day of Trump’s second presidential term, in Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
Iran and the United States have agreed to continue nuclear talks next week, both sides said on Saturday, though Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi voiced “extreme cautious” about the success of the negotiations to resolve a decades-long standoff.
US President Donald Trump has signaled confidence in clinching a new pact with the Islamic Republic that would block Tehran’s path to a nuclear bomb.
Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a third round of the talks in Muscat through Omani mediators for around six hours, a week after a second round in Rome that both sides described as constructive.
“The negotiations are extremely serious and technical… there are still differences, both on major issues and on details,” Araqchi told Iranian state TV.
“There is seriousness and determination on both sides… However, our optimism about success of the talks remains extremely cautious.”
A senior US administration official described the talks as positive and productive, adding that both sides agreed to meet again in Europe “soon.”
“There is still much to do, but further progress was made on getting to a deal,” the official added.
Earlier Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi had said talks would continue next week, with another “high-level meeting” provisionally scheduled for May 3. Araqchi said Oman would announce the venue.
Ahead of the lead negotiators’ meeting, expert-level indirect talks took place in Muscat to design a framework for a potential nuclear deal.
“The presence of experts was beneficial … we will return to our capitals for further reviews to see how disagreements can be reduced,” Araqchi said.
An Iranian official, briefed about the talks, told Reuters earlier that the expert-level negotiations were “difficult, complicated and serious.”
The only aim of these talks, Araqchi said, was “to build confidence about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.”
Trump, in an interview with Time magazine published on Friday, said “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran,” but he repeated a threat of military action against Iran if diplomacy fails.
Shortly after Araqchi and Witkoff began their latest indirect talks on Saturday, Iranian state media reported a massive explosion at the country’s Shahid Rajaee port near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, killing at least four people and injuring hundreds.
MAXIMUM PRESSURE
While both Tehran and Washington have said they are set on pursuing diplomacy, they remain far apart on a dispute that has rumbled on for more than two decades.
Trump, who has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February, ditched a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers in 2018 during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran.
Since 2019, Iran has breached the pact’s nuclear curbs including “dramatically” accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the roughly 90% level that is weapons grade, according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week Iran would have to entirely stop enriching uranium under a deal, and import any enriched uranium it needed to fuel its sole functioning atomic energy plant, Bushehr.
Tehran is willing to negotiate some curbs on its nuclear work in return for the lifting of sanctions, according to Iranian officials, but ending its enrichment program or surrendering its enriched uranium stockpile are among “Iran’s red lines that could not be compromised” in the talks.
Moreover, European states have suggested to US negotiators that a comprehensive deal should include limits preventing Iran from acquiring or finalizing the capacity to put a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile, several European diplomats said.
Tehran insists its defense capabilities like its missile program are not negotiable.
An Iranian official with knowledge of the talks said on Friday that Tehran sees its missile program as a bigger obstacle in the talks.
The post Iran Says ‘Extremely Cautious’ on Success of Nuclear Talks with US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Palestinian Leader Abbas Names Likely Successor in Bid to Reassure World Powers
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas named close confidant Hussein al-Sheikh as his deputy and likely successor on Saturday, the Palestine Liberation Organization said, a step widely seen as needed to assuage international doubts over Palestinian leadership.
Abbas, 89, has headed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Palestinian Authority (PA) since the death of veteran leader Yasser Arafat in 2004 but he had for years resisted internal reforms including the naming of a successor.
Sheikh, born in 1960, is a veteran of Fatah, the main PLO faction which was founded by Arafat and is now headed by Abbas. He is widely viewed as a pragmatist with very close ties to Israel.
He was named PLO vice president after the organization’s executive committee approved his nomination by Abbas, the PLO said in a statement.
Reform of the PA, which exercises limited autonomy in the West Bank, has been a priority for the United States and Gulf monarchies hoping the body can play a central role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Pressure to reform has intensified since the start of the war in Gaza, where the PLO’s main Palestinian rival Hamas has battled Israel for more than 18 months, leaving the tiny, crowded territory in ruins.
The United States has promoted the idea of a reformed PA governing in Gaza after the war. Gulf monarchies, which are seen as the most likely source of funding for reconstruction in Gaza after the war, also want major reforms of the body.
CALL FOR HAMAS TO DISARM
Israel’s declared goal in Gaza is the destruction of Hamas but it has also ruled out giving the PA any role in government there. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.
Hamas, which follows a militant Islamist ideology, has controlled Gaza since 2007 when it defeated the PA in a brief civil war after winning an election the previous year. It also has a large presence in the West Bank.
At a meeting of the PLO’s Central Council on Wednesday and Thursday that approved the position of vice president without naming an appointee, Abbas made his clearest ever call for Hamas to completely disarm and hand its weapons – and responsibility for governing in Gaza – to the PA.
Widespread corruption, lack of progress towards an independent state and increasing Israeli military incursions in the West Bank have undermined the PA’s popularity among many Palestinians.
The body has been controlled by Fatah since it was formed in the Oslo Accords with Israel in 1993 and it last held parliamentary elections in 2005.
Sheikh, who was imprisoned by Israel for his activities opposing the occupation during the period 1978-89, has worked as the PA’s main contact liaising with the Israeli government under Abbas and been his envoy on visits to world powers.
The post Palestinian Leader Abbas Names Likely Successor in Bid to Reassure World Powers first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
3rd Round of Nuclear Talks Between Iran, US Concludes in Oman
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – The third round of talks between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program has concluded on Saturday, US media reported.
The two sides are understood to have discussed the US lifting of sanctions on Iran, with focuses on technical and key topics including uranium enrichment.
On April 12, the US and Iran held indirect talks in Muscat, marking the first official negotiation between the two sides since the US unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The second round of indirect talks took place in Rome, Italy, on April 19.
All parties, including Oman, stated that the first two rounds of talks were friendly and constructive, but Iranian media pointed out that the first two rounds were mainly framework negotiations and had not yet touched upon the core issues of disagreement.
According to media reports, one of the key issues in the expert-level negotiations will be whether Washington will allow Iran to continue uranium enrichment within the framework of its nuclear program. In response, Araghchi made it clear that Iran’s right to uranium enrichment is non-negotiable.
The US, Israel and other Western actors including the United Nation’s nuclear agency reject Iranian claims that its uranium enrichment is strictly civilian in its goals.
The post 3rd Round of Nuclear Talks Between Iran, US Concludes in Oman first appeared on Algemeiner.com.