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Daybreak: Iran Talks Resume

Plus Bibi delays vote on West Bank outposts, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
May 23, 2012
The two main negotiators, the European Union's Catherine Ashton and Iran's Saeed Jalili.(Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/GettyImages)
The two main negotiators, the European Union's Catherine Ashton and Iran's Saeed Jalili.(Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/GettyImages)

• It’s a big day! In Baghdad, the P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran commenced with the group of nations presenting their deal for halting uranium enrichment to 20 percent … [WP]

• … While in Egypt, people voted in the first free elections anyone can remember. [WSJ]

• Iran recalled its ambassador from Azerbaijan. The pretext was an alleged religious insult, but tensions have long been high, never more so than the after the recent leak of (flimsy) reports suggesting Azerbaijan would aid an Israeli attack. [NYT]

• Prime Minister Netanyahu postponed by two weeks a vote over a bill to legalize West Bank outposts, during which he intends to craft a solution that abides by a High Court ruling ordering the evacuation of certain neighborhoods while avoiding the need to destroy homes. Something’s probably going to have to give, though, no? [Haaretz]

• A prominent Yemeni Jew was stabbed to death in the middle of Sana’a. [Times of Israel]

• Jewish communal leaders yesterday met at the White House with Vice President Biden and several top security officials. Message: we care that Iran not acquire nukes, and any deals struck will work toward, rather than preventing, that end. [JPost/Vos Iz Neias?]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.