CND's Press Round-Up - 12th May 2021
Posted: 12th May 2021
Dear all,
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
Senior figures say the next three weeks will be decisive in deciding the fate of the Iran nuclear deal.
Iran Nuclear Deal Diplomacy
The EU Commissioner for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell has said that has said the next three weeks will be decisive in restoring the JCPoA, according to Reuters. He said ‘nonstop talks’ were needed, however. The German Foreign Minister backed this up saying that ‘ We aim for the full restoration of the Iran nuclear deal as this is the only way to guarantee that Iran will not be able to come into possession of nuclear weapons’.
Anti-war
Israel continues to launch air strikes against the Gaza strip whilst the anti-arms trade movement in Britain points out the huge scale of weapons exports to Israel.
Violence in Palestine
Civilians targets came under repeated attack from IDF warplanes in Gaza throughout yesterday and last night. The Guardian reports that around 40 people have been killed, overwhelmingly civilians and including several children. Despite some belligerent rhetoric, there were some noises that mediation by Egypt was de-escalating the situation, with some analysts taking Hamas’s statement that it had achieved ‘battle to defend Jerusalem’ was a sign that the conflict was ending. Middle East Eye has an informative rolling blog of the latest developments.
The UN Security Council is likely to discuss a statement on the violence today. Yesterday, the U.S. blocked a statement calling for a ceasefire. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Israeli Foreign Minister to offer his unconditional support. The Independent has an analysis piece on what the Biden administration’s future policy on Israel-Palestine might look like.
UK Arms Sales to Israel
Bethany Rielly in the Morning Star has an informative piece on companies which operate in Britain and sell arms to Israel, most prominently Elbit Systems whose British headquarters in central London were protested by activists on Monday. Elbit Systems UK has ten sites, including four arms factories. According to the Campaign Against the Arms Trade, the UK has sold more than £400 million worth of weaponry to Israel since 2015. Activists have called for a moratorium to be imposed by the Government on arms sales to Israel.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power-UK
The Dungeness nuclear power plant could begin defueling seven years ahead of schedule after ‘significant and ongoing technical challenges’ came to light, according to local press. The plant has been offline since 2018. The plant employs eight hundred people and was constructed in the 1960s. The plant was due to reopen later this year.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament