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You are listening to an art media podcast.
It's 9 p.m.
on Sunday, September 28th here in New York City.
It's 4 a.m.
on Monday, September 29th in Israel, where Israelis await developments from the meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump at the White House.
Due to the importance of this meeting, we decided to delay release of our usual Monday episode so that we can delve into all that's revealed or not in Washington, D.C.
on Monday.
Instead, we're going to release this news brief to keep listeners up to date on all the news that's unfolded over the past few days.
So let's get right into that.
First, Iran sanctions.
On Saturday, a series of UN sanctions were re-imposed on Iran after the E3 European group, that is, Britain, France, and Germany, accused Iran of failing to meet its obligations under the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal.
The so-called snapback sanctions target companies, organizations, or individuals that contribute directly or indirectly to Iran's nuclear program.
They prohibit UN members from selling or transferring conventional weapons to Iran, including parts and technologies related to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program program and the freezing of assets of any group or individual abroad tied to Iran's nuclear program, among several other measures.
This requires UN members to update their trade laws with Iran, but there is obviously doubt as to whether Russia and China, which consider the recent triggering of sanctions illegal, will comply.
The Iranian currency, the RIAL, plummeted to a record low after sanctions were reinstated.
Then there was Prime Minister Netanyahu's UN speech.
On Friday, Prime Minister Netanyahu gave a defiant 40-minute speech to a, let's just say, sparsely attended UN General Assembly hall after hundreds of diplomats from dozens of countries walked out as Netanyahu proceeded to the podium.
Netanyahu spoke about Israel's commitment to return all remaining hostages, condemned the widespread recognition of Palestinian statehood, and defended Israel's continuation of the Gaza war.
On the issue of Palestinian statehood, President Trump echoed some of the things Prime Minister Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu's UN speech was broadcast in Gaza through loudspeakers brought in by the IDF, and Gaza residents were reportedly sent text messages with a link to the speech.
These moves were controversial inside Israel.
After the speech, there was Prime Minister Netanyahu's Friday evening meeting with the foreign minister of the UAE.
While the Prime Minister's office has not yet commented on the meeting, the UAE Foreign Ministry reported that the Emirati minister stressed the need to end the war in Gaza, as well as the UAE's commitment to a two-state solution and rejection of annexation of the West Bank.
It was Prime Minister Netanyahu's first public meeting with a Gulf official since Israel's strike on a building in Qatar early this month, a move the Gulf states strongly condemned.
However, it does seem that the Gulf states have moved past the Israeli strike on Doha, and they are now progressing towards real constructive engagement related to the end of the war.
There was also Trump's announcement regarding annexation.
The day before this meeting, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, I will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank.
It's not going to happen, close quote, and said that he had spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the issue.
However, far-right leaders in Israel are urging the Prime Minister to defy Trump and move forward with annexation anyway.
And of course, there's the obvious speculation about whether or not Prime Minister Netanyahu asked President Trump for his help in declaring the West Bank annexation off-limits.
And finally, perhaps most importantly, there is the report about President Trump's 21-point plan, which is, as we understand it, to be discussed between Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu in D.C.
on Monday.
According to documents obtained by the Times of Israel, the U.S.
has proposed a 21-point plan for ending the war in Gaza, which it has shared with a handful of Arab and Muslim states.
The proposal demands that Hamas release all hostages on day one of a ceasefire and to dismantle all offensive weapons.
Gazan civilians would be granted the right to leave Gaza with a guarantee of safe return.
There are a whole range of provisions in this 21-point plan.
Interestingly, both the White House and those around Prime Minister Netanyahu seem optimistic that they will get to this deal, or at least it is a deal that Israel can get behind and all the Arab states will be behind.
And of course, President Trump will be behind, which will then, of course, put enormous pressure on Hamas.
That's it for now.
Be sure to catch our next episode, which will be taping shortly after the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House.
