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Energy Minister MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) expressed his support for the Regulation Law that is intended to legalize the construction of homes on land claimed to be private Arab land - although no one has claimed it - by allowing for compensation, and warned that the destruction of Amona would be a "tragedy." "It's not about going around the law, but about changing it," Steinitz told Channel 10. "This tragedy will cause losses to everyone. The Jews will lose their homes, and the Arabs will lose the compensation that they could have received, worth millions of shekels. The Palestinian Authority...

The framework deal with Iran doesn’t even provide safety for a year, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Tuesday. He was reacting to a media blitz by US President Barack Obama assuring the public that the agreement would curb Tehran’s nuclear program for over a decade. Obama “says we have insurance here for 10 years, but I say we don’t have insurance here for even one or two years unless the loopholes are closed, and only then could it become a more reasonable agreement,” Steinitz said, adding that “I wouldn’t trust this [deal] if it was home insurance, and...

Israeli officials once again begin talking about "military option." The smiles that accompanied the announcement Thursday of parameters for an Iranian nuclear agreement in Lausanne between the world powers and Iran are detached from reality, International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz said in Jerusalem's initial reaction to the developments. The reality, Steinitz said, is that Iran refused to make any concession on the nuclear issue and continues to threaten Israel and all other countries in the Middle East. Even before the press conference in Lausanne where the announcement was made, the Prime Minister's Office posted the following message on twitter: “Any...

International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz warned on Sunday that Iran having a nuclear weapon would be equal to “thirty nuclear North Koreas”. “We have the right and the ability to defend ourselves,” he said in a speech at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York. “The cooperation with the United States is very important but ultimately each country will make its own decisions on maintaining its security,” said Steinitz, stressing that “Israel can deal with any threat.” 80 years ago, said Steinitz, “only one person identified on time and warned the world against the rearmament of Nazi Germany. This was...

Minister Yuval Steinitz of Likud warned Sunday that Israel may be forced to retake control of Gaza and topple the Hamas regime. In an interview with goverment-run Voice of Israel Radio, Steinitz said that Israel “will not tolerate” Hamas's growing rocket arsenal. The minister's warning came two days after two Israeli soldiers were killed in a clash with terrorists in Gaza. Gaza terrorists have increased the frequency of their rocket attacks on southern Israel in recent weeks; several days ago, a rocket killed a Thai worker on a kibbutz [communal settlement].

Likud Knesset member Yuval Steinitz called on the government to allow the IDF to re-enter Gaza in a pre-emptive strike to head off further development of terrorist infrastructure. Steinitz, a member of the Knesset Foreign Relations and Defense Committee, said “The picture being drawn for us is grave. I call on the government to launch Operation Defensive Shield II in the Gaza Strip.” Steinitz made his remarks in response to a report by General Security Services (Shin Bet) Director Yuval Diskin that hundreds of Hamas terrorists are being sent to Iran for “long-term, high-quality training.”

Responding to reports that the FBI is investigating a Department of Defense official in a possible Israeli spy case, MK Yuval Steinitz, chairman of Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Saturday that lessons from the Pollard affair have restrained Israel from spying against Washington for two decades. "Following the Pollard crisis 20 years ago, there was a decision not to spy against the US government or its subsidiaries, and I am confident that this is the case," he said. Jonathan Pollard, a former naval intelligence officer was caught in Washington in November 1985, and was arrested after unsuccessfully seeking...

Oct. 28, 2003 Israel, US to fund laser that shoots down rockets By ASSOCIATED PRESS Israel and the U.S. are to spend at least US$57 million for development of a laser cannon that can shoot down short-range missiles, an Israeli legislator and security officials said Tuesday. A recent Israeli delegation successfully lobbied Congress to approve the new funding package for the joint U.S.-Israeli Nautilus laser weapon project, said Israeli lawmaker Yuval Steinitz, who was part of the delegation. Israel wants the Nautilus to help protect its northern border towns from Katyusha rockets, fired by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbullah during...

Shteinitz Calls for Expelling PA Leadership 17:17 Sep 11, '03 / 14 Elul 5763 (IsraelNN.com) MK (Likud) Yuval Shteinitz, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee is calling for a discussion on the possible expulsion of Yasser Arafat and other PA leaders who arrived with him from Tunisia. Shteinitz is calling for the removal of the terror-supporting leaders of the PA. He added that “dramatic” steps must be taken in the war on terror. Lieberman Opposes Ousting ArafatMinister (National Union/Yisrael Beitenu) Avigdor Lieberman opposes the expulsion of Yasser Arafat, explaining such a move would permit him to...