Israel Seeks China’s Help in Preventing Iran from Developing Nuclear Bomb

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (AFP)
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Israel Seeks China’s Help in Preventing Iran from Developing Nuclear Bomb

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day, at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (AFP)

Israel requested China’s help in confronting any Iranian attempt to develop nuclear capabilities, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that his country would continue its fight to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen left on a diplomatic visit to Azerbaijan where he will meet President Ilham Aliyev, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, and Economy Minister Miayil Jabbarov, to discuss “strengthening strategic relations between their countries, addressing regional challenges pertaining to Tehran, and deepening cooperation in the fields of economy, security, energy and innovation.”

“I leave today for an important political visit to continue building a united front with our friends in Baku to meet common challenges,” Cohen said in a statement.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry indicated that diplomatic relations between Israel, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan - the two Muslim countries that share borders with Iran - have developed greatly, which has worried Tehran.

Iran had pressured Turkmenistan to prevent Cohen’s visit.

On the eve of his departure to Baku, the Israeli foreign minister received a call from his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, who expressed concern about the growing tension between Israel and the Palestinians, and called on the two sides to resume peace talks as soon as possible.

Cohen took the opportunity to express his concern about Iran’s efforts to advance its nuclear program and asked the Chinese FM to pressure Tehran to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“The danger we see in the Iranian nuclear program [is] a danger that is shared by many countries in the region, including countries that have diplomatic relations with Iran. The international community must act immediately to prevent the regime in Tehran from obtaining nuclear capabilities,” he said.

On Monday, Netanyahu stressed that his country would continue its “battle” to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.

“We are fighting resolutely against any nuclear deal with Iran that will pave its way to nuclear arms,” he said on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.



Countries Tell Ukraine ‘You Are Not Alone’ after UN Adopts Neutral Stance on War

 People attend a demonstration to mark three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Times Square in New York City, US, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
People attend a demonstration to mark three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Times Square in New York City, US, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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Countries Tell Ukraine ‘You Are Not Alone’ after UN Adopts Neutral Stance on War

 People attend a demonstration to mark three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Times Square in New York City, US, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)
People attend a demonstration to mark three years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in Times Square in New York City, US, February 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Dozens of countries rallied behind Ukraine at a meeting at the United Nations in Geneva on Tuesday, a day after the UN Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution that takes a neutral stance on the conflict.

The event, held to commemorate "resistance to the Russian aggression", follows the resolution adopted in New York on the war's third anniversary that reflects President Donald Trump's upending of US policy on Ukraine and his more conciliatory stance towards Russia.

"You are not alone. Norway and other countries, all the countries who are here, but also other countries, will continue to support you as you fight for your territorial integrity, your sovereignty and your human dignity," Norway's Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik told a packed room of ministers and diplomats.

Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died since Russia invaded in 2022 and more than 6 million are refugees abroad. Russia has said it had no choice but to launch what it calls its "special military operation" due to the NATO alliance's eastwards expansion.

Estonia's Minna-Liina Lind, Undersecretary for Global Affairs, told the room she was "extremely worried" by the fact that the Security Council passed a resolution that does not include long-held language on Ukraine's territorial integrity.

"But I think the European resolve is even greater. When there's someone else not as strong, the others fill in," she told Reuters after the meeting, co-organized by Ukraine and Liechtenstein on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council.

The US failed to convince the UN General Assembly to pass the same resolution that passed in the Security Council on Monday. The General Assembly instead adopted motions seen as more favorable for Ukraine, in a diplomatic victory over Washington.

Most countries attending the Geneva event were European and included France and Germany, but others such as Türkiye, South Korea, Australia and Japan were also present. Washington sent a delegate who did not take the floor.

Ukraine's ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko, who at one point became emotional while addressing the room, asked countries to continue their support for rebuilding Ukraine and seeking accountability for crimes committed since Russia's invasion.

"The road ahead is very challenging but when we are united we can prevail," she said.