“While there is no doubt that America is our biggest and strongest friend, ultimately it is us who live in the region, and it is us who will bear the consequences.”
By World Israel News Staff
While the world has its eyes glued to the Ukrainian-Russian border, trying to imagine which way history will go, we, in Israel and in the region, are keeping one eye on Ukraine and another on Vienna – where the talks between the world powers and Iran are taking place, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem Sunday evening.
“We are looking to Vienna, and we are deeply troubled by what we see,” Bennett said, adding that the emerging nuclear agreement with Iran “is likely to create a more violent and less stable Middle East.”
“While there is no doubt that America is our biggest and strongest friend, ultimately it is us who live in the region, and it is us who will bear the consequences.”
The prime minister explained that Israel is not opposed to any deal per se, but that this particular agreement is a dangerous one.
Many who supported the 2015 deal “are very worried today,” he added, highlighting three points.
First, “the agreement leaves Iran with a fast track to military-grade enrichment. And in the time until it sunsets, they won’t even have to destroy all those centrifuges they developed over the past few years.
Second, “the Iranian regime is insisting on closing the open files of the International Atomic Energy Agency [nuclear watchdog] – these are ‘hot investigations’ pertaining to possible military dimensions.
“Or in simple English: Iran has hidden and is still hiding nuclear-weapon related materials. It has been caught red-handed, and Iran is demanding that the inspectors that caught them will pretend to forget what they saw.”
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement critic of the nuclear deal, exposed incriminating evidence showing that Iran lied and continues to lie about its nuclear program and that the nuclear deal gives Iran a path to a nuclear arsenal.
Third, “the agreement will pour money, billions of dollars, into the Iranian terror machine – more UAVs, more attacks on ships, more rockets on Israel and our allies through its proxies.
“And to cap the chutzpah – Iran is demanding to delist the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps].”
“Do you understand? They are now asking to let the biggest terror organization on earth off the hook,” Bennett said, pointing to the serious challenges this creates for Israel’s security.
Despite the dire warning, he remained optimistic. “There is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail,” he stated.
“This agreement will enrich this brutal and corrupt regime – but this is only temporary.
“If I were an investor, Iran is the last place I would invest in. Nobody in his right mind should invest in a country whose number one export – is terrorism.
“Israel, on the other hand, is stronger than ever, growing by 8% in 2021, a year of COVID.”
Citing Israel’s economic, hi-tech and military strength, Bennett went on to toot his government’s horn on the diplomatic front, saying they have restored strong relations with U.S. leaders on “both sides of the aisle” – Republicans and Democrats alike.
“Despite the differences we have on this agreement, our relations with our friend President Biden and his administration, will remain close and strong,” he said.