(A7) Israeli Opposition Leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the Biden administration to task Sunday for its efforts to restore the nuclear deal with Iran, calling the move a “big mistake”, and warning that a return to the deal could endanger the US, Europe, and the entire world.
“The arrival in Israel of the Arab foreign ministers is a welcome thing. It’s a direct result of the Abraham Accords, which we brought,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, coinciding with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Israel, and the Negev Summit, bringing foreign ministers from four moderate Arab states to Israel this week.
“I met all of these foreign ministers in Israel, with the exception of the Moroccan foreign minister, whom I met earlier in the UN.”
“Strengthening the Abraham Accords is a good thing for peace, it is a good thing for Israel. Having said that, I strongly disagree with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. I respect him personally, but I think he’s making a big mistake.”
“Iran without the nuclear agreement is a poor country, an isolated country, a country that has no international legitimacy, and no immunity from the military option.”
“Iran with the nuclear agreement, becomes a rich country, with hundreds of billions of dollars, which they will use for terror and aggression – a country that breaks through the international isolation and receives immunity for military action.”
“This agreement is dangerous for Israel, for the United States, and for the entire world. It doesn’t prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or the means to deliver them to the United States and Europe, because they are allowed under the agreement to develop the ballistic missiles that can deliver atomic warheads.”
“So this agreement has to be opposed. And that is what I expect from the Israeli government and all people who are concerned with the security and peace of the world to do: Oppose this agreement now.”
