Netanyahu: Iran Threat Will Be Key Challenge for New Government

Premier says opposition to Iran will cause other ME countries to ‘eventually extend a hand of peace to us.'

May 13, 2015

Netanyahu at the Lod District Court, 2012.Credit: Nir Keidar

May 13, 2015

Contending with Iran’s nuclear program will be a key challenge facing Israel’s new government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. “A compromise accord with Iran will prove to be a mistake which will exact a heavy price,” he added.

In a speech before the Knesset plenary commemorating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazism, Netanyahu said that “the new government will be faced with many challenges, including diplomatic, military, economic and social ones. However, the ongoing struggle against the Iranian threat will take center stage. Iran’s efforts to produce nuclear weapons, along with the extension of its terrorist tentacles throughout the Middle East, force us to defend our sovereignty and security with determination.”

Netanyahu added that “there are many countries, including some of our neighbors, who correctly grasp the dangers lurking in Iran’s moves. Here, too, are seeds that will allow a widening of the circle of those who will eventually extend a hand of peace to us. The terrible damage caused by Islamic fanaticism is clear for all to see – it’s time that moderate states come out in favor of alliances and cooperation, strengthening ties of friendship and peace.”

According to Netanyahu, “at the same time, we continue to warn the powers constantly that a compromise accord with Iran will prove to be a mistake that will take a steep toll. In any event, Israel will defend itself, by itself, against any threat.”