Jewish Home party leader and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has warned that world powers were on the verge of a deal with Iran that “will be remembered one hundred years from now” – for all the wrong reasons; and Israel, he pledged, would do everything in its power to stop that from happening.
“We’re looking at a very bad deal indeed. A disastrous deal that we have to do everything in our power to prevent,” Bennett told Arutz Sheva after addressing the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington Monday.
Despite heading a grueling election campaign, Bennett chose to join Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the US, in order to advocate Israel’s stance on solving the Iranian nuclear crisis to American audiences.
Under the deal currently on the table between Iran and the so-called P5+1 powers, “Iran will legally be able to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Bennett warned.
“It gets a definitive path to the weapon.”
Bennett noted that not only was Iran’s nuclear program clearly aimed at developing nuclear weapons, but that Tehran has also been actively developing long-range missiles to target western countries at the very same time as it is engaged in negotiations with those same countries.
As such, he insisted, “this deal risks America’s interests as well as Israel’s.”
“Iran right now is developing Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. They don’t need them to hit Israel – their existing missiles do that job,” he explained.
“The reason they’re developing these Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles is to hit New York, London and Paris, and the free world has to do everything now to prevent them from acquiring (nuclear weapons),” he urged.
The solution is not to let up on the sanctions regime currently imposed on Iran, Bennett continued, while hinting that Israel would do whatever it takes to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
To that end, the Minister issued a stark warning to world leaders.
“If this deal is signed it will go down in infamy,” Bennett warned.
“It’s one of those events that will be remembered one hundred years from now: How could the world knowingly go down a path that legalizes Iranian uranium enrichment? It just doesnt make sense – and we have to do everything in our power to stop it.”
Echoing sentiments aired by members of Congress supportive of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s upcoming speech before Congress, Bennett dismissed talk of lasting damage to Israel’s relationship with the US over related tension with the White House.
“It’s no secret that relations are tense, but our friendship with America goes way deeper than the two leaders,” he assured.
“The majpority of Americans support Israel; they understand that Israel is a beacon of freedom, of democracy, in the toughestr area in the world, and I think that this bond is unshakable.”
For the full interview, see the video above.
