ISRAEL WILL SUFFER FIRST AND MOST FROM WAR
The Israeli Prime Minister also dealt head on with some of the misinformation being circulated about the deal. The one he said was the most “outrageous” was the labeling those who oppose the deal as wanting war.
“We’re on the front line,” Netanyahu said, “we have terrorist organizations funded by Iran on three of our borders, there are tens of thousands of rockets aimed at our cities,” pointing out that “we will suffer first and the most” from any war with Iran.” Anyone who suggests that “the Jews” or “the Israelis” oppose the Iran deal because they just want war simply does not understand the geographic reality of the Middle East.
That the vast majority of Israelis oppose the deal should also be understood. As Netanyahu explained, Isaac Herzog, his number one challenger during the most recent election and one who “works every day to bring down my government” has said “there is ‘no daylight’ between the two of us about the Iran deal.”
During the brief question and answer session which followed Netanyahu’s talk, he was asked about the wide exposure given to some former Israeli officials who support the deal. Netanyahu deftly responded that Israel is a Jewish democracy where everyone has an opinion and everyone is eager to share theirs. What he said was more surprising was not that there are a few individuals prepared to say they support the Iran deal, but that opposition to the deal spans the political spectrum.
ISRAEL’S ALTERNATIVES TO THIS BAD DEAL
The Israeli Prime Minister was also asked what was needed to be included in the deal so that Israel would support it. This question provided Netanyahu with the opportunity to dispel another myth: that he bashed the deal made by the P5+1, but offered no alternatives.
The Iranians should have been offered a dismantling of the sanctions regime in exchange for dismantling their nuclear weapons infrastructure. That’s a deal Israel would have supported, according to Netanyahu. When that concept was rejected, the Israelis asked that there at least be restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear program, and that Iran be prevented from supporting terrorism and regional aggression. But that was also rejected.
Israel is not simply bashing the current deal and not offering alternatives. Instead, Israel was bashed for offering sound alternatives that would have achieved the alleged goals of the deal while creating a virtual regional iron dome against Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
Finally, a question in great currency lately was asked. If the JCPOA is rejected by Congress and President Obama’s promised veto is overridden, what will happen next, especially as the United Nations Security Council has already approved the deal and sanctions will be lifted by the other nations.
What should follow a rejection of this deal is greater sanctions, Netanyahu said. “The economy of the United States is 40 times larger than Iran’s,” he explained.
“The rest of the world will come around, perhaps after some initial erosion, because they will realize that having trade relations with the United States is far more important than having trade relations with Iran.”
What’s more, Netanyahu explained, “the Iranians will come back, they need a deal.” The United States should not “prematurely give away its best leverage” by lifting sanctions. “Instead, it should increase sanctions on Iran, increase the pressure” to make Iran pull back from its desire to foment terror in the world.
The Israeli Prime Minister also encouraged the Americans not to fall for the idea that opposing the Iran deal means they are rejecting the United States and instead choosing Israel. The issue is global safety, not just Israel’s safety. Netanyahu also made it clear that the relationship between the U.S. and Israel is strong enough to withstand this current policy difference and it will not result in any permanent damage in either direction.