Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday morning, at the Warsaw conference on peace and security in the Middle East, told US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo what a historic moment had taken place the day before, when, in a room of some sixty foreign ministers and representatives of dozens of governments, an Israeli prime minister and the foreign ministers of leading Arab countries were standing together and speaking with uncommon force, clarity and unity, against the common threat of the Iranian regime.”
Netanyahu thanked “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence and the Trump administration for putting together an extraordinary conference.
“This marks a change, an important understanding of what threatens our future, what we have to do to secure it and the possibilities of cooperation that extend beyond security to every realm of life for the peoples of the Middle East,” Netanyahu said.
“This happened here in Warsaw,” he said, “and the main conclusion that I have [reached] is that it must continue in other forms, in other ways for the same purpose. I want to thank you Secretary Pompeo for doing this – it’s important.”
Secretary Pompeo thanked the Prime Minister, adding: “We appreciate you being here a great deal. It matters. This is a global challenge in the Middle East and I look forward to a successful day here where we’ll continue to build on what happened last night between all the parties who are deeply interested and committed to ensuring that we push back against all of the threats – including Iran – in the Middle East. So thank you all.”
A reported asked Secretary Pompeo if the summit “deals with ways to combat or to fight Iran, like Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday.”
Pompeo answered: “You can’t achieve peace and stability in the Middle East without confronting Iran. It’s just not possible. They’re a malign influence in Lebanon, in Yemen, in Syria, in Iraq – the three H’s: the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah.”
“These are real threats; there are others as well. But you can’t get peace in the Middle East without pushing back against Iran,” Pompeo said.