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Netanyahu: Israel's Three External Challenges

(Israel Prime Minister's Office) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations meeting in Jerusalem on Monday: Three great challenges - Iran, Syria and the pursuit of peace - are three of the main subjects that I intend to take up with President Obama when he comes here to visit Israel. Iran's nuclear weapons program continues unabated. I drew a line at the UN the last time I was there. They haven't crossed that line, but they're shortening the time that it will take them to cross that line by putting in new, faster centrifuges that cut the time by one-third. This has to be stopped for the peace and security of the entire world. How do you stop it? You have to put greater pressure on them. You have to upgrade the sanctions. And they have to know that if the sanctions and diplomacy fail, they will face a credible military threat. That's essential. Nothing else will do the job. And it's getting closer. The second challenge we face is in Syria, whose stockpiles of chemical weapons and other strategic weapons can change the balance of power in the Middle East. We will not sit idly by and let those weapons fall into the hands of terrorists. The third challenge is to advance a solid, secure peace with the Palestinians. I believe that the framework for this peace is two states for two peoples - a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. To reach this solution we have to negotiate in good faith, which means you don't place preconditions. My hope is that the Palestinians will leave their preconditions aside and get to the negotiating table so we don't waste another four years.
2013-02-12 00:00:00
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