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Israeli Ambassador: Netanyahu Never Meant to Disrespect Obama


(Atlantic) Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Ambassador Ron Dermer - Dermer: "The prime minister's visit to Washington is intended for one purpose - to speak about Iran, that openly threatens the survival of the Jewish state. The survival of Israel is not a partisan issue. It is an issue for all Americans because those who seek Israel's destruction also threaten America. America and Israel have to face this threat together." "Israel's policy is not merely to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon today; it is also to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon in the future. And Israel is very concerned that a deal will be forged that will not dismantle Iran's nuclear-weapons capability. We are concerned that it would leave Iran with an advanced nuclear infrastructure...and in the foreseeable future enable Iran to have an industrial-sized nuclear program, as the timeframe for this agreement runs out and all sanctions are removed. That is an outcome that is unacceptable to Israel." "I would hope that everyone would appreciate what it means to us to see that the deal that is emerging would pose a threat to the survival of Israel....I know that people are trying to turn this into a personal or a partisan issue, but for Israel, it is neither. It is about an issue that affects the fate of the country....I do think the prime minister has a moral obligation, as the leader of Israel and in living memory of an attempt to annihilate the Jewish people, to speak up about a deal that could endanger the survival of the one and only Jewish state." "Iran's regime is not only committed to Israel's destruction, it is working towards Israel's destruction. It has used Hizbullah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other proxies to fire thousands of rockets and threaten Israel from Lebanon, Gaza, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights."
2015-02-02 00:00:00
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