29 Mar 2024
On U.S. visit, Netanyahu warns an Iran deal could threaten Israel
[caption id="attachment_153832" align="alignright" width="228"]. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, March 2, 2015. CREDIT: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, March 2, 2015.
CREDIT: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST[/caption]

(Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the United States on Monday that the nuclear deal it is negotiating withIrancould threaten Israel's survival and insisted he had a "moral obligation" to speak up about deep differences with PresidentBarack Obamaon the issue.

In a preview of a planned address to Congress on Tuesday that has already imperiled U.S.-Israeli ties, Netanyahu voiced fears that talks betweenIranand world powers would allow Tehran to become a nuclear-armed state and said this must not happen.

"As prime minister ofIsrael, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while theres still time to avert them," Netanyahu told a cheering audience at the annual conference of the AmericanIsraelPublic Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the largest U.S. pro-Israel lobby.

At the same time, Netanyahu sought to ease U.S.-Israeli tensions, saying the relationship between his country and the United States was "stronger than ever" and would continue to improve. He said the widespread characterizations of fraying relations were "not only premature, they're just wrong."

The long-strained personal relationship between Obama and Netanyahu has sunk to a new low over the Israeli leaders planned speech to a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, just weeks before an end-of-March deadline for a framework accord betweenIranand world powers.

Netanyahu is expected to press U.S. lawmakers to block a deal withIranthat he contends would endanger Israels existence but which Obamas aides believe could be a signature foreign policy achievement for the president.

The invitation to Netanyahu was orchestrated by Republican congressional leaders with the Israeli ambassador without advance word to the White House, a breach of protocol that infuriated the Obama administration.

Obama has said he will not meet with Netanyahu during this visit, on the grounds that doing so just two weeks before Israeli elections could be seen as interfering.

The partisan nature of this dispute has turned this into the worst rift in decades between the United States andIsrael, which normally navigates carefully between Republicans and Democrats in Washington.

By Reuters
https://theiranproject.com/vdcaeen6649nma1.tgk4.html
Your Name
Your Email Address