Pm Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the international community for negotiating with Iran while taking no steps to curb its sponsorship global terrorism, as top American and Iranian diplomats attempted to hammer out a deal in Geneva.
Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, the prime minister said that it’s “astonishing that even after the recent IAEA report determined that Iran is continuing to hide the military components of its nuclear program, the nuclear talks are proceeding.”
“Not only are they continuing, there is an increased effort to reach a nuclear agreement in the coming days and weeks,” Netanyahu said. The deadline for the six world powers and Iran to reach a political agreement about Tehran’s unsanctioned nuclear program is March 31.
His comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry was set to arrive in Geneva Sunday for renewed talks with his Iranian counterpart on Tehran’s nuclear program, after warning “significant gaps” remain ahead of a key deadline.
On Thursday, an IAEA report stated that Tehran is being evasive and ambiguous in its dealings with the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency, preventing the organization from launching a thorough assessment of the country’s nuclear program.
In the wake of the report, Netanyahu called on world leaders to stop “wooing Iran” over a nuclear deal.
Netanyahu also panned the international community for continuing to negotiate despite Iran’s sponsorship of international terrorism.
“The fact that Iran is continuing its murderous terrorism that knows no borders and which embraces the region and the world has, to our regret, not prevented the international community from continuing to talk with Iran about a nuclear agreement that will allow it to build the industrial capacity to develop nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said.
Israel has accused Iran of carrying out a slew of terrorist attacks in recent years against Israeli targets from Bulgaria to Bangkok and providing material support for both Hezbollah and Hamas.
Netanyahu said the emerging deal was “dangerous for Israel,” and defended his planned speech about the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program in Washington next month. In a jab at the executive branch, he said the US Congress “would appear to be the body that will affect the fate of the deal.”
World powers are trying to strike a deal with Iran that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb in return for an easing of punishing international economic sanctions.
Kerry is set to arrive in the Swiss city Sunday morning for two days of talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country denies its nuclear program has military objectives.
“There are still significant gaps, there is still a distance to travel,” Kerry said in London on Saturday.
There is a heightened sense of urgency as the clock ticks down towards a March 31 deadline to agree on a political framework for the deal.
“President [Barack] Obama has no inclination whatsoever to extend these talks beyond the period that has been set out,” Kerry said.
US and Iranian diplomats have been meeting in Geneva since Friday, and senior negotiators from the so-called P5+1 group of Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany were also expected to meet on Sunday to help drive the talks forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rjdO4cfeEg
@ bernard ross:
@ bernard ross:
Israeli Foreign Minister on Iran: If You Want To Shoot, Shoot; Don’t Talk
I agree with Lieberman on this statement
It is scandalously despicable that herzog, Livni and Lapid have taken to obstruct BB’s speech to congress. From the time that Sharon left gaza in the hope of US support for Iran through the years of Obama betrayal and swindling, pretending to “have Israel’s back”, asking Israel NOT to protect itself but to leave Israels security in the US hands it should be apparent to all that it is one minute to midnight and Obama has betrayed Israel.
This despicable opportunistic foreign stooge leftist crowd should be rallying behind BB and giving full support to his advocacy on behalf of the security of Israel. This should be a non partisan issue and there can be no credulous argument that there is still time to convince Obama with quiet diplomacy. That ship has long sailed and these power at any price opportunists know that the only way to convince the US is to go around Obama as BB is doing. The 3 foreign stooges should be grateful that BB has received this extremely fortunate and crucial opportunity to plead Israels case. But no, these despicable creatures are willing to throw this one remaining opportunity under the bus in order to advance their own self interests. I have rarely seen a group of politicians with a less deserving chance at government than this despicable trio.
Pretending that there is still an opportunity to get Obama to change his mind with quiet diplomacy at this late hour is beyond the ludicrous. Any opportunity at this last moment to shout Israels position should be taken as a G_D sent miracle.
There is no platform that the left has other than to attack and destroy Netanyahu in every sleazy possible way. These transparent daily abuses of public office by their leftist moles in government, suddenly raining down on BB every possible petty infraction they can dream up, do not go unnoticed by the ordinary citizen. It is obvious that the dishonest left has been holding these petty attacks in storage for this very moment, in breach of their duty as public officials. The left deserves to be severely trounced and repudiated for their highly unethical MO and behavior but more importantly their obstruction of this very important speech borders on treason.
Leftist liars, that ship has long sailed and they are now obstructing the last remaining hope and possibility to avert the disaster. They should get behind Netanyahu on this issue which they say they agree with, if they are not also lying about that, and put Israels safety ahead of their personal ambitions if they expect a shred of respect from anyone.
Yet this morning’s Washington Post reports that the Obama administration is aggressively pursuing new sanctions against Russia over it’s “land grab” in the Ukraine.
What gives? The Obama administration treats Iran with kid gloves.
Why should Israel even be bound by an agreement negotiated by other countries? Israel is not a party in these negotiations. I can see trouble ahead in the way Obama and the so-called P5+1 or whatever they call themselves, are conducting this as though they run the Middle East. Who gives them the right to negotiate over Israel’s (and Saudi Arabia’s, and UAE’s, and Jordan’s) security?
Yes, this whole process has the seeds of war.