Peres: West should not ease sanctions on Iran

President Shimon Peres is most troubled by Israel's public relations, the diplomatic easing with Iran and the crisis in Syria.

"I don't think Israel's voice is being heard enough, and we're not using the necessary tone," Peres told Israel Hayom in an interview in his hotel room in The Hague. "Generally, public opinion doesn't delve into details, it exists as a general impression. The Arab side managed to create the impression that they're under occupation, and that we're the occupiers. We could explain how this is not the case. We were attacked seven times, and yet we made peace twice. Not only did we make peace, but we also gave back all the land.

"It's a simple fact that no one mentions. They claim we want to control the Arab territories -- they don't mention the fact that we unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. With a heavy heart we withdrew the settlers and razed the settlements, and then they started lobbing rockets at us. For what? Why? And as for claims of apartheid? What apartheid? We have anti-apartheid laws. We returned to negotiations even though we knew that the borders could change."

Is there room for a change with Israel's approach to Iran, in light of the U.S.'s new diplomatic spirit-

"We need to make a serious decision: Is Iran a danger just for just Israel, or for the entire world? I believe that it's wiser and more accurate to say that Iran is a threat to the whole world. There is no need to 'Israelify' the Iranian threat. I assume the U.S. president already feels he's achieved something, since without sanctions there would have been no new spirit. Change doesn't just happen -- it happened because very harsh sanctions were imposed, unprecedented ones."

Do you think the West should ease sanctions on Iran?

"I don't think that there's room to ease sanctions until the Iranians take definitive actions. They're paying to change the facts. This isn't a competition of speeches. We're waiting to see what happens in reality. I have patience. They need to stop enriching uranium, or building long-range missiles that could carry a nuclear warhead. They need to prove that they are anti-nuclear."

As for the crisis in Syria, do you believe Assad and his regime are on their way out?

"I think he doesn't have any choice. He has already fallen. He will never be a leader again. He slaughtered 100,000 of his own countrymen. That can't be deleted. People are fleeing Syria. Will he let the children of Syria live? If he doesn't care about the children, the children will care for themselves. No one is living his life for him. They will draw their own conclusions."

You are finishing your term in July next year. How would you sum up your presidential service, and what are your plans for the future-

"I enjoy serving the public. It's been like that my whole life, and it's no different today. It's given me a chance within a certain framework, and I accepted the role and the framework. I've tried my best to fulfill it. However much I've succeeded or not, I cannot judge. A baker can't vouch for his own dough. My plans are to continue serving this country, even if it's not within the framework of state work.

"There are many nongovernmental organizations in the world today doing excellent work, which are a boon for the state. I've never worked for the sake of my own home. I have no plans to. I have a great home. I don't need anything bigger or richer. I have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren."

Some have said you should go on to take another seven-year term. What's your opinion on that-

"No. Where there's a law, I respect it. I'll finish my term at the end of seven years."