Netanyahu: Iran must recognize Israel's right to exist

In the wake of the framework nuclear agreement reached between six world powers and Iran on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting on Friday of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet. Following the meeting, in statement issued just before the start of the Passover holiday, Netanyahu demanded that a final deal with Iran include an explicit Iranian commitment to Israel's right to exist.

"The cabinet is united in strongly opposing the proposed deal," Netanyahu said. "This deal would pose a grave danger to the region and to the world and would threaten the very survival of the State of Israel. The deal would not shut down a single nuclear facility in Iran, would not destroy a single centrifuge in Iran and would not stop R&D on Iran's advanced centrifuges.


Credit: GPO

"On the contrary, the deal would legitimize Iran's illegal nuclear program. It would leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure -- a vast nuclear infrastructure remains in place. The deal would lift sanctions almost immediately and this at the very time Iran is stepping up its aggression and terror in the region and beyond the region. In a few years, the deal would remove the restrictions on Iran's nuclear program, enabling Iran to have a massive enrichment capacity that it could use to produce many nuclear bombs within a matter of months.

"The deal would greatly bolster Iran's economy. It would give Iran thereby tremendous means to propel its aggression and terrorism throughout the Middle East. Such a deal does not block Iran's path to the bomb. Such a deal paves Iran's path to the bomb. And it might very well spark a nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East and it would greatly increase the risks of terrible war.

"Now some say the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That's not true. There's a third alternative -- standing firm and increasing the pressure on Iran until a good deal is achieved.

"And finally let me say one more thing. Iran is a regime that openly calls for Israel's destruction and openly and actively works towards that end. Just two days ago, in the midst of the negotiations in Lausanne, the commander of the Basji security forces in Iran said this: 'The destruction of Israel is nonnegotiable.' Well I want to make clear to all -- the survival of Israel is nonnegotiable. Israel will not accept an agreement which allows a country that vows to annihilate us to develop nuclear weapons. Period. In addition, Israel demands that any final agreement with Iran will include a clear and unambiguous Iranian commitment to Israel's right to exist."

When asked about Netanyahu's demand, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Friday, "This is an agreement that is only about the nuclear issue. We have purposefully kept that separate from every other issue. This is an agreement that doesn't deal with any other issues, nor should it. And that's what we're focused on."

On Thursday, Netanyahu spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama by telephone. During their conversation, Netanyahu expressed "strong opposition" to the framework agreement with Iran.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said Friday, "The president would never sign onto a deal that he felt was a threat to the State of Israel."

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