Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcoming French President Francois Hollande on his visit to Israel, tacitly swatted Barack Obama by noting Hollande’s “courageous stance” for his opposition to easing sanctions on Iran.
Hollande’s resistance to letting Iran off the hook over its nuclear program is directly opposed to Obama’s championing of talks with Iran.
Netanyahu said, “Israel sees France as a true friend. France, like Israel, aspires for a stable Middle East that lives in peace and security.” He added, “This visit is important… in light of the talks that are being held in Geneva on the Iranian nuclear issue. I hope that we will succeed in convincing our friends this week, and the days after, to reach a much better deal.”
Netanyahu has already called the offer from the P5+1 to Iran a “very, very bad deal.” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius agreed, calling it a “sucker’s deal.”
President Hollande said, “talks are better than a military option,” and that “the best will be to go straight to a final and comprehensive agreement.” But he cautioned, “Iran [has been] negotiating for years without making any progress. Without the sanctions Iran would not be speaking as it is now, but words are still not deeds.”
Netanyahu said on Sunday that if the deal offered by the P5+1 nations is implemented, Iran could produce the fissile material for a nuclear bomb in roughly three weeks. He continued that “a good deal is an agreement that dismantles Iran’s ability to get fissile material for a nuclear bomb.” The ultimate goal is for Iran to permanently eschew building a nuclear weapon, he said.
Netanyahu explained that the deal offered by the P5+1 to Iran “will allow them to continue enrichment.” He concluded, “I can’t sit by and look at this development that will endanger my country. We don’t have a pogrom complex; we understand that when people say they want to destroy us – we need to take them seriously. It is my duty to prevent from anyone to commit a second holocaust against the Jewish people.”
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