Tuesday before a joint session of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the Obama administration’s proposed deal with Iran is a path for Tehran to get massive amounts of nuclear weapons and start the countdown to a “nuclear nightmare.”
Netanyahu said, “That is exactly what could happen if the deal being negotiated is accepted by Iran. That deal would not prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them.”
He also added, “The greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons.” Netanyahu explained that Tehran was already playing “hide and cheat” with international inspectors to hide the true extent and nature of its nuclear program.
He said Iran is funding terror and “gobbling up” nations engulfed in turmoil in the Middle East.
“The enemy of your enemy is your enemy,” Netanyahu said, noting the Obama administration is being fooled into thinking the common enemy of ISIS means Iran would join the West in defeating them.
The prime minister said, “My friends, for over a year we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. It is a very bad deal. We are better off without it.”
Netanyahu said, “Now we are being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That’s just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal! A better deal that doesn’t leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and such a short breakout time. A better deal that keeps restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in place until Iran’s aggression ends. A better deal that won’t give Iran an easy path to the bomb. A better deal that Israel and its neighbors may not like, but with which we could live literally. And no country — no country has a greater stake, no country has a greater stake than Israel in the good deal that peacefully removes this threat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, history has placed us at a fateful crossroads,” he continued. “We must now choose between two paths. One path leads to a bad deal that will at best, curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions for a while, but it will lead to a nuclear armed Iran, whose unbridled aggression will inevitably lead to war. The second path, however difficult, could lead to a much better deal that would prevent a nuclear armed Iran, a nuclearized Middle East, and the horrific consequences of both to all of humanity. You don’t have to read Robert Frost to know, you have to live life to know that the difficult path is usually the one less traveled, but it will make all the difference for the future of my country, the security of the Middle East, and the peace of the world, the peace we all desire.”
“My friends, standing up to Iran is not easy. Standing up to dark and murderous regimes never is. With us today is holocaust survivor, Nobel prize winner Elie Wiesel. Elie ,your life and work inspire us to give meaning to the words never again! And I wish I could promise you, Elie that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Not to sacrifice the future for the present. Not to ignore aggression in the hopes of gaining an illusory peace.
“But I can guarantee you this. The days when the Jewish people remain passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over! We are no longer scattered among the nations powerless to defend ourselves. We have restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we the Jewish people can defend ourselves.”
“This is why, this is why as prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing. Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But I know that Israel does not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel! I know that you stand with Israel! You stand with Israel because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people, but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to history’s horrors.”
“Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this chamber is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the promised land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with his message today. Be strong and resolute, neither fear or dread them. My friends, may Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute, may we neither fear or dread the challenges ahead and face the future with confidence and strength and hope. God bless Israel and God bless the Untied States of America.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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