Prominent Israeli politicians across the spectrum have questioned the understandings reached last week by the P5+1 nations and Iran regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni the leaders of the Zionist Union, the bloc likely to lead the opposition in the new Knesset, released a statement saying:
“We need to work closely with the powers, and in particular with the United States, over the coming days in order to roll back Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from getting nuclear weapons.”
The Jerusalem Post reports that the Zionist Union’s faction chairman was more explicit in his criticism of the deal expressed on his Facebook page:
“I refuse to join those applauding the agreement with Iran, because the truth is it keeps me awake at night,” Cabel wrote. “President Obama promises that if the Iranians cheat, the world will know, but isn’t that exactly what the Americans promised after the agreement with North Korea?” He said that when it comes to Iran, there is no Left or Right or coalition or opposition in Israel, only Israelis.
“When a crazy religious regime with a proven track record of terrorism and cheating receives permission to get that close to a nuclear bomb, I am very worried,” Cabel wrote, and then adding more criticism of Obama. “The fact that the man who is in charge of making sure the deal won’t be broken has a proven record of mocking his own redlines, makes me even more worried.”
Cabel also called Prime Minister Netanyahu’s efforts to highlight the dangers of the deal being discussed as a “correct struggle.”
Yair Lapid head of the Yesh Atid party wrote on Facebook (Hebrew link):
On the topic of Iran’s nuclear program there is no opposition and no coalition. We all share the fear that Iran will bypass [the agreement] and Israel must protect its security interests. The Iranian regime of the ayatollah’s has engaged for years in denial and deception to advance its nuclear program under the nose of the West. They will try, from day one, to trick the international community as they have done in the past. There is no basis for the assumption that today Iran was prevented from developing nuclear weapons. Israel must cooperate with the United States and the international community to ascertain that there is no deception that endangers the security of Israel and the security of the world.
Naftali Bennett head of the Habayit Ha-Yehudi party added on his Facebook page (Hebrew link):
The main spin is “either this agreement or war.” This is not correct. A third better possibility: Wait. Leave sanctions in place until Iran gives up its military nuclear program. When it faces a choice either its nuclear program or its economy. It will give in.
Netanyahu spoke to a number of American news programs yesterday arguing that the understandings reached last week regarding Iran’s nuclear program were likely to increase instability in the Middle East.
[Photo: i24 News / YouTube ]