The three series of talks between world powers and Iran lacked real results,
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee on Monday.
“The Iranians continue enriching [uranium],”
Netanyahu said. “They declared they will not backtrack from their plans even by
a millimeter.”
So far, the prime minister explained, enrichment is at
three percent, enough for four bombs. Therefore, the world is asking Tehran to
stop enrichment at 20%.
“Iran is showing contempt for the whole world,
and plans to enrich beyond 20%,” Netanyahu stated. “They do not see
determination on the world powers’ part to stop the
nuclearization.”
According to the prime minister, sanctions are damaging
Iran’s economy, but they are only “uncomfortable” for Tehran, and not
severe.
“The Iranian issue is not an obsession, but healthy sense,”
Netanyahu said. “It is a huge threat on our people.”
A “nuclear umbrella”
will make problems with rockets from Gaza more complicated than they are now, he
added.
There are stockpiles of weapons that can reach Tel Aviv in Gaza,
the prime minister explained, and Palestinians in Gaza continue to arm
themselves and grow stronger.
The prime minister also reviewed relations
with Egypt, saying “we must be ready for all possibilities.”
He pointed
out that the situation in Sinai is worsening, and that the region has become an
“arms depot and firing range for Hamas missiles.”
The IDF has taken the
changes in Egypt into account, and work on the border fence
continues.
“We need to prepare, but we hope the peace treaty will
continue,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister condemned “the massacre
[Syrian President Bashar] Assad is inflicting on his people with the help of
Iran and Hezbollah,” which he said has daily contact with the Assad
regime.
However, Netanyahu said that there are no opposition figures who
stand out as a possible replacement for the Syrian president.
“The
pressure on Assad is growing stronger,” he stated. “It is not clear what will
happen the day after [he is deposed].”
Netanyahu also warned of arms
smuggling moving from Syria to Hezbollah, expressing concern that al-Qaida and
global jihad could obtain the weaponry.
In addition, the prime minister
said that Israel is preparing for the possibility that the Golan will become “a
border with terror.”
Netanyahu discussed peace talks, saying that they
must begin without preconditions.
He added that it is in the Israeli
interest to make sure the Palestinians do not fall into an economic crisis,
which could reach Israel.