PM tells US football stars: Unlike in NFL, if Israel loses, it’s over

Prime Minister Netanyahu uses analogies from the football field to relate to NFL players the Israeli situation in the Middle East.

By HERB KEINON
Netanyahu and Robert Kraft (photo credit: PMO)
Netanyahu and Robert Kraft
(photo credit: PMO)
The difference between NFL football and Israel’s situation in the Mideast is that if Israel loses, “the consequences are immutable,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday told 18 of the greatest NFL players to have ever played the game.
“I’m sure that when you prepare for your games you don’t say: ‘Well, do I need to be strong, fast and nimble?’ Is that a question? No. Your game is not different from ours. The only difference is: If we lose, the consequences are immutable,” he said. “We had enough of that in our history. So, we won’t let that happen again.”
Netanyahu’s comments came at a meeting with Pro Football Hall of Famers who came to Israel with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft for a weeklong trip.
The premier told the players that Israel’s policy was simple: “You seek peace but you’ve got to be strong. If you’re not strong, you’ll never get peace, and if you’re not strong, you’ll be in war and turmoil. And the worst thing is – you lose.”
This is the second large group of Hall of Famers Kraft has brought to the country since 2015. This time the following NFL stars came: Lem Barney, Jerome Bettis, Jim Brown, Cris Carter, Dave Casper, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Joe Greene, Willie Lanier, Joe Montana, Andre Reed, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, John Stallworth, Roger Staubach, Andre Tippett, Aeneas Williams and Ron Yary.