Bennett: Iranian deal means 'danger for Israel today, tomorrow New York or London'

Israeli politicians across the political spectrum pan Iran deal; Joint List says it hopes Iran nuclear deal will lead to Israel's denuclearization.

By HERB KEINON, JPOST.COM STAFF
Updated: JULY 14, 2015 14:34
What does the Iran nuclear deal mean for Israel?
Education Minister Naftali Bennett harshly criticized the nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers on Tuesday, saying "this day will be remembered as a black day in the history of the free world."
"The history books have been rewritten again today, and this period will be deemed particularly grave and dangerous."
Bennett's comments came just after the landmark Iranian deal was reached.
Netanyahu says Iran nuclear deal "a bad mistake of historic proportions"
"Western citizens who get up for another day at work or school, are not aware of the fact that about half a trillion dollars has been transferred to the hands of a terrorist superpower, the most dangerous country in the world, who has promised the destruction of nations and peoples."
"Today it may be us, tomorrow it may reach every country in the form of suitcase bombs in London or New York. Israel has done everything possible to warn of danger and in the end it will follow its own interests and will do whatever it takes to defend itself."
The nuclear accord agreed upon in Vienna is a “historical capitulation of the West to the axis of evil led by Iran,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said Tuesday morning.
Hotovely issued her statement on the accord before it was formally announced.
The short term ramifications of the accord are “very grave,” she said, adding that Iran will continue to spread terror around the globe, continue to destabilize the region, and take a giant step toward becoming a threshold nuclear state.
“Israel will use all its diplomatic means to try and prevent the confirmation of the agreement,” she said, in an obvious reference to what will now be Israel's attempts to persuade Congress to vote against the accord.
MK Ofir Akunis replied to the news with skepticism, saying "the only thing that is guaranteed when it comes to an agreement with Iran is that it will not be fulfilled, and Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons which threaten the entire world."
"While it is all smiles in Vienna today, tomorrow [the deal] promises worry, fear, and insecurity for all countries in the Middle East and to all countries that have signed the agreement. It is unfortunate that instead of learning from our mistakes made in recent history, our leaders are repeating them," he said in a statement.
Zionist Union MK Shelly Yacimovich said on Tuesday that it was incumbent on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “immediately cease and desist from confronting the Americans.”
“Now that this dangerous, damaging agreement with Iran has become a fait accompli, Netanyahu must stop disseminating prophecies of doom, come to his senses, and regroup in order to improve Israel’s position and defend its interests when the agreement is implemented,” Yacimovich said.
Yisrael Beytenu MK Avigdor Liberman replied to the news on Tuesday, saying the Iranian agreement "ignored  past experience, and is endangering the future."
Liberman met the news of the Iranian deal with great dismay, saying that "the agreement with Iran will be remembered in history in the same line with the Munich Agreement and the agreement with North Korea. This agreement is an agreement which ignores great dangers, and as a result is a total surrender to terror and unbridled violence in the international arena."
"A black flag waves over this agreement and it will be remembered as a black day in history, and in the entire free world," he said.
"The State of Israel needs to ensure at all times and in all circumstances that it will defend itself. Today, Israel needs to remember: 'If I am not for myself, who will be for me'?"
Yesh Atid MK Haim Jellin said that the Iran nuclear agreement was “a bad deal” that contained elements that are “very problematic for the State of Israel’s diplomatic and security situation.”
“We must do everything in our power to change it,” the opposition lawmaker said.
Jellin accused Netanyahu of “failing” in his diplomatic drive to thwart the agreement.
“Instead of engaging the world in dialogue, the prime minister chose to engage the Israeli voters solely for the purpose of strengthening his hold on his job all the while endangering Israel’s security,” Jellin said.
The ruling Likud party criticized opposition lawmakers on Tuesday for assailing Netanyahu's policies in light of the nuclear agreement struck between Iran and the Western powers.
"Instead of presenting a unified front on a fateful issue for Israel, on which there is no Right or Left, and on which everyone knows Israel's security is at stake, some politicians are engaging in narrow political prattle at the expense of the interests of Israel," the party said in a statement.
"The prime minister never promised that there would not be a deal, only that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons, and that promise still holds, today more than ever."
The Joint List, the predominantly Arab faction in the Knesset, praised the nuclear deal as “a victory of the will of the Iranian people and their struggle to remove the siege and sanctions against its country and its refusal to capitulate to international dictates.”
The faction, an amalgamation of the main parties representing the Arab sector in Israel, said that it was hopeful the agreement reached in Vienna “would be applied to Israel,” leading to the dismantlement of its own nuclear arsenal.
“The goal of Israel’s opposition [to the deal] is to remain the only nuclear power in the region and to deflect international public opinion away from the occupation, which is the source of tensions, warfare, and instability in the Middle East,” the party said.


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