Yuli Edelstein
Yuli EdelsteinYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) has penned an opinion article in the Los Angeles Times in which he defended Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's decision to speak to Congress Tuesday, against the deal being forged with Iran.

“Imagine for a moment,” he wrote, “that your neighbor down the street was engaged in some basement science that could level your house and even kill you, if he so desired. Your best friend, who happens to live some distance away, out of harm's reach, can end the threat to your life and property but is now trying to legalize your neighbor's dangerous work. What would you do?”

“This is the situation facing Israel,” he stated. “It is clear that for more than a decade, Iran has been illicitly developing nuclear capabilities and thumbing its nose at efforts to monitor its progress in accordance with international guidelines.” .

Edelstein said that negotiations that “maintain sanctions on Iran and ensure it is free of centrifuges, heavy-water reactors, enrichment facilities and programs to develop intercontinental delivery systems” could have led to the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program. Instead, he said the agreement being formulated would “reward Iran for defying international norms and encourage other countries to do the same.”

“The speech on Tuesday is not just about Iran's nuclear race and it is not just about Israel,” he explained. “It is about whether we, as free people committed to democratic ideals, are still capable of standing together and resisting the temptation to compromise and appease our foes.”