In the aftermath of the framework deal on Iran's nuclear program announced last Thursday, US President Barack Obama went on a series of interviews explaining the importance of the deal.
Obama's interview with New York Times Op-Ed columnist, Thomas L. Friedman, was published in print as "Iran and the Obama Doctrine" on Sunday. A video of that interview was just released Thursday with Hebrew subtitles.
In the interview, Obama addresses Israel's response to the deal, noting that while the US is "powerful enough to test these propositions," Israel sees itself as more "vulnerable."
"I completely understand Israel’s belief that given the tragic history of the Jewish people, they can’t be dependent solely on us for their own security," Obama noted.
"But what I would say to them is that not only am I absolutely committed to making sure that they maintain their qualitative military edge, and that they can deter any potential future attacks, but what I’m willing to do is to make the kinds of commitments that would give everybody in the neighborhood, including Iran, a clarity that if Israel were to be attacked by any state, that we would stand by them."
"And that, I think, should be ... sufficient to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see whether or not we can at least take the nuclear issue off the table,” he proposed.
The President added: “What I would say to the Israeli people is ... that there is no formula, there is no option, to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon that will be more effective than the diplomatic initiative and framework that we put forward — and that’s demonstrable.”
Despite touting the deal, Obama acknowledged that Israel has "every right to be concerned about Iran," because of multiple declarations of its intentions to destroy Israel, Iran's Holocaust denial and other rampant anti-Semitic ideas.
So, while Israel "should be absolutely concerned that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon," Obama insisted that the framework agreement would satisfy Israel's concerns more than any other option.
“I have to respect the fears that the Israeli people have,” he added, “and I understand that Prime Minister Netanyahu is expressing the deep-rooted concerns that a lot of the Israeli population feel about this."
But, he added, "this is our best bet by far to make sure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon," and by entering into this deal, the US sends "a very clear message to the Iranians and to the entire region that if anybody messes with Israel, America will be there."