Gentilloni (L), Netanyahu at press conference
Gentilloni (L), Netanyahu at press conferenceHaim Zach/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu called out the Palestinian Authority (PA) on Tuesday, noting that it has not condemned the wave of terror attacks stemming directly from territory under its control since Ramadan began earlier this month. 

Speaking at a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentilloni, Netanyahu first wished the victims of Monday's attacks a speedy recovery. 

 

"I would like to send my best wishes for a rapid and full recovery to the Israeli citizens who were wounded last night in the terrorist attack near Shilo and to the soldier who was stabbed near Rachel's Tomb," he began. "Attempts to attack us do not halt even for a moment."

"The ISA and IDF have foiled dozens of terrorist attacks since the start of the year and over 200 since the start of 2014," he continued. "We are determined to take strong action and deal with the terrorists to the fullest extent of the law."

"The fact that up until now, the Palestinian Authority has not condemned these attacks needs to bother not only us, but also the international community as a whole," he added. "Those who do not take an unequivocal stand against terrorism cannot wash their hands." 

Netanyahu also addressed Israel-Italy relations, noting that the two countries "live in a very tough neighborhood" and are keeping diplomatic ties close in light of that. 

"We are all under attack," he noted. "When I look around, what I think we need to do is have unequivocal condemnation of the terrorists and their sponsors."

"The greatest sponsor of terrorism in the world is Iran," he continued, referring to a US State Department report last week confirming Tehran's involvement elsewhere in the Middle East. "We believe it is a fundamental mistake to enable such a terrorist regime to get to nuclear weapons, which is what the proposed agreement will give them."

"This is something that is wrong, that is dangerous," he warned. "It is dangerous for Italy, for Israel, for Europe, for the United States, for the world." 

"Alert on ISIS, ignoring Iran"

Netanyahu also noted that while the global community is on alert about Islamic State (ISIS), it is ignoring the much larger threat of Iran. 

"Why would anyone consider giving the Islamic state of Iran - which is a lot more powerful than ISIS and acts with much greater power than ISIS - to have additional power of nuclear weapons?" he asked. "That's a mistake."

"We need a better deal. This deal shall not pass." 

Gentilloni responded by thanking Netanyahu for his welcome, noting the "excellent" relations between Italy and Israel, and that Italy "admires the Israeli capacity for innovation." 

The Italian Foreign Minister related to Netanyahu's warnings as well, acknowledging that Italy is particularly feeling tensions specific to Europe and the Middle East, and that he "respects" the Israeli position vis-a-vis Iran - while also noting he supports the current deal. 

Gentilloni added that Italy is against attempts to delegitimize Israel, but also pushed a two-state solution as the "traditional" means of achieving peace in the Middle East, in his words.