Netanyahu
NetanyahuGPO photo

The nuclear deal being forged with Iran in Vienna is even worse than the framework agreement made in Lausanne, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated Sunday. 

"What is emerging in nuclear talks in Vienna this is not a breakthrough, but a breakdown," Netanyahu began, during opening remarks for his Sunday Cabinet meeting. "Every day, the concessions are growing."

"The transaction crystallizes the way for Iran to manufacture cores for a great many atomic bombs, and also allow hundreds of billions of dollars to flow to Iran to serve its aggression and terror campaign around the world," he continued. "This is a bad deal." 

"This is not less bad, and I think even worse, than the deal with North Korea which led to a nuclear arsenal being built in North Korea," he added, referring to a 1994 agreement which eventually enabled and strengthened the militaristic dictatorship. 

Netanyahu also addressed regional terrorism, particularly in Egypt. 

"We send again our condolences to the Egyptian government and the Egyptian people, who are fighting terrorism from Islamic State (ISIS), a common enemy for us and for humanity," he noted. "We closely monitor all events and we are taking all necessary actions."

"Among other things, we of course understand today the importance of the security fence we set at the Sinai border, preventing or greatly making difficult the infiltration of ISIS and other terror groups," he continued. "We have also built a fence in the Golan in the face of ISIS and other terror groups there, and as you know, we have also started the construction of a border fence in the east." 

The Prime Minister also acknowledged the Greek financial crisis, which is due to be addressed via a referendum being voted upon Sunday. 

"We heard today a review of the developments in Greece from Prof. Eugene Kandel," he said. "We hope that this country will find ways to extricate itself from this chronic crisis. We wish them well."

"In this review, it became clear that in a comparison of the GDPs of Greece and Israel in 2003, Greece's was greater than Israel's," he noted. "We have taken a series of reforms to control spending and reforms to open the markets to competition - and as a result of which the GNP, our GDP per capita, increased fifty percent, and unfortunately the GDP of Greece remains the same."

"I think there are many consequences of the Greek story on the Israeli economy," he said, praising a "correct" and "anti-populist" policy for Israel's economic success.