A day before Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was set to speak, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett made an appearance at the AIPAC conference in Washington Monday. Speaking at the event, Bennett said that the developing agreement between Western countries, spearheaded by the US, and with Iran, “will give the Iranians a kashrut certificate for their uranium production. It will give Iran a clear path to achieve nuclear weapons withing just a few years.”
The seemingly inexorable lurch towards a nuclear Iran with the blessing of the US, was “the March of Folly," in its 2015 version, said Bennett, recalling the name of the 1984 book by author Barbara Tuchman. “Like in the book, we have a developing agreement that will harm the interests of the free world, along with a clear alternative. Instead of letting Iran have nuclear weapons, we can impose more sanctions and bring Iran to a place where it will have no choice but to give up its nuclear plans.”
Discussing the situation in the Middle East, Bennett said that “around us we have a regional storm that can continue to rage another, fifty, or hundred years. Israel is a lighthouse in this storm and an island of stability and freedom. We will continue to do everything to protect ourselves and to ensure the continued prosperity of the State of Israel.”
Speaking to reporters prior to leaving for the US, Netanyahu described his upcoming speech to Congress - which has been the source of considerable tension with the White House - as "a critical mission, even a historic one. I feel like an emissary of all of Israel, even those who do not agree with me," he said, adding that "I sense a deep angst for the fate of Israel; I will do everything to assure our future."