Days before his first visit as prime minister in Washington, Naftali Bennett told a bipartisan group of congressmen that it is in the national security interest of the US to stop the nuclear arms race that Iran acquires nuclear weapons capability. , a participant in the meeting told the Times of Israel on Tuesday.
During an August 19 Zoom call, Bennett told delegates that “every country that Iran touches becomes a failed state” and that it is also in America’s best interest to “stop the cascade of failed states.”
Bennett revealed that he had initiated a month-and-a-half policy review process on Iran upon taking office, and came to the conclusion that going back to the JCPOA was no longer possible.
Bennett has long publicly opposed the Joe Biden administration’s announced plan to restart the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which former US President Donald Trump withdrew in 2018.
The virtual meeting was attended by Democrat Lou Correa of California and Republican Jack Bergman of Michigan, Rick Allen of Georgia, Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Neil Dunn of Florida and Jackie Walorsky of Indiana.
The Prime Minister talked in some detail about US-Israel relations.
In this photo released by the official website of the Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks at a farewell meeting with the administration of outgoing President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Iran, July 28, 2021. (AP via the Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)
He insisted that Israel would never ask the US to send troops on its behalf. He said Israel would provide “boots on the ground” if needed so that the US would not have to.
Bennett said that all Israel seeks support and support from the US.
The prime minister also lamented the fact that Israel has become a partisan issue in the US, but added that the bipartisan makeup of the call shows that the parties are not as divided on Israel as it may sound.
Turning to domestic politics, Bennett told lawmakers that he would never have envisioned forming a coalition government as he leads – with opposing parties on many issues – but at the same time “everybody Committed to working hard on behalf of the Israeli people,” Participant told the Times of Israel.
He pointed to the fact that the government was able to pass the state budget for the first time in three years. The law must still be approved in the Knesset by November 4, otherwise the government will fall.
In this March 17, 2014 file photo, then-California state Sen Lu speaks at the Capitol in Korea, D-Anahim, Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, FILE)
Members were particularly interested in Israel’s efforts to get the third COVID-19 booster shot quickly to the Israeli public.
The meeting was organized by the US Israel Education Association, an Alabama-based educational organization that works to strengthen ties between senior American and Israeli officials.
“Prime Minister Bennett is a longtime friend,” said USIEA Executive Director Heather Johnson. “It’s a message that keeps resonating. Israel is boots on the ground so we don’t have to be. Israel is fighting in defense of democracy and freedom in the region and Israel cannot be a partisan subject in America.”
The prime minister invited Congressmen and Johnson to Israel when COVID-19 restrictions were eased.
Bennett met with Biden and other senior administration officials in Washington late Tuesday from Ben Gurion Airport.
“We are bringing with us a new spirit of cooperation,” Bennett said before boarding his plane, pointing to the new governments in Israel and the US. “I have no doubt that this new spirit of cooperation has contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the security of Israel.”
Bennett said the main focus of their meetings would be Iran’s nuclear program, particularly the progress made in previous years.
“We will plan how to stop the Iranian nuclear program,” he said.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett leaves for Washington on August 24, 2021. (Avi Ohyon/GPO)
Ahead of Bennett’s visit, a senior diplomatic source said the prime minister no longer believed the US withdrawal was granted in the 2015 nuclear deal.
Western powers – with the US participating indirectly – had months of talks with Iran in Vienna earlier this year, but talks stalled earlier this month before the installation of radical Ibrahim Raisi as Iran’s president. Went.
Bennett would argue that Iran’s nuclear program has progressed too far to be of any relevance to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2021. While this may plug some holes in the enrichment side, the deal gives the Islamic Republic much in return, the official maintained.
“We have inherited an Iran that is acting very aggressively and empowering very negative forces in the region,” the source said.
US President Joe Biden comments on the full FDA approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine at the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex on August 23, 2021 in Washington, DC. (AP Photo/Ivan Vucci)
While Bennett has insisted that much of his meeting with Biden will be focused on Iran, the White House statement on Bennett’s visit “efforts to advance peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians and work toward more plan to discuss the importance of A peaceful and secure future for the region.”
No major concessions to the Palestinians are expected to be announced during the visit.
Bennett’s visit comes as the Biden administration is dealing with a disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal, and both leaders face spiraling COVID-19 numbers in their respective countries.
