Netanyahu: Iran Nuclear Program Precludes Peace With Palestinians

Says Program Also Undermines Peace With Egypt, Jordan

In a taped speech to the Saban Forum in Washington DC, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that peace with the Palestinians was “vital.” Then he detailed all the reasons it won’t happen, and why it’s totally not his fault.

Netanyahu insisted that the Arab Spring and the ensuing unrest across the Middle East proved regional “turbulence” wasn’t Israel’s fault, and went on to declare Iran’s nuclear program as “precluding” any deal with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu has made clear that he opposes the P5+1 nuclear deal with Iran, and his tried to link it in some vague way to the Palestinian talks before, but this is the most direct attempt to suggest the Obama Administration’s desire for a Palestinian deal was threatened by diplomacy with Iran.

The link doesn’t make sense, and Netanyahu’s argument centered on the idea that Iran retaining nuclear capabilities would benefit hawkish politicians who oppose Palestinian statehood.

Netanyahu went on to claim Israel’s long-standing peace deals with both Egypt and Jordan were also undermined, which makes no sense either since neither Egypt or Jordan has anything to do with Iran.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.