The prime minister of Israel is welcome to speak in the United States, obviously. But we don’t want to see this turned into some great political football
The relationship between Israel and the United States is a bond of – it’s just a very powerful bond. It was, it is, and will be and will continue to be.
Why are we talking about talking? Why negotiating about negotiating? It’s very simple. If you want to get to peace, put all your preconditions on the side, sit down opposite a table, not in a studio, by the way.
They’re in the red zone. They’re in the last 20 yards, and you can’t let them cross that goal line. You can’t let them score a touchdown, because that would have unbelievable consequences, grievous consequences for the peace and security of us all, of the world really.
I would say we want to stop the firing of rockets, for sure. But we also want to dismantle the terror – the tunnel – the terror tunnel networks that we have uncovered.
If we accept the notion that terrorists will have immunity because as they fire on civilians they hide behind civilians, then this tactic will be legitimized and the terrorists will have their greatest victory.
I say that to my colleagues, by the way, in the internal Cabinet meetings, I say, ‘Look, I want to be very clear about what I want.’ I just – I don’t want a peace process, I want a peace result.
I think they’re timid, they’re afraid to actually stand up to these killers. And I think that they’re afraid, maybe for their own sake, for their own political hides, sometimes for their own physical safety. And they don’t take that necessary plunge.
I don’t think Israel can accept an Iranian terror base next to its major cities any more than the United States could accept an al Qaeda base next to New York City.
