Prime Minister Netanyahu Delivers Congressional Address

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March 3, 2015

    At the invitation of Republican Congressional Representatives, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech regarding the Iranian nuclear threat on March 3, 2015.  The White House and numerous Congressional Democrats objected to the meeting, but Netanyahu still addressed Congress and voiced his opinions and doubts regarding the Iranian nuclear deal despite his gratitude towards U.S. support in the Middle East.  Netanyahu thanked the United States, the President, and Congress for their continued support and addressed the controversy of his speech, “The remarkable alliance between Israel and the United States has always been above politics. It must always remain above politics.”

    Despite his gratitude towards U.S. assistance, Netanyahu spent most of his speech discussing the issues with the Iranian nuclear deal, “Iran’s regime poses a grave threat, not only to Israel, but also the peace of the entire world.”  In his speech Netanyahu warned that Israel and the United States cannot let their guard down, “Don’t be fooled.  The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t turn Iran into a friend of America.”  Netanyahu stated that even if the current nuclear deal is passed with Iran, it will not stop the country from obtaining those weapons in the future.  In his address, Netanyahu stated, “this deal has two major concessions:  one is leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program and two, lifting the restrictions on that program in about a decade.  That’s why this deal is so bad.  It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb; it paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”  In order to address the issues with the current deal, Netanyahu recommended that Iran follow three demands before any restrictions are lifted: 1. “stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East”, 2. “stop supporting terrorism around the world”, and 3. stop the threats against Israel.    He insisted that the restrictions not be lifted unless Iran changes its current path.  Additionally, he believes that making a deal too soon will only create an increasingly severe threat in the region and throughout the world.  Prime Minister Netanyahu concluded his recommendations by stating, “For over a year, we've been told that no deal is better than a bad deal. Well, this is a bad deal. It's a very bad deal.  We’re better off without it.”

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