No deal with Iran is better than bad deal, says Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Wednesday, May 7, in Jerusalem with prominent Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) supporters from the United States and Panama. During the meeting with the FIDF Delegation, Netanyahu addressed the threat of a nuclear Iran and the Palestinian issue.

“Iran seeks to destroy the State of Israel and builds atomic bombs for that purpose. I want to reiterate Israel’s position. We think that Iran must not have the capacity to make atomic bombs. Iran today has thousands of centrifuges, thousands of kilograms of enriched uranium to make a bomb. A bad deal would let them keep those capacities. It’s better to have no deal than a bad deal,” said Netanyahu.

Regarding the negotiations with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said: “The minimal requirement from our point of view is to say, ‘Alright, do you recognize the Jewish State.’ The other day, Abu Mazen said, ‘I’m not even going to negotiate recognizing the Jewish State,’ and then he went to deal with Hamas.”

The special meeting was part of a journey titled “From Holocaust to Independence,” during which FIDF Delegates traveled to Poland and Israel between April 28 and May 9, to commemorate the Holocaust and celebrate the men and women of the IDF who serve the Jewish State.

“Members of the FIDF Delegation have gone through a life-changing journey this week that is incumbent upon every Jewish person – a journey from Holocaust to Independence. A journey from the depths of despair and the chilling devastation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps, to the heart of Jerusalem, where Jews from around the world celebrated proudly together 66 years of independence in our Jewish State. Throughout this journey, the FIDF Delegation had the honor of being accompanied by brave IDF soldiers and commanders, without whom we would never have this State to call home,” said FIDF National Chairman, Nily Falic.

In Poland, the FIDF Delegation, together with 50 IDF soldiers, visited the Jewish Quarter in Krakow and the former ghetto in Kazmierz, saw the ruins of the Jewish community of Tarnow, and went to the Zbylitowska Gora Forest, where countless Jews were murdered. The group continued to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camps, marching in together and reading from a Torah scroll in front of the infamous gates inscribed, in German, “Work Sets You Free.”

While in Krakow, IDF Private Gali Knaaniheld his Bar Mitzvah and read from an IDF Torah in memory of Ilan Ramon z”l, the first Israeli astronaut, who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion and whose parents were Holocaust survivors. Also among the Delegation members was Asher Aud,an Auschwitz survivor and IDF veteran, who shared with the group his story of survival and hope.

From Poland, the Delegation flew to Israel aboard an Israeli Air Force plane, where they observed Israel’s Memorial Day, Yom Hazikaron, honoring the brave IDF soldiers who have fallen in defense of the Jewish State, and celebrated Independence Day at the official state ceremony on Mt. Herzl. During their time in Israel, the delegates have also been visiting soldiers and commanders on IDF bases across the country, observing live-fire military exercises, and met with Netanyahu as well as Minister of Defense Moshe Ya’alon.

“Commemorating Israel’s Memorial Day and celebrating its independence means paying tribute to the young men and women of the IDF, and thanking them for protecting the Jewish homeland,” said FIDF National Director and CEO, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yitzhak (Jerry) Gershon. “FIDF is proud to serve as the bridge connecting the communities in the U.S. and Panama to Israel through the support of the soldiers. The FIDF ‘From Holocaust to Independence’ Delegation sends a clear message to the world, that we know the past, we appreciate the present, and we will stand with the State of Israel and its brave soldiers now and forever.”

*
Preceding provided by Friends of the IDF