Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his threats against Iran, stressing the need to remove what he described as the Iranian threat once and for all and “resolve the regime’s affairs,” in parallel with his pledge to prevent Tehran from resuming its nuclear program or reaching an atomic bomb.
Netanyahu said that Iran wants to restart its nuclear program and produce atomic weapons, adding: “We prevented them once, and we will prevent them again.”
He stressed that Iran will not be able to develop a nuclear weapon as long as he assumes the presidency of the Israeli government, considering that Tehran has not abandoned its nuclear ambitions despite the blow it received.
Netanyahu went beyond threatening to strike nuclear facilities, as he called for taking action against Iran and removing what he described as the threat it represents, leading to resolving the future of the Iranian regime. He also linked the weakening of the rule in Tehran to the possibility of achieving Israel’s goals on the Lebanese and Palestinian fronts. It was reported that Netanyahu believes that the defeat of the Iranian government will bring Israel closer to resolving its confrontation with Hamas and Hezbollah.
In the same context, Netanyahu announced his commitment to disarming Hamas, adding that Israel will continue this path by disarming Hezbollah as well.
These statements place Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah within a single strategic framework that the Netanyahu government deals with as an interconnected system, in light of Israeli accusations against Tehran of financing its allies in the region and providing them with weapons and military expertise.
As for Iran, it confirms that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, and denies its pursuit of possessing an atomic bomb, at a time when international disagreements continue regarding the extent of the damage to its facilities and its ability to restore its sensitive nuclear activities.
Netanyahu had previously stressed that the disarmament of Hamas must include heavy and light weapons and all military capabilities, refusing to be satisfied with partial or temporary arrangements. His position came in light of a disagreement with the American plan regarding the Gaza Strip, after he demanded that the movement’s disarmament precede any Israeli withdrawal, according to previous statements published by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.
Regarding the Lebanese file, Netanyahu’s statements carry a direct threat to link any future settlement with Lebanon to the disarmament of Hezbollah, amid mounting international pressure to confine arms to the Lebanese state and the continuation of Israeli operations in the south.
In parallel with the regional escalation, Netanyahu addressed the settlement issue in the West Bank, considering that a “small group” of settlers is harming all settlers, in reference to attacks carried out by extremists, but at the same time he stressed his desire to strengthen settlement construction.
Netanyahu criticized the position of the European Union, accusing it of double standards, as he said that the Union was keeping silent about the control of Turkey, a member of NATO, over northern Cyprus, even though Cyprus is a member of the European Union, while he was angry when the Jewish people, as he put it, wanted to exercise what he described as their historical right to build and live in their homeland.
In clarifying the common phrase regarding Slovenia, Netanyahu did not say that he “reminded everyone” of Slovenia’s sovereignty, but rather praised the position of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, who stressed that his country is a sovereign state and an equal member of the European Union and is not obligated to adopt a position that it does not agree with.
Netanyahu described Janša’s position as “not a provocation, but rather a right that some seek to take away,” thanking him for his leadership, after Slovenia objected to a unified European condemnation of the expansion of settlements in the West Bank. The dispute came after Slovenian President Natasha Peretz Mosar called for support for the European position rejecting settlement expansion, according to reports of a dispute within Slovenia regarding Israel’s policy.
The majority of European Union countries oppose settlement expansion in the West Bank, and consider it a violation of international law and undermines the possibility of establishing a viable Palestinian state. On the other hand, Netanyahu’s government rejects this approach and adheres to Israel’s right to build within the lands it describes as part of the historical homeland of the Jewish people.
The division of Cyprus dates back to 1974, when Turkish forces took control of the northern part of the island following a coup targeting the Cypriot government. Only Ankara recognizes the entity in the north, while the international community recognizes the Republic of Cyprus as the legitimate representative of the island.
Netanyahu’s statements reveal an attempt to combine multiple files in one political speech, starting with preventing Iran from regaining its nuclear capabilities, and continuing with the disarmament of Hamas and Hezbollah, and ending with expanding settlement and confronting European positions that reject it.
