Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem February 10, 2019. Gali Tibbon/Pool via REUTERS Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Feb. 14 that Arab leaders are going to ally with Israel because they view Iran as a bigger threat to them than the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
Netanyahu told reporters that the Warsaw Middle East Summit, which lasted from Feb. 13-14 and was closed to the press, four Arab leaders showed support for Israel over Iran.
“Four out of five Arab foreign ministers who addressed the conference spoke strongly and clearly against Iran, saying exactly what I’ve been saying for years,” Netanyahu said. “They were as clear as possible about the issue, and Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian aggression.”
Netanyahu added that while the Palestinian conflict was mentioned in the conference, the Arab leaders felt “that first and foremost the Iranian issue needs to be dealt with.”
To confirm his argument, his office leaked a video of the panel of the three Arab leaders, which included Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa saying that Iran was “a more toxic” issue than the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“This is a serious challenge that is preventing us now from moving forward anywhere, be it Syria, be it Yemen, be it Iraq, be it anywhere,” Al Khalifa said.
Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir argued that the Israel-Palestinian conflict couldn’t be solved until Iran was dealt with first, since the Iranian regime provides support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad while “undercutting the Palestinian Authority.”
He also criticized the Iran nuclear deal for paving the way for the regime to obtain a nuclear weapon in 10 years.
“Who is going to suffer?” al Jubeir asked. “We are.”
United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan also supported Israel’s retaliatory strikes against Iran in Syria as a matter of self-defense.
The leaked video was later removed.
Sixty countries were represented at the summit; Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended.
H/T: Times of Israel
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