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| British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter's office in Jerusalem |
Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a sharp rebuff to Philip Hammond over the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, publicly dismissing the Foreign Secretary's assertion that Israel would have been unhappy with any agreement.
In a tense face-to-face exchange that reflected the gulf between Israel and the six world powers who negotiated with Tehran, Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, rejected the visiting British statesman's efforts to sell the pact signed this week in Vienna. At the same time, he tackled head-on criticisms Mr Hammond had voiced on the eve of his trip.
“Israelis know better than anyone else the cost of permanent conflict with Iran and it is wrong to suggest that Israel wants such an outcome. We [sic] seek a genuine and effective diplomatic solution," Mr Netanyahu told Mr Hammond in Jerusalem.
"The alternative to this deal is not war. The alternative is a better deal that would roll back Iran’s military nuclear program and tie the easing of restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program to changes in Iran’s behaviour. That’s the kind of deal that would be welcomed in Tel Aviv and here in Israel’s capital Jerusalem."
The Israeli leader's comments were aimed directly at Mr Hammond's remarks on Wednesday when he told the House of Commons that Israel opposed any accord with Tehran and would prefer permanent conflict. » | Robert Tait, Jerusalem | Thursday, July 16, 2015
