Iran Will Only Be Deterred by Threat of Military Action - Netanyahu

From News From Jerusalem: 

• Iran threatens entire Middle East, not just Israel.
• PM dismisses reports Iran’s nuclear program halted.
• He blames Palestinians for breakdown of peace talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran will never abandon its quest for nuclear weapons unless faced by a credible military threat.

Recent publication by the Wikileaks whistle-blowing organization showed that Arab nations felt just as threatened by Iran as Israel, Netanyahu told foreign reporters.

“The website [wikileaks] revealed the three main concerns of governments in the area: The first- Iran, the second- Iran, the third – Iran,” he said.

Recently, U.S. and Israeli officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have said Iran’s nuclear program has been seriously set back by sanctions and technical problems – including the introduction of a computer worm.

The outgoing Mossad chief Meir Dagan said Tehran might not be able to develop a weapon until 2015. But Netanyahu said this was only a broad estimate and not a firm conclusion.

Netanyahu also discussed the Palestinian refusal to return to the negotiating table unless Israel freezes all construction on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas walked out of the talks last September after a 10-month unilateral Israeli building freeze expired.  

He rejected the idea that partners in Israel’s ruling coalition might prevent the government from making the concessions necessary to achieve peace.  

“No coalition will prevent me from pursuing a peace that I believe in. If I move forward with a peace agreement, it means I believe in it, and I can get the support of the Israeli public,” he said. “What is preventing the advent of peace is that the Palestinians are doing everything...to prevent this.” 

Stressing “there is no shortcut for negotiations,” the Prime Minister added: "I hate to use clichés,” he said, “but this is a cliché I have to use. The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity."