U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tried to ease tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the recent deal on Iran’s nuclear program, asserting that the agreement is contributing to Israeli security.
Speaking to reporters before leaving from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after two days of meetings, Mr. Kerry said Mr. Netanyahu had “every right in the world” to speak his mind on what he had termed a “very bad” deal and that the Israeli leader has been “extremely constructive” in working with U.S. officials.
Mr. Netanyahu has criticized the Geneva accord between world powers and Iran, spurring a public debate between the Israeli government and the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. The debate has spurred anxiety in Israel about a new crisis in its relationship with the U.S.
Mr. Kerry said he is “convinced beyond any reasonable doubt” that Israel is more secure than before the Iran deal was reached. He said that Iran’s nuclear program had been frozen and that the interim agreement extended the amount of time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Netanyahu, however, toned down his negative comments on the deal during Mr. Kerry’s visit. The Israeli prime minister expressed concern on Thursday about the potential collapse of economic sanctions against Tehran and said further measures were needed to guard against it.
Mr. Kerry said Friday the U.S. can control and enforce the sanctions that remain in place. He said the constraints on Iran’s banking system and oil trade would remain in place throughout the six-month time frame for negotiating a final deal.
Despite weeks of public bickering, Mr. Kerry insisted that Israel and the U.S. are absolutely “in sync” and there is “no daylight” on the goal of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
However, the two sides differ on how to reach that goal. “The U.S. wants to reach an arrangement with the Iranians almost at any price, because it is a strategic goal in their eyes, and they’re willing to compromise and take risks that are far beyond what Israel wants,” said Giora Eiland, a former Israeli National Security Adviser in an interview with Israel Radio. “Israel’s view is much different and the gap is wide.”
Mr. Kerry, meanwhile, said that he has been visiting Israel since 1986 and is well aware of the country’s security needs. However, public opinion in Israel is overwhelmingly behind Mr. Netanyahu. A recent survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found that some 80 % of Israeli Jews don’t believe that the negotiations with Iran will block it from building a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Kerry struck a similarly optimistic tone on the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, telling reporters that the sides are closer to an agreement than they have been in many years.
He pushed back against skeptics who have said there is been little progress and that the division between the sides is too wide, and invoked former South African President Nelson Mandela, saying that “it always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Mr. Kerry said Thursday that the U.S. is sharing proposals on security arrangements for the West Bank after the establishment of a Palestinian state. Most of that discussion is focusing on security at the border with Jordan.
Israeli and Palestinian officials were less sanguine. An Israeli official close to the talks said negotiators are discussing the possibility of Israeli soldiers remaining along the border following a peace deal, and there are still disagreements. The official said that Mr. Kerry is planning a return visit, but there is been no new progress. “Its going to take a lot of time before there is an agreement,” the official added.
Mr. Kerry discussed security arrangements with the Palestinian leadership when he visited Ramallah on Thursday, but a Palestinian official said negotiators were disappointed with the U.S. proposals. The official said he believed that the U.S. had adopted Israeli positions on the border proposals. The absence of any Palestinian official to speak alongside Mr. Kerry was a sign of thar frustration.
“It’s too optimistic to say there is progress,” said the official. “If our people were satisfied yesterday there would at least have been a press conference.”
Speaking to reporters before leaving from Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after two days of meetings, Mr. Kerry said Mr. Netanyahu had “every right in the world” to speak his mind on what he had termed a “very bad” deal and that the Israeli leader has been “extremely constructive” in working with U.S. officials.
Mr. Netanyahu has criticized the Geneva accord between world powers and Iran, spurring a public debate between the Israeli government and the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama. The debate has spurred anxiety in Israel about a new crisis in its relationship with the U.S.
Mr. Kerry said he is “convinced beyond any reasonable doubt” that Israel is more secure than before the Iran deal was reached. He said that Iran’s nuclear program had been frozen and that the interim agreement extended the amount of time Iran would need to build a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Netanyahu, however, toned down his negative comments on the deal during Mr. Kerry’s visit. The Israeli prime minister expressed concern on Thursday about the potential collapse of economic sanctions against Tehran and said further measures were needed to guard against it.
Mr. Kerry said Friday the U.S. can control and enforce the sanctions that remain in place. He said the constraints on Iran’s banking system and oil trade would remain in place throughout the six-month time frame for negotiating a final deal.
Despite weeks of public bickering, Mr. Kerry insisted that Israel and the U.S. are absolutely “in sync” and there is “no daylight” on the goal of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
However, the two sides differ on how to reach that goal. “The U.S. wants to reach an arrangement with the Iranians almost at any price, because it is a strategic goal in their eyes, and they’re willing to compromise and take risks that are far beyond what Israel wants,” said Giora Eiland, a former Israeli National Security Adviser in an interview with Israel Radio. “Israel’s view is much different and the gap is wide.”
Mr. Kerry, meanwhile, said that he has been visiting Israel since 1986 and is well aware of the country’s security needs. However, public opinion in Israel is overwhelmingly behind Mr. Netanyahu. A recent survey by the Israel Democracy Institute found that some 80 % of Israeli Jews don’t believe that the negotiations with Iran will block it from building a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Kerry struck a similarly optimistic tone on the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, telling reporters that the sides are closer to an agreement than they have been in many years.
He pushed back against skeptics who have said there is been little progress and that the division between the sides is too wide, and invoked former South African President Nelson Mandela, saying that “it always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Mr. Kerry said Thursday that the U.S. is sharing proposals on security arrangements for the West Bank after the establishment of a Palestinian state. Most of that discussion is focusing on security at the border with Jordan.
Israeli and Palestinian officials were less sanguine. An Israeli official close to the talks said negotiators are discussing the possibility of Israeli soldiers remaining along the border following a peace deal, and there are still disagreements. The official said that Mr. Kerry is planning a return visit, but there is been no new progress. “Its going to take a lot of time before there is an agreement,” the official added.
Mr. Kerry discussed security arrangements with the Palestinian leadership when he visited Ramallah on Thursday, but a Palestinian official said negotiators were disappointed with the U.S. proposals. The official said he believed that the U.S. had adopted Israeli positions on the border proposals. The absence of any Palestinian official to speak alongside Mr. Kerry was a sign of thar frustration.
“It’s too optimistic to say there is progress,” said the official. “If our people were satisfied yesterday there would at least have been a press conference.”
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