Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu outlined the plans for his US trip before his departure Sunday night. In addition to again emphasizing the need to deal with the Iranian threat to world security, he also took the opportunity to criticize his political opponents.
Netanyahu was met at the airport by groups of protestors. And he can expect to be met not just with the usual anti-Israel protests when he visits America, but also by Israelis there who oppose his government’s policies.
Before boarding his plane Netanyahu decried the activities of the protestors – from blocking highways to calling for refusals to perform military reserve duties – and spoke of how when in his years as leader of the opposition he never called on people to take such extreme actions.
Netanyahu is expected to meet with US President Joe Biden at the UN in New York where they will both attend the opening of its new annual session. He also expects to meet with the German Chancellor, the President of Ukraine, the President of Turkey, and many additional leaders from Asia, Europe and Africa.
On the Iranian threat he commented, “Today, the world is seeing – and I will certainly emphasize this – that Iran is violating all of its commitments, that it brazenly lies, and that it intends both to develop nuclear weapons and continue its aggression in the region. We will confront both of these together. I heard the threats from an official of the Iranian regime today; I suggest that he not threaten us. He and this regime need to know that we will respond forcefully to any attack on our people and our citizens.”