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Yachimovich on Iran: No need to be paranoid

Speaking at J Street conference in DC, Opposition leader says 'if there is a chance to stop Iranian nuclear project with diplomatic efforts, we should explore it meticulously'

"If the Iranians are trying to fool us, it is clear that all options are on the table. This is not just a cliché. We must be neither naïve nor paranoid. We know how to defend ourselves and are entitled to the right of self defense," Labor Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich told the annual J Street conference in Washington on Sunday.

 

The Opposition leader told the dovish pro-Israel lobby that US President Barack Obama "has taken upon himself a leadership role, and he clearly stated that he is dedicated to preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons. We have to be carefully tuned to every new message coming from Iran. If there is a chance to stop the Iranian military nuclear project with diplomatic efforts, we should explore it meticulously."

 

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Speaking a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, Yachimovich said "we have to bear in mind that our alliance with the United States is a very important strategic asset. President Obama deserves our full support for his efforts on Iran as well as for his determination to try and achieve a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

 

"All of us here are leaders, and as leaders it is our duty to defeat despair, to take a positive approach at this moment, to support the efforts that are being made now and to show that reaching peace is possible. We must nourish the seeds of peace. It is vital for the future of the Zionist project," Yachimovich told the J Street conference.

 

The Labor Party leader added that "it is becoming increasingly popular among critics of the peace process to talk about a binational state, or a one-state solution. But those who support a binational state are in fact promoting a bleak scenario that completely contradicts the basis of Zionism.

 

"The two-state solution is the only viable solution for us. It is the only solution that can allow us to continue to fulfill the Zionist dream of a Jewish and a democratic state," she said.

 

 

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פרסום ראשון: 09.29.13, 20:43
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