'State of Israel a gift.' Peled
Photo: Michael Kremer
Minister Peled: Nuclear Iran will be able to hit US
Likud member says American official told him term 'superpower' will be meaningless should Tehran obtain nuclear arms; adds peace deal cannot be based on 'two states for one nation'
"The entire world - not only the Middle East – will change should Iran acquire nuclear capabilities," Minister Yossi Peled said Saturday, adding that a nuclear Iran will be able to attack targets within the United States
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Speaking at a cultural forum in Beersheba, the Likud member said Israel will have to tackle the Iranian threat on its own in case the international community fails to do so.
Peled said a senior American official told him recently that should Iran obtain nuclear weaponry "the term superpower will become meaningless."
Addressing the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, the minister said a comprehensive peace agreement cannot be based on "two states for one nation."
"They are calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people, but the other side is not willing to accept a Jewish state for the Jewish people," he told the forum.
"The goal is to secure our existence and preserve the safety of the population; history has given us a gift – the State of Israel – and we must secure its existence," Peled said.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Israel risks losing Arab support in its fight against the Iranian threat should Jerusalem refrain from engaging in talks with the Palestinians.
"For Israel to get the kind of strong support it is looking for vis-à-vis Iran, it can't stay on the sidelines with respect to the Palestinians and the peace efforts. They go hand in hand," Clinton told the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.
