Israel: Lapid, Netanyahu exchange criticism over Iran nuclear deal
Netanyahu accused Lapid and Defense Minister Gantz of 'completely abandoning' the fight against the agreement
Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday exchanged criticism over the emerging Iran nuclear deal that both of them oppose.
Netanyahu accused Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz of “completely abandoning” the fight against the talks between Washington and Tehran that are expected to result in the revival of the 2015 agreement.
“In the past year, Lapid and (Defense Minister Benny Gantz) completely abandoned the public struggle against the Iran nuclear deal,” Netanyahu said in a statement after Lapid told reporters earlier on Sunday that “we must not get to the situation we were in 2015,” referring to the period when Netanyahu was Israel’s prime minister and addressed the US Congress, which, according to Lapid, “did not allow Israel to make amendments to the agreement.”
“For 12 years, we fought this deal with determination and even caused the US to withdraw from it. But in their only year in power, Lapid and Gantz let their guard down and enabled the US and Iran to reach a nuclear deal that endangers our future,” Netanyahu responded by saying.
The politician, however, confirmed that he will attend a security briefing with Lapid on Monday as opposition leader.
Following Netanyahu’s statement, the prime minister accused him on Twitter of working on the Iranian problem “only for the press.”
“The damage he caused during his tenure to Israel’s two most important strategic issues - the fight against the Iranian nuclear weapon and relations with the US - is serious and deep and we are still fixing it,” Lapid tweeted.
The two politicians have previously expressed their disapproval of the revival of Iran's nuclear deal, urging US leaders to halt the talks.
Israeli officials are concerned that the agreement which would lift the sanctions against Tehran will allow Iran to receive billions of dollars that would be spent on supporting its militant proxies, including Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad and developing its nuclear program, which threatens Israel’s national security.