NEW YORK, NY – Herb London, President of the London Center for Policy Research today issued the following statement in response to the address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a Joint Session of the US Congress:
“A state leader with the distinction of Bibi Netanyahu should be honored, not boycotted, particularly when he is here to explain the nexus between our Iranian rapprochement and the very survival of the state of Israel.
With Ellie Wiesel as witness to today’s historic speech to the US Congress and a living testament to the mantra “ Never Again”, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu reminded us that something bigger is at stake than a “ bad deal” with Iran. By clearly articulating the dangers of a nuclear Iran in a combustible Middle East, he elevated the current debate by explaining in a way that even the Arabists and foreign policy elites in our own State Department should understand — that Iranian rapprochement poses a threat not only to the survival of the state of Israel, but to the entire world as well. This is why the speech which was so compelling to security minded strategists, yet so threatening to others who would prefer to view Natanyahu’s remarks through the lens of pure politics. It crystallized what is at stake but clearly expresses that strategic interests will not be held hostage to this Obama initiative.
In addition to threatening the survival of Israel, this “bad deal” giving Iran leverage for the realization of its ambitions, has alarmed the Sunni nations in the area. It is a catalyst for regional nuclear proliferation, with both Saudi Arabia and Egypt poised to act should Iran acquire nuclear weapons or the fissile material to produce nuclear weapons.
We, at the London Center for Policy Research embrace a bipartisan foreign policy that endorses a free, peaceful, independent Israel. Our fate, and that of all freedom-loving nations, is tied to Israel and its future. We will not forget.”