Disagreements about Iran deal can be worked out quietly
‘We have serious reservations about Vienna talks,’ FM tells US secretary of state
Israel and the US should not air their disagreements publicly but instead should discuss them directly, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday at the start of a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Rome.
“Israel has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal being put together in Vienna,” he said. “We believe the way to discuss those disagreements is through direct and professional conversations, not in press conferences.”
Jerusalem and Washington share the same goals, and disagreements between them are about how to achieve them, Lapid said.
“Mr. Secretary, I know we can count on you,” he added.
The US is Israel’s most important and most loyal ally, and the new governments of both countries come from “a very long and strong tradition of close friendship and cooperation,” the foreign minister said.
Lapid said he plans to work to rehabilitate Israel’s bipartisan support in the US, adding that he spoke with leading Democrats and Republicans in recent days to that end.
“I reminded them all that Israel shares America’s most basic values – freedom, democracy, free markets, the constant search for peace,” he said. “In the struggle for those values, Secretary Blinken is a great friend and a great partner.”
Lapid also thanked Blinken for US support for normalization between Israel and Arab states.
“I look forward to working with you to widen the circle of peace in our region,” he said. “That is the best way to bring stability and prosperity to the Middle East.”
Other issues Lapid said were on the agenda for his meeting with Blinken were “strengthening our ability to defend ourselves, working to minimize conflict between us and the Palestinians, while making life better for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”