Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) on Saturday night told Channel 2 News that President Trump’s speech on the nuclear deal with Iran was “courageous and correct,” and criticized European leaders who attacked the American statements, saying, “The Europeans are hiding their heads in the sand.”
“The Iranians announced that they are expanding their ballistic missile program – [which features] offensive weapons, and the Europeans continue to bury their heads in the sand just like they did before World War II,” Liberman said. “When you look at the crises in Europe, it’s probably not by chance,” he continued. “The leadership prefers to escape reality. Trump passed the sanctions on to Congress, and that’s a correct step,” he said.
“I want to remind you that everything that’s happening in Syria is only thanks to Iran’s backing,” Liberman pointed out. “Without the Iranian regime, Hezbollah would not exist. They (Iran) increased their support for [Hezbollah] following the lifting of the sanctions, and there is a growing triangle between Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.”
Liberman addressed Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Bennett’s demand to act against the Palestinian Authority following its reconciliation agreement with Hamas. He called Bennett’s idea of severing all contacts with the PA and canceling all agreements reached with it an “election slogan,” and stressed: “I am dealing with security and settlement, and I do not intend to deal with the elections.”
Suggesting he did not “see elections on the horizon,” Liberman warned that “a large part of the right has turned in a messianic and populist direction.”