Were you surprised by Obama’s response to your speech?
The administration’s response came as no surprise at all, because that is their stated position. I was surprised mainly by the encouraging response of the American public and the response of American lawmakers, including Democrats, many of whom described the speech as “powerful.” This speech raised issues and question that the administration has to address — that was the general response, and not only from supporters.
Have have spoken with the Saudis and other U.S. allies in the Middle East to coordinate a regional stance against Iran?
I don’t discuss our contacts with the Arab world, but I can say that there is a very wide consensus among key Arab nations on the stance I expressed at Congress. I told the Americans that this kind of thing doesn’t happen often in our region – Israel and Arab nations agreeing on something – and when it does happen, they should listen.
Is there personal animosity between you and the American president?
I don’t look at things on a personal level. There are a lot of areas where we cooperated with one another, and I mentioned them in my speech. But here there is a point of contention on an issue that could jeopardize our future. On this I think that it is the Israeli prime minister’s duty to take a stand, even if it comes at the cost of disagreeing with the American president. These disagreements have happened in the past, and will likely happen again. The question you should be asking is not of me but of those Israelis who don’t stand up to this danger, and don’t support this stance. They say that they agree with this position, but refuse to express it.
There is a coalition comprising Tzipi Livni, Isaac Herzog, Yair Lapid, and others who claim that they will rehabilitate Israel’s relations with the U.S.
What does that mean, “rehabilitate”? And allow Iran to arm itself with nuclear bombs? Absurd. The relationship with the U.S. is strong enough. It will experience ups and downs, currently on its way up. The support for Israel among the American public is at an all time high. The support for me personally has also gone up over the last year. We are not going to lose the American public just because we are standing up for ourselves. On the contrary: A prime minister who stands up for himself is often respected for it. True, there will always be those who think differently, but at the end of the day we need to stand up for ourselves.
One thing is certain: At this time, we will not allow a situation where Iran can have weapons capable of wiping us off the face of the earth tomorrow. Anyone with eyes in his head knows this is a time to stand up, not to capitulate.
Is there any chance that Herzog and Livni will serve as prime ministers under a rotation agreement?
There is a coalition, with overt as well as concealed motives, that seeks to topple the Likud government and replace it with a left-wing leadership. It is not just the “anyone but Bibi” campaign that we know. I am talking about very powerful organizations with foreign funding in the tens of millions of shekels, equipped with strategists and advisers, seeking two main objectives: To increase the voter turnout among the Left and to increase the voter turnout among the Arabs.
These are well-funded organizations that can get the Arab list up to 16 seats, thereby determining the result of the elections as a whole. The strategy is clear: Encourage the Left to vote and bring about unprecedented voter turnout among the Arab sector. They believe that in this way they will be able to break the Likud leadership and crown the Left. That is the main, covert effort and it is already influencing the polls. It poses a real threat that the Likud Party and I will not lead the next government.