Education Minister and Diplomatic-Security Cabinet member Naftali Bennett warned against a possible arms race in the Middle East at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual policy conference in Washington, Monday.
Asked about the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, Bennett said that "Saudi Arabia is already trying to achieve uranium enrichment capabilities. Today it is a convenient regime for the West, but in the Middle East and the Arab countries, there is a structural instability. … Iran, Saudi Arabia, or any other country must not have nuclear capability."
Asked about the threat posed by Iran, he said, "You have to change something in your consciousness – it's time to fight the Iranian octopus at the root, not only in its tentacles in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza."
Addressing the roughly 3,000 people in attendance, Bennett called for the targeting of Iran's operational capabilities. He also thanked AIPAC members for promoting legislation against Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.
"The head of the octopus is sitting in Tehran, and the tentacles are sent to make us miserable until we give up. Let it clear: We will not give in. We have been here for thousands of years, and we will continue to be here."
As for Israel's relations with the Diaspora, Bennett noted that For 70 years, Israel has been the project of the Jewish people. He said Israel must act to preserve and bring together world Jewry.
"Israel is a lighthouse of freedom and stability in the storm," he said. "We will continue to do everything we can to protect ourselves and maintain the prosperity of the State of Israel."
