Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that should Israel's enemies try to attack it, they will be "dealt a crushing blow."
Speaking at the Kohelet Policy Forum in Jerusalem, which focused on the US's statement that Israel's Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise was not illegal under international law, the prime minister addressed recent developments in the Middle East.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
"Qassem Soleimani was responsible for the deaths of countless innocent people over the past few decades. He spread fear of suffering and planned future attacks – many Middle Eastern leaders think so," Netanyahu said, referring to the assassination of the head of Iran's Quds Force last Friday in a drone strike in Iran.
"It is important to say that Israel completely stands with the United States. I will say it again – America has no better friend than Israel in the Middle East and Israel has no better society than the United States."
Commenting further on Iran's aspirations in the region, the prime minister said the Islamic republic "wants to seize large parts of the region. It wants to eliminate us. It understands that Israel is the largest and most powerful Western force in the region. Israel is the anchor. Anyone who tries to attack us will suffer a crushing blow."
Addressing the issue of the settlement enterprise, Netanyahu pledged that his government "will not allow the uprooting of any community – Jewish or Arab – under any peace plan."
"The ethnic cleansing suggested by those who advocate a liberal approach is wrong in principle. Communities will not be displacement, and as long as I have a say in it that will never take place.
"The principles are simple: Israel has and will continue to have security control west of Jordan, Jerusalem will never be divided, and settlements will not up uprooted," he stated.
Netanyahu further said that Israel "will remain undeterred" vis-à-vis the prospect of a potential war crimes investigation by the International Criminal Court.
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman also addressed the forum.
Commenting on the recent tensions between Washington and Tehran, Friedman said that the US would "defeat the major threats of our time and we'll bring peace and justice to the world."
He further expressed his hope that the mounting tensions between the US and Iran would not cost innocent lives.
