The world must speak out in unison against Iran's nuclear aspirations and support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, President Reuven Rivlin said in Berlin on Tuesday at a joint press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
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Rivlin, who will also visit Austria and France to meet with their respective presidents, hailed the US-brokered Abraham Accords for bolstering the moderate voices on the region.
The president is being accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who will brief European presidents on security matters
The president stressed Israel's appreciation for Germany's commitment to Israel's security, regional stability and the important strategic relations between the countries, but singled out Iran as trying to undermine Middle East stability and using "nuclear blackmail" to secure the removal of economic sanctions.
He added that Israel attaches great importance to setting out red lines for Iranian conduct that will prevent further development of its nuclear program.
Rivlin expressed hope that the dramatic changes to the region's geopolitical landscape would have an impact on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well, triggering a new round of peace talks. He said the COVID-19 pandemic proved that borders are artificial and that cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians is crucial since their lives are inextricably linked together.
The Israeli leader also called on the international community to support Israel in its stand against the International Criminal Court probe of alleged Israeli war crimes in Judea and Samaria and Gaza
He called the ICC investigation a "scandalous" decision and thanked Germany for opposing it.
"We are proud of our soldiers, our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters. They protect us from our enemies and we will protect them from this decision," the president said.
Kohavi said Israeli soldiers "do everything" to avoid harming innocent civilians.
"The fundamental difference between us and our enemies is that while we do everything we can to prevent harming innocent civilians, our enemies do everything they can to harm our civilians, who are entirely innocent. We are in a new era of warfare, which is highly complex, and the ICC must adapt itself to the new reality," Kohavi said.
He also told Steinmeier: "Your soldiers could face the same problems in other parts of the world, and so your support now is very important for us."
Rivlin vowed that Israel will do everything possible to ensure the return of its civilians and soldiers' remains held by the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist group.
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