Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Germany's top diplomat Annalena Baerbock in what was her first Israel visit in the position. The two discussed the Iran nuclear deal and the coronavirus pandemic.
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The two discussed regional and security challenges, chief among them the Iranian nuclear program, at length. Bennett presented Israel's position, which holds that cutting a deal with Tehran would be a mistake and would put the entire Middle East at risk. Bennett further emphasized the need to designate an end date for talks as their extension only served Iran's interests as the Shiite regime continued to enrich uranium.
Baerbock met with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid earlier Thursday. At a joint press conference with Lapid in Tel Aviv, she said nuclear talks with Iran are entering a "final phase" and that, despite Israeli reservations, a return to a nuclear agreement would make the region safer.
Her remarks come as negotiations between Iran and world powers reconvened this week in an effort to revive a 2015 nuclear accord that curbed Tehran's nuclear program
Baerbock later visited Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki. He asked Germany, which supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, to pressure Israel to enter peace talks.
Lapid said that he and Baerbock discussed the nuclear talks and presented her with Israel's position "that a nuclear Iran endangers not only Israel but the entire world." He said that Iran is "an exporter of terror from Yemen to Buenos Aires" and that the agreement must take into account its regional aggression.
Baerbock said that she was "convinced that a full restoration of the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the Iran nuclear deal] would make the region more secure, including Israel, otherwise, we would not be having these talks."
She said the talks with Iran, of which Germany is a party, have reached a "very critical point" and that it was important for Iran to come back to the table "with a willingness to compromise and without maximum demands."
"We want to do everything we can to ensure that with this agreement, Israel's security is guaranteed," Baerbock said.
At the press conference, Lapid said he and the German diplomat "discussed the nuclear talks with the Iranians, which are being held in Vienna and in which Germany is a partner. I presented our position that a nuclear Iran poses a risk not only to Israel, but to the entire world.
He said, "The E3 countries cannot ignore the threat posed by Iran beyond the nuclear issue. Iran is Hezbollah in the north, Iran is Hamas in the south, Iran is an exporter of terrorism whose tentacles stretch from Yemen to Buenos Aires.
"I also discussed with FM Baerbock the false and despicable attempt to describe Israel as an apartheid state. The use of this word "apartheid" specifically toward the people who suffered from racism most of all, is unforgivable and intolerable."
He said: "This campaign is part of a larger campaign, which aims to challenge Israel's right to exist as the nation-state of the Jewish people. In the face of this campaign, Germany, like its foreign minister, is a true friend whose support can be relied upon."
Lapid noted, "It is not only the past that connects us but the present as well. The alliance with Germany is one of Israel's most important alliances. It is an economic, security, and political connection, a connection based on democratic and liberal values and a similar worldview.
Germany and Israel "hold a similar view on issues such as the climate, LGBT rights, the importance of the fight against all types of racism and bigotry, and the need to fight for democracy that has been under global attack in recent years.
"The way to create change is through dialogue. I thank FM Baerbock for this dialogue, for her commitment to Israel's security and existence, and for the fact that she came to visit us in Israel so close to taking office."
Alon Schwarzer, head of policy at right-wing nongovernmental organization Im Tirzu responded to Lapid's remarks by saying: "With the German foreign minister now in Israel, we should note that Germany" is one of the countries that uses the term "apartheid against Israel. The [left-Wing] B'Tselem organization, which announced it had led a campaign together with Palestinian organizations to label Israel an apartheid stage, received between the years 2012-2021 over 9.8 million shekels of German public funds. Germany is the principal founder of organizations that an Amnesty International reported relies, through the EU, among other things."
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