Back

Times of Israel quotes JINSA President & CEO Michael Makovsky and JINSA Distinguished Fellow IDF MG (ret.) Yaakov Amidror on Iran Sanctions

As Calls Rise for the US to Ease Sanctions on Tehran, Why is Netanyahu Silent?

By Raphael Ahren:

In February 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casually dismissed Israeli socioeconomic worries because, in his view, the greatest threat to the state’s existence is Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons. “When we talk about the price of housing, about the cost of living, I don’t forget life itself for a single moment,” he tweeted, earning much scorn from people poking fun at his apparent Iran obsession.

No politician in the world has been as outspoken about the need to confront Iran as Netanyahu. But since the novel coronavirus started spreading several weeks ago, the prime minister has not mentioned Iran even once. Rather, his public statements focus exclusively on two issues: the need to prevent the pandemic from spreading lest thousands of Israel die — what he called “life itself,” if you will — and, in the political realm, the need to establish a unity government.