US Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a proposed visit to the Zionist entity, as he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that nothing the US was doing on Iran will put Israel at risk.
US Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a proposed visit to the Zionist entity, as he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that nothing the US was doing on Iran will put Israel at risk.
Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that a senior Israeli official said Kerry told Tel Aviv Monday that he is postponing his visit, saying that he w
ill only arrive after the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Senior Israeli officials told Haaretz that they believed the reason behind the decision was his desire to focus on the negotiations with Iran, which will resume in Geneva on Wednesday, and to avoid getting into another confrontation with Netayahu during the talks.
At a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu Monday, Kerry said he had great respect for Netanyahu and his ‘concerns’ regarding a potential deal between world powers and Iran concerning the latter's nuclear program.
But Kerry maintained that instead of making Israel less safe, an accord with Iran would actually reduce the ‘country's risk.’
"I have great respect for his concerns about his country," Kerry said.
"The prime minister should express his concerns and he has every right in the world to publicly state his position and defend what he believes is his interest."
He stressed that the United States “is deeply committed to Israel's security” and sought to reassure Netanyahu, ordinary Israelis and pro-Israel members of Congress who are opposed to the proposed agreement.
"Nothing that we are doing here, in my judgment, will put Israel at any additional risk," Kerry said. "In fact, let me make this clear, we believe it reduces risk."
