Netanyahu: John Kerry's Visit to Israel is Not Appropriate at This Time

As tensions between Israel and the United States over the nuclear deal with Iran escalate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has effectively rejected U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's request to visit Israel. Following Kerry's statement in an interview with an Israeli media outlet expressing his desire to travel to Israel, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced that it does not find the visit appropriate at this time. According to the 'Times of Israel', the Prime Minister's Office stated on Sunday, April 13, that the new coalition government of Israel has not yet been formed, and therefore, there is no need for the U.S. Secretary of State to come. Netanyahu, who won the general elections two months ago, has yet to introduce his new government, and this task has stretched into the final days of the deadline for forming a government. While Netanyahu has practically rejected Kerry's request for a visit, U.S. President Barack Obama recently stated that he would not meet with Netanyahu and would not formally invite him to the White House until a final nuclear agreement between the world powers and Iran is reached. Obama emphasized that Netanyahu's criticisms of U.S. policy regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran are the reason for not meeting with him until after a final nuclear agreement with Iran is achieved. During Netanyahu's visit to Washington two months ago, he also did not meet with Obama, motivated by 'avoiding support for one of the candidates in the Israeli elections'. During Netanyahu's presence in Washington, where he was invited by Republican House Speaker John Boehner, his meeting with Kerry was also canceled due to what was described as 'the absence of the Secretary of State in Washington'. Israel has poured cold water on John Kerry's enthusiasm for visiting Jerusalem, as the U.S. Secretary of State described the reactions of opponents of the nuclear agreement with Iran as 'excited' in an interview with Israel's Channel 10 on Sunday, April 13. Kerry told the Israeli network that the U.S. would not sign any agreement with Iran that would harm Israel's security... and that oversight of Iranian nuclear sites would be 'not for one day or two days, or 10 years and 15 years, but forever'. According to the U.S. Secretary of State, the result of the nuclear agreement with Iran would be 'a 98% reduction in Iran's enriched uranium stockpile from 300 tons to 12 tons'. Kerry also stated that he does not believe Israel would attack Iranian nuclear sites without consulting the U.S., adding that the U.S. still maintains all options, including 'sanctions and military options', against Iran. However, according to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu on Sunday night, April 13, in a meeting with Senator Rob Portman, chairman of one of the Senate's subcommittees on homeland security, implicitly stated once again that he understands the dangers posed by Iran's nuclear program better than U.S. leadership. In an implicit response to Kerry's statements broadcast just hours earlier on Israeli television, Netanyahu said, 'Some say that an agreement with Iran does not endanger Israel, but I, as the Prime Minister of Israel and responsible for the security of this country, say that an agreement is being arranged that endangers both Israel and the entire region and the world'. Netanyahu claimed that the Lausanne framework allows Iran to 'maintain its nuclear infrastructure; gives Iran the capacity to produce fuel for a nuclear bomb in a decade and allows Tehran to pour tens of billions of dollars more into its treasury; money that will be spent on aggression and support for terrorism'. Netanyahu also stated that 'negotiations with Iran should not be aimed at reaching any agreement; efforts should be made to achieve a good agreement that closes Iran's path to a nuclear bomb'. The intensification of disputes between Israel and U.S. leadership regarding the final nuclear agreement with Iran comes as Iranian and 1+5 group delegations continue their efforts to draft the final nuclear agreement in New York; the final deadline for these negotiations is eight weeks away. Iran, systematically rejecting accusations of attempting to produce a nuclear bomb, emphasizes that Israel itself possesses 'four hundred nuclear warheads' and has no right to accuse Iran.