Israeli PM Spox: ‘The Iranians Are a Real Threat; They Also Threaten’ the U.S.

‘We in Israel know that we have no better friend in the world than the United States of America’

SCARBOROUGH: “Joining us from Washington, the spokesman for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed as Israel’s next ambassador to the united Kingdom. Thank you for being with us.”
REGEV: “My pleasure.”
SCARBOROUGH: “You listened to Benjamin Netanyahu’s words there. It’s jolting talking about the friendship between the president and the prime minister. You’ve been on this show before and certainly the prime minister himself has spoken about feeling abandoned by the United States. What’s changed?
REGEV: “We’ve had disagreements as President Obama noted yesterday on the Iranian nuclear deal and we had an honest disagreement but the truth is we’re looking forward. Israel and the United States are friends. We’re allies. We’re partners. We have to work together to deal with the challenges that both our countries face and those dangers in the Middle East unfortunately are more stronger today than ever before. We see states fall apart. Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen. We’re seeing Islamic extremists move into the cracks. It’s just so important that the United States and Israel work together closely to meet those challenges.”
GEIST: “Do you feel now differently just to follow-up on what Joe was asking than you did two or three months ago when this Iran deal was being negotiated. You view Iran as a threat to the state of Israel. It looked more conciliatory yesterday publicly when prime minister Netanyahu was talking to President Obama. Are you more comfortable than you were then?”
REGEV: “We did disagree on the deal. Today we are looking forward. Most important thing is to make sure Iran keeps its obligations end of the deal and keep Iran’s feet to the fire. Two, to deal with and to check Iran’s aggression in the region. I mean, you see Iranian aggression throughout the middle East and we have got to contain that and roll that back. Finally and not less important. Iran has a global network of terrorism in Africa, in Asia, in Europe, in the Middle East and even in this hemisphere and it’s crucial we work together effectively to deal with those challenges.”
BARNICLE: “You just indicated you had a very, very, very good meeting yesterday with the president of the United States. What was made clear to you in yesterday’s meeting that seemed to be unclear to you prior to yesterday’s meeting?”
REGEV: “We have that disagreement as president noted over the Iran nuclear deal. That did cast a shadow over the relationship for a while. That’s now history. That’s behind us. We’re moving forward. We are two countries that are allies and friends. Let’s be clear here. We in Israel know that we have no better friend in the world than the United States of America. And I think the American people know as well that they have no better friend than Israel. We are two democracies. We are two partners. We have strategic interests that coincide and there’s no other democracy in the entire region other than Israel. We’re working together because we have to meet our challenges together because when we work together, we’re both stronger.”
WALLACE: "Good morning. Is working together and moving forward mean abandoning any talk about Iran? They still are holding hostage “Washington Post” journalists. There are concerns we have as a nation and obviously you do, too. Is there any talk about collaborating on sanctions or any sort of awareness about the nature of the regime or do you view the Iran issue as completely behind you in terms of the relationship?"
REGEV: "We still see Iran as a direct threat to our country. I mean, every time Iranian leaders open their mouths, they talk about obliterating Israel and destroying Israel. It’s not just words. It’s not just talk. They also walk the walk. The Iranians are funding terrorists who are shooting rockets at Israeli civilians. They are trying to build a second front against Israel. They’re trying to take more deadly weapons and give them to Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. The Iranians are a real threat. They also threaten you. They threaten the most basic interests of the United States and that’s why it’s so important, so important, that we work together to meet those threats."
GEIST: "All right. Spokesman for president Benjamin Netanyahu. Thank you for being with us this morning."
REGEV: "Thanks for having me."

Video files
Full
Compact
Audio files
Full
Compact