In interview with Barbara Walters, president says Israel and the U.S. in “total” agreement on Iran • Peres draws a few laughs from audience after he asks them to be his Facebook friends, leaves with positive message: We can use the internet to make peace.
Israel Hayom Staff
President Shimon Peres and "The View" co-host Barbara Walters embrace after the president’s interview | Photo credit: GPO |
The whole world agrees that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, President Shimon Peres told Barbara Walters on Wednesday on the ABC program “The View.”
During his interview, Peres highlighted three points over which Israel and the U.S. were, he said, in “total” agreement. “Number one, the world is in danger if Iran will get a nuclear bomb. It’s a very serious problem not just because of the bomb but very much because of the nature of the present government, they support terror, they hang people without trial, they are really trying to take over the Middle East, and it may affect the whole world,” Peres said.
Asked about reports over Israel’s own nuclear capabilities, Peres told Walters, “There are different reports, but Israel has announced we shall not be the first to introduce a nuclear bomb. You know Israel has never threatened anybody, and the Iranians, Ahmadinejad, the president, says that he wants to destroy Israel.”
“He’s the only member of the United Nations that does it. He says the U.S. is the great satan, and we are small satan,” Peres said. “Well, who is he to decide who is satan and threaten other people?”
In his second point, Peres said, “All of us agree that the Iranians shouldn’t have a nuclear bomb,” and reiterated what several U.S. and Israeli officials have said in recent months: “All options are on the table.”
When Walters interjected and asked if this includes bombing Iran without informing the United States beforehand, Peres said, “All options are all options, we don’t have to specify.”
He added, however, that, “Right now President Obama has started a very sophisticated attempt to achieve the same thing, by imposing sanctions, political sanctions, and also getting this from the Europeans and others. So the policy is quite clear ... there are different speculations. But right now the policy is to try to stop the Iranians from having a bomb by economic and political sanctions.”
Peres avoided answering Walters’ question on the possibility of Israel bombing Iran, simply saying, “I think the relations with Obama are in good shape, we have the highest respect for the president, there are ongoing talks, there is a great deal of speculation, but right now we are acting together and, I think, in full agreement.”
Before finishing his interview, Peres drew a few laughs from the audience. After Walters asked the president if he was on Facebook, he responded to the audience, “May I ask you to be my friends?”
He concluded with a positive message, saying, “Today under the Internet, we can make peace among people, not just among governments. You can talk to each other freely ... the response is unbelievable. And really I would be delighted if you’ll answer my invitation to be friends [of] peace and [of] mine.”
