U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Sunday that Iran has not kept its word on anything since taking power over four and half decades ago, and that the Islamic Republic is the root of terrorism throughout the Middle East, which must be dealt with from its core.
The unequivocal remarks come as the U.S. administration is negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program.
“The president is very clear: They are not going to have a nuclear weapon, they are not going to enrich, they are going to have total dismantlement,” said Huckabee of Iran at a conference of the New York-based World Jewish Congress in Jerusalem.
”So whatever they are discussing, those are the criteria that the president has set forth. Even if they say they agree to it, do we believe them? That becomes the next big question. They haven’t kept anything they’ve said for 46 years,” he added.
The U.S. ambassador rejected reports of any rifts between Israel and the United States over the ongoing negotiations and stressed that the two counties were not just friends and allies but unique partners facing down the global threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.
“I hear people say often Israel is facing a seven-front war ... some named Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis ... just remember one thing: All of the plates come from the very same kitchen in Teheran,” he said.
“The solution is not simply to cut the twigs of the tree but to go to the trunk of the tree,” he continued. “We cannot believe that simply trimming the tree is adequate when the tree must go down to the very trunk, to the roots and deep within the ground once and for all.”
The newly appointed Israel president of the WJC likewise cautioned against an Obama-style Iran deal.
“We must not end up with another Obama-like Iran nuclear deal that leaves the problem to a future American administration,” said Sylvan Adams in his opening address. “If Iran refuses to eliminate its nuclear enrichment then we—Israel together with the United States—must end their nuclear program with a committed bombing campaign.”
He also directly criticized Qatar, a controversial mediator in talks with Hamas in Gaza, and which the U.S. president visited during his trip to the Middle East last week, for sheltering the terrorist leadership and for its pan-Arab TV network Al Jazeera.
“Let us be clear: Qatar is not our friend,” he said.
The Israeli-Canadian entrepreneur’s remarks signaled a more active voice from the world Jewish organization than the behind-the-scenes diplomacy favored by its longtime American leader Ronald S. Lauder, 81, who is expected to be selected for a final four-year term on Monday.
In an address to hundreds of Jewish delegates from more than 70 countries around the globe, Adams also unveiled a plan to bring one million immigrants to Israel from around the world.
The gala event, held at Jerusalem’s Museum of Tolerance, also included a resilience award presented to freed hostage Tal Shoham, who was held in Hamas captivity in Gaza for over 500 days until his release three months ago.
“I stand before you with my heart still in Gaza with the 58 who still remain hostage,” said Shoham.
