Israel’s prime minister said Thursday that he knows the details of the deal being forged with Iran over its nuclear program and asked “what is there to hide” after the U.S. said it was withholding some information on the talks.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks come a day after the Obama administration said it is keeping some specifics from Israel because it fears the close U.S. ally has leaked sensitive information to try to scuttle the talks — and will continue to do so.
“We know that Tehran knows the details of the talks. Now I tell you that Israel also knows the details of the proposed agreement,” Netanyahu said.
“I think this is a bad agreement that is dangerous for the state of Israel,” he said. “If anyone thinks otherwise, what is there to hide here?”
Netanyahu has angered the White House with his open opposition to a deal he says threatens Israel’s existence, and by accepting a Republican invitation to address Congress about Iran in early March without consulting the White House, a breach of diplomatic protocol.
In response, 23 House Democrats have signed onto a letter calling on Speaker John Boehner to postpone Netanyahu’s speech.
The lawmakers argue that while they are loyal allies of Israel, the timing of the planned visit — two weeks before elections there — betrays a political agenda on the part of the GOP.
“The timing of this invitation and lack of coordination with the White House indicate that this is not an ordinary diplomatic visit,” the members wrote. “Rather, this appears to be an attempt to promote new sanctions legislation against Iran that could undermine critical negotiations.”
The planned speech also has caused an uproar in Israel. Netanyahu has rejected the criticism, saying it is his duty to lobby against the nuclear deal.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki questioned Netanyahu’s claim to know the details of the deal. “Then the fact is that he knows more than the negotiators, in that there is no deal yet,” she said.
“Obviously, if there’s a deal, we’ll be explaining the deal and explaining why and how it prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. And if that’s the case and we come to a deal, it’s hard to see how anyone wouldn’t see that’s to the benefit of the international community,” she said.
Israel views a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its very existence, citing Tehran’s repeated calls for Israel’s destruction, its long-range missile program and its support for anti-Israel militant groups such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Iran insists that its nuclear program is for purely civilian purposes.
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