Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday joined the call to keep Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps on the United States’ list of terrorist organizations, all while calling for further cooperation with Washington.
His comments came days after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, issued a joint statement, lamenting Washington’s plans to remove the Revolutionary Guard from its notorious list as part of a series of concessions meant to revive the tattered 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
Speaking at a Ynet "People of Israel" conference, Gantz said the IRGC is "a terror organization and should be viewed as such".
“The second thing that is important to understand is that we need to coordinate our actions and positions with the U.S. and voice them in unequivocal ways,” he said.
“I think that in the end, our strategic relations with the United States, the West and other countries in the region, should not be conducted over Twitter… That’s what I’m doing. I am in touch with American officials and travel to countries which have relations with Israel and those who don't,” he said.
The defense minister described Iran as more than a “regional problem,” adding that Tehran and its nuclear ambitions are a “global issue and an existential threat to Israel”.
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Revolutionary Guard Corps soldier marches with Israel's flag printed on the sole of his shoe
(Photo: Reuters)
Gantz also criticized what looks to be imminent revival of the 2015 nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran.
"This agreement is not a good one, it has several shortcomings, which we emphasize in our working groups with the Americans.”
The defense minister also reiterated Bennett’s claims that Israel will not be bound by any agreement with Iran.
“We are not a party to this agreement. The prime minister said we are not a party to this agreement, I tell you we are not a party to this agreement. We will ultimately keep our destiny in our hands and not in the hands of the world. "
The defense minister also addressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual speech at the Knesset on Sunday, in which he implied Israel was sitting on the fence vis-à-vis the Russian-Ukrainian war.
"The man is leading the struggle of his life… He spoke from his heart and from his absolute depth. I will not get into an argument about everything he said, because I’m putting his address into a context of strategic leadership.
"It is important to be clear - the State of Israel is on the right side. It is against the violence in Ukraine, it is in favor of West's position and it is doing everything in its power in the right way to help Ukraine.”