Peres: Israel-PA peace can help US against Iran

Israel can assist the US in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat by achieving peace with the Palestinians, President Shimon Peres told Jewish leaders and academics from Israel and around the world Thursday.

The three-day conference, which kicked off Wednesday in Jerusalem, is organized by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute and is focusing on the future of the Jewish people.

The president told the conference that just as Washington recognizes Israel's security needs, Israel must recognize America's needs as well and help it form an anti-Iran alliance.

Peres said Israel can help by ending the conflict with the Palestinians and focusing on the "real threat" both the US and Israel face.

The president continued to say that Israel is the only US ally that did not ask Washington to send American troops to protect it, adding that Israel can fight its own battles, but can't exist on its own.

Peres said Israel needs its alliance with the US to exist due to the fact that, according to him, a large segment of the international community is anti-Jewish and the majority of UN members are against Israel.

However, the Israeli president criticized the US and former President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq, and questioned the efforts to introduce democracy to the Arab world.

Peres equated these efforts to "inviting a turkey to Thanksgiving," adding that asking a king to relinquish his thrown is not an easy task. The president said that even if democratic elections are held in Arab countries, the citizens will elect "all those people you don’t want to be elected."

• Follow Ynetnews on Facebook