Editing Benjamin Netanyahu (section)

=== Iran ===
{{See also|Iran–Israel relations|Nuclear program of Iran}}
In an 8 March 2007 interview with [[CNN]], opposition leader Netanyahu claimed that "there is only one difference between Nazi Germany and the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely that the first entered a worldwide conflict and then sought atomic weapons, while the latter is first seeking atomic weapons and, once it has them, will then start a world war." Netanyahu repeated these remarks at a news conference in April 2008.<ref name=Haaretz16042008>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/975574.html |title=Report: Netanyahu says 9/11 terror attacks good for Israel |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=16 April 2008 |access-date=29 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416053833/http://www.haaretz.com/news/report-netanyahu-says-9-11-terror-attacks-good-for-israel-1.244044 |archive-date= 16 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This was similar to earlier remarks that "it's 1938, and Iran is Germany, and Iran is racing to arm itself with [[atomic bombs]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/787766.html |first=Peter |last=Hirschberg |title=Netanyahu: It's 1938 and Iran is Germany; Ahmadinejad is preparing another Holocaust |work=[[Haaretz]] |date=14 November 2006 |access-date=29 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407122943/http://www.haaretz.com/news/netanyahu-it-s-1938-and-iran-is-germany-ahmadinejad-is-preparing-another-holocaust-1.205137 |archive-date= 7 April 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 20 February 2009, after being asked to be the prime minister of Israel, Netanyahu described Iran as the greatest threat that Israel has ever faced: "Iran is seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon and constitutes the gravest threat to our existence since the war of independence."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Byers |first1=David |last2=Hider |first2=James |date=20 February 2009 |title=Binyamin Netanyahu targets Iran after he is appointed Prime Minister |url=https://www.thetimes.com/comment/register/article/binyamin-netanyahu-targets-iran-after-he-is-appointed-prime-minister-62vgfg7fvg3?region=global |access-date=2025-04-25 |work=[[The Times]] |location=London}}</ref> Speaking before the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September 2009, Netanyahu expressed a different opinion than Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech at the forum, saying those who believe Tehran is a threat only to Israel are wrong. "The Iranian regime", he said, "is motivated by fanaticism&nbsp;... They want to see us go back to medieval times. The struggle against Iran pits civilization against barbarism. This Iranian regime is fueled by extreme fundamentalism."<ref name=un-1/><ref name=un-2/> "By focusing solely on Iran", columnist [[Yossi Melman]] speculated that Netanyahu's foreign policy, "...&nbsp;took the Palestinian issue off the world agenda." After four days of shelling from the Iranian-funded [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], Melman asked, "Is it worth initiating a crisis with Iran? Will the Israeli public be able to cope with Iran's response?"<ref name="Tab 15Mar2012">{{cite news |url=http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/94134/under-fire/ |title=Under Fire |first=Yossi |last=Melman |date=15 March 2012 |newspaper=Tablet |access-date=16 March 2012}}</ref>

According to [[Uzi Eilam]], a retired [[brigadier general]] and the ex-director of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission, Netanyahu is using the threat of atomic Iran as a means of reaching his own goals. Directly blaming Netanyahu, he said: "Netanyahu is using the Iranian threat to achieve a variety of political objectives." He also said: "These declarations are unnecessarily scaring Israel's citizens, given Israel is not party to the negotiations to determine whether Iran will or will not dismantle its nuclear program."<ref name="Ynet">{{cite news|last1=Bergman|first1=Ronen|author-link=Ronen Bergman|title=Ex-atomic agency chief: Netanyahu using scare tactics on Iran nuclear program|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4517536,00.html |work=Ynet|date=5 August 2014 |access-date=15 February 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Prime Minister and Defense Minister at Weaponry Display.jpg|thumb|left|Standing with [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Israeli Minister of Defense]] [[Ehud Barak]], Netanyahu holds an Iranian instruction manual for the [[C-704|anti-ship missile]] captured in [[Victoria Affair]], March 2011.]]
By 2012, Netanyahu is reported to have formed a close, confidential relationship with Defense Minister [[Ehud Barak]] as the two men considered possible Israeli military action against Iran's nuclear facilities,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/world/middleeast/netanyahu-and-barak-bond-over-israels-iran-crisis.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all |title=2 Israeli Leaders Make the Iran Issue Their Own |last=Bonner |first=Ethan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=28 March 2012 |access-date=28 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/R42443.pdf |title=Israel: Possible Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Facilities |publisher=[[Congressional Research Service]] |date=28 September 2012 |access-date=2 October 2012}}</ref> following Israel's established [[Begin Doctrine]]. The pair were accused of acting on "messianic" impulses by Yuval Diskin, former head of the [[Shin Bet]], who added that their warmongering rhetoric appealed to "the idiots within the Israeli public".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-intelligence-chief-diskin-says-netanyahu-barak-not-fit-to-lead-israel-and-wrong-on-iran/ |title= Netanyahu, Barak 'not fit to lead Israel' and wrong on Iran |last= Shmulovich |first= Michael |date= 28 April 2012 |newspaper= The Times of Israel |access-date=29 April 2012 }}</ref> Diskin's remarks were supported by former Mossad chief Meir Dagan,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/olmert-opposes-iran-strike/ |title=Olmert opposes strike on Iranian nuclear program |date=25 April 2012 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Times of Israel |access-date=30 April 2012 |quote=Meir Dagan, Israel's ex-Mossad chief, told the station he supported Diskin. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919025443/http://www.timesofisrael.com/olmert-opposes-iran-strike/ |archive-date=19 September 2010 }}</ref> who himself had previously said that an attack on Iran was "the stupidest thing I have ever heard".<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/former-mossad-chief-israel-air-strike-on-iran-stupidest-thing-i-have-ever-heard-1.360367 |title= Former Mossad chief: Israel air strike on Iran 'stupidest thing I have ever heard' |first= Yossi|last=Melman |date= 7 May 2011 |newspaper= [[Haaretz]] |access-date=28 April 2012 }}</ref> A few weeks later, the [[RAND Corporation]] (a leading American think-tank that advises the [[The Pentagon|Pentagon]]) also openly disagreed with Netanyahu's belligerent stance: "In doing so, and without naming names, RAND sided with former Mossad chief Meir Dagan and former head of the Shin Bet Yuval Diskin."<ref>{{cite news |title=Top U.S. think tank warns against Israeli, American strike on Iran |first=Amir |last=Oren |url=http://www.haaretz.com/misc/iphone-article/top-u-s-think-tank-warns-against-israeli-american-strike-on-iran.premium-1.430697 |newspaper=Haaretz |date=16 May 2012 |access-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>

Early in 2012, he used the opening ceremony for Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day to warn against the dangers of an Iranian nuclear bomb, saying he was following the example of Jewish leaders during World War II who struggled to raise the alarm about the Nazis' genocidal intentions.<ref name = "SaSe 18Apr2012">{{cite news |url= http://www.timesofisrael.com/warning-of-iranian-threat-is-the-best-way-to-honor-holocaust-victims/ |title= PM: 'Warning of Iranian threat is best way to honor Holocaust victims' |last= Ser |first= Sam |date= 18 April 2012 |newspaper= The Times of Israel |access-date=18 April 2012 }}</ref> Israeli academic [[Avner Cohen]] accused Netanyahu of showing "contempt" for the Holocaust by putting it to "political use",<ref name="AC 19Mar2012">{{cite news |url= http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/netanyahu-s-contempt-for-the-holocaust-1.419462 |title= Netanyahu's contempt for the Holocaust |author= Avner Cohen |author-link= Avner Cohen |date= 19 March 2012 |newspaper= [[Haaretz]] |access-date=31 March 2012 }}</ref> and former Israeli foreign minister [[Shlomo Ben-Ami]] similarly condemned Netanyahu's "vulgar manipulation of the memory of the Holocaust".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/iran-s-nuclear-grass-eaters |title= Iran's Nuclear Grass Eaters |author= Shlomo Ben-Ami |date= 4 April 2012 |publisher= Project Syndicate |access-date=5 April 2012 }}</ref> Immediately after the [[2012 Burgas bus bombing]], Netanyahu confirmed that the attack had been undertaken in coordination with Iran.<ref>{{cite news |title=Netanyahu: Hezbollah, directed by Iran, carried out Burgas terror attack |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-hezbollah-directed-by-iran-carried-out-burgas-terror-attack/ |newspaper=The Times of Israel |date=19 July 2012 |access-date=16 March 2013}}</ref>
[[File:Demonstrations and protests against United States recognition of Jerusalem in Tehran 032.jpg|thumb|Protest against [[United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel|U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel]], Tehran, 11 December 2017]]
Netanyahu stated during a 29 July meeting that, in his opinion, "all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian programme by one iota".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Jul-2012/iran-unmoved-by-curbs-says-netanyahu|newspaper=[[The Nation (Pakistan)|The Nation]]|location=Pakistan|date=30 July 2012|title=Iran unmoved by curbs, says Netanyahu|access-date=30 July 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927193049/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/international/30-Jul-2012/iran-unmoved-by-curbs-says-netanyahu|archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref> And in August he stated that the United States only might respond to a massive attack against Israel.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/netanyahu-if-israel-attacks-iran-i-will-take-responsibility-for-the-consequences-1.455853 |title=Netanyahu: If Israel attacks Iran, I will take responsibility for the consequences |last=Ravid |first=Barak |date=3 August 2012 |newspaper=Haaretz |access-date=17 March 2013}}</ref> On 28 September 2012, Netanyahu gave a speech to the UN General Assembly in which he set forward a "red line" of 90% uranium enrichment, stating that if Iran were to reach this level, it would become an intolerable risk for Israel.<ref>{{cite news |title=Netanyahu: Red Line is when Iran Reaches 90% of Enriched Uranium |first=Gil |last=Ronen |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/160353 |publisher=Arutz Sheva |date=27 September 2012 |access-date=6 March 2013}}</ref> Netanyahu used a cartoon graphic of a bomb to illustrate his point, indicating three stages of uranium enrichment, noting that Iran had already completed the first stage, and stating that "By next spring, at most by next summer at current enrichment rates, [Iran] will have finished the medium enrichment and move on to the final stage. From there, it's only a few months, possibly a few weeks before they get enough enriched uranium for the first bomb."<ref>{{cite web|access-date=7 June 2021|title=Report: Mossad was less alarmed than Israel premier on Iran|date=23 February 2015 |url=https://apnews.com/article/d2cf525e85f6492c8dc07c2cbabe1913|via=[[AP News]]}}</ref> At the time, according to cables leaked in 2015, Mossad's assessment was that Iran did not appear ready to enrich uranium to levels required for a nuclear bomb.<ref>Seumas Milne, Ewen MacAskill and Clayton Swisher (23 February 2015). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/23/leaked-spy-cables-netanyahu-iran-bomb-mossad "Leaked cables show Netanyahu's Iran bomb claim contradicted by Mossad"]. ''[[The Guardian]]''.</ref>

In an October 2013 interview with BBC Persian Service, Netanyahu praised the history of Persia and said: "If the Iranian regime has nuclear weapons, the Iranian people will never be free of dictatorship and will live in eternal servitude."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netanyahu.org.il/en/news/686-pm-netanyahu-is-interviewed-for-the-first-time-in-the-persian-language-media|date=3 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007122509/http://netanyahu.org.il/en/news/686-pm-netanyahu-is-interviewed-for-the-first-time-in-the-persian-language-media|archive-date=7 October 2013|title=PM Netanyahu is Interviewed for the First Time in the Persian-language Media |publisher=The Prime Minister of Israel Official Website}}</ref>

The U.S. military's [[2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike]], which killed the high-level Iranian General [[Qasem Soleimani]], brought strong reactions from around the world. Netanyahu praised the air strike, saying that Trump had acted "swiftly, forcefully and decisively".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/03/a-declaration-of-war-and-an-escalation-the-world-reacts-to-soleimani-killing |title=Qassem Soleimani: Iranians mourn as world reacts to death of Iran's top military official |publisher=[[Euronews]] |date=3 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103083046/https://www.euronews.com/2020/01/03/a-declaration-of-war-and-an-escalation-the-world-reacts-to-soleimani-killing |archive-date=3 January 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>