On Saturday night MK Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi/Jewish Home), Minister of Economy and Diaspora Affairs and member of the Security Cabinet, wrote a letter in response to nuclear talks with Iran and American intentions to weaken sanctions on the regime. The letter comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is currently in Geneva holding three-way nuclear talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Many fear that the talks will yield an imminent deal that will weaken sanctions on Iran in return for token gestures which leave Iran's nuclear capabilities intact. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with Kerry before he left for Geneva and told him that Israel " utterly rejects " the proposed deals and is not obliged by them. Bennett says the world is at a choice point, either to insist Iran dismantle its entire nuclear weapons program, or else leave the centrifuges intact to be turned on in the future and place the world in danger. After calling on the West not to sign a bad deal with Iran, Bennett reiterates that Israel will defend itself, hinting that Israel is prepared to take an independent military strike on Iran if its security interests are ignored in the nuclear talks. Bennett's letter reads as follows: These critical days in November will be remembered for years to come. The Free World stands before a fork in the road with a clear choice: Either stand strong and insist Iran dismantles its nuclear-weapons program, or surrender, cave in and allow Iran to retain its 18,500 centrifuges. Years from now, when an Islamic terrorist blows up a suitcase in New York, or when Iran launches a nuclear missile at Rome or Tel Aviv, it will have happened only because a Bad Deal was made during these defining moments. Like in a boxing match, Iran's regime is currently on the floor. The count is just seconds away from 10. Now is the time to step up the pressure and force Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Not to let it up. It would be dangerous to lift the sanctions and accept a deal which allows Iran to retain its entire uranium-production line. It would be dangerous because Iran would, a year, two or three from now, just turn everything back on and obtain a nuclear weapon before the world can do anything to stop it. It is not enough to shut off the centrifuges. They need to be completely dismantled. We call upon the West to avoid signing a Bad Deal. Israel's responsibility is to ensure the security of its citizens and that is exactly what we will do. We will never outsource our security.
