Blasting ‘Parade of Concessions’ to Iran, Netanyahu Drives Home His Point with a Bill Clinton Video

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday called international negotiations with Iran a “parade of concessions,” especially since the talks have continued apace while Iran’s leaders issue threatening statements against the U.S. and Israel.

Speaking at his weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu also made the unusual move of playing for his ministers a video of former President Bill Clinton praising the 1994 nuclear agreement with North Korea. Despite that agreement, 12 years later, North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chairs the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office on June 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO / POOL / ATEF SAFADI (POOL/AFP/Getty Images)

Netanyahu noted that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Saturday for the struggle against the U.S. to continue regardless of an agreement on the nuclear issue and that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani participated in an Al Quds Day commemoration on Friday during which American and Israeli flags were burned and chants of “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” were heard.

“All of this is happening as the parade of concessions to Iran continues in Vienna, concessions even on issues that had been marked as red lines in the Lausanne package, which is a bad deal in its own right,” Netanyahu said, referring to the interim agreement forged in April.

“Iran does not hide its intention to continue its murderous aggression even against those with whom it is negotiating,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said Israel is not prepared to “pay the price” for the deep concessions to Iran that the U.S. and five world powers were reportedly willing to make to secure a deal.

“Perhaps there is someone among the great powers who is prepared to capitulate to this reality that Iran is dictating, which includes its unending calls for the destruction of Israel – we will not pay the price for this,” Netanyahu said.

“It paves Iran's way to many nuclear bombs and gives it hundreds of billions of dollars for its terrorism and conquest machine, thereby endangering the peace of the entire world,” Netanyahu said.

The Jerusalem Post reported that Netanyahu played the 57-second video of Clinton announcing the North Korea agreement to his cabinet ministers to drive home his point.

"Before I take your questions, I'd like to say just a word about the framework with North Korea that [then chief U.S. negotiator] Ambassador [Robert] Gallucci signed," which Clinton had described as a good deal for the U.S., Netanyahu said.

"North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. South Korea and our other allies will be better protected. The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons,” the former president said in the video.

In arguments remarkably similar to those used to sell the current emerging deal with Iran, Clinton went on to say that “the United States and international inspectors will carefully monitor North Korea to make sure it keeps its commitments. Only as it does so will North Korea fully join the community of nations."