(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Tuesday, 12 May 2015), met with German Defense Minister Dr. Ursula von der Leyen. Following is an excerpt from his remarks at the start of their meeting:
"The challenges to us keep changing. We've made peace with two of our Arab neighbors, but there are new forces in the region. They are threatening not only us but also threatening of course our Arab neighbors with whom we've made peace.
This creates the opportunity to make other alliances with other Arab states, but at the same time, we have a great threat emanating from militant Islam, both from militant Sunnis in the form of ISIS and al-Qaeda and al-Nusra, but the greatest threat that we see and I think that our neighbors see as well is the threat that emanates from the imperial and theological ambitions of the Ayatollah regime in Iran. They are seeking, as you know, to develop a capability to develop nuclear weapons. They are engaged in a campaign of conquest and subversion throughout the Middle East, now in Yemen, around Israel's borders in Lebanon, not very far from our border in the Golan, in Gaza.
We view the greatest challenge to the security of the Middle East, of Israel and of the world Iran's quest for empire coupled with its quest for nuclear weapons. We hope that this can be prevented, preferably by diplomatic means. We think a better deal is required than the one that is proposed in Lausanne, and I believe that this is important for our common future and our common security."