Israel’s Lapid puts Iran talks on table in meeting with Blinken

Meeting in Rome with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he intends to mend the rift created by the Netanyahu government in Jerusalem’s relations with Washington. Speaking at a joint press conference, Lapid noted, “There is no relationship more important to Israel than the United States of America.  There is no loyal friend of the United States of America than Israel. In the past few years, mistakes were made. Israel’s bipartisan standing was hurt. We will fix those mistakes together.”

Referring to negotiations with Iran, Lapid said, “We will have disagreements, but they are not about the essence; they’re all about how to get there. We want the same things. We sometimes disagree about how to achieve them. Israel has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear deal being put together in Vienna. We believe the way to discuss those disagreements is through direct and professional conversations, not in press conferences.”

Since taking office, Lapid has made it clear he intends to create discrete dialogue channels with the US administration over the Iranian file. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accused Lapid of establishing a "non-surprise" policy vis-a-vis Washington, blaming Lapid for allegedly committing not to attack Iran without notifying Washington ahead of time. Associates of Lapid dismissed these accusations.

That being said, like Netanyahu, new Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Lapid both object to the United States renewing as is the nuclear deal with Iran. Shortly after the Iranian presidential elections, the Foreign Ministry tweeted, “An extremist figure, committed to Iran’s rapidly advancing military nuclear program, his (Ebrahim Raisi’s) election makes clear Iran's true malign intentions, and should prompt grave concern among the international community. More than ever, Iran’s nuclear program must be halted immediately, rolled back entirely and stopped indefinitely.”