JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he heard “encouraging responses” from U.S. lawmakers after his speech before a joint meeting of Congress.
“After my short visit to the United States, I return to Israel knowing that many around the world heard what Israel has to say about the impending deal with Iran,” Netanyahu said Wednesday morning upon landing at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu said he presented an alternative to the proposed outline nuclear deal, which the world powers, known as the P5+1, hope to initial before the end of the month.
“I presented a practical alternative, which would impose tougher restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program, extending Iran’s breakout time by years. I also called on the P5+1 to insist on a deal that would link the lifting of those restrictions to Iran’s ceasing its sponsorship of terrorism around the world, its aggression against its neighbors and its calls for Israel’s destruction,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said he “heard encouraging responses from both Democrats and Republicans. They understood that the current proposal would lead to a bad deal and that the alternative is a better deal.”
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