Europe is closer to alignment with Israel on Iran, Netanyahu says

Europe is closer to alignment with Israel when it comes to combating Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his government on Sunday morning after he returned from a meeting in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“At the center of our long conversation, I must say, was our common goal - to fight Iran's attempt to obtain nuclear weapons and a nuclear arsenal,” he said.

Netanyahu said he could not recall a moment when the two countries had been so close to an agreement when it came to their stances on Iran, noting that this was also true for Europe.

It’s still “not the same position, but the positions are much closer,” Netanyahu said, adding that this was true as well with regard to an Israeli-US alignment on Iran, as witnessed during the visits last month by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Netanyahu also referenced the persistent warnings from the business community regarding the potential financial harm that his judicial overhaul plan will cause Israel.

Netanyahu meets with European business leaders

As part of his visit to Paris, Netanyahu said, he met with 60 representatives from the business community, who wanted to increase their investment in Israel.

“This was said by everyone who was there. I repeat today what I have said many times … Israel’s economy is strong and over time it will continue to get stronger. Whoever invests in Israel will benefit,” Netanyahu said.