Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke over the weekend with US Secretary of State John Kerry to convey his appreciation to President Barack Obama and to the Secretary for the position taken by the United States and for the efforts of the American team at the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in New York.

The United States kept its commitment to Israel by preventing a Middle East resolution that would single out Israel and ignore its security interests and the threats posed to it by an increasingly turbulent Middle East.

Israel appreciates as well the decision of the UK and Canada to reject the coordinated diplomatic effort against Israel at the conference.

Israel has consistently believed that a gradual approach to arms control and regional security can be achieved through confidence building measures and a direct dialogue with states in the Middle East. Israel also continues to believe that peace, mutual recognition and reconciliation are essential precursors to serious progress on arms control. All Israelis hope for a day when the region will enjoy peace and no one will be threatened by weapons of mass destruction or other dangerous weapons.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)