Dermer: Israel hopes 'dramatic change' in US policy on Iran is weeks away
At Rosh Hashana reception, Israeli ambassador lays out Jerusalem's expectations for the new year.
By MICHAEL WILNER, REUTERSUpdated: SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 04:16Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer(photo credit: MIKE SEGAR / REUTERS)
WASHINGTON – The Israeli government hopes that the coming weeks “will bring about a dramatic change” regarding the Iran nuclear deal, Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said on Tuesday before a room full of lawmakers and Trump administration officials.At his annual Rosh Hashana reception, the ambassador listed Iran as the greatest threat to Israel and the wider region.The administration is considering declaring Iran in noncompliance of the agreement next month – a move that would promote a new, heated congressional debate on whether to exit the nuclear accord.Dermer offered praise for US President Donald Trump’s Mideast peace team, one of whose leaders, Jason Greenblatt, was in attendance. The team is “very quietly working to advance a serious process” toward regional peace, he said.The envoy also called on lawmakers to pass the Taylor Force Act, a bill making its way through Congress that would threaten the Palestinian Authority with an aid cut should it continue a program paying stipends to terrorists and the families of terrorists.
