Netanyahu lauds ‘first Israeli flight’ over Sudanese airspace on Saturday
Netanyahu: Only 10% of Israel’s relations with Muslim countries are known
By JEREMY SHARONPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
The vast majority of Israel’s relations with Muslim and Arab countries are not known to the public, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Sunday night, adding that the Jewish state was deepening its relationships with numerous such states.The prime minister said that one result of these increasing ties was the first flight of an Israeli airplane in Sudanese airspace which he said happened on Saturday.Netanyahu was speaking at the annual leadership mission of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, where he lauded Israeli power and strength in the Middle East, and asserted that “Without the State of Israel there is no future for the Jewish people.”The prime minister said he had advanced a policy of demonstrating strength to Israel’s foes in the region, so as to impress upon them that the Jewish state would never be uprooted.He further said this “accumulation of power” had led to a sea change in the attitude of Israel’s neighbors to it, resulting in the increasing ties between the country and the Muslim and Arab states that surround it.“There is scarcely one Muslim or Arab country around the world we don’t have deepening ties with,” said Netanyahu.“Sometimes it comes out in the open. A year ago [my wife] Sara and I went on a very moving visit to Oman, and two weeks ago we had a very moving visit with the president of Sudan.“Sudan hosted the Khartoum conference with the famous ‘Three No’s,’ and now we’re discussing rapid normalization. The first Israeli airplanes passed yesterday over the skies of Sudan.“We now have flights over Sudan direct to South America, and people can stop on the way in Chad, which also resumed relations with us recently,” Netanyahu observed of that Muslim African nation.“What you’re seeing is about 10%, there are vast changes and they’re coming because Israel is now a power to contend with and because collaboration with Israel helps you assure the future of your people, and helps you assure a better future for your people,” said Netanyahu.
“Securing the safety of their people is obviously something on everyone’s mind, and obviously the greatest threat to the security of the countries of the Middle East and the world, is the attempt by Iran to arms itself with nuclear weapons,” he continued.Netanyahu repeated his oft-mentioned phrase that “Israel will never let Iran acquire nuclear weapons,” adding that “We will not let Iran entrench itself in our backyard in Syria.”
