Speaker 1: We have Prime Minister notting Yahoo on the phone with
Speaker 1: us from his Knesset office in Jerusalem. Only have ten minutes,
Speaker 1: so I want to get right to it first. Welcome
Speaker 1: to the program and great to talk to you again, sir. Well,
Speaker 1: it's very good to talk to you Rush. All right.
Speaker 1: Some observers in the United States are sensing a new
Speaker 1: Israel here, less willing to commit to total victory as
Speaker 1: as in the past, on the basis of the way
Speaker 1: current conflict with the Hesbaala groups being way. Is that true?
Speaker 1: I hope not. I've given my support his opposition leader
Speaker 1: to the government. People of Israel overwhelmingly have given the
Speaker 1: support for victory, that is, to remove the threat, much
Speaker 1: as the US during the Cuban missile process said those
Speaker 1: missiles have to go. We stay Isabella and those missiles
Speaker 1: have to go because otherwise there'll be no no peace
Speaker 1: for leban or no peace for Israel, no peace running.
Speaker 1: Now we're hearing, UM, I'm hearing some some discontent in
Speaker 1: this country that there's some concern that the current Prime
Speaker 1: Minister isn't willing to unleash a full complement of Israeli
Speaker 1: ground forces. Um. If that's true, what's the reason. I
Speaker 1: don't know. We're in the middle of the war and
Speaker 1: I don't want to start second testing. I think the
Speaker 1: important thing is to six year I and the goal,
Speaker 1: the goal led by the government is to remove eliminate
Speaker 1: the missile thread and eliminate and breakfast Bala's fighting ability
Speaker 1: and whatever means required, and then those means should be
Speaker 1: used planned air, see you name it. I think it's
Speaker 1: it's important to understand Rush that we're not just dealing
Speaker 1: with his Bala Islamic militant thread. We're dealing with an
Speaker 1: Iranian UH back the salt in a western country, and
Speaker 1: we're just the first target. And they openly say that
Speaker 1: we're the first target. We're the small state. You are
Speaker 1: the big states Europe, though it doesn't understand it's a
Speaker 1: middle side state, so he doesn't really started up with us.
Speaker 1: When a two million of our people are hunker down
Speaker 1: in bunkers and UH cities are rocketed, are killed in
Speaker 1: are murdered, and when we respond against these terrorists or
Speaker 1: hiding deliberately in civilian areas, UH they attack us, they're
Speaker 1: actually in doing so attack themselves. I don't think I
Speaker 1: don't think that the US has any such misunderstanding, any
Speaker 1: such lack of clarity. I hope that Disraeli government doesn't
Speaker 1: have lack of clarity. We need clarity in our target,
Speaker 1: and the target is to remove our common enemy committed
Speaker 1: to our destruction, uh and something that we have to
Speaker 1: remove as a clear and present threat to our future,
Speaker 1: to our security. I couldn't agree with you more. I'm
Speaker 1: not I'm not trying to foment discord between you and
Speaker 1: the Prime Minister either. It's just that so many of
Speaker 1: us who support you remember past Israeli involvement six Day
Speaker 1: War on Kipper War um, and it just looks different
Speaker 1: this time, and so we ask questions why, because like you,
Speaker 1: we all know that the focus of this is sere
Speaker 1: you in Iran. We don't hear our government talking to
Speaker 1: us like that. We don't hear our government telling us
Speaker 1: that uh in this country. Do you ever sit there
Speaker 1: wonder as an individual? I know, and there may be
Speaker 1: tough questions for you because you're you're leader Likud party
Speaker 1: and you are very united today in this latest battle
Speaker 1: with with with hes Mala. Do you ever wonder your
Speaker 1: to yourself why the US doesn't act now to take
Speaker 1: out the regime in Iran. The entire world knows who
Speaker 1: is behind this. They've been helping Al Qaida attacking troops
Speaker 1: in Iraq. They're not far from getting nuclear weapons. Well,
Speaker 1: I think this is the greatest question of our time.
Speaker 1: It is not only of monumental importance to Israel, because Iran,
Speaker 1: while denying that the Holocaust took place, is openly declaring
Speaker 1: it in its intentions to make another Holocaust with the
Speaker 1: sixman and Jews of Israel that they intend to eliminate.
Speaker 1: Iran also intends to become UH nuclear power and empire.
Speaker 1: The long range missiles that now reach every capital in
Speaker 1: Europe and within a decade would reach the eastern seaboards UH.
Speaker 1: And they have a crazy particular shi i Uh steps
Speaker 1: of a grand apocalypse that is supposed to right about now,
Speaker 1: which millions will die on all sides, on both side,
Speaker 1: and this brand of Sheism will will rule the world. Now,
Speaker 1: you may ask, how is it possible religious wars died
Speaker 1: in the seventeenth century. Not for them, not for them,
Speaker 1: not for the likes of Altida who smashed into buildings
Speaker 1: New York, and not for Iran that is building an
Speaker 1: atomic arsenal for that effect. So what they've really done
Speaker 1: here is fired the first best album. And the question
Speaker 1: of our response, by our response, I mean not only
Speaker 1: Israel's response because Bala, but the international response to Iran
Speaker 1: in its waystation steream. I think that's a crucial question
Speaker 1: that you're raising. Our President Brush has said, and he's
Speaker 1: had something very important just recently a month ago, he
Speaker 1: said that he would not let Iran acquire nuclear weapons.
Speaker 1: That is very important. How he plans to do it,
Speaker 1: what means he plans to use. Of course he leaves
Speaker 1: with himself. But there's no question right now that there
Speaker 1: ought to be a division of labor, the US and
Speaker 1: the responsible members of the international community. If you can
Speaker 1: find something, they should press Iran and serious sees him
Speaker 1: assists of support and army of his blah, and Israel
Speaker 1: should be left to do the job that it must do,
Speaker 1: that is to disarm and destroyer spissile arsenal to be done.
Speaker 1: Is anybody stopping you from doing that? Anybody putting the
Speaker 1: brakes on you? I don't think so, not not yet.
Speaker 1: I have to day. I don't think that. You know,
Speaker 1: we've had all wars have limited time. Uh, you know,
Speaker 1: it's not an unlimited amount of time anyway, and I
Speaker 1: said that from day one and the time that you
Speaker 1: have available, you should use with the power that you
Speaker 1: have available. The more power you use, the less time
Speaker 1: you need. So obviously we don't have unlimited time, and
Speaker 1: therefore we should use more power, a lot more power. Crush.
Speaker 1: That's what's required. And I think if Israel shows this dissolve,
Speaker 1: as Israeli government shows this dissolved, then America, first of all,
Speaker 1: America would respect it at the end of the day,
Speaker 1: they are Let me try this quite a little bit
Speaker 1: of a lengthy question, and I know the phone connection
Speaker 1: here is not the best, but I want to ask
Speaker 1: you this because it's it's a it's a topic that's
Speaker 1: really royaling much of the American population, and that is
Speaker 1: that the war has two aspects, the PR spin war
Speaker 1: and the reality and the and the media. Mr Prime
Speaker 1: Minister uh suggested Israel is losing the PR media war
Speaker 1: and has got to change its tactics so that it
Speaker 1: can win the PR media war. I don't think that
Speaker 1: Israel can ever win a media war, and I don't
Speaker 1: think George Bush can ever win a media war because
Speaker 1: the world's media is not interested in the facts of
Speaker 1: reality in this current conflict. Uh, you can, you can
Speaker 1: point out the reality of the he has a lot
Speaker 1: of people using civilian human shields all day long. It
Speaker 1: still will be ignored. Uh. Do you think you can
Speaker 1: lose the real conflict uh with with Hebllah if you
Speaker 1: also lose the spin war? Or do you not care
Speaker 1: about that? Just focus on the reality of actually winning
Speaker 1: the war as that used to be defined. First of all,
Speaker 1: win the war, win the war on its gons, and
Speaker 1: win it quickly and decisively. That would be always my
Speaker 1: first presence. But secondly, you're quite right that. Indeed, from
Speaker 1: the twentieth century on, we've learned that too. The meant
Speaker 1: a military victory, you must have a political victory. To
Speaker 1: have a political victory, you must win the battle for
Speaker 1: public opinion. To win the battle for public opinion, you
Speaker 1: must convince that public that your cause is just and
Speaker 1: the cause of your enemy is unjust. There's never been
Speaker 1: a more just war than this one. That's obvious. We
Speaker 1: were fired upon from Lebanon and from Gaza when we
Speaker 1: left and vacated every square inch in a totally unprovoked manner.
Speaker 1: Our soldiers were didn't have been murdered, our our studies
Speaker 1: were walking upon. So this is a just war. Now,
Speaker 1: can Americans understand that? I happen to think that Americans
Speaker 1: understand that very well and overwhelmingly. So. I don't believe
Speaker 1: that is the case in Europe, in Western Europe, at least,
Speaker 1: perhaps in Eastern Europe, where they understand power a little better.
Speaker 1: But Western Europe shows signs of abilitation, signs not understanding
Speaker 1: where their interests are and where morality is. Uh. They
Speaker 1: view everything in a post colonial prison as though we
Speaker 1: are colonialists. We who are living in our land, who
Speaker 1: are gripping onto our land for three thousand years, we're
Speaker 1: supposed to be the colonials. But nevertheless, I sense a
Speaker 1: crack in Europe too. It is not that they support Israel.
Speaker 1: It is that they don't support the England and they
Speaker 1: don't support the Islaments because they are being plagued by
Speaker 1: the same plague. So for them, it's a pox on
Speaker 1: both your house. But what America knows. Europe doesn't know.
Speaker 1: It's our house. It's sustained out Israel, America, the free
Speaker 1: societies of Europe were the same house. And the likes
Speaker 1: of Iran and Kristala and al Qaeda. They want to
Speaker 1: destroy our house. Israel, to be sure, would be their
Speaker 1: number one target. But we're only their first target. And
Speaker 1: they save those they want eventually to get you. And
Speaker 1: they have no problem and no inhibition firing supon civilians
Speaker 1: hiding among civilians. These are by the way to war climbs.
Speaker 1: According to the Geneva Convention, not only can you not
Speaker 1: deliberately fire on civilians, you cannot deliberately hide among civilians.
Speaker 1: You have here this criminal organization supported by criminal regimes,
Speaker 1: with a criminical, criminal goal of destroying Israel, but ultimately
Speaker 1: destroying the West. Let's not be food. Let's gear ourselves
Speaker 1: and fight this battle, and let's win it. Well. We
Speaker 1: admire every effort you're making, we really do. It's tough
Speaker 1: to wage war on an enemy that considers the death
Speaker 1: of its own children victory. Uh. Just one more question
Speaker 1: is I know your time is limited and you have
Speaker 1: to go, but I'm trying to figure out how you
Speaker 1: have a ceasefire. How we can have a ceasefire with
Speaker 1: terrorists who are backed by Iran, which has their goal
Speaker 1: the destruction of Israel. Has anybody, any country, anybody from
Speaker 1: the United Nations or anybody else explained to you in Israel,
Speaker 1: how this this ceasefire, a sustainable, meaningful ceasefire with a
Speaker 1: bunch of terrorists would actually work. No, I don't think so.
Speaker 1: I don't think the ceasefire by itself will work. I
Speaker 1: think it will work the other way. Uh. I think
Speaker 1: running away from terror or not finishing there gets there
Speaker 1: to come back and bite you, bite you, even with
Speaker 1: greater bites. I think that the important thing is what
Speaker 1: what are the condition that leads to a ceasefire? And
Speaker 1: it seems to me that the most important thing is
Speaker 1: to do Dismalla's fighting ability and destroy that missile Arsenal.
Speaker 1: That's when you should have a ceasefire. They can't fire anymore. Okay,
Speaker 1: So what you're describing here is a ceasefire the results
Speaker 1: from your victory. Yes, exactly, makes perfect sense to everybody. Well, look,
Speaker 1: I'm glad you made time for us today, Mr Prime Minister.
Speaker 1: I know it's hectic for you right now. We appreciate
Speaker 1: the time very much and the best to you always.
Speaker 1: Good to talk to us, all right for you, bet
Speaker 1: As Former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netan Yahoo