Hosted by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke via video linkup to American Jewish leaders about the dangers of the upcoming Iranian nuclear deal. The webcast had over 10,000 participants.

“We in Israel don’t want war,” said Netanyahu. “We want peace. Because it’s we who are on the front lines. We face Iran’s terror on three borders. Israelis are going to be the ones who pay the highest price if there’s war and if Iran gets the bomb.”

Netanyahu expounded on the threats the Iranian nuclear deal poses to Israel and the world at large. “The most important point I have to say is this: The nuclear deal with Iran does not block Iran‘s path to the bomb, it actually paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”

“Iran can violate the deal and there is good reason to believe that they will do so, that they will cheat,” said Netanyahu. “They’ve done it in the past and they will do it again.”

Even if Iran would abide by the plan, Netanyahu pointed out numerous flaws in the system, such as the notice given to Iran before any nuclear inspections. “It’s like the police giving a drug dealer three and a half week’s notice before raiding his lab,” explained Netanyahu. “Believe me, you can flush a lot of nuclear meth down the toilet in 24 days.”

In terms of Iran’s covert facilities, Netanyahu asked, “How can you block that which you don’t know?…Iran can keep the deal and Iran can cheat on the deal; either way the deal gives Iran a clear path to the bomb.”

“This is a very dangerous deal, and it threatens all of us,” Netanyahu said. “The more people know about the deal, the more the deal’s supporters try to stifle serious debate. They do so with false claims and efforts to delegitimize criticism,” he added.

By Bracha Leah Palatnik