WEB DESK
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended the Iran nuclear deal in an interview with an Israeli TV channel, saying it was preferable to having no agreement at all.
Her comments, broadcast by Israel TV’s Channel 10 on Sunday, highlight differences over the deal between Germany and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vehemently criticized the internationally brokered accord for not doing enough to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu believes that the nuclear deal with Iran does not provide the security Israel desires,” Merkel said. “We believe it is better to have this agreement, even if it is not perfect, than to have no agreement. We will continue to discuss this, but Germany will watch very closely to ensure that this agreement will be fulfilled.”
The 2015 deal with Iran, which was negotiated by several world powers, including Germany and the United States, calls on Tehran to curb its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions imposed amid fears that the Islamic Republic was seeking to develop a nuclear arsenal.
German Chancellor also denounced the emergence of “another form of anti-Semitism” from refugees of Arab origin in Germany, in an interview with Israeli television broadcast on Sunday.
“We have a new phenomenon, as we have many refugees among whom there are, for example, people of Arab origin who bring another form of anti-Semitism into the country,” Merkel told the private Channel 10 network.
The chancellor added that “to our regret, anti-Semitism existed in Germany even before this,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
Her remarks come after an alleged anti-Semitic attack on Tuesday in Berlin caused a stir in Germany.
Broadcasting now chancellor #Merkel s interview on channel #ten in #israel #israel70 #germany @RegSprecher pic.twitter.com/ghSRnMkOjW
— Shai Hoffmann 👁🗨 (@ShaiHoffmann) April 22, 2018