Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “persistent” and “obsessed” with striking Iran and normalising relations with Saudi Arabia during her tenure.
Speaking in an interview with New Yorker Editor David Remnick at an event in New York City, Clinton discussed Netanyahu’s approach while she served as secretary of state.
Clinton said Netanyahu was relentlessly insistent on attacking Iran. “He would say, ‘You have to support us in attacking Iran.’ This was during the period from 2009 to 2012,” Clinton said.
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She said the issue of attacking Iran was a recurring topic and recalled a lengthy phone conversation with Netanyahu and then-Israeli defence minister Ehud Barak.
“They were saying things like, ‘Our planes are on the runway.’ And I would say, ‘Well, good luck. I mean, OK, but why are you doing this?” Clinton said. When Remnick remarked, “So as an ally receiving a great deal of assistance, they were playing games with you,” Clinton replied: “Always. Of course.”
Clinton said Netanyahu had long been “obsessed” with both attacking Iran and normalising relations with Saudi Arabia during her time in office. She added that the same approach could also be seen in Netanyahu’s relationship with US President Donald Trump.
