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Israeli envoy: Huckabee words on Iran deal inappropriate

Susan Page
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., now lobbying intensively against the Iran nuclear accord, on Monday rejected as inappropriate the harsh language that Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee used likening it to the Holocaust.

Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer

"Look, we have a very serious disagreement with the administration on a very serious issue," Ambassador Ron Dermer told Capital Download. "But what I don't doubt is the sincerity of the president or his team when they say they believe this deal not only makes America safe but makes Israel safe. Where we disagree is the judgment of actually what this deal is going to do."

On Huckabee's comments, he said: "These are not words that I would use or that I think are appropriate."

In an interview Saturday, Huckabee had called the Iran deal "idiotic" and said President Obama ultimately will "take the Israelis and march them to the door of the oven." Obama, traveling in Africa, characterized the comments as "ridiculous" and "sad," but the former Arkansas governor refused to back down. "What's ridiculous and sad is that President Obama does not take the Iran threats seriously," he shot back Monday.

Dermer distanced himself from those remarks.

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"We don't in any way impugn the motives of the people who are doing this deal," he told USA TODAY's video newsmaker series. "I think it's important to conduct this debate in a way that's befitting of the alliance between our two countries."

In the interview, Israel's top representative in Washington continued to argue that the Iran nuclear deal was a dangerous misstep, and he said he was getting a receptive hearing among many congressional Republicans and some Democrats now in the midst of a 60-day review of its details. He said he had met with dozens of congressional Democrats because "I think ultimately they may decide whether this deal goes through or doesn't go through."

He was on his way after the interview to meet with some House Republican leaders.

At this point, Dermer said he believes a majority of Congress is against the deal, but "I just don't know" whether opponents have enough votes to override a presidential veto.

Dermer's tone was measured and conciliatory. That could reflect a desire by the Israeli government to narrow the rift between the two countries — particularly if the nuclear accord ends up being implemented. He acknowledged that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, meeting last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had proposed increasing U.S. military assistance to Israel to help address security concerns as a result of the accord.

"They want to work with us to discuss what happens the day after," Dermer said. "We're not in that conversation at this point because we want to focus on preventing what we think is a very bad deal for Israel, for the region and for the world."

But he added, "We appreciate the support that we have gotten from this administration, from this president, to enhance our security. And the discussion that we'll have about the day after, we'll have to leave to the day after."

The disagreement over the Iran deal is serious and fundamental, he said, but "after this debate is aired we'll have to continue to work with the United States; Israel will have to work with the United States and wants to work with the United States in addressing the enormous challenges we're going to face. Because either way, we've got a very difficult situation in the Middle East today, and I think the United States and Israel are going to need each other more in the years ahead than they have in the past."

The ambassador also welcomed reports that convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard could be paroled from prison in November after serving 30 years of a life sentence — a cause celebre in Israel — although he said the release should not be linked to the dispute between the United States and Israel on the Iran negotiations.

"It would end a difficult chapter in relations between the United States and Israel," he said, "but Jonathan Pollard should have been released a long time ago on humanitarian grounds."

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