Herzog to Fabius: Bad deal with Iran will carry heavy toll

Opposition leader Isaac Herzog spoke with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius over the weekend, telling him Western powers must not compromise with Iran on crucial points relating to its nuclear program.

Herzog told the French diplomat in a phone conversation that capitulation to the Iranians on contentious issues such as nuclear inspections would carry a heavy price, not just for Israel but for the world.

The two also spoke of the French push for renewed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. There were no further details on this aspect of the conversation, other than that the two agreed a return to peace talks was necessary as soon as possible.

The French initiative seeks a UN Security Council resolution which would set a timetable of 18 months for a final status agreement, and according to French media reports would threaten French recognition of Palestine should negotiations fail. Israel would likely vehemently oppose such a resolution. The initiative is currently on hold until after negotiations with Iran are completed.

The deadline for a final deal between Tehran and Western nations is June 30, though officials have warned that date may be delayed amidst continued differences on key issues. Negotiators have been meeting five days a week in Vienna over the past few weeks.

Herzog warned earlier this month that, if efforts to reach a peace deal in the region fail, “the biggest threat to the existence of the State of Israel” is the possible emergence of a binational state roughly divided among Jews and Arabs.

The opposition leader criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current government for failing to advance diplomatic initiatives, adding that of the 30 Knesset members in the ruling Likud party, 20 were officially opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state. He stressed that he and his party was determined that Israel separate from the Palestinian population under its control in order to preserve the nation’s unique status as a majority-Jewish state.

“I want to separate from the Palestinians,” said Herzog, who heads the Zionist Union party. “I want to maintain a Jewish state with a Jewish majority. I don’t want 61 Palestinian MKs in Israel’s Knesset. I don’t want a Palestinian prime minister in Israel. I don’t want them to change my flag and my national anthem.”