(Ynet).On the backdrop of American pressure to halt construction in settlements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday "not to freeze life in Judea and Samaria."
Netanyahu attended the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting for the first time since taking office two months ago. The issues discussed by the committee members included the Iranian threat and the situation in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
"We are not like other countries. We are facing a stockpile of threats no other nation is facing. My commitment is to Israel's security. It's my responsibility," he said.
The prime minister also told the committee members about his recent meeting with US President Barack Obama and his other Washington meetings. "We affirmed the understandings on strategic issues. There was an agreement on the danger of a nuclear Iran and on our right top defend ourselves at all times."
He added that during the visit "we did not discuss a linkage between the Iranian and Palestinian issues. We did say that a nuclear Iran would provide an umbrella for the terror organizations."
Netanyahu hinted that Israel was monitoring the American response to the North Korean nuclear test and missile launches.
Addressing the negotiations with the Palestinians, the prime minister said that "we are willing to resume the negotiations immediately and without any preconditions. We are also ready for a political as well as economic-security process.
"We don’t want to control the Palestinians, but we also don't want them to have their own army and the ability to sign pacts with Iran. The essence is important. We won't build new settlements. The plan is to dismantle unauthorized outposts. There are reasonable demands and unreasonable demands. The settlements' fate will be determined in the permanent agreement."
Netanyahu hinted that Israel was closely following the United States' response to recent belligerent moves made by North Korea.
When Netanyahu stressed he was the one responsible for the security of Israel, even if it would harm his popularity, he banged the table with his fist, a gesture that caused opposition leader Tzipi Livni to lash out at him.
"The fact that you bang on the table and say you are willing to be unpopular doesn't make what you say less demagoguery than it is," she told him
Knesset Member Miri Regev (Likud) slammed the previous government's policy, saying that "the prime minister is doing the right thing by halting the policy of the Kadima government, which made unstoppable gestures to the Palestinians, and the only thing it got in return was terror and incitement."
MK Regev added, "I strengthen the prime minister for his policy and for maintaining the State of Israel's security interests. We must not talk about removing outposts when Israel's security is in danger, from Iran to Hamas."
