(WSJ).Israeli President Shimon Peres said Sunday that Israel is more likely to conclude a peace deal with the Palestinians if Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear weapon were to be blunted.
In a 60-minute interview in his wood-paneled offices in Jerusalem with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Peres, 86 years old, said Israel's survival as a Jewish state depended on its ability to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians based on two states for two peoples.
But he said Iran's push to develop a nuclear weapon could hinder Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to win broad support for concessions to the Palestinians.
In an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Peres said Israel's survival as a Jewish state depended on its ability to conclude a two-state peace deal with the Palestinians. Read an edited transcript.
"Netanyahu has a dream and a nightmare," Mr. Peres said. "His dream, I believe, is peace, like all of us. His nightmare is Iran. Were we to get rid of the nightmare, I think that the dynamics of peace would become more evident."
Mr. Peres seemed to suggest he may not support unilateral Israeli action against Iran's weapons efforts in defiance of the U.S. and the international community. He didn't elaborate on the government's thinking on the Iran situation.
"I suggest we let the world leaders handle [Iran] and Israel will be a disciplined participant," Mr. Peres said. He said that while an Israeli military strike couldn't be excluded, tough sanctions, moral clarity by the international community and accelerated efforts to develop effective missile defenses would be the best course of action.
Both the U.S. and Israeli governments say they aren't linking the peace process with the Palestinians to the international effort to stop Iran's nuclear-weapons efforts. But with Washington appearing to be more interested than Israel in pursuing a peace deal now, and with Israel appearing to be more eager than the U.S. to see tough and timely action against Iran, the two issues could wind up as leverage in negotiations between Washington and Jerusalem.
The position of president in Israel has historically been largely ceremonial, but since his election in 2007, Mr. Peres has given the position new prominence and heft. He has more than half a century of experience in Israeli politics, including three stints as prime minister and a Nobel Peace prize for the 1993 Oslo accords. He is widely respected in Washington and European capitals.
He has won newfound support in Israel as an elder statesman who can more ably advocate for Israel overseas than many members of Mr. Netanyahu's more conservative, right-of-center government. In a telling breach of protocol, it was Mr. Peres, not Mr. Netanyahu, who held the first Israeli meeting with President Barack Obama last year.
Mr. Peres appears to have pushed Mr. Netanyahu to adopt more moderate positions on some key issues. Last year, Mr. Peres publicly called on the newly elected Mr. Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution as the basis for solving the Palestinian conflict. Soon after, Mr. Netanyahu did just that.
On Sunday, Mr. Peres called that a landmark shift in Israeli politics that marked the first time the Israeli right had publicly endorsed a Palestinian state.
"That brought an end to the debate in Israel, at least on a theoretical level," Mr. Peres said.
Sipping Turkish coffee and backed by a colorful print of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, Mr. Peres voiced concern about the frayed ties between Mr. Netanyahu and Washington. He rejected accusations leveled by many in Israel, including from members of Mr. Netanyahu's government, that Mr. Obama hasn't demonstrated sufficient support for Israel.
"The best thing I can say is that what happened between Israel and America, it wasn't necessary for anyone," Mr. Peres said. "I have had several meetings with Obama and I was profoundly impressed by one thing, that [Obama's] commitment to the security of Israel is constant, immovable and expressed in deeds. I wouldn't belittle that."
Though he is a member of the opposition centrist Kadima Party, Mr. Peres also defended Mr. Netanyahu against critics who doubt the Israeli premier's commitment to peace.
"There is a misconception about the whole story of peace both here and abroad," Mr. Peres said. "Israel wants peace, not because we want to make a gesture toward the Arabs or because of American pressure. Israel needs peace for her own sake. The choice is clear: either to live in one state with two nations or to have a two-state solution."
He said Mr. Netanyahu's economic peace plan, which encourages development in the West Bank, though dismissed by many as a ploy to avoid more substantive territorial concessions, has led to tangible improvements in Palestinians' daily lives and has helped restore Palestinians' faith in the peace process.
In a 60-minute interview in his wood-paneled offices in Jerusalem with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Peres, 86 years old, said Israel's survival as a Jewish state depended on its ability to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians based on two states for two peoples.
But he said Iran's push to develop a nuclear weapon could hinder Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to win broad support for concessions to the Palestinians.
In an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Peres said Israel's survival as a Jewish state depended on its ability to conclude a two-state peace deal with the Palestinians. Read an edited transcript.
"Netanyahu has a dream and a nightmare," Mr. Peres said. "His dream, I believe, is peace, like all of us. His nightmare is Iran. Were we to get rid of the nightmare, I think that the dynamics of peace would become more evident."
Mr. Peres seemed to suggest he may not support unilateral Israeli action against Iran's weapons efforts in defiance of the U.S. and the international community. He didn't elaborate on the government's thinking on the Iran situation.
"I suggest we let the world leaders handle [Iran] and Israel will be a disciplined participant," Mr. Peres said. He said that while an Israeli military strike couldn't be excluded, tough sanctions, moral clarity by the international community and accelerated efforts to develop effective missile defenses would be the best course of action.
Both the U.S. and Israeli governments say they aren't linking the peace process with the Palestinians to the international effort to stop Iran's nuclear-weapons efforts. But with Washington appearing to be more interested than Israel in pursuing a peace deal now, and with Israel appearing to be more eager than the U.S. to see tough and timely action against Iran, the two issues could wind up as leverage in negotiations between Washington and Jerusalem.
The position of president in Israel has historically been largely ceremonial, but since his election in 2007, Mr. Peres has given the position new prominence and heft. He has more than half a century of experience in Israeli politics, including three stints as prime minister and a Nobel Peace prize for the 1993 Oslo accords. He is widely respected in Washington and European capitals.
He has won newfound support in Israel as an elder statesman who can more ably advocate for Israel overseas than many members of Mr. Netanyahu's more conservative, right-of-center government. In a telling breach of protocol, it was Mr. Peres, not Mr. Netanyahu, who held the first Israeli meeting with President Barack Obama last year.
Mr. Peres appears to have pushed Mr. Netanyahu to adopt more moderate positions on some key issues. Last year, Mr. Peres publicly called on the newly elected Mr. Netanyahu to accept a two-state solution as the basis for solving the Palestinian conflict. Soon after, Mr. Netanyahu did just that.
On Sunday, Mr. Peres called that a landmark shift in Israeli politics that marked the first time the Israeli right had publicly endorsed a Palestinian state.
"That brought an end to the debate in Israel, at least on a theoretical level," Mr. Peres said.
Sipping Turkish coffee and backed by a colorful print of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, Mr. Peres voiced concern about the frayed ties between Mr. Netanyahu and Washington. He rejected accusations leveled by many in Israel, including from members of Mr. Netanyahu's government, that Mr. Obama hasn't demonstrated sufficient support for Israel.
"The best thing I can say is that what happened between Israel and America, it wasn't necessary for anyone," Mr. Peres said. "I have had several meetings with Obama and I was profoundly impressed by one thing, that [Obama's] commitment to the security of Israel is constant, immovable and expressed in deeds. I wouldn't belittle that."
Though he is a member of the opposition centrist Kadima Party, Mr. Peres also defended Mr. Netanyahu against critics who doubt the Israeli premier's commitment to peace.
"There is a misconception about the whole story of peace both here and abroad," Mr. Peres said. "Israel wants peace, not because we want to make a gesture toward the Arabs or because of American pressure. Israel needs peace for her own sake. The choice is clear: either to live in one state with two nations or to have a two-state solution."
He said Mr. Netanyahu's economic peace plan, which encourages development in the West Bank, though dismissed by many as a ploy to avoid more substantive territorial concessions, has led to tangible improvements in Palestinians' daily lives and has helped restore Palestinians' faith in the peace process.