Netanyahu: Iran a greater threat than 'Islamic State'

Speaking at the United Nations Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened his country's recent bombing campaign in Gaza as similar to the current airstrike campaign being carried out against the "Islamic State," (IS) and said that a nuclear-armed Iran in fact poses a greater threat than IS.

Netanyahu criticized other world leaders who have spoken out against Israel's recent bombing campaign in the Gaza strip, and praised US President Barack Obama for using military force to degrade extremist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Netanyahu said that his critics "don't understand that ISIS (IS) and Hamas are branches of the same poisonous tree," with the same goal of spreading militant Islam throughout the world.

"Hamas' immediate goal is to destroy Israel, but it has a broader objective," Netanyahu said. "Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas."

He compared Islamist militants to Nazis. "Nazis believed in master race, Islamist militants believe in a master faith," Netanyahu said.

Iran a greater threat

The Israeli Prime Minister also lashed out at Iran, calling the nation a greater threat than IS and criticizing international efforts to reach a nuclear deal with the country. "The Islamic Republic is now trying to bamboozle its way to an agreement…that will cement Iran's place as a threshold military nuclear power," he said.

"Allowing that to happen would pose the gravest threat to us all," Netanyahu said. "To defeat ISIS and leave Iran as a potential nuclear power is to win the battle and lose the war."

Israel opposes Iran taking part in the international campaign to defeat IS, and has repeatedly warned against accommodating Iran in any nuclear deal. He said the Islamic Republic practices its own terrorism.

"To say that Iran doesn't practice terrorism is like saying Derek Jeter never played shortstop for the New York Yankees," Netanyahu said, referencing an American baseball star.

The prime minister said that "Iran's nuclear military capabilities must be fully dismantled," drawing applause.

Defends Gaza bombing campaign

Netanyahu defended Israel's recent bombing campaign in Gaza, which killed more than 2,100 mostly civilian Palestinians, and destroyed more than 18,000 homes. On Friday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of war crimes by carrying out the bombings.

The prime minister disputed those charges, and said Israel "was doing everything to minimize civilian casualties. Hamas was doing everything to maximize civilian casualties."

"We deeply regret every single civilian casualty," Netanyahu said.

The prime minister also expressed is support as well for a "historic compromise" with the people of Palestine that would lead to peace in the region, but did not offer details on what such a compromise would look like.

bw/dr (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)