Netanyahu's view on Middle East [ME] uprisings

Addressing Israel's parliament last October, Bibi said, The Arab street has awoken; old regimes have toppled… new ones are rising. No one can guarantee how good or how stable these new regimes will be, nor their attitude towards Israel. And since ME populations have been systematically poisoned with anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda, these attitudes will not be good.

Bibi foresees a rough time.

The collapse of Gaddafi's regime in Libya, the bloody incidents in Syria, American forces leaving Iraq, the new [Isalmic] government in Tunisia, the upcoming elections in Egypt and many other events… can increase instability within these countries, and between countries.

Regional powers who have control in the ME will try to ensure they have greater influence on new regimes. One of these is Iran, which continues its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. He said a nuclear Iran would be a terrible threat to the world and a direct threat to Israel. So Israel must strengthen its security to deal with all new challenges and threats, and that must include offensive capabilities, which is the very foundation of deterrence…

For 2,000 years the Jewish people could not defend themselves. This changed when the State of Israel was established, and the Israel Defense Force was founded.

Bibi said that in Israel's neighborhood, peace is made with the strong, not with the weak. Israel is united in wanting a peace that is real, that is anchored in the right of the Jewish people for a nation-state in its homeland; peace that is based on security. We are willing to compromise, but not to discard our security…

Yet, although Israel supports the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement, the Palestinians are trying to reach a Palestinian state without a peace agreement… I will not agree to that. No responsible leader would. ("Netanyahu's Speech at Opening of Knesset's Winter Session," www.pmo.gov.il, 31 Oct. 2011)