PM Netanyahu; It's time for Israel to 'fight back' and 'delegitimize the delegitimizers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that those who boycott Israel are anti-Semites. Speaking at the Conference of Presidents, Netanyahu told a group of visiting Jewish-American leaders that it is time for Israel to "fight back" and "delegitimize the delegitimizers." There are increasing concerns in Israel over a Palestinian-led movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS). The boycott has been growing recently, mainly in Europe, where some businesses and pension funds have cut investments or trade with Israeli firms they say are connected to West Bank settlements. "I think that it is important that the boycotters be exposed for what they are, they are classical anti-Semites in modern garb," Netanyahu said. He said Israel is fighting BDS by exposing the boycotters and with its booming high-tech sector. As is his custom, Netanyahu also addressed the issue of the Iranian threat, saying the interim agreement with Tehran legitimizes the Islamic Republic for no reason and asserting that "Iran has given practically nothing, but gets international legitimacy." His remarks came on the eve of fresh talks between Iran and the P5+1 group - Britain, France, the United States, China and Russia plus Germany - aimed at reaching a comprehensive accord on Tehran's controversial nuclear program. Israel was highly critical of an interim deal signed between Iran and the West in November under which Iran agreed to freeze or scale back its nuclear activities for a six-month period in exchange for limited sanctions relief. The interim deal, he said, only delayed Tehran's nuclear program in four weeks, while the Islamic Republic continues developing more effective centrifuges that would allow them to reach a bomb faster. The prime minister made similar comments to visiting Peruvian President Ollanta Humala in their meeting earlier Monday. "So far the only one who benefited from these talks is Iran. In fact they didn't give anything but they got a lot," Netanyahu told President Humala. "Iran is continuing its aggressive behavior: arming terrorist groups, supporting the massacre of his own people by the Assad regime (in Syria), calling for the destruction of Israel and subversive activities all over the world, including Latin America." Israel and the West have long suspected Iran of covertly pursuing a nuclear weapons capability alongside its civilian program – charges denied by Tehran. The United States and Israel – which views Iran as its greatest strategic threat – have not ruled out military action to prevent Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb. Iran's top decision-maker Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has also expressed skepticism about the talks, and on Monday said they would "lead nowhere." "I repeat it again that I am not optimistic about the negotiations and they will lead nowhere, but I am not against them," Khamenei said in remarks published on his website Khamenei.ir.