Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fresh off his election win, said Thursday that he and President Obama have no choice but to work together despite their disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program.
“We’ll work together. We have to. We have our differences on Iran,” he told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell in an interview that will air in full on “Andrew Mitchell Reports.”
{mosads}He also defended his decision to come to the United States to blast the Iran nuclear talks before a joint meeting of Congress.
“By coming to the U.S., I didn’t mean any disrespect, or any attempt at partisanship,” he said. “I was merely speaking, Andrea, of something I view could endanger the survival of Israel. I felt it my obligation to speak up there.”
Netanyahu’s conservative Likud Party won a surprise victory in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, which means he is likely to form a new coalition government and remain prime minister. The victory gives him new strength as he looks to stop a deal between Iran and Western powers.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that negotiators had sketched out a draft agreement that would require Iran to limit its nuclear centrifuges to 6,000 for at least 10 years. It currently operates around 10,000.
It remains to be seen whether the tension between Netanyahu and Obama will cool now that the Israeli leader has won reelection.
On Wednesday, the White House criticized Netanyahu’s decision to rally his conservative base by saying that Israeli Arabs were voting in higher numbers.
Obama has yet to call Netanyahu to congratulate him on his victory, and may not do so until he is selected to form a government. Secretary of State John Kerry called Netanyahu to congratulate him this week.